Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The fourth of July is almost here which means that the fireworks that come with the softball postseason in Iowa are right around the corner.

Postseason play begins in Classes 1A and 2A on Monday with opening-round games in the largest three classes following on Wednesday.

The goal for every team is a trip to the state tournament which is scheduled for July 22-26 at Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge.

Before the postseason gets rolling here is a look at something to watch during the postseason for all seven Your Prep Sports area teams.

Improving West Branch Looks to Continue Taking Strides in Postseason  

The expectation for any young team is to make improvements from the start to the end of the season.

West Branch is as young as any team in the state and the Bears have potentially made as much improvement as anyone over the past several months.

A West Branch squad with 10 eighth-graders and freshman on its 14-person roster lost seven straight games to open the season on its way to a 3-14 start.

As was expected the youthful Bears have gotten better.

West Branch (8-20) is 5-6 since June 15, a stretch that includes three losses to ranked opponents.

With three eighth-graders and two freshmen in the starting lineup getting addition games in the postseason can be a big boost for the Bears which host Columbus (6-21) in a Class 2A, Region 8 opener on Monday at 7 p.m.

The winner travels to No. 11 Louisa-Muscatine (29-4) for a regional semifinal on July 10.

Third-ranked Northeast (21-6) is the top seed in Region 8 and is one of six River Valley Conference teams in the 10-team bracket.

Two-time Defending Champion Regina Seeks Fort Dodge Return

When the calendar hits July that is usually the time Regina hits the gas pedal on its drive toward a state title.

The two-time defending 2A state champion Regals are seeking a fourth consecutive state tournament appearance and have been dominant during regional play over the past several seasons.

Regina has won its last nine regional games by an average margin of nearly four runs outscoring opponents 53-19 during that stretch including a stagger 35-5 over the past two seasons.

The Regals landed in a geographically-wide Region 4 that features Carroll Kuemper (15-12), Manson Northwest Webster (11-12) and eighth-ranked East Marshall (27-4).

Travel shouldn’t be a factor for top-seeded Regina (19-11) which more than likely has homefield advantage throughout regional play starting with a quarterfinal on July 10 against the winner of Woodward-Granger (10-12) and Colfax-Mingo (2-17).

Just as it has in past season Regina has challenged itself against a difficult schedule with six of its losses coming to ranked teams.

And just has it has in past season Regina is hitting stride at the right time winning four of its last five games including a sweep of 3A No. 11 West Liberty.

Solon Faces Familiar Foes in Road to State

With half the Class 3A, Region 6 field coming from the WAMAC Conference the road to Fort Dodge for Solon is filled with familiar foes.

Solon (14-20) hosts WAMAC foe Vinton-Shellsburg (10-26) in a Region 6 quarterfinal on July 11 with the winner facing No. 11 West Liberty (19-9) or Anamosa (8-16) in the semifinals.

Fourth-ranked Mount Vernon (29-9) is the top seed and would host throughout the tournament while WAMAC member Center Point-Urbana (12-18) is also on the top side of the bracket.

Solon split a doubleheader with Vinton-Shellsburg back on May 29 winning the opener 9-0 and dropping the second game 9-8.

The Spartans split with Mount Vernon in the season opener for both teams and swept Center Point-Urbana in a doubleheader last month.

Clear Creek Amana Ready for Regional Tests

If Clear Creek Amana is able to return to Fort Dodge for the first time since 2021 the Clippers will have certainly earned their spot at state.

No. 12 Clear Creek Amana (23-11) is the second seed in a strong Region 7 field that features 21-win Charles City and eight-ranked Western Dubuque (25-6) as the top seed.

The Clippers will host the winner of the opening round game between Charles City (21-4) and Decorah (8-15) in a 4A, Region 7 semifinal on July 13 at 7 p.m.

Charles City has been boosted by eighth-grader Addison Ellis who boasts a 22-2 record and .75 ERA and has struck out 246 in 158 innings.

Meanwhile Clear Creek Amana has been among the best offensive teams in 4A this season ranking fourth in 4A in runs scored and fifth with a team batting average of .343.

Six Clippers are batting over .310 this season led by sophomore Kyla Schulte who is hitting .441 with 19 extra-base hits, four home runs and a team-high 53 RBI.

City High Gets Opening-round Measuring Stick

Another young team moving in the right direction, City High will get an opportunity to see how far it has come in its postseason opener.

City High (13-21) split a doubleheader with Waterloo West (9-18) last month dropping the opener 5-4 and winning the nightcap 16-10.

The Little Hawks lost nine of 11 games following that doubleheader in Waterloo on June 11 but have rebounded nicely going 6-3 over their last nine games.

City High will host Waterloo West in a Class 5A, Region 7 quarterfinal on July 11 at 7 p.m. in a season rubber match between the two Mississippi Valley Conference rivals with the winner travelling to eighth-ranked Ankeny (19-16) for a Region 7 semifinal on July 13.

City High has the potential to be a dangerous postseason team.

More than half of the Little Hawks’ loss have come to ranked teams and City High owns wins over 4A No. 7 Cedar Rapids Xavier and No. 12 Clear Creek Amana 5A No. 9 Liberty High in the past two weeks.

Part of what makes City High dangerous in the postseason is its ability to change a game with one swing.

City High has hit 24 home runs, eighth most in 5A, with six different Little Hawks going deep this season led by sophomore Molly Carlson with nine home runs and junior Avy Lindsey with seven.

West High Looking for Postseason Progress

There have undoubtedly been some growing pains for a youthful West High team during the first season under head coach Megan Carlo.

However there also has certainly been bright spots for a Trojan team with six underclassmen (two sophomores, two freshmen and two eighth-graders) in the starting lineup.

West High (3-30) has already upped its win total from a year ago entering its Class 5A, Region 4 quarterfinal July 11 at Marshalltown (12-22).

Among the brightest spots for the Trojans have been eighth-grader Savannah Mathias who is hitting a team-high .361 and sophomore Cecilia Sterba who is batting .293 with five extra-base hits.

A quarterfinal win would be a big boost for a young West High squad and set up a Region 8 semifinal trip to sixth-ranked and Region 4 top seed Ankeny Centennial (24-8) on July 13.

Breakthrough Coming For Liberty High?

Liberty High has been close to the state tournament several times in the short history of the program.

The Lightning have reached a regional final four times in the first six seasons in program history but are still searching for their first state tournament appearance.

How fitting would it be for the breakthrough to come this season behind a group of impactful seniors and against a familiar postseason foe?

Class 5A ninth-ranked Liberty High (22-11) opens postseason play on July 13 hosting Davenport North (16-16) in a Region 6 semifinal.

Then comes likely a third consecutive regional final appearance against Muscatine.

Fourth-ranked Muscatine (24-10) is the top seed in Region 6 and has stopped Liberty High short of a state tournament trip each of the past two seasons.

The Muskies defeated Liberty High 9-1 in a regional final in 2022 and 2-0 last season.

A regional final win over a program like Muscatine would be a fitting experience for the Liberty High senior class that features multi-year starters in Mischa Reiners, Brynlee Slockett and Haley Schroeder.

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