Summer Sports in Review

Softball

 

Grundy Center

 

The Spartans finished second in the NICL West this season with a 7-3 division record and 13-11 overall record.

Grundy won five games in a row in early June, including wins over East Marshall, Gladbrook-Reinbeck and AGWSR, for their best stretch of the season. The Spartans added a 1-0 win over eventual NICL West champions South Hardin on June 18.

The postseason draw was a bit tough for the Spartans, falling 2-0 in the first round to Dike-New Hartford in Dike on July 6 in a rare first-round battle between two teams with winning records.

Jacque Kuester, Lyndi Bowen, Amy Cox and Whitney Laube were the seniors for head coach Andy Lebo’s first season in the dugout. All-state pitcher Emma Beck will return for her senior season next summer, and will be joined by all-conference infielders in Alli Beenken and Lucy Lebo.

 

Hitting leaders

Emma Beck, jr. - .344 AVG, 8 2B, 14 RBI, 8 R.

Alli Beenken, jr. - .312 AVG, 8 XBH, 19 RBI, 8 CS.

Ellery Luhring, fr. - .259 AVG, 2 2B, 6 RBI, 15 R, 20 SB.

 

Pitching leaders

Emma Beck, jr. - 112.2 IP, 31 ER, 51 BB, 219 K.

Lucy Lebo, fr. - 29.2 IP,  29 ER, 32 BB, 20 K.

 

Postseason honors

Class 2A All-State: Emma Beck, third team.

Class 2A All-Northeast District: Emma Beck.

All-NICL West First Team (*unanimous): *Emma Beck. Second Team: Alli Beenken, Lucy Lebo. Honorable Mention: Ellery Luhring.

 

 

AGWSR

 

The Cougars finished up at .500 this season after a loss to third-ranked Collins-Maxwell in a 1A regional semifinal.

AGWSR finished 6-4 in the NICL West, good for a tie for third-place in the six-team division. The Cougars started 0-5 before a seven-game winning streak to get the gears turning.

In postseason play, the Cougars had no trouble with GMG in a 10-2 opener, fended off Colo-NESCO for a 9-8 victory, but fell behind early against Collins-Maxwell in the semifinal in Collins.

This was all accomplished with a rather young group, led by seniors Alyssa Hames, Taylor Sperfslage and MaKenna Kuper. Kuper, a UNI recruit, switches out one cat uniform for another after finishing as the Cougars' all-time home-run leader and earning NICL West Player of the Year honors.

Among the returning players for the Cougars are first-team All-NICL West pick Ava Olson, second teamers Sidney Schafer and Trevyn Smith and honorable mention Avery Lafrenz.

 

Hitting leaders

MaKenna Kuper, sr. - .463 AVG, 20 XBH, 12 HR, 31 RBI, 18 SB.

Taylor Sperfslage, sr. - .385 AVG, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 21 SB.

Avery Lafrenz, soph. - .346 AVG, 7 XBH, 21 RBI.

 

Pitching leaders

Sidney Schafer, soph. – 12-10, 134.1 IP, 58 ER, 54 BB, 64 K.

Avery Lafrenz, soph. – 2-2, 19 IP, 21 ER, 21 BB, 15 K.

 

Postseason honors

Class 1A All-State: MaKenna Kuper, 1st team.

Class 1A Northeast All-District: MaKenna Kuper.

All-NICL West First Team (*unanimous): MaKenna Kuper*, Taylor Sperfslage*, Alyssa Hames, Ava Olson. Second Team: Sidney Schafer, Trevyn Smith. Honorable Mention: Avery Lafrenz.

All-NICL West Player of the Year: MaKenna Kuper.

 

BCLUW

 

The Comets fielded no seniors this summer, but the team did not back down from any challenges with a full summer schedule, only coming away with three tallies in the win column but many more tallies in experience for seasons to come.

BCLUW finished fifth in the NICL West with a 2-8 record and a 3-31 overall record.

In postseason play, BCLUW had no trouble with North Tama in a 10-0 opening-round win; the Comets went on to give highly-ranked Collins-Maxwell a big challenge with the Spartans skirting by with a 3-0 win in the second round.

Quite a few young girls got some starting varsity experience this summer: Five of the Comets in the starting lineup at the end of the season were sophomores or younger.

Four of those returners will be All-NICL West selections, led by first-team outfielder Eden Wilson.

 

Hitting leaders

Eden Wilson, jr. - .311 AVG, 4 XBH, 5 RBI.

Kaylee Grant, jr. – .265 AVG, 5 RBI, 8 R, 4 SB.

Callie Swanson, fr. - .250 AVG, 3 2B, 12 RBI.

 

Pitching leaders

Katie Hill, jr. – 3-25, 151 IP, 167 ER, 65 BB, 100 K.

Klayre Gallentine, 8th – 0-5, 29 IP, 49 ER, 26 BB, 12 K.

 

Postseason honors

All-NICL West First Team: Eden Wilson. Second Team: Katie Hill, Maleah Jones, Callie Swanson. Honorable Mention: Kaylee Grant.

 

 

Dike-New Hartford

 

   The Wolverines set a school record for wins in a season, bowing out in the regional quarterfinals to Alburnett after a 20-11 campaign.

   D-NH won the first six games of the season and didn’t lose more than three games in a row all season. The Wolverines were 10-6 in the NICL East, finishing tied for fourth in the conference.

   In the regional opener, D-NH defeated Grundy Center, 2-0. Alburnett jumped on the Wolverines early in the regional quarterfinal, opening an 11-run lead, but the Wolverines chipped away and challenged the Pirates down the stretch before ultimately succumbing, 12-8.

   The team is set up for continued success next summer, in no small part due to the team’s three seniors this summer - Malea Neuroth, Abby Sohn and Addy Sohn - that were praised by D-NH head coach Rhandi Oelmann for sticking with the program during leaner times. Taylor Kvale, a three-time all-state pick, is projected to be the only senior on next summer’s squad and will be joined by fellow all-stater and sophomore-to-be Payton Nolan.

 

Offensive leaders

Payton Nolan, fr. - .511 AVG, 3 2B, 22 RBI, 17 R.

Taylor Kvale, jr. - .432 AVG, 9 XBH, 28 RBI, 37 R, 32 SB.

Addy Sohn, sr. - .432 AVG, 7 XBH, 13 RBI, 17 R, 6 SB.

 

Pitching leaders

Abby Sohn, sr. - 115.1 IP, 57 ER, 52 BB, 93 K, 3.46 ERA.

Madisen Theel, soph. - 73.1 IP, 40 ER, 36 BB, 54 K, 3.82 ERA.

 

Postseason honors

Class 2A All-State: Taylor Kvale, 2nd team; Payton Nolan, 3rd team.

Class 2A Northeast All-District: Taylor Kvale, Payton Nolan.

All-NICL East First Team: Payton Nolan, Taylor Kvale, Addy Sohn. Second Team: Abby Sohn. Honorable mention: Ella Costello, Misty Harreld.

 

Gladbrook-Reinbeck

 

   In Andrea Hesse’s first season as head coach, a young Rebels team finished 1-13 overall.

   G-R’s only win of the season came at home in Gladbrook against North Tama, a 16-4 triumph on June 24.

   The Rebels took on Colo-NESCO in the first round of regional play, falling 14-2 to end their season.

   Maia McLean, Tylin Terven and Stephanie Kehoe were the three seniors on this year’s roster. All-NICL West second teamer Karlie Rickert is the only other upperclassmen eligible to return, with three eighth-graders, two freshmen and three sophomores on this summer’s roster.

  

 

Offensive leaders

Xandra Anderson, fr. - .353 AVG, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R.

Breehan Dubberke, soph. - .294 AVG, 3 RBI, 5 R, 4 SB.

Maia McLean, sr. - .273 AVG, 1 2B, 9 RBI, 7 R.

 

Pitching leaders

Xandra Anderson, fr. - 41.1 IP, 41 ER, 38 BB, 34 K.

Breehan Dubberke, soph. - 20.2 IP, 42 ER, 38 BB, 13 K.

 

Postseason honors

All-NICL West Second Team: Karlie Rickert. Honorable Mention: Maia McLean.

 

 

Baseball

 

Grundy Center

 

For the first time in 28 years, the Spartans ended their season at the state tournament as Class 1A state qualifiers at Merchants Park in Carroll.

Grundy Center finished the regular season as co-NICL West champions, splitting the title with East Marshall after both teams hit matching 7-3 records. The Spartans went on to finish the 2021 campaign at 19-9.

The Spartans beat Dike-New Hartford in the season opener but lost a heartbreaker to South Hardin a little over a week later. From there, Grundy won their next four games in a row and didn’t lose more than two in a row the rest of the way. They added a five-game winning streak as the calendar moved from June to July.

In the postseason, they skirted past GMG 2-1 on a Logan Knaack walk-off pop fly, blasted BCLUW 11-0 and put together a late rally for a 5-3 win over Janesville in the district final. The Spartans then conquered eighth-ranked Coon Rapids-Bayard, 5-4, to advance to the state tournament.

Grundy ran into a buzzsaw of a Remsen St. Mary’s team that won 14-0 in five innings to bring the Spartans’ summer to a close.

There are no seniors on this year’s Spartan roster, and it is expected that the team could be a state tournament contender once again in 2022, led by all-state pitcher Brayden Sawyer.

 

Hitting leaders

Brayden Sawyer, jr. - .405 AVG, 6 2B, 23 RBI, 24 R, 11 SB.

Dayne Zinkula, jr. - .361 AVG, 9 XBH, 23 RBI, 24 R, 6 SB.

Colin Gordon, fr. - .338 AVG, 4 2B, 17 RBI, 11 R, 5 SB.

 

Pitching leaders

Brayden Sawyer, jr. - 70.1 IP, 19 ER, 3 BB, 82 K.

Dayne Zinkula, jr. - 50.2 IP, 13 ER, 10 BB, 31 K.

Tate Jirovsky, fr. - 20.2 IP, 14 ER, 8 BB, 16 K.

 

Postseason honors

Class 1A All-State: Brayden Sawyer, IPSWA third team, IHSBCA second team.

Class 1A All-Central District: Brayden Sawyer, first team; Dayne Zinkula, second team.

All-NICL West First Team (*unanimous): *Brayden Sawyer, *Logan Knaack, Dayne Zinkula. Second Team: Patrick Brown III. Honorable Mention: Tate Jirovsky.

 

AGWSR

 

The Cougars finished 6-11 overall and 4-6 in the NICL West to finish fourth in the division.

AGWSR wasn't able to get much momentum going in the summer, but were a danger to some of the top teams in the NICL West, splitting with West co-champions Grundy Center and playing co-champ East Marshall to two one-run losses.

In the first round of the district tournament, Gladbrook-Reinbeck won the rubber match between the two teams, 4-0, to advance in postseason play.

Seniors Jaden Penning, Ben Macy and Wyatt Benning have wrapped up their AGWSR playing careers but many key pieces will return, including first-team all-district pick Darren Veld and second-team All-NICL West honoree Bo Gerbracht.

 

Hitting leaders

Darren Veld, jr. - .408 AVG, 2 2B, 15 RBI, 7 R, 6 SB.

Wyatt Benning, sr. - .403 AVG, 8 2B, 12 RBI, 14 R, 5 SB.

Ben Macy, sr. - .397 AVG, 6 2B, 4 RBI, 17 R.

 

Pitching leaders

Bo Gerbracht, soph. – 28 IP, 9 ER, 12 BB, 42 K.

Wyatt Benning, sr. – 23.2 IP, 7 ER, 10 BB, 32 K.

Bradly Roder, soph. – 23 IP, 14 ER, 9 BB, 23 K.

 

Postseason honors

Class 1A All-Central District: Darren Veld, 1st team; Wyatt Benning and Ben Macy, 2nd team.

All-NICL West First Team (*unanimous): *Wyatt Benning, Ben Macy. Second Team: Darren Veld, Bo Gerbracht. Honorable Mention: Bradly Roder.

 

BCLUW

 

The Comets posted a 10-13 overall record with a 3-7 finish in the NICL West.

Their best stretch was a three-game winning streak in late June, including wins over South Hardin, AGWSR and Belle Plaine.

BCLUW fought off Clarksville for a 2-0 win in the district opener, but were outmatched by Grundy Center in an 11-0 loss in the second round. The Spartans went on to qualify for the Class 1A state tournament.

Seniors Noah Gallentine, Tucker Wall, Jack Hughes and Colton Keller took off the Comet jersey for the final time this summer.

Nick Feldpausch, a second-team All-NICL West pick, will be one of the Comets' leaders next season, as will some of BCLUW's younger pitching, including Walker Ashton and Grant Parker.

 

Hitting leaders

Nick Feldpausch, jr. - .366 AVG, 4 XBH, 16 RBI, 13 R.

Colton Keller, sr. – .348 AVG, 4 2B, 4 RBI, 13 R, 6 SB.

Tucker Wall, sr. - .338 AVG, 2 2B, 12 RBI, 12 R.

 

Pitching leaders

Walker Ashton, soph. – 41 IP, 17 ER, 21 BB, 42 K.

Grant Parker, fr. – 31 IP, 15 ER, 6 BB, 38 K.

Angus Callaway, jr. – 29 IP, 4 ER, 8 BB, 36 K.

 

Postseason honors

Class 1A All-Central District: Noah Gallentine, honorable mention.

All-NICL West First Team (*unanimous): *Colton Keller, Noah Gallentine. Second Team: Nick Feldpausch, Tucker Wall. Honorable Mention: Walker Ashton.

 

 

Dike-New Hartford

 

   The Wolverines took some big swings in the batter’s box this summer with a 14-2 record in the NICL East and a 23-10 overall record.

   D-NH head coach Sean Leonard thought this year’s younger group was able to exceed expectations, even if the Wolverines came up short of making it back to the state tournament for the second-consecutive year.

   After a 3-2 start, the team won five consecutive games to kickstart the season, the Wolverines found their stride in a two-week stretch in the heart of June with eight consecutive victories.

   With a stretch of games in the final week of the regular season against state tournament regulars, D-NH seemed once again battle-tested for the substate tournament, but after a 9-6 win against Union another NICL East rival jumped on the Wolverines as Denver bounced D-NH, 12-2, in the district final.

   Zak Wauters, an Ellsworth commit, was one of the team’s senior leaders along with Jacob Klingenborg and Nathan Moore.

   The Wolverines have a lot of talent with the potential to come back next summer, including some of the team’s leading pitchers and hitters in Gus Varney, Nick Reinicke and Wil Textor as juniors, as well as Devon Kollasch and Ian Steffen as seniors-to-be.

 

Offensive leaders

Gus Varney, soph. - .483 AVG, 6 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 33 RBI, 25 R.

Zak Wauters, sr. - .368 AVG, 10 2B, 3 HR, 34 RBI, 13 R.

Nick Reinicke, soph. - .351 AVG, 9 2B, 3 HR, 28 RBI, 20 R, 8 SB.

 

Pitching leaders

Nick Reinicke, soph. - 49.1 IP, 31 ER, 19 BB, 63 K.

Wil Textor, soph. - 42 IP, 20 ER, 17 BB, 34 K.

Zak Wauters, sr. - 33 IP, 15 ER, 19 BB, 40 K.

 

Postseason honors

Class 2A All-State: Zak Wauters, IHSBCA second team.

All-District Class 2A Northeast: Zak Wauters and Gus Varney, first team; Nick Reinicke, second team.

All-NICL East First Team: Zak Wauters, Gus Varney, Nick Reinicke. Second Team: Wil Textor. Honorable Mention: Nathan Moore.

 

Gladbrook-Reinbeck

 

   Rebel baseball gained a ton of experience in a busy summer, playing 32 games and coming away with 10 wins.

   While it’s the first losing season for G-R since 2013, the Rebels graduate just two seniors from this year’s team in Keagan Giesking (the team’s stolen base leader this summer with 32 swipes) and Casey Knaack.

   G-R won four of the first five games of the season, but after that were unable to string together back-to-back wins for the rest of the season while scheduling plenty of tough teams, including state qualifiers Denver and 1A runner-up Kee.

   The Rebels were able to shut out AGWSR in the first round of district play in Reinbeck, but fell to Janesville in the second round, 8-1.

   A strong sophomore and junior group will be one more year experienced for next season as juniors and seniors, including All-NICL West selections William Kiburis and Nick Tscherter.

 

Offensive leaders

William Kiburis, soph. - .329 AVG, 4 2B, 16 RBI, 28 R, 24 SB.

Nick Tscherter, soph. - .293 AVG, 6 XBH, 25 RBI, 13 R, 4 SB.

Logan Giesking, soph. - .284 AVG, 4 XBH, 23 RBI, 18 R, 11 SB.

 

Pitching leaders

Nick Tscherter, soph. - 45.1 IP, 51 ER, 19 BB, 30 K.

William Kiburis, soph. - 45.0 IP, 22 ER, 42 BB, 63 K.

Logan Giesking, soph. - 30.2 IP, 33 ER, 31 BB, 29 K.

 

Postseason honors

Class 1A All-Central District: Logan Giesking, honorable mention.

All-NICL West Second Team: William Kiburis. Honorable Mention: Nick Tscherter.Softball

 

Grundy Center

 

The Spartans finished second in the NICL West this season with a 7-3 division record and 13-11 overall record.

Grundy won five games in a row in early June, including wins over East Marshall, Gladbrook-Reinbeck and AGWSR, for their best stretch of the season. The Spartans added a 1-0 win over eventual NICL West champions South Hardin on June 18.

The postseason draw was a bit tough for the Spartans, falling 2-0 in the first round to Dike-New Hartford in Dike on July 6 in a rare first-round battle between two teams with winning records.

Jacque Kuester, Lyndi Bowen, Amy Cox and Whitney Laube were the seniors for head coach Andy Lebo’s first season in the dugout. All-state pitcher Emma Beck will return for her senior season next summer, and will be joined by all-conference infielders in Alli Beenken and Lucy Lebo.

 

Hitting leaders

Emma Beck, jr. - .344 AVG, 8 2B, 14 RBI, 8 R.

Alli Beenken, jr. - .312 AVG, 8 XBH, 19 RBI, 8 CS.

Ellery Luhring, fr. - .259 AVG, 2 2B, 6 RBI, 15 R, 20 SB.

 

Pitching leaders

Emma Beck, jr. - 112.2 IP, 31 ER, 51 BB, 219 K.

Lucy Lebo, fr. - 29.2 IP,  29 ER, 32 BB, 20 K.

 

Postseason honors

Class 2A All-State: Emma Beck, third team.

Class 2A All-Northeast District: Emma Beck.

All-NICL West First Team (*unanimous): *Emma Beck. Second Team: Alli Beenken, Lucy Lebo. Honorable Mention: Ellery Luhring.

 

 

AGWSR

 

The Cougars finished up at .500 this season after a loss to third-ranked Collins-Maxwell in a 1A regional semifinal.

AGWSR finished 6-4 in the NICL West, good for a tie for third-place in the six-team division. The Cougars started 0-5 before a seven-game winning streak to get the gears turning.

In postseason play, the Cougars had no trouble with GMG in a 10-2 opener, fended off Colo-NESCO for a 9-8 victory, but fell behind early against Collins-Maxwell in the semifinal in Collins.

This was all accomplished with a rather young group, led by seniors Alyssa Hames, Taylor Sperfslage and MaKenna Kuper. Kuper, a UNI recruit, switches out one cat uniform for another after finishing as the Cougars' all-time home-run leader and earning NICL West Player of the Year honors.

Among the returning players for the Cougars are first-team All-NICL West pick Ava Olson, second teamers Sidney Schafer and Trevyn Smith and honorable mention Avery Lafrenz.

 

Hitting leaders

MaKenna Kuper, sr. - .463 AVG, 20 XBH, 12 HR, 31 RBI, 18 SB.

Taylor Sperfslage, sr. - .385 AVG, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 21 SB.

Avery Lafrenz, soph. - .346 AVG, 7 XBH, 21 RBI.

 

Pitching leaders

Sidney Schafer, soph. – 12-10, 134.1 IP, 58 ER, 54 BB, 64 K.

Avery Lafrenz, soph. – 2-2, 19 IP, 21 ER, 21 BB, 15 K.

 

Postseason honors

Class 1A All-State: MaKenna Kuper, 1st team.

Class 1A Northeast All-District: MaKenna Kuper.

All-NICL West First Team (*unanimous): MaKenna Kuper*, Taylor Sperfslage*, Alyssa Hames, Ava Olson. Second Team: Sidney Schafer, Trevyn Smith. Honorable Mention: Avery Lafrenz.

All-NICL West Player of the Year: MaKenna Kuper.

 

BCLUW

 

The Comets fielded no seniors this summer, but the team did not back down from any challenges with a full summer schedule, only coming away with three tallies in the win column but many more tallies in experience for seasons to come.

BCLUW finished fifth in the NICL West with a 2-8 record and a 3-31 overall record.

In postseason play, BCLUW had no trouble with North Tama in a 10-0 opening-round win; the Comets went on to give highly-ranked Collins-Maxwell a big challenge with the Spartans skirting by with a 3-0 win in the second round.

Quite a few young girls got some starting varsity experience this summer: Five of the Comets in the starting lineup at the end of the season were sophomores or younger.

Four of those returners will be All-NICL West selections, led by first-team outfielder Eden Wilson.

 

Hitting leaders

Eden Wilson, jr. - .311 AVG, 4 XBH, 5 RBI.

Kaylee Grant, jr. – .265 AVG, 5 RBI, 8 R, 4 SB.

Callie Swanson, fr. - .250 AVG, 3 2B, 12 RBI.

 

Pitching leaders

Katie Hill, jr. – 3-25, 151 IP, 167 ER, 65 BB, 100 K.

Klayre Gallentine, 8th – 0-5, 29 IP, 49 ER, 26 BB, 12 K.

 

Postseason honors

All-NICL West First Team: Eden Wilson. Second Team: Katie Hill, Maleah Jones, Callie Swanson. Honorable Mention: Kaylee Grant.

 

 

Dike-New Hartford

 

   The Wolverines set a school record for wins in a season, bowing out in the regional quarterfinals to Alburnett after a 20-11 campaign.

   D-NH won the first six games of the season and didn’t lose more than three games in a row all season. The Wolverines were 10-6 in the NICL East, finishing tied for fourth in the conference.

   In the regional opener, D-NH defeated Grundy Center, 2-0. Alburnett jumped on the Wolverines early in the regional quarterfinal, opening an 11-run lead, but the Wolverines chipped away and challenged the Pirates down the stretch before ultimately succumbing, 12-8.

   The team is set up for continued success next summer, in no small part due to the team’s three seniors this summer - Malea Neuroth, Abby Sohn and Addy Sohn - that were praised by D-NH head coach Rhandi Oelmann for sticking with the program during leaner times. Taylor Kvale, a three-time all-state pick, is projected to be the only senior on next summer’s squad and will be joined by fellow all-stater and sophomore-to-be Payton Nolan.

 

Offensive leaders

Payton Nolan, fr. - .511 AVG, 3 2B, 22 RBI, 17 R.

Taylor Kvale, jr. - .432 AVG, 9 XBH, 28 RBI, 37 R, 32 SB.

Addy Sohn, sr. - .432 AVG, 7 XBH, 13 RBI, 17 R, 6 SB.

 

Pitching leaders

Abby Sohn, sr. - 115.1 IP, 57 ER, 52 BB, 93 K, 3.46 ERA.

Madisen Theel, soph. - 73.1 IP, 40 ER, 36 BB, 54 K, 3.82 ERA.

 

Postseason honors

Class 2A All-State: Taylor Kvale, 2nd team; Payton Nolan, 3rd team.

Class 2A Northeast All-District: Taylor Kvale, Payton Nolan.

All-NICL East First Team: Payton Nolan, Taylor Kvale, Addy Sohn. Second Team: Abby Sohn. Honorable mention: Ella Costello, Misty Harreld.

 

Gladbrook-Reinbeck

 

   In Andrea Hesse’s first season as head coach, a young Rebels team finished 1-13 overall.

   G-R’s only win of the season came at home in Gladbrook against North Tama, a 16-4 triumph on June 24.

   The Rebels took on Colo-NESCO in the first round of regional play, falling 14-2 to end their season.

   Maia McLean, Tylin Terven and Stephanie Kehoe were the three seniors on this year’s roster. All-NICL West second teamer Karlie Rickert is the only other upperclassmen eligible to return, with three eighth-graders, two freshmen and three sophomores on this summer’s roster.

  

 

Offensive leaders

Xandra Anderson, fr. - .353 AVG, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R.

Breehan Dubberke, soph. - .294 AVG, 3 RBI, 5 R, 4 SB.

Maia McLean, sr. - .273 AVG, 1 2B, 9 RBI, 7 R.

 

Pitching leaders

Xandra Anderson, fr. - 41.1 IP, 41 ER, 38 BB, 34 K.

Breehan Dubberke, soph. - 20.2 IP, 42 ER, 38 BB, 13 K.

 

Postseason honors

All-NICL West Second Team: Karlie Rickert. Honorable Mention: Maia McLean.

 

 

Baseball

 

Grundy Center

 

For the first time in 28 years, the Spartans ended their season at the state tournament as Class 1A state qualifiers at Merchants Park in Carroll.

Grundy Center finished the regular season as co-NICL West champions, splitting the title with East Marshall after both teams hit matching 7-3 records. The Spartans went on to finish the 2021 campaign at 19-9.

The Spartans beat Dike-New Hartford in the season opener but lost a heartbreaker to South Hardin a little over a week later. From there, Grundy won their next four games in a row and didn’t lose more than two in a row the rest of the way. They added a five-game winning streak as the calendar moved from June to July.

In the postseason, they skirted past GMG 2-1 on a Logan Knaack walk-off pop fly, blasted BCLUW 11-0 and put together a late rally for a 5-3 win over Janesville in the district final. The Spartans then conquered eighth-ranked Coon Rapids-Bayard, 5-4, to advance to the state tournament.

Grundy ran into a buzzsaw of a Remsen St. Mary’s team that won 14-0 in five innings to bring the Spartans’ summer to a close.

There are no seniors on this year’s Spartan roster, and it is expected that the team could be a state tournament contender once again in 2022, led by all-state pitcher Brayden Sawyer.

 

Hitting leaders

Brayden Sawyer, jr. - .405 AVG, 6 2B, 23 RBI, 24 R, 11 SB.

Dayne Zinkula, jr. - .361 AVG, 9 XBH, 23 RBI, 24 R, 6 SB.

Colin Gordon, fr. - .338 AVG, 4 2B, 17 RBI, 11 R, 5 SB.

 

Pitching leaders

Brayden Sawyer, jr. - 70.1 IP, 19 ER, 3 BB, 82 K.

Dayne Zinkula, jr. - 50.2 IP, 13 ER, 10 BB, 31 K.

Tate Jirovsky, fr. - 20.2 IP, 14 ER, 8 BB, 16 K.

 

Postseason honors

Class 1A All-State: Brayden Sawyer, IPSWA third team, IHSBCA second team.

Class 1A All-Central District: Brayden Sawyer, first team; Dayne Zinkula, second team.

All-NICL West First Team (*unanimous): *Brayden Sawyer, *Logan Knaack, Dayne Zinkula. Second Team: Patrick Brown III. Honorable Mention: Tate Jirovsky.

 

AGWSR

 

The Cougars finished 6-11 overall and 4-6 in the NICL West to finish fourth in the division.

AGWSR wasn't able to get much momentum going in the summer, but were a danger to some of the top teams in the NICL West, splitting with West co-champions Grundy Center and playing co-champ East Marshall to two one-run losses.

In the first round of the district tournament, Gladbrook-Reinbeck won the rubber match between the two teams, 4-0, to advance in postseason play.

Seniors Jaden Penning, Ben Macy and Wyatt Benning have wrapped up their AGWSR playing careers but many key pieces will return, including first-team all-district pick Darren Veld and second-team All-NICL West honoree Bo Gerbracht.

 

Hitting leaders

Darren Veld, jr. - .408 AVG, 2 2B, 15 RBI, 7 R, 6 SB.

Wyatt Benning, sr. - .403 AVG, 8 2B, 12 RBI, 14 R, 5 SB.

Ben Macy, sr. - .397 AVG, 6 2B, 4 RBI, 17 R.

 

Pitching leaders

Bo Gerbracht, soph. – 28 IP, 9 ER, 12 BB, 42 K.

Wyatt Benning, sr. – 23.2 IP, 7 ER, 10 BB, 32 K.

Bradly Roder, soph. – 23 IP, 14 ER, 9 BB, 23 K.

 

Postseason honors

Class 1A All-Central District: Darren Veld, 1st team; Wyatt Benning and Ben Macy, 2nd team.

All-NICL West First Team (*unanimous): *Wyatt Benning, Ben Macy. Second Team: Darren Veld, Bo Gerbracht. Honorable Mention: Bradly Roder.

 

BCLUW

 

The Comets posted a 10-13 overall record with a 3-7 finish in the NICL West.

Their best stretch was a three-game winning streak in late June, including wins over South Hardin, AGWSR and Belle Plaine.

BCLUW fought off Clarksville for a 2-0 win in the district opener, but were outmatched by Grundy Center in an 11-0 loss in the second round. The Spartans went on to qualify for the Class 1A state tournament.

Seniors Noah Gallentine, Tucker Wall, Jack Hughes and Colton Keller took off the Comet jersey for the final time this summer.

Nick Feldpausch, a second-team All-NICL West pick, will be one of the Comets' leaders next season, as will some of BCLUW's younger pitching, including Walker Ashton and Grant Parker.

 

Hitting leaders

Nick Feldpausch, jr. - .366 AVG, 4 XBH, 16 RBI, 13 R.

Colton Keller, sr. – .348 AVG, 4 2B, 4 RBI, 13 R, 6 SB.

Tucker Wall, sr. - .338 AVG, 2 2B, 12 RBI, 12 R.

 

Pitching leaders

Walker Ashton, soph. – 41 IP, 17 ER, 21 BB, 42 K.

Grant Parker, fr. – 31 IP, 15 ER, 6 BB, 38 K.

Angus Callaway, jr. – 29 IP, 4 ER, 8 BB, 36 K.

 

Postseason honors

Class 1A All-Central District: Noah Gallentine, honorable mention.

All-NICL West First Team (*unanimous): *Colton Keller, Noah Gallentine. Second Team: Nick Feldpausch, Tucker Wall. Honorable Mention: Walker Ashton.

 

 

Dike-New Hartford

 

   The Wolverines took some big swings in the batter’s box this summer with a 14-2 record in the NICL East and a 23-10 overall record.

   D-NH head coach Sean Leonard thought this year’s younger group was able to exceed expectations, even if the Wolverines came up short of making it back to the state tournament for the second-consecutive year.

   After a 3-2 start, the team won five consecutive games to kickstart the season, the Wolverines found their stride in a two-week stretch in the heart of June with eight consecutive victories.

   With a stretch of games in the final week of the regular season against state tournament regulars, D-NH seemed once again battle-tested for the substate tournament, but after a 9-6 win against Union another NICL East rival jumped on the Wolverines as Denver bounced D-NH, 12-2, in the district final.

   Zak Wauters, an Ellsworth commit, was one of the team’s senior leaders along with Jacob Klingenborg and Nathan Moore.

   The Wolverines have a lot of talent with the potential to come back next summer, including some of the team’s leading pitchers and hitters in Gus Varney, Nick Reinicke and Wil Textor as juniors, as well as Devon Kollasch and Ian Steffen as seniors-to-be.

 

Offensive leaders

Gus Varney, soph. - .483 AVG, 6 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 33 RBI, 25 R.

Zak Wauters, sr. - .368 AVG, 10 2B, 3 HR, 34 RBI, 13 R.

Nick Reinicke, soph. - .351 AVG, 9 2B, 3 HR, 28 RBI, 20 R, 8 SB.

 

Pitching leaders

Nick Reinicke, soph. - 49.1 IP, 31 ER, 19 BB, 63 K.

Wil Textor, soph. - 42 IP, 20 ER, 17 BB, 34 K.

Zak Wauters, sr. - 33 IP, 15 ER, 19 BB, 40 K.

 

Postseason honors

Class 2A All-State: Zak Wauters, IHSBCA second team.

All-District Class 2A Northeast: Zak Wauters and Gus Varney, first team; Nick Reinicke, second team.

All-NICL East First Team: Zak Wauters, Gus Varney, Nick Reinicke. Second Team: Wil Textor. Honorable Mention: Nathan Moore.

 

Gladbrook-Reinbeck

 

   Rebel baseball gained a ton of experience in a busy summer, playing 32 games and coming away with 10 wins.

   While it’s the first losing season for G-R since 2013, the Rebels graduate just two seniors from this year’s team in Keagan Giesking (the team’s stolen base leader this summer with 32 swipes) and Casey Knaack.

   G-R won four of the first five games of the season, but after that were unable to string together back-to-back wins for the rest of the season while scheduling plenty of tough teams, including state qualifiers Denver and 1A runner-up Kee.

   The Rebels were able to shut out AGWSR in the first round of district play in Reinbeck, but fell to Janesville in the second round, 8-1.

   A strong sophomore and junior group will be one more year experienced for next season as juniors and seniors, including All-NICL West selections William Kiburis and Nick Tscherter.

 

Offensive leaders

William Kiburis, soph. - .329 AVG, 4 2B, 16 RBI, 28 R, 24 SB.

Nick Tscherter, soph. - .293 AVG, 6 XBH, 25 RBI, 13 R, 4 SB.

Logan Giesking, soph. - .284 AVG, 4 XBH, 23 RBI, 18 R, 11 SB.

 

Pitching leaders

Nick Tscherter, soph. - 45.1 IP, 51 ER, 19 BB, 30 K.

William Kiburis, soph. - 45.0 IP, 22 ER, 42 BB, 63 K.

Logan Giesking, soph. - 30.2 IP, 33 ER, 31 BB, 29 K.

 

Postseason honors

Class 1A All-Central District: Logan Giesking, honorable mention.

All-NICL West Second Team: William Kiburis. Honorable Mention: Nick Tscherter.