By Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – The future for Regina senior Sarah Lehman is on the volleyball court not the softball diamond.

Probably.

A three-sport standout during her stellar prep career Lehman plans to play volleyball at Coe College next fall and is still considering joining the Kohawk softball program in the spring.

“I’m going to Coe to play volleyball and maybe softball, I’m not sure yet,” Lehman explained. “I’ll figure it all out at the end of the year.”

The more weeks like the one Lehman put together last week the harder it will get for the hard throwing right-hander to walk away from the pitching circle.

Lehman tossed 36 consecutive scoreless innings last week, allowing just 10 hits and striking out 75 while winning five games in a span of six-days.

A first-team all-state pick as both a sophomore and junior Lehman was 32-19 with a 1.17 ERA during that span.

With her 36 consecutive scoreless innings and five wins last week Lehman improved to 10-5 on the season and lowered her season ERA to 1.26.

“She’s been more consistent this year,” Regina coach Jon Prottsman said. “She has thrown fewer innings because (sophomore) Katie (Bracken) is throwing so well so her stats are down but yet she is throwing better than she was last year.”

Lehman threw perhaps as well as she ever has during the five-game stretch last week.

She started with a 16-strikeout no-hitter of Cascade on Monday and then fanned 14 in a five-inning two hitter of West Liberty on Tuesday.

Lehman allowed just two hits and struck out 11 in eight innings against Northeast on Thursday before posting perhaps her two best performances of the season on consecutive days at the Clear Creek Amana Classic at the University of Iowa.

She struck out a season-high 18 in a four-hitter against Union on Friday and held Class 4A second-ranked Fairfield to two hits with 16 strikeouts in a 1-0 win on Saturday.

Lehman during the span struck out 75 and walked just five.

“I have gotten into a good rhythm and am just feeling good,” Lehman said. “I have a lot of confidence in my defense to make plays and that helps too.”

Lehman has always been at her best toward the end of the season.

She is 11-1 in postseason games the past two seasons helping Regina reach the Class 2A state title game each of the past two seasons.

As always, Regina (22-11) has been challenged this season by a difficult regular season schedule full of games against opponents from larger classes.

Lehman believes Regina, which has entered the postseason the past two seasons with 14 and 17 losses is beginning to pick things up as her final postseason approaches.

“We hit a certain point in the season and we say o.k. we have to go,” Lehman said. “We are getting to that point.”

In her final season Lehman has done more than just dominant in the circle.

She leads the Regals with a .438 batting average and five home runs and has 21 RBI.

“It’s fun because me and (senior) Emma (Corkery) and I get to lead this year,” Lehman said. “We are trying to step up and that’s been fun.”