Breaking Down the Class 2A State Softball Tournament
By Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The Matchups
No. 2 Durant (31-7) vs. No. 11 Logan-Magnolia (31-3)
A potent Logan-Magnolia offense faces off against Durant sophomore Kamryn Meyer who is one of only two pitchers in 2A with an ERA under 1.00.
Logan Magnolia leads 2A with a .394 team batting average 341 runs and has scored double figure runs in 19 games including six of its last eight.
The Panthers are making their third consecutive state tournament appearance after finishing as 1A runner-up finish in in 2015 and reaching the 2A semifinals last season.
Durant returns to the state tournament for the fourth time in five seasons and third straight seeking its first quarterfinal win since winning the 2A title in 2013.
The Wildcats enter riding an 11-game winning streak, the longest among 2A qualifiers.
Durant has outscored opponents 99-11 in its 11 consecutive wins including a 30-1 edge in three regional wins.
No. 6 North Union (30-6) vs. No. 8 Regina (27-11)
Two teams making their third consecutive state tournament appearance meet in a quarterfinal rematch of last year’s 2A opener won by Regina 7-3.
In 15 career postseason starters Regina senior Sarah Lehman has allowed more than one run just three times and one of those was against North Union last season.
Lehman was nearly unhittable in three regional wins, allow six hits and no earned runs with 34 strikeouts in 21 postseason innings.
Regina is seeking its third straight title game appearance and is 5-1 all-time in state tournament openers.
North Union has won eight straight games entering the state tournament, outscoring opponents 71-5 during that stretch.
The Warriors join Central Springs as the only teams in the 2A field with two players with eight or more home runs.
Senior Kyarsten Mullen (.475 batting average) and Kate Anderson (.415 batting average) both have eight home runs and have combined for 83 RBI.
No. 3 Interstate-35 (26-4) vs. No. 10 Central Springs (29-4)
Two teams making their third straight trip to the state tournament are both looking to make the state semifinals for the first time.
Interstate-35 is led by one of the top pitchers in 2A in senior Carlyn Stanley who has posted a 26-3 record and 1.12 ERA while ranking second in 2A with 329 strikeouts and has more than 1,000 Ks in her career.
Central Springs is seeking its first quarterfinal win in its fourth appearance at state after falling 7-6 to Logan-Magnolia in the opening round last season.
The Panthers have won nine straight and scored more than 10 runs six times during their current win streak.
A Central Springs lineup that averages 9.7 runs per game is led by juniors Morgan Kelley (.421 BA, 8 HR) and Anna Dietrich (.438 BA, 9 HR).
Sophomore Hannah Ausenhus gives the Panthers their own standout pitcher with a 28-4 record and 1.38 ERA in 177 innings.
No. 5 Waterloo Columbus (33-5) vs. No. 9 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (30-8)
The only two teams in the 2A field that weren’t at the state tournament last year meet in the opening round.
Waterloo Columbus is the lone state newcomer in the field after edging No. 12 BCLUW 1-0 in 11 innings in the regional finals.
All five losses for Waterloo Columbus have come against teams in higher classes including three losses to state tournament qualifiers.
Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont returns to state for the first time since a runner-up finish in 2014.
The Rockets have hammered a 2A-best 31 home runs this season with nearly half coming from senior shortstop Haegen Boyer who leads 2A with 15 homers.
Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont outscored regional opponents 19-2 and upset fourth-ranked Pella Christian 4-1 in the regional title game.
The Faces
DURANT: Kamryn Meyer, Soph., P. In her first season as the Wildcat’s ace Meyer has posted a 19-2 record and ranks second in 2A with a .96 ERA with 184 strikeouts in 138 1/3 innings.
LOGAN-MAGNOLIA: Kylan Straight, Jr., SS. One of the top hitters in 2A, Straight has a hit in 32 of 34 games this season and has 20 multi-hit games on her way to a .548 average that ranks second in 2A.
NORTH UNION: Anna Ingalls, Sr., P. Among the top multi-dimensional players in 2A, Ingalls is 23-3 with a 1.13 ERA and 216 strikeouts in the circle and has a .432 batting average with 34 runs and 15 RBI.
REGINA: Sarah Lehman, Sr., P. The most dominating pitcher in 2A the past two seasons has been excellent again this year with a 13-6 record, 1.06 ERA and 222 strikeouts in 132 1/3 innings. Lehman also leads Regina with a .420 batting average and six home runs.
INTERSTATE-35: Carlyn Stanley, Sr., P. Stanley leads 2A averaging 13.6 strikeouts per seven innings while posting a 26-3 record and 1.12 ERA in 169 1/3 innings.
CENTRAL SPRINGS: Anna Dietrich, Jr., C. When she gets a pitch to hit Dietrich usually makes the most of it, pounding nine home runs in 89 at bats while drawing 24 walks, fourth most in 2A. Dietrich is batting .438 with 44 RBI after going 5-for-6 with two home runs, six RBI and four walks in three playoff wins.
WATERLOO COLUMBUS: Taylor Hogan, Soph., SS. The catalyst for the Columbus offense from her leadoff spot, Hogan leads the team in batting average (.471), hits (64), runs (55) and stole bases (38) and has some pop with 14 extra-base hits and 30 RBI.
EDDYVILLE-BLAKESBURG-FREMONT: Haegen Boyer, Sr., SS. The Class 2A home run leader with 15 Boyer has a rare ability to hit for power (25 extra-base hits), average (.464 batting average) and speed (28-for-28 in stolen basses).
The Favorite
Defending 2A champion Van Meter is one of only two teams from the 2016 field not returning to the state tournament this season so there will be a new champion.
Top-ranked Collins-Maxwell/Baxter was upset in the regional semifinals leaving second-ranked Durant the highest ranked team in the 2A field.
The Wildcats are capable of winning the wide-open 2A tournament but so are several other teams including River Valley Conference rival Regina.
Regina is seeking a third straight trip to the 2A title game and despite a No. 8 ranking and four more losses than any other qualifier remains the team to beat in 2A.
Five Fast Facts
1. Five of the teams in the 2A field are making their third straight trip to state. Regina, Durant, North Union, Central Springs and Interstate-35 have each appeared at the state tournament each of the past two seasons. Of that group only Regina has won a quarterfinal game in the past two seasons.
2. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont senior shortstop Haegen Boyer is the only player in the state with more than 10 home runs (15) and more than 20 stolen bases (28).
3. Regina senior pitcher Sarah Lehman is 14-1 in her career in the postseason and owns a .44 ERA in 111 career postseason innings.
4. Interstate-35 is one of five state tournament qualifiers and the lone team in the 2A field with two players hitting .500 in sophomore Lilly Miller (.500) and senior Josie Wickett (.538).
5. Regina (27-11) and Durant (31-7) have combined for 18 losses this season while the rest of the 2A field has combined for 30 losses. Of the 18 losses for Regina and Durant 15 have come to teams from larger classes.
The Schedule
Monday’s Quarterfinals
Durant (31-7) vs. Logan-Magnolia (31-3), 11:30 a.m.
North Union (30-6) vs. Regina (27-11), 1:30 p.m.
Interstate-35 (26-4) vs. Central Springs (29-4), 3:30 p.m.
Waterloo Columbus (33-5) vs. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (30-8), 5:30 p.m.
Thursday’s Semifinals
Durant/Logan-Magnolia winner vs. North Union/Regina winner, 3 p.m.
Interstate-35/Central Springs winner vs. Waterloo Columbus/Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont winner, 5 p.m.
Friday’s Championship
Semifinal winners, 4:55 p.m.
The Leaders
Batting Average
1. Kylan Straight, Jr., Logan-Magnolia .546
2. Josie Wickett, Sr., Interstate-35 .538
3. Lilly Miller, So., Interstate-35 .500
Home Runs
1. Haegen Boyer, Sr., E-B-F 15
2. Jenna Peschel, Sr., Logan-Magnolia 13
3. Anna Dietrich, Jr., Central Springs 9
Runs Batted In
1. Haegen Boyer, Sr., E-B-F 56
2. Sydney Schultz, So., Waterloo Columbus 52
3. Cathy Ralkfs, Sr., Durant 49
Stolen Bases
1. Taylor Hogan, So., Waterloo Columbus 38
2. Kylan Straight, Jr., Logan-Magnolia 33
3. Hannah Happ, So., Durant 29
Wins
1. Abbie Carlson, Jr., Logan-Magnolia 28-3
2. Hannah Ausenhus, So., Central Springs 28-4
3. Kayla Sproul, So., Waterloo Columbus 27-5
Earned Run Average
1. Kamryn Meyer, So., Durant .96
2. Sarah Lehman, Sr., Regina 1.06
3. Carlyn Stanley, Sr., Interstate-35 1.12
Strikeouts
1. Carlyn Stanley, Sr., Interstate-35 329
2. Sarah Lehman, Sr., Regina 222
3. Abbie Carlson, Jr., Logan-Magnolia 221