Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Championship week for softball teams in Iowa is here.

The state softball tournament opens on Monday at Harlan Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge with quarterfinals in Classes 1A, 2A and 3A.

Classes 4A and 5A get rolling on Tuesday with title games set for all five classes on Friday.

Here are few things to keep an eye on this week as teams chase state titles.

Repeat Champs

Three teams return to Fort Dodge this week trying to become back-to-back champions.

Kee High in Class 1A, Oskaloosa in Class 4A and Johnston in Class 5A all return to state after earning titles last season.

Top-ranked Kee High (35-2) is attempting to become the second team in five years to win consecutive titles in 1A after Akron-Westfield won titles in 2013 and 2014.

No. 5 Oskaloosa (29-12) returns after winning its first title last season while fifth-ranked Johnston (36-5) is seeking its fifth straight title game appearance and third title in four seasons.

Title game rematches are possibilities in all three of those classes as last year’s runner-up returns in 1A (Akron-Westfield), 4A (Carlisle) and 5A (Pleasant Valley).

Back for Another Shot

Speaking of returning runners-up, all five teams that came up a win short of a state title last season are back this year looking to finish the job.

Leading the defending runner-up charge is Class 3A top-ranked Davenport Assumption (41-1).

The Knights bring a 41-game winning streak to state and are unbeaten against Iowa competition, a 4-3 season-opening loss to Moline their only blemish.

Regina is one of those returning runners-up after falling to Van Meter 3-0 in last year’s 2A title game.

The Regals are seeking a third title game appearance their third straight trip to stat after winning the 2015 championship.

Another Title Run for the RVC?

Since the state went to five classes in 2012 the River Valley Conference has been a consistent player in the 2A title hunt.

RVC teams have combined for two titles and two runner-up finishes in the last five seasons with Durant winning a title in 2013 and Regina adding a title in 2015.

Second-ranked Durant (31-7) and No. 7 Regina (27-11) will again carry the flag for the RVC and are two of the favorites in a wide-open 2A field.

More Runs for the Regals?

Dominant pitching by Sarah Lehman has been the constant during the two-year title game run for Regina.

Lehman is back and has been better than ever this season but the Regals have been better in another area as well.

Entering a quarterfinal matchup with North Union on Monday Regina is averaging 5.7 runs per game and hitting .313 as a team, both improvements from the previous two seasons.

Regina averaged 5 runs per game and hit .277 as a team on its way to a runner-up finish last season and the 2015 title squad hit .311 while scoring 5.6 runs per game.

The key for Regina has been balance.

Regina has seven players hitting better than .324 this season and six of those have scored more than 21 runs.

 

Another CIML Title

For the last decade it has been the CIML against the rest of the state in the big class title chase.

Last season the rest of the state made a breakthrough as Pleasant Valley became the first non-CIML team since 2008 to reach the title game in the largest class.

Johnston edged the Spartans in the 5A title game to give the CIML its 11th straight title.

Pleasant Valley (32-8) joins third-ranked Cedar Rapids Jefferson (38-4) and No. 4 Cedar Rapids Kennedy (35-7) as the three non-CIML squads in the 5A field this season.

CIML title regulars Johnston and West Des Moines Valley both return with three titles in the past 10 seasons while Waukee and West Des Moines Dowling are also in the field and have one championship in the past 10 years.

Don’t Miss This

The fields at Rogers sports complex will be filled with all-state picks and college prospects over the next five days.

It is nearly impossible to catch a glimpse of all of those players but there are several to make an extra effort to see.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson sophomore second baseman ranks second in the state with 18 home runs to help the J-Hawks set a state-record with 65 home runs.

Culver is about more than just the long ball, she is hitting .512 with a state-leading 69 RBI.

Mount Vernon senior shortstop Libby Ryan fits into the don’t miss category.

Ryan is hitting .485 and leads the state with 63 stolen bases and 72 runs.

One of the biggest reasons Davenport Assumption is considered among the best teams in the state regardless of class is its senior pitcher Nicole Timmons.

Timmons is 22-0 with a .44 ERA and averages better than two strikeouts per inning, fanning 280 in 128 2/3.