Several Area Baseball Players Honored on Class 1A and 2A All-District Teams

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Rick Watts

Today, it’s time to take a look at who excelled on the baseball diamond in Class 1A and 2A and earned All-District nominations from the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association.

In Class 1A, all of our honorees fell into the Southeast District.

On the First Team, Twin Cedars senior pitcher Trace Embray made the team after going 7-2 in 2017. Embray wraps up an impressive career that began as an important piece to an undefeated championship team in 2014.

Joining him on the First Team is a pair of Moravia Mohawks, also out of the Bluegrass Conference. Junior Tucker Babbitt batted .419 and was named as the First Team 3^rd baseman, while Mateo Varese hit .403, went 5-2 on the mound, and was listed as a utility player on the top squad.

To wrap up our area players on the First Team, three players representing three different schools out of the South Iowa Cedar League were honored. Sigourney’s Avery Moore and BGM’s Keegan James were both outstanding this season and both were listed in outfield spots, while Lynnville-Sully’s Tyler Van Zante had a good all-around year at the plate and on the mound en route to being named to a utility player spot.

On the Second Team, there is a huge chunk of players from the area.

Pekin leads the way with four honorees. Senior pitcher Garrett Greiner, sophomore shortstop Tanner Bainbridge, senior outfielder Jake Huff, and junior utility player Torell Washington all were named to the Second Team for the Panthers.

Moravia, Sigourney, BGM, and Lynnville-Sully had more honorees on the Second Team as well.

Moravia’s junior pitcher Griffin Cosgrove went 5-0 on the mound and was nominated to the second squad.

The Sigourney duo of sophomore catcher Carson Crawford and sophomore outfielder Mac Conrad also made the cut for the Savages who reached a district final.

BGM had a trio of nominations. Senior catcher Dylan Shafbuch, senior 3^rd baseman Eric Weiss, and junior utility player Kyle Doty all made the second team.

Rounding out our listening area athletes in Class 1A is a tandem of Lynnville-Sully upperclassmen. Senior outfielder Caden Dunsbergen and junior utility player Elijah Collins have starred in multiple sports for the Hawks and that continued on the diamond with Second Team All-Southeast District honors in 2017.

In Class 2A, only three area players made lists, and all three were listed in different districts.

The lone First Team honoree is Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont junior KJ McCrea, who was listed as the Southeast District shortstop after batting .436 this season.

In the Central District, PCM junior pitcher Noah Henkenius went 6-1 and was named to the Second Team, while Pleasantville’s sophomore catcher Cael Lester hit .429 en route to being named to the Second Team of the Southwest District.

It was an extremely successful baseball season for our listening area, and that was directly reflected by the amount of players that were named by the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association as All-District athletes.

Albia, EBF Players Highlight South Central All-Conference Softball Teams

Posted on July 25, 2017 by Rick Watts

It was a banner year in the South Central Conference for softball, as two teams from the league played in state championship games. Those two teams, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont in Class 2A and Albia in Class 3A, were well represented in the All-Conference Teams voted on by the coaches.

There were only four unanimous First Team selections. Albia freshman Jena Lawrence and EBF senior Haegen Boyer and junior Randie Richmond had outstanding seasons, and they were joined by Clarke senior and Indian Hills commit Vanessa Bakely on the unanimous list.

Also on the first team was the pair of Alex Beard and Hannah Isley for Albia. EBF senior catcher Claire Jager also made the squad.

Centerville’s Abby Sweet and Lexi Riggall joined Clarke’s Sydnee Redman to round out the First Team.

The Second Team included Albia sophomore Kennedy Schroeder and EBF’s outfield tandem of Taryn Swartz and Reina Taylor. They were joined by several young players, including Knoxville freshman Maddy Findley. Davis County’s Bailey Yahnke, Chariton’s Saydee Terrell, Centerville’s Alyssa McElvain, and the Clarke trio of Ashlynn Oehlert, Alexis Watson, and Sidney Marker rounded out the Second Team.

All of the conference teams except EBF had players on the Honorable Mention list. That list included Albia’s Erin Heaton, Makenna Ross, and Makenzie Curran. Knoxville added Emery Neer, Lucy Olson, and Ann Sanderson. The Centerville trio of Claire Mathews, Taylor Shinn, and Tayler Jewett was joined by the Davis County trio of Jordan Lough, Shelby Clark, and Katie Hunter. Two duos rounded out the Honorable Mention list: Chariton’s Abbie Peterson and Grace Bengston, and Clarke’s CeJay Blakely and Chynna Beydler.

Albia came on strong with their young team to win the South Central Conference in 2017 with a record of 10-2, winning the tiebreaker with Clarke. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont finished a strong third with a 9-3 record in conference play. Centerville finished fourth, followed by Knoxville, Davis County, and Chariton.

No Coast Network Announces Broadcast Lineup for State Softball Tournament

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Rick Watts

State softball is on deck and five area teams will be playing for state titles in four different classes.

All the action on the No Coast Network begins Monday morning around 10:45 on 104.9 FM KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app. In Class 1A, #8 Montezuma will face #1 Kee in the first game on Buena Vista University Diamond at the Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge. Monte enters at 19-12 while Kee is 35-2.

Following that contest on the same field at around 3 PM will be #7 Sigourney vs. #2 Akron-Westfield. That game will also be broadcast on 104.9 FM KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app. Sigourney is 22-11 entering the tourney and Akron-Westfield is 35-2.

Not too long after that will be the Class 2A quarterfinal between #6 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont and #3 Waterloo Columbus Catholic. First pitch is on Diamond 2 around 5:30 PM Monday evening. The Rockets will be playing on 104.9 FM KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app just before the first pitch. If the Sigourney game is still going on prior to first pitch, the game will begin on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app. EBF enters at 30-8, with Columbus Catholic entering at 34-5.

Tuesday morning, #7 Albia takes the field in the Class 3A bracket. The Lady Dees are playing #2 Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley. First pitch is at 11 AM on Buena Vista University Diamond. You can check for regular updates on 104.9 FM KBOE throughout the game, as well as the KBOE 104.9 FM Facebook page. Albia goes into the tournament at 28-8, and Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley enters at 32-2.

Finally, Oskaloosa will round out our first round games Tuesday afternoon at 3 PM in the Class 4A quarterfinals. The #4 Indians play #5 Mount Pleasant on Buena Vista University Diamond, and that game can be heard on both 104.9 FM KBOE and 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN. It will also be streamed on both kboeradio.com and radiokmzn.com. Osky goes into the tournament at 29-12 and Mount Pleasant enters at 31-10.

You can follow all of the state tournament action by liking our Facebook pages, KBOE 104.9 FM and KMZN. You can also follow us on Twitter: @KBOERadio and @KMZNRadio.

Montezuma, Sigourney, EBF, Albia All Qualify for State Softball Tournament

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Rick Watts

The softball regional finals did not disappoint in our listening area on Monday night as four games produced four area teams qualifying for state.

In a game heard on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app, the Montezuma Bravettes took on Fort Dodge St. Edmond in a most improbable matchup. After three quick, scoreless innings, Monte would plate three runs in both the fourth and fifth innings and another run in the sixth. A solo home run would be all the Gaels could match in that span. Eventually, Monte would get the final out and win by a score of 7-1. Bravette pitcher Hanna Jones would only surrender one run on three hits in the game.

Montezuma will be the #8 seed in Class 1A and will face #1 seed Kee in the quarterfinals on Monday at 11 AM.

On 104.9 FM KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app, the Sigourney Savages looked to upset #3 Martensdale-St. Marys on the road. The Savages would score two runs early, but Martensdale-St. Marys would battle back and tie the game. Sigourney would hang tough and walk-it-off in the bottom of the 7^th to advance to state with the upset.

Sigourney will be the #7 seed and will face #2 seed and perennial powerhouse Akron-Westfield Monday at 3 PM.

Joining Montezuma and Sigourney at state are Colfax-Mingo and Belle Plaine, who found ways to win their respective regions as well. That means that four of the eight teams in the Class 1A state tournament bracket are out of the South Iowa Cedar League, a conference that had zero teams ranked in the top ten heading into the postseason.

In Class 2A Region 6, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont travelled to Pella Christian High School to face the #4 team in the state and picked up a 4-1 win to get back to state for the first time since 2014. They’ll be the #6 seed in Class 2A and face #3 seed Waterloo Columbus Catholic on Monday at 5:30 PM.

In Class 3A Region 7, Albia went on the road to face Solon and got a big upset win, 11-3. The Lady Dees have shown the ability to play with anyone and they’ll get a chance as the #7 seed in the Class 3A bracket. They’ll play #2 seed Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley in the quarters on Tuesday at 11 AM.

Tonight, the Class 4A and 5A Regional Finals will be decided. Among them is the Class 4A Region 5 Final between the Oskaloosa Indians and the Burlington Greyhounds tonight at 7 PM. You can hear that contest live on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app starting at 6:45 PM.

Also, the Ottumwa Bulldogs will be on the road to face top-ranked Waukee in the Class 5A Region 1 Final. That game is at 7 PM as well.

You can check out a full schedule for the State Softball Tournament for all of our listening area when we announce it by the end of this week for both KBOE and KMZN. Keep updated by checking out the websites, kboeradio.com and radiokmzn.com.

Softball Regional Finals To Be Decided Monday and Tuesday Nights

Posted on July 10, 2017 by Rick Watts

Over the next two days, 40 schools will punch their ticket to the Iowa High School Softball State Tournament at Harlan Rogers Park in Fort Dodge. In the No Coast Network listening area, there are seven who are looking to do just that.

On Monday night, Class 1A, 2A, and 3A will all be looking to raise a banner.

Class 1A Region 3 is one of the most incredible matchups in the state, as Montezuma (18-12) will host Fort Dodge St. Edmond (12-17). Monte finished the season strong but still had to win a play-in game against Tri-County, which they barely survived in walkoff fashion last Monday, 4-3. Then, the Bravettes came from behind to walkoff again on Wednesday, this time against North Mahaska, 2-1 in 10 innings. They made things a little easier on themselves last Friday, exploding late to defeat Lynnville-Sully on the road, 10-4.

Now, they’ll play one of the unlikeliest of regional finalists in Fort Dodge St. Edmond. The Gaels started their run last Monday by beating Coon Rapids-Bayard, 3-2, in a game at Harlan Rogers Park. The big upset occurred last Wednesday, as they defeated #5 Newell-Fonda, 8-6, in Fonda. They kept up the momentum on Friday, waltzing past Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton, 9-2.

These two will do battle on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app, beginning at 6:45 PM for the 7 PM first pitch in Montezuma.

In Class 1A Region 7, Sigourney (21-11) has to go on the road to face #3 Martensdale-St. Marys to get to state. The Savages have held serve throughout in the bottom half of the bracket, getting a 7-1 win over Winfield-Mount Union on Wednesday and a 6-5 win over New London on Friday, both at home.

Martensdale-St. Marys (32-3) dominated in their first game against Southeast Warren, 12-0, but faced a stiff test against Wayne before surviving, 4-3.

That game can be heard on 104.9 FM KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app at 6:45 PM for the 7 PM first pitch in Martensdale.

In Class 2A Region 6, two area teams will duke it out for one trip to state. #4 Pella Christian (32-5) will host #9 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (29-8) in Pella. These two teams haven’t seen each other yet this year, but have a great rivalry in other sports.

EBF has been ranked as high as #2 this season and seemed destined to comfortably sit at the top of their region, but after some confusion with the IGHSAU, regions needed shuffled and a white-hot Pella Christian was added to the Rockets’ bracket. After both teams strolled through the first two rounds, they now find themselves needing one win to make it to Fort Dodge. First pitch in Pella is at 7 PM.

Region 7 in Class 3A features #9 Albia (27-8) travelling to face #6 Solon (30-12). Albia has a ton of youth and has shown great growth all season long. Solon has been there and done that, qualifying for state on a near-yearly basis. These two will lock horns in Solon at 7 PM.

On Tuesday night, just two area teams will be looking to advance to state.

Class 4A Region 5 sees the defending state champion and fifth-ranked Oskaloosa Indians (28-12) hosting #7 Burlington (22-17). Osky breezed past Washington in the semifinals to get to this point, hosting another regional final. They’ll face Burlington, a perennially ranked team in Class 5A who dropped down to 4A this year. The Greyhounds had to sweat it out in the semis, needing extras to down North Scott at home on Saturday, 3-1.

That game can be heard live from the Oskaloosa Softball Field at 6:45 PM on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app. First pitch Tuesday night is at 7 PM.

Finally, the Ottumwa Bulldogs (26-14) will look to keep up a strong tradition under Head Coach Frank Huston and get back to state. The #11 Bulldogs will face top-ranked Waukee (37-3-1) on the road Tuesday night. Both teams won by double-digits in their first postseason game and it will be sure to be a heavyweight fight in Waukee on Tuesday night, with the first pitch at 7 PM.

Be sure to stay locked in on KBOE and KMZN on the air and on the web for all the latest scores and updates throughout the postseason.

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