Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The Matchups

No. 6 City High (33-7) vs. No. 10 Ankeny Centennial (31-9)

After a one-year absence City High returned to the state tournament for the third time in four seasons with a 5-2 win over No. 14 Cedar Rapids Prairie in the regional final.

City High enters as one of the hottest teams in the state, winners of 13-of-14 and 25 of its last 27 games dating back to June 10.

The Little Hawks are seeking their first ever spot in the state title game after falling in the 2019 semifinals.

City High went 4-3 against state tournament qualifiers this season including a 3-1 mark against 5A qualifiers with wins over Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Southeast Polk and Waukee.

The Little Hawks are anchored by a trio of five-year varsity starting seniors making their third state tournament appearance.

Ella Cook is hitting .446 with eight home runs and 59 RBI and is 18-3 with a 1.31 ERA and 187 strikeouts in 128 2/3 innings.

Ayana Lindsey is 14-4 with a 1.62 ERA and 132 Ks in 104 innings while hitting .346 with four home runs and 54 runs scored.

Senior catcher Carey Koenig is batting .387 with eight home runs, 52 RBI and a team-high 22 walks.

Ankeny Centennial is making is second straight state tournament appearance after falling to top-seeded Fort Dodge in the semifinals in its first ever trip to state last season.

The Jaguars have won five straight following a 3-2 upset of fourth-ranked Indianola in the regional final.

Three Ankeny Centennial players are hitting .390 or better on the season lead by freshman Payton Drefke whi is hitting a team-leading .424 with 14 RBI and sophomore Sydney Morris who is batting .418 with 17 RBI and 19 walks.

No. 5 Pleasant Valley (33-7) vs. No. 12 Southeast Polk (21-18)

The lone quarterfinal between teams that met in the regular season is a rematch of game won by Pleasant Valley 7-5 back on June 12.

Pleasant Valley returned to the state tournament for the second consecutive season and fifth time in past six seasons with a 10-0 regional final win over Davenport North.

The Spartans reached three consecutive championship games from 2016 to 2018 winning titles in 2017 and 2018 before falling to eventual state champion Cedar Rapids Kennedy in the opening round last season.

Pleasant Valley has 18 of its last 19, a stretch that includes wins over 3A top-ranked Davenport Assumption and 5A qualifiers Waukee and Bettendorf.

Southeast Polk is back at state for the first tie since 2014 after pulling off one of the best upsets of the postseason with a win over third-ranked Johnston in the regional final.

The Rams were outscored 37-12 while going 0-4 against Johnston during the regular season but had four different players hit home runs in a 10-8 regional final win over the Dragons.

Southeast Polk leads 5A with 46 home runs this season thanks largely to the duo of sophomore Sydney Potter and senior Ellie Snetselaar who have combined for 35 home runs and 84 RBI.

No. 2 Fort Dodge (35-4) vs. No. 13 Bettendorf (24-15)

This is a rematch of last year’s 5A quarterfinal won by Fort Dodge 7-0.

The defending 5A runner-up Dodgers are making a fourth consecutive state tournament appearance after snapping a string of five consecutive quarterfinal losses last season.

Fort Dodge won 15 straight to close the season, scoring double digit runs 12 times and posting 12 shutouts during that dominant stretch.

The host Dodgers feature a pair of the best players in the state in senior Tristin Doster and junior Jalen Adams.

Adams is 22-1 with a .61 ERA and 193 strikeouts in 138 2/3 innings while Doster is hitting .523 with 31 extra-base hits including 12 home runs and 49 RBI.

Bettendorf returned to state for the second consecutive seasons by pulling off the upset of the entire postseason.

The Bulldogs slugged three home runs and never trailed in a 7-2 win over top-ranked Muscatine in the regional final to set up another opening-round matchup against Fort Dodge.

Bettendorf is 0-5 against 5A state qualifiers this season after dropping both games of a doubleheader 4-3 to Pleasant Valley on July 6.

The Bulldogs have lost five consecutive opening-round games at the state tournament and will be trying to snap that streak Tuesday behind an offense that features four players hitting .433 or better led by sophomores Emily Rigdon (.486 BA, 10 HR, 41 RBI) and Breanna Caffery (.433 BA, 42 R) and senior Sophia Del Vecchio (.459 BA, 10 HR, 49 RBI).

No. 7 Waukee (32-10) vs. No. 8 Cedar Rapids Kennedy (27-9)

Perhaps the most intriguing matchup of the 5A quarterfinals features defending state champion Cedar Rapids Kennedy and a Waukee squad making its third consecutive state tournament appearance.

Kennedy also returns to the state tournament for the third consecutive season after downing cross-town rival Cedar Rapids Jefferson 1-0 in a regional final.
The Cougars were bounced in the first round in 2019 before rolling to a state title last season winning three games in Fort Dodge by a combined score of 24-5.

Gone from last season is player of the year Kaylin Kinney but the Cougars still possess plenty of star power starting with senior pitcher Jayme Scheck who is 21-4 with a 1.41 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 158 1/3 innings.

Senior Mya Dodge leads a balanced Kennedy lineup and is hitting .472 with 35 extra-base hits including 14 home runs and 44 RBI.

Waukee is making its sixth trip to state in the last eight years after edging West Des Moines Valley 2-1 in a regional final.

Senior Macy Weiss provides the pop for the Warriors with 10 home runs and 49 RBI while sophomore Maddie Oetzmann has been solid in the circle going 16-5 with a 1.61 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 139 innings.

The Players 

City High: Ayana Lindsey, Sr., SS: One of the most electrifying players in the state the Northwestern recruit has 38 home runs and 173 stolen bases during a five-year career and is hitting .346 with four home runs, 21 RBI and 54 runs this season.

Ankeny Centennial: Ella Schulz, Sr., C: A Minnesota State recruit Schulz is hitting .369 and leads the Jaguars with eight home runs, 37 RBI and 21 walks.

Pleasant Valley: Emily Wood, Sr., CF: A five-year starter and career .484 hitter the Iowa State recruit is one of the most dynamic players in the state and is hitting .495 with 2 home runs, 48 runs and 41 stolen bases.

Southeast Polk: Sydney Potter, Soph., C: The 5A home run leader with 19 Potter is homering every 6.1 at bats this season while patting .456 with 44 RBI and a 1.053 slugging percentage.

Fort Dodge: Tristin Doster, Sr., C: An Iowa recruit, Doster is hitting a team-leading .523 with 12 home runs and 49 RBI this season while posting a 1.084 slugging percentage.

Bettendorf: Sophia Del Vecchio, Sr., SS: The senior shortstop has been the key to the Bulldogs success this season hitting .459 with a team-high 17 doubles, 10 homers and 49 RBI.

Waukee: Reagan Bartholomew, Jr., 2B: A two-sport star that helped the Waukee basketball team to a state title Bartholomew is hitting a team-leading .500 with 12 doubles, seven home runs and 28 RBI.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy: Jayme Scheck, Sr., P: Drake recruit is 21-4 with a 1.41 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 158 1/3 innings in her first season as the Cougars’ ace.

The Favorite

Fort Dodge has everything it takes to be a favorite including an ace pitcher, a deep and talented lineup, state tournament experience and home field advantage.

The Dodgers were upset in the opening round as a two-seed in 2019 but got over one hump last season with its first quarterfinal win since 2006 on its way to a runner-up finish.

This year all the signs point toward the Dodgers getting back to the title game and getting over the championship hump.

The Underdog

Eighth-seeded Bettendorf has already proven to be an underdog with bite, stopping top-ranked Muscatine in the regional final.

The Bulldogs will need another impressive performance to keep their role as the underdog going as they face a red-hot Fort Dodge squad.

Bettendorf shouldn’t be intimidated after seeing the Dodgers in the quarterfinals last season.

The Darkhorse

Defending champion Cedar Rapids Kennedy has flown a little under the radar all season but even with the loss of some key players from last year’s title team still have the talent and experience to make a run in Fort Dodge.

The 5A repeat is no easy feat.

Kennedy is attempting to become just the second back-to-back 5A champion and first since Pleasant Valley won consecutive titles in 2017 and 2018. Pleasant Valley was the first consecutive champ in the largest class since the state went to five classes in 2012 and first since West Des Moines Valley won in 2007 and 2008.

The Focus

Can the CIML get back on top in 5A?

The CIML dominated large class softball for more than a decade winning 14 consecutive titles from 2003 to 2016.

Things have been much more balanced by conference over the last four years with Pleasant Valley winning titles in 2017 and 2018 and Cedar Rapids Kennedy winning the first crown for the Mississippi Valley Conference since 1998 last year.

The 2021 features four CIML teams (Fort Dodge, Waukee, Southeast Polk and Ankeny Centennial), two from the Mississippi Athletic Conference (Pleasant Valley and Bettendorf) and two from the MVC (City High, Cedar Rapids Kennedy).

Five Fast Facts

*– City High leads Class 5A with a 1.39 team ERA, a .156 opponent batting average and a .91 WHIP while allowing a 5A-best 1.8 runs per game.

*– Six of the teams from last year’s 5A state tournament return in 2021 with Muscatine and West Des Moines Valley the only 2020 qualifiers failing to return.

*– Fort Dodge has posted 23 shutouts in 39 games this season and held opponents to one or zero runs 29 times.

*– City High senior Ayana Lindsey leads 5A and ranks 4^th in the state with 54 stolen bases this season and is 176-for-182 in stole base attempts in her career.

*– Pleasant Valley senior outfielder Emily Wood has 265 career hits while hitting at a .484 clip for her career and has stolen 138 bases over the past five seasons.

The Schedule

Quarterfinals, July 20

Pleasant Valley (33-7) vs. Southeast Polk (21-18), 5 p.m.

City High (33-7) vs. Ankeny Centennial (31-9), 5:30 p.m.

Fort Dodge (35-4) vs. Bettendorf (24-15), 7 p.m.

Waukee (32-10) vs. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (27-9), 7:30 p.m.

Semifinals, July 21

Pleasant Valley/Southeast Polk winner vs. City High/Ankeny Centennial winner, 7 p.m.

Fort Dodge/Bettendorf winner vs. Waukee/Cedar Rapids Kennedy winner, 7:30 p.m.

Championship, July 23

Semifinal winners, 7:30 p.m.

Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by donating.