Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

It was an impressive turnaround season for City High.

The Little Hawks posted their most wins and first winning season since 2021 and boosted their win total by nine from a season ago during a 23-15 campaign that included a trip to a 5A regional title game.

On Wednesday morning the Little Hawks began to garner postseason awards for their regular season success.

City High had seven players earn Mississippi Valley Conference all-division honors highlighted by a trio of first team selections when the league released its postseason awards on Wednesday.

Senior infielders Lianna Hull and Avy Lindsey and junior catcher Molly Carlson were all named to the MVC Valley Division first team after helping the Little Hawks to a 16-12 record in conference games.

Hull led City High with a .449 batting average, a .529 on-base percentage and 43 runs scored and had nine extra-base hits and 11 RBI.

Lindsey batted .322 with five home runs, 26 runs scored and 28 RBI on her way to first team all-Valley Division honors.

Carlson batted .449 with a team-high 25 extra-base hits including 10 home runs and drove in a team-leading 46 runs.

Sophomore Maeve Obermueller was a second team pick in the Valley Division as an outfielder and freshman Iyana Merino was a second team utility selection.

Obermueller batted .346 with 18 extra-base hits, scored 32 runs and drove in 33 runs while Merino hit .339 with a team-high 12 home runs and drove in 37 runs.

Sophomore Eliza Mitchell and freshman Eve Vitense were both honorable mention picks in the Valley Division.

Liberty High had five players named to the Mississippi Division teams while West High had two players earn all-division honors.

Liberty High junior center fielder Kelsey Kaut was a first-team all-Mississippi Division selection.

Kaut led Liberty High with a .405 batting average and 26 runs scored and had even extra-base hits with 14 RBI.

Junior Ava Tague earned second team all-Mississippi Division honors as an infielder while senior Kennedy Conner was a second team utility pick.

Tague batted .308 with 13 extra-base hits, 24 runs scored and 27 RBI for the Lightning.

Conner posted a .394 batting average with eight doubles and 16 RBI and led Liberty High with 20 walks and a .500 on-base percentage.

Senior Kaelyn Rickels and junior Kinley Jones each earned honorable mention honors for Liberty High.

West High senior Max Pech and sophomore Delores Hubbard were each Mississippi Division honorable mention selections.

Mississippi Valley Conference Softball Teams

Mississippi Division

First team – P: *Braylen Conlon, Sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Emily Koranda, Sr., Linn-Mar. C: *Katie Pilcher, Sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier. INF: *Carley Jonker, Sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Maddyn Gates, Soph., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Annie Hefel, Jr., Dubuque Senior; Adalyn Thorstenson, Fr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Melanie Runde, Jr., Western Dubuque. OF: Alaina Luerkens, Sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Kyla Ramler, Soph., Western Dubuque; Kelsey Kaut, Jr., Liberty High. UTIL: Alex Rupp, Fr., Dubuque Senior; Dylan Amling, Fr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy

Second team – P: Lily Knutson, Jr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Lauren Vaske, Jr., Western Dubuque. C: Kaitlyn Thole, Sr., Western Dubuque. INF: Jolee Strohmeyer, Jr., Dubuque Senior; Peyton Stineman, Soph., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Karsyn Michael, Jr., Linn-Mar; Ava Tague, Jr., Liberty High; Teagan Chrisman, Jr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy. OF: Jaselle Lang, Jr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Carly Vogel, Jr., Western Dubuque; Ava Rupp, Jr., Dubuque Senior. UTIL: Kennedy Conner, Sr., Liberty High; Brynna Gander, Fr., Linn-Mar.

Honorable mention – Kate Dyar, Jr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Emerson Blocker, Jr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Claire Walter, Jr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Callie Luerkens, Fr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Sophia Miller, Jr., Dubuque Senior; Stella Weber, Jr., Dubuque Senior; Kaelyn Rickels, Sr., Liberty High; Kinley Jones, Jr., Liberty High; Max Pech, Sr., West High; Delores Hubbard, Soph., West High; Hayden Koutny, Jr., Linn-Mar; Emma Barnes, Sr., Linn-Mar; Morgan Hosch, Sr., Western Dubuque; Racquel Fern, Jr., Western Dubuque

Athlete of the year – Braylen Conlon, Sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier

Coach of the year – Nikki Gahring, Cedar Rapids Xavier

Valley Division

First team – P: *Julia Roth, Jr., Dubuque Wahlert; Lexi Trueg, Jr., Cedar Falls. C: Molly Carlson, Jr., City High. INF: Lianna Hull, Sr., City High; Avy Lindsey, Sr., City High; Amanda Finck, Jr., Cedar Falls; *Morgan Hewitt, Sr., Cedar Rapids Jefferson; *Riley Redig, Sr., Cedar Rapids Prairie. OF: Ruth Tauber, Jr., Dubuque Wahlert; Mallory Tomkins, Jr., Dubuque Hempstead; Sophia Kevitt, Sr., Cedar Rapids Jefferson. UTIL: Francesca Dehl, Jr., Waterloo West; Sydney Runyan, Sr., Cedar Falls.

Second team – P: Natalie Ruba, Jr., Dubuque Wahlert; Tatum Goerdt, Sr., Cedar Rapids Prairie. C: Lola Hawkins, Soph., Cedar Rapids Prairie. INF: Sadie Schultz, Jr., Dubuque Wahlert; Kennedy Buskohl, Fr., Cedar Falls; Sophia Gratton, Soph., Dubuque Hempstead; Maija Wickum, Fr., Cedar Rapids Washington; Ava Erger, Sr., Cedar Rapids Jefferson. OF: Kylie Sieverding, Jr., Dubuque Wahlert; Maeve Obermueller, Soph., City High; Hannah Rudd, Sr., Cedar Rapids Prairie. UTIL: Iyana Merino, Fr., City High; Luci Weber, Sr., Dubuque Hempstead

Honorable mention – Sophie Stanic, Sr., Cedar Falls; Gabie Hanks, Sr., Cedar Falls; Chaley Sacora, Sr., Cedar Rapids Jefferson; Lulu Ulrich, Fr., Cedar Rapids Jefferson; Lyla Canny, Jr., Cedar Rapids Prairie; Emeri Hill, Fr., Cedar Rapids Prairie; Leah Mann, Soph., Cedar Rapids Washington; ZiZi Maybanks, Fr., Cedar Rapids Washington; Alli Ferris, Soph., Dubuque Hempstead; Memphis Gibson, Jr., Dubuque Hempstead; Addison Klein, Jr., Dubuque Wahlert; Anna Roling, Sr., Dubuque Wahlert; Eliza Mitchell, Soph., City High; Eve Vitense, Fr., City High; Addy Schoepske, Jr., Waterloo West; Myka Bromley, Sr., Waterloo West

Athlete of the year – Julia Roth, Jr., Dubuque Wahlert

Coaches of the year – Samantha Teply, Cedar Falls; Tyler Lang, Dubuque Wahlert

*- Unanimous selection

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