Four area athletes on all-state softball teams

AGWSR's MaKenna Kuper earned her fifth selection to the all-state softball teams, highlighting a quartet of Grundy Register-area athletes earning all-state distinction from the Iowa Girls Coaches Association's all-state teams released last week.

Kuper earned a first-team slot on the Class 1A team. She was on the second team as an eighth-grader and freshman and has been a first-teamer from her sophomore season on.

The UNI recruit bashed 12 home runs toward her .463 average at the plate, adding six doubles, 31 RBI and 40 runs scored. She contributed 18 stolen bases once she reached the basepaths.

As the team's shortstop, she had a .974 fielding percentage with only four errors in 153 chances.

Dike-New Hartford's Taylor Kvale was a second-team selection on the Class 2A team, while D-NH's Payton Nolan and Grundy Center's Emma Beck earned third-team spots.

LINK TO FULL 1A ALL-STATE TEAMS

LINK TO FULL 2A ALL-STATE TEAMS

In her junior season, Kvale hit for a .432 average, leading the team in doubles (7), runs batted in (28), stolen bases (32) and runs scored (37).

As the team’s shortstop, she made only nine errors on 114 chances for a .921 fielding percentage.

This honor is Kvale’s third all-state honor - she was a second-team pick as a freshman and a third-teamer as a sophomore.

Nolan, a freshman, earned her first all-state selection. She led the Wolverines with a .511 batting average, knocking in 22 runs and scoring 17 times.

Behind the plate as D-NH’s catcher, she made only four errors in 171 chances and threw out six runners in 14 stolen base attempts.

Beck, the Spartans' ace pitcher, struck out 219 in 112 and two-thirds innings with 51 walks and 31 earned runs (1.93 ERA), compiling a record of 11-6. As a hitter, she bashed eight doubles with 14 RBI, eight runs scored and a .344 average.