All-state: Grundy Center's Beck, D-NH's Kvale on 1st team

Grundy Center senior Emma Beck and Dike-New Hartford senior Taylor Kvale lead a total of six softball players in the Grundy Register coverage area on the all-state softball teams released by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association.

Beck and Kvale earned spots on the Class 2A first team. Beck’s Spartan teammates Lucy Lebo and Carlie Willis earned honorable mention.

In Class 1A, BCLUW’s Callie Swanson was named to the 1A third team, and Comet teammate Kaylee Grant received honorable mention.

Beck was the Spartans’ ace pitcher once again this summer, allowing 18 earned runs in 134 and one-third innings for a 0.94 ERA with 286 strikeouts compared to 35 walks. At the plate, she hit .333 with seven doubles and 19 runs batted in.

She finished the season with the second-best earned run average in Class 2A and had the fourth-most strikeouts of any pitcher in the state of Iowa, regardless of class.

Kvale hit .407 this year for the Wolverines, with eight doubles, two triples, three home runs and 22 runs batted in with 39 runs scored. She also stole 36 bases on 39 attempts, which ranked sixth among baserunners in 2A, and had a .959 fielding percentage at shortstop.

Lebo, a sophomore, hit .370 with team-leading marks in doubles (10) and home runs (3), adding 18 runs batted in and 33 runs scored with 14 stolen bases for Grundy Center. She had a 2.88 ERA in 41 and one-third innings in the circle.

Willis, also in her sophomore season, led the Spartans with a .391 batting average, adding five doubles, two triples, a home run and 17 runs batted in with 19 runs scored. She also tied for the team lead with 23 stolen bases.

Swanson, a sophomore for BCLUW, posted a .417 batting average with eight doubles and 31 runs batted in and threw out nine attempted base stealers behind the plate as the Comets’ catcher.

Grant hit .456 with four doubles in her senior season with the Comets, adding one triple and 16 runs batted in and stole 30 bases in 31 attempts from the leadoff spot in the batting order.