Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

On Wednesday evening Liberty High punched its ticket to the 4A state baseball tournament for the second consecutive season.

Less than a day later the Lightning were already beginning to rack up some individual recognition for their season of success.

Liberty High had five players earn Mississippi Valley Conference all-division honors on Thursday when the league released its postseason awards.

Senior infielder Evan Schmierer headlined the Liberty High postseason honorees as a unanimous first team selection in the Mississippi Division.

Junior infielder Eric Strunk and senior outfielder Jordan Schroeder were each named to the Mississippi Division second team while senior Jaryn Sertterh and junior Pryor Reiners were each honorable mention selections.

Schmierer led Liberty High in batting average (.496), runs (45), hits (65), doubles (10), triples (6), stolen bases (40), slugging percentage (.664), on-base percentage (.577) and OPS (1.241) and ranked second on the team in both walks (21) and RBI (30) on his way to first unanimous team all-division honors.

Strunk batted .392 with 38 runs scored, 12 extra-base hits and a team-high 31 RBI while posting a .991 OPS.

Schroeder hit .297 with 27 runs scored, eight extra-base hits, 18 walks and 26 RBI.

West High senior Owen Harms was a first-team pick in the Mississippi Division as a corner infielder.

Harms batted .432 with 20 extra-base hits, two home runs, 29 runs scored and 35 RBI while posting a .530 on-base percentage and 1.188 OPS.

Seniors Eli Nolte and Jack MacLagan were each honorable mention picks in the Mississippi Division.

City High had five players earn all-division honors led by senior Paxton Bell who was a unanimous first team pick as a utility player.

Bell batted .369 with 14 extra-base hits, 38 runs scored, 38 stolen bases, two home runs and 22 RBI and also went 5-3 with a save while posting a 3.42 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 43 innings pitched.

Senior Adam Bowman was a first team all-Valley Division selection as a pitcher.

The right-hander went 7-0 with a 1.55 ERA and .92 WHIP and struck out 72 in a team-high 58 2/3 innings.

City High junior Del Brewer was a second team all-Valley Division selection as a corner infielder after hitting .301 with 24 runs scored, 20 walks, 30 stolen bases and 18 RBI.

Seniors Chris Davis and Cal Vitense were each honorable mention picks in the Valley Division for City High.

Mississippi Valley Conference All-Division Baseball Teams

Mississippi Division

First team – P: *Hunter Wildman, Sr., Linn-Mar; Drew Sullivan, Sr., Dubuque Senior. C: *Brett Harris, Sr., Western Dubuque. Corner INF: Brady Rissman, Soph., Western Dubuque; Owen Harms, Sr., West High. Middle INF: *Barrett Reed, Sr., Dubuque Senior; *Evan Schmierer, Sr., Liberty High; Lucas Downing, Jr., Linn-Mar. OF: *Ty Donels, Sr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; *Charlie Sarsfield, Jr., Linn-Mar; *Daniel Doyle, Jr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy. UTIL: Beau Morio, Jr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Tavian Soppe, Sr., Linn-Mar

Second team – P: Travis Smith, Soph., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Dawson Doyle, Jr., Cedar Rapids Xavier. C: Brady Dill, Sr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy. Corner INF: Eric Strunk, Jr., Liberty High; Connor Clark, Soph., Cedar Rapids Xavier. Middle INF: Connor Whannel, Soph., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Mac Driscoll, Sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Easton Felderman, Sr., Dubuque Senior. OF: Caleb Loffswold, Sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Ben Wernimont, Sr., Western Dubuque; Jordan Schroeder, Sr., Liberty High. UTIL: Deacon Kucera, Sr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Ryley Lawler, Sr., Dubuque Senior

Honorable mention – Tate Welsch, Soph., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Easton Swanson, Sr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Zander Murray, Sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Andrew Renner, Jr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Teddy Schlosser, Sr., Dubuque Senior; Dawson Oppelt, Sr., Dubuque Senior; Jaryn Sertterh, Sr., Liberty High; Pryor Reiners, Jr., Liberty High; Eli Nolte, Sr., West High; Jack MacLagan, Sr., West High; Brady Barry, Sr., Linn-Mar; Luke Becker, Soph., Linn-Mar; Carson Klein, Soph., Western Dubuque; Hayden Kluesner, Soph., Western Dubuque

Player of the year – Charlie Sarsfield, Jr., Linn-Mar

Coach of the year – Bret Hoyer, Cedar Rapids Kennedy

Valley Division

First team – P: *Quinn Flanagan, Soph., Dubuque Wahlert; Adam Bowman, Sr., City High. C: *JP Ebert, Jr., Dubuque Wahlert. Corner INF: *Brayden Hanks, Jr., Cedar Falls; *Evan Hefel, Soph., Dubuque Hempstead. Middle INF: *Jacob Pierro, Soph., Dubuque Wahlert; *Oliver Beckman, Soph., Waterloo West; *Maddux Mueller, Sr., Cedar Rapids Prairie. OF: *Hunter Hill, Jr., Dubuque Wahlert; *Collin McClintock, Sr., Cedar Rapids Prairie; *Camden Wroe, Sr., Cedar Falls. UTIL: *Tait Tierney, Sr., Cedar Rapids Prairie; *Paxton Bell, Sr., City High

Second team – P: Brandon Cummer, Jr., Dubuque Wahlert; Wyatt Ebel, Jr., Cedar Rapids Prairie. C: Xavier Perez, Jr., Cedar Rapids Prairie. Corner INF: Noah Krapfl, Sr., Dubuque Wahlert; Del Brewer, Jr., City High. Middle INF: Cooper MacKenzie, Soph., Cedar Falls; Colin Lesyshen, Sr., Waterloo West; Carter Franklin-Clark, Soph., Cedar Rapids Jefferson. OF: Owen Marxen, Jr., Cedar Rapids Prairie; Tyler Hermansen, Sr., Cedar Falls; Caleb Dickey-Steimel, Jr., Waterloo West. UTIL: Caleb Paulson, Sr., Dubuque Hempstead; Milo Hines, Sr., Cedar Rapids Jefferson

Honorable mention – Ben Nichols, Sr., Cedar Falls; Sam Phillips, Sr., Cedar Falls; Ben Patton, Jr., Cedar Rapids Jefferson; Ian Eirp, Jr., Cedar Rapids Jefferson; Bennett Koch, Jr., Cedar Rapids Prairie; Jayden Stumpff, Soph., Cedar Rapids Prairie; Henry Schuster, Sr., Cedar Rapids Washington; Barrett Deutsch, Soph., Cedar Rapids Washington; Will Steffen, Sr., Dubuque Hempstead; Devin Hirsch, Sr., Dubuque Hempstead; Peyton Goedken, Sr., Dubuque Wahlert; Graham Ahlers, Sr., Dubuque Wahlert; Chris Davis, Sr., City High; Cal Vitense, Sr., City High; Eli Johnson, Sr., Waterloo West; Thomas Gettman, Jr., Waterloo West

Player of the year – Tait Tierney, Sr., Cedar Rapids Prairie

Coach of the year – Kory Tuescher, Dubuque Wahlert

*-Unanimous selection

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