Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Mother nature has disrupted the postseason softball schedule over the past several days with rain and thunderstorms forcing time changes and postponements of a number of regional games.

Despite a few delays and a couple of changes to the schedule teams are ready to secure a spot at the state tournament on Monday evening.

Regional finals are set for the three smallest classes on Monday with the exception of Class 1A, Region 8 and Class 2A, Region 8 which had their title games pushed back until Tuesday.

By the end of the night on Monday 22 teams will have secured a spot at the state tournament schedule for July 19-23 at Harlan Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge.

Here is a quick look at the regional final on Monday that features a team from the Your Prep Sports area.

Class 3A, Region 7

No. 11 Solon (26-12) at No. 1 Davenport Assumption (36-3)

When: Monday at 7 p.m.

Where: St. Vincent Athletic Complex

Top Players: Solon – Hilary Wilson, Soph., .549 BA, 7 HR, 47 RBI; Sarah Heick, Sr., .590 BA, 8 HR, 56 RBI; Camryn Keith, Jr., .546 BA, 8 HR, 55 RBI.

Davenport Assumption – Anna Wohlers, Sr., .500 BA, 19 HR, 62 RBI; Sydney Roe, Jr., .447 BA, 11 HR, 43 RBI; Bella Nigey, Jr., 22-2, .66 ERA, 200 K, 126 1/3 IP.

About the Spartans: Solon dropped its final two regular season games each by one run but has been impressive in a pair of playoff victories outscoring regional opponents by a combined score of 22-0.

The Spartans return to the regional finals for the second time in three seasons after falling to Benton Community in the regional semifinal a year ago and are seeking their first trip to the state tournament since 2016.

Solon has a lineup capable of keeping it in any game. The Spartans lead the state with a .450 team batting average and have three full-time starters hitting above .500 led by senior catcher Sarah Heick at .590.

Heick, junior Camryn Keith (.519) and sophomore shortstop Hilary Wilson (.549) provide punch at the top of the Spartan order combining for 76 extra-base hits including 23 home runs.

There is depth to the order as well, senior Monet Barnhouse is hitting .488 with 35 RBI, junior Tiffany Primmer is hitting .449 and junior Carly Ellison is batting .414 while junior Ava Stebral has 30 RBI while hitting .357.

About the Knights: Top-ranked Davenport Assumption is seeking a sixth consecutive trip to the state tournament after having a string of three consecutive 3A titles snapped with a semifinal loss last season.

The Knights have reached the semifinal in each of its previous five trips to the state tournament finishing runner-up in 2016 and rattling off three consecutive 3A titles from 2017 and 2019 before falling to Williamsburg 5-4 in last year’s semifinals.

This season Assumption has a resume as strong as any team in the state regardless of class.

All three losses for the Knights have come to 5A top-five ranked teams and Assumption owns eight wins over ranked 5A competition including six wins over teams currently in the top eight.

Overall Assumption has 12 wins over ranked teams including victories over 5A top-ranked Muscatine and third-ranked Johnston.

What to watch: The offensive numbers for Solon this season are impressive but for the Spartans to pull the upset on Monday they will need a strong performance from freshman pitcher Kendall Jensen.

Jensen has been outstanding in a pair of postseason starts allowing just four hits and one walking while striking out 10 in eight combined innings in wins over South Tama and West Marshall.

The right-hander is coming off perhaps the best game of her career against West Marshall in the semifinals, an 8-strikeout, five-inning one-hitter.

The level of difficulty steps up a notch for Jensen on Monday with an Assumption lineup led by one of the best in the state in senior Anna Wohlers.

Wohlers ranks second in Iowa with 19 home runs and her 62 RBI are fourth most in the state all while hitting .500.

Assumption is hitting .397 as a team and has five players hitting over .420 including junior Sydney Roe who has 11 home runs and 43 RBI and senior Olivia Wardlow hos is hitting .492 with 37 stolen bases.

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