Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – The numbers were solid for Ayana Lindsey during her first varsity seasons.

The improvement was there too as the City High do-everything standout saw her statistics improve in nearly every statistical category from her debut season in 2017 to her freshman campaign a year later.

Yet following a freshman season that ended with a state tournament trip and second-team all-state honors Lindsey couldn’t shake the feeling she was capable of more.

“I knew I wasn’t where I was supposed to be at my freshman and eighth grade year as far as helping the team, I knew that I had helped them a little bit but I wanted to do more for them,” Lindsey said. “I knew I had to work a little harder to get my batting average up and to get better pitching to help our team even more.”

An offseason fueled by that feeling of wanting more and focused on improvement helped turn Lindsey to the breakthrough season she felt she was capable of as a sophomore.

Lindsey ranked in the top five in Class 5A in runs, home runs, stolen bases, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and ERA while helping City High to its top state tournament finish in program history.

Led by Lindsey’s breakout season City High went 36-8, won its first Mississippi Valley Conference since 1998 and finished third at the Class 5A state tournament.

For all of her accomplishments this season Lindsey has been named the Your Prep Sports area softball player of the year.

“I’m most proud of just how far we’ve come as a team,” Lindsey said. “My eighth-grade year we won 20 games and this year we came out and won 30 plus. I am really excited to keep building on that and see if we can get to that championship game next year.”

Lindsey has been at the heart of a softball revival at City High under head coach Jeff Koenig.

City High won 12 games in 2016, the season before Lindsey and a talented group of eighth-graders arrived.

In three years since the Little Hawks have averaged 27 wins per season.

“We just had to work on working together and creating a good bond where we can all trust each other and we have that now,” Lindsey said. “Rather than just relying on a few players to pick up the team when we needed a big hit we all trust that anyone can pick us up when we need it.”

Lindsey has often been the player that provided the boost for City High.

A .338 hitter during her first two varsity seasons Lindsey exploded as a sophomore, raising her average by more than 100 points while hitting a career-best .463.

The improved average was just the start for Lindsey who became one of the most feared hitters in the state.

Lindsey led 5A and ranked second in the state with 18 home runs and had 29 extra-base hits while posting a .970 slugging percentage that ranked third in 5A.

“I definitely was surprised, I didn’t think I’d be able to hit 18 home runs in the leadoff spot,” Lindsey said. “I never would have imagined I would have done that in my whole career. Before this year I had only hit four in my first two years so I never thought I’d hit 18 in one season.”

Lindsey displayed a rare combination of speed and power during a breakout season in which she scored a 5A-leading 73 runs and ranked fourth in 5A with 34 stolen bases.

She drew 30 walks, ranked second in 5A with a .579 on-base percentage and struck out just 12 times from her leadoff spot.

“The thing with her is when do teams just start saying ‘do we pitch to her or do we walk her’,” Koenig said. “If you walk her, she’s going to steal second so out of the leadoff spot I don’t think you can walk her because it’s basically like giving her a double. You are really playing with fire.”

The offensive output from Lindsey helped City High reach new heights, posting school records for home runs and ranked fourth in 5A in runs.

However, it was her improvement in the circle that led the Little Hawks to its highest postseason finish.

Lindsey cut her ERA nearly in half, from 2.48 as a freshman, to 1.33 as a sophomore while blossoming into one of the top pitchers in the state.

“There is nothing she can’t do,” City High coach Jeff Koenig said. “She’s a special talent.”

The right-hander ranked fifth in 5A in ERA, fourth in strikeouts with 172 and seventh in opponents’ batting average, allowing foes to hit just .163 against her.

After posting a combined 23-22 record in her first two season Lindsey was 21-4 in a career-high 162 2/3 innings this season.

“I pitched a lot more and I worked on movement pitches instead of just trying to work on velocity,” Lindsey said. “I think that really helped.”

The improved pitching numbers included a 4-1 record and 1.40 ERA in postseason games.

“I definitely changed around what I threw a little bit and worked more up in the zone rather than just pitching straight to everybody and I think that helped a lot,” Lindsey said. “I just think I improved all-around as a pitcher.”

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