Summer Sports 2012

Summer Sports 2012

8 • May 23, 2012

Summit • News-Tribune

A supplement to the May 23, 2012 Britt News Tribune, Forest City Summit

Summer Sports 2012 Schedules Forest Cty Baseball May 24 – vs. St. Ansgar May 25 – vs.

Estherville-Lincoln Central May 30 – at WaverlyShell Rock May 31 – at Webster City June 1 – at West Hancock, Britt June 4 – vs. Osage June 5 – at St. Ansgar June 6 – vs. Lake Mills June 8 – vs. GarnerHayfield June 11 – at North Iowa, Buffalo Center June 12 – at Humboldt June 13 – at BelmondKlemme June 14 – vs. Clear Lake June 15 – at Newman

Catholic, Mason City June 18 – vs. West Hancock June 19 – at Central Springs June 21 – at Algona June 22 – at Lake Mills June 25 – at GarnerHayfield June 26 – vs. ClarionGoldfield June 27 – vs. North Iowa June 29 – vs.

Belmond-Klemme July 2 – vs. Newman Catholic

West Hancock Baseball June 1 – vs. Forest City June 4 – at BelmondKlemme June 6 – vs. North Iowa June 7 – at CWL,

Corwith June 8 – vs. Newman Catholic June 11 – at Lake Mills June 13 – vs. Osage June 15 – at GarnerHayfield June 16 – West Hancock Invitational June 18 – at Forest City June 20 – BelmondKlemme June 22 – at North Iowa, Buffalo Center June 25 – at Newman Catholic, Mason City June 27 – vs. Lake Mills June 28 – vs. GarnerHayfield June 29 – at Osage

Forest City Softball May 24 – vs.

Estherville-LincolnCentral May 29 – vs. St. Ansgar May 30 – North Union June 1 – at West Hancock, Britt June 2 – at Charles City June 4 – vs. Osage June 5 – vs. Charles City June 6 – vs. Lake Mills June 7 – vs. Newman Catholic June 8 – vs. GarnerHayfield June 9 – at BelmondKlemme June 11 – at North Iowa June 12 – at Humboldt June 13 – at BelmondKlemme June 15 – at Newman Catholic, Mason City

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May 23 - at Emmetsburg May 24 - at CAL June 1 - vs. Forest City June 2 - at Lake Mills Tournament June 4 - at BelmondKlemme June 6 - vs. North Iowa June 7 - at CWLCorwith June 8 - vs. Mason

State Tournaments The state baseball tournament will be held at Principal Park in Des Moines fom July 20-28 The state softball tournament will be held at Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge from July 16-July 20.

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Summer Sports 2012 Forest City High School West Hancock High School

Summer Sports 2012

2 • May 23, 2012

Summit • News-Tribune

Summer Sports 2012

News-Tribune • Summit

After district title, Indians hope for banner season

Eagles should sport strong offense

Baseball team returns some key players from last year

SUMMER SPORTS FILE PHOTO

West Hancock’s Josiah Eckels fouls off a pitch during a game in Forest City in 2011.

Eagle nine returns top two pitchers EAGLES: FROM 3

SUMMER SPORTS PHOTO BY CHRIS TODD

Members of the 2012 Forest City High baseball team.

Kyle Rosacker. A hard thrower, Rosacker finished with a 1-0 mark last year and threw just six innings.

Also on the hill this season, the Indians will go with righthander Thomas O’Rourke, who threw just 13 innings last season. Other options include seniors Jon

Krein, Parker Farland and Aaron Harms.

“I see both strengths and weaknesses in our pitching staff,” Jerome said. “We are very strong at the top of the rotation with Isaac, but after that, not a lot of guys threw a lot of innings for us last season.

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“We’ll need some guys to step up on the mound this year and throw some quality innings.”

Behind the plate, the Indians will go with junior Nathan Freiderich.

Jerome says he is a strong defensive catcher who also shows potential with the bat. Last

season, Freiderich hit .244 with 13 RBI. Around the infield, Rosacker will either play first or third when he isn’t pitching, while Farland and Krein will man the middle infield positions.

O’Rourke could see SEE INDIANS, 6

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manning second base.

“We also have a some younger kids who have shown promise this season,” said Sonius, who added that 22 players are out for this year’s team.

In the outfield, the Eagles return strong defensive players who can swing the bat.

They’ll be led by junior Josiah Eckels, who led the team in hitting last year with a .385 average. From the leadoff spot, he drove in eight runs and added three doubles and two triples.

Also returning in the outfield is junior Seth Goepel. Hit hit .283 last sea-

have great speed. And they also have the ability to hit the gaps on occasion.”

The Eagles hope to utilize what is excellent overall team speed.

“We have some kids with wheels on this team,” the coach said.

“We have a solid corps back and once we all get together and get a few practices and games under our belts, we hope to be in the thick of the conference race.”

SUMMER SPORTS FILE PHOTO

West Hancock’s Kellie Schmit catches during a game last summer in Britt.

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“Nothing’s set in stone with this team, and we have some younger players who show a lot of talent,” Mallen said.

“If they show that they’re capable of doing the best job, they’ll be in the lineup.”

Jessica Gray returns at short, with April Burgardt returning at second and senior Brooke Heusinkveld at first. Whitney Burgardt has also shown an ability

to play the infield, coach Mallen said.

Last season. Gray was solid at short. Burgardt hit .338 last season and and Heusinkveld hit .192. The veteran first baseman did finish with ten RBI and three doubles.

“Brooke has the ability to drive the ball and that’s what we’ll be looking for her to do this season,” coach Mallen said.

“And at the top of our lineup, Sarah and April

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son with nine runs batted in. Goepel also hit three doubles last season.

In the other outfield spot, the Eagles will probably go with senior Vincent Wade. Last year, Wade hit .250 with two RBI and two doubles.

Also expected to vie for playing time is junior Cory Formanek, whom Sonius says had great speed in the outfield. Jordan Savoy could also see time in the infield, as could Mark Roth.

Sonius added that the going will be tough in the North Iowa Conference.

“You’ve got Mason City Newman and Osage who are perennial baseball powers,” he said. “And Forest City returns some key players after almost making it to state last year.”

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FOREST CITY - After last season’s post-season run to the substate tournament, the Forest City baseball team is expecting good things in 2012.

“The kids are excited about the season,” said Indian baseball coach Jeff Jerome. “We return a lot of experience but we’ll also have some new faces in the lineup.”

The Indians beat Central Springs to win the district title last summer but lost to Waterloo Columbus in the substate finals.

“I think our kids learned that they can succeed in big games and that gave us a lot of confidence going forward,” Jerome said.

“A lot of guys took advantage of the postseason last year by really

stepping it up and making some big plays.”

The Indians return some talent at some key positions.

The ace of the pitching staff will be junior lefthander Isaac Tuttle, who pitched most of the post-season innings last year.

He throws an outstanding fastball and mixes in an effective curveball.

Last season, Tuttle finished with a 6-6 record but three of those wins were in the postseason. He finished with 76 innings-pitched and with a stingy 2.50 earned run average.

But with a busy schedule this year that includes four to five games a week, Jerome knows he’ll need a deep pitching staff.

Expected to see more innings this year than he did last season is senior

EAGLE SOFTBALL: FROM 5

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BY CHRIS TODD 2012 SUMMER SPORTS

May 23, 2012 • 7

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Summer Sports 2012

6 • May 23, 2012

Summit • News-Tribune

SUMMER SPORTS FILE PHOTO

Newman is the NIC favorite offensive force last season, hitting .312 with 14 RBI, three doubles and one triple. “We have both strengths and weaknesses in our offense as well,� Jerome said. “We have some proven guys at the plate but we’ll also have some guys who’ll need to step it up.�

Jerome says his team will be good defensively, but adds that it must be, for a number of reasons. “In high school baseball, you have to catch and take care of the ball,� Jerome said. “Not being able to defend not only scores unearned runs, but is also hard on your pitchers.�

Offensively, he said his team is going to need to execute. “We’ll need to do things like

move runners over and get some timely hits,� Jerome said. “During the regular season, we lacked timely hitting in some close games. We want to turn that around this year.�

Jerome added that the North Iowa Conference will be balanced this season.

Mason City Newman has dominated the league the last few years and Jerome says the Knights lost some top players but will reload. “And North Iowa returns some talent. Osage and Lake Mills are usually right at the top and Garner and Belmond will have some good players as well,� he said.

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INDIAN SOFTBALL: FROM 4 field position. “All three girls from WCLT should be able to give us immediate help this season,� Gilbertson said. “They are solid players.�

Several underclassmen will battle for playing time this season, including junior Kelsey McQuown, junior Jessica Tweeten, Gilbertson added that pitching help could also come from freshman Autumn Busta along with an eighth-grader, Maggie Mathiasen.

Also in the mix for playing time will be freshman Rachel Koch.

“We may start a little slow offensively,�

Gilbertson said. “But by the time the conference season starts, I expect us to field a strong lineup one through nine.� “I also anticipate us being a pretty solid team defensively.�

The Indians have six games before they start the conference season. “We’ll use those first few games to find out where people should be playing and hitting,�

Gilbertson said. “After that, we should be pretty well settled on a lineup and ready to start the conference season.�

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SUMMER SPORTS PHOTO BY CHRIS TODD

Above are members of the 2012 West Hancock High baseball team. season, he struck out almost a hitter an inning with 55.

Also expected to see time on the mound is junior Mason Muth. “We were in some close games last year, some we won and some we lost,� Sonius said. “But it’s important to have your pitchers go

through those situations in close games.�

The Eagles also return junior Zach Paulus at catcher. “That’s a key position for our defense,� Sonius said. “Zach did a great job for us at catcher last season and we’re glad to have him back.�

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He finished with two doubles and two homers.

Blocker gained some experience with WCLT last season, Sonius said.

Eekhoff and Smidt will play short when each isn’t pitching, Sonius said, with Muth

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positions, the Eagles could go with returnee Jon Burgardt or Caleb Blocker at either spot.

The Eagles inherited Blocker from the Woden-Crystal LakeTitonka baseball program.

Burgardt was second in hitting for the Eagles last year, batting .296.

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SUMMER SPORTS FILE PHOTO

Members of the Forest City softball team have a conference in the circle before an inning starts in 2011.

BRITT - The West Hancock baseball team had just four wins last year.

But the previous two years, the Eagles had a total of just two wins.

In his first year as Eagle baseball coach in 2011, Paul Sonius doubled his team’s win total from the previous two seasons.

With a young group that nevertheless returns significant experience, Sonius is hopeful for the 2012 campaign. “We’re about as excited as you can be after just a four-win season,�

Sonius said. “We return some experience on the mound and we have some guys who can hit the ball.�

The Eagles didn’t lose a player to graduation last year but are still young, Sonius said. “We’d like to think we can finish in the top half of the conference, which

I think is one of the tougher conferences around,� the coach said. “One thing I think we definitely need to do is have some success early in the season,� Sonius said. That will keep the excitement at a high level and also give the team confidence for later in the season, he said.

In baseball, it all starts on the mound and the Eagles return a couple of experienced righthanders.

They’ll be led by sophomore Tim Smidt and senior Jonny Eekhoff. “We’re excited about what those two guys can do this season,� Sonius said.

Smidt threw 57 innings last season and finished with a 3-5 record with a 4.20 earned run average.

Eekhoff threw 44 innings and was 1-8 with a 5.96 ERA. Smidt throws hard and uses a good curveball to fool hitters. Last

MS-82772

BY CHRIS TODD 2012 SUMMER SPORTS

The Indian baseball team won its first-ever district title last season and hopes to build on that this year with some key returning players.

some time at first base while Harms, Tuttle and some new faces could play in the outfield.

Jerome says his team should be able to score some runs this season. The Indians return three of their four leading hitters from last year.

Senior designated hitter Riley Scharper led the offense last year with a .352 average with 18 RBI. He hit four doubles and added two home runs.

Rosacker was a solid run producer last year and also hit for average. He hit .333 with 18 RBI and added seven doubles and a triple.

Harms was also a productive

May 23, 2012 • 3

Eagle baseball team young but experienced

At right, Indian second baseman Jon Krein tosses the ball back to the first baseman during a rundown in a game last year.

INDIANS: FROM 2

Summer Sports 2012

News-Tribune • Summit

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Summer Sports 2012

4 • May 23, 2012

Summit • News-Tribune

BY CHRIS TODD 2012 SUMMER SPORTS

BY CHRIS TODD 2012 SUMMER SPORTS

SUMMER SPORTS PHOTO BY CHRIS TODD

Above are members of the 2012 Forest City High softball team.

Busta has been a four-year starter and finished last season with a .387 batting average with 30 RBI. She hit six doubles, two triples and added two homers.

The other key returnee is veteran pitcher Rachel Price. A two-year starter, Price was 15-11 last season with 162 innings-pitched. She finished with a 3.98 earned run average.

“Rachel worked hard over the fall and winter, and we’re expecting good things from her this summer,” Gilbertson said.

“She’s developed a couple of new pitches over last year and is a year older. We’re expecting Rachel to pitch the majority of our innings this season.”

Also returning is infielder Maggie Shipman, who played third base most of last season. She was

among the Indians’ offensive leaders last season, hitting .374 with 23 RBI. She hit six doubles, one triple and three home runs.

Coming in from WCLT are Maggie Eden, Maranda Chapin and Hailey Kofron.

Maggie Eden was the starting catcher last season for the Tigers, who advanced all the way to the Class 1A region finals before losing to North Sentral Kossuth.

According to Gilbertson, she’ll play either catcher or one of the corner infield positions this season.

Chapin could also play first or third but could also see some playing time in right field. Hailey Kofron may play some second base or could be at an outSEE INDIAN SOFTBALL, 6

BRITT - West Hancock has never won a North Iowa Conference title in softball, and coach Shawn Mallen hopes this might be the year.

“It won’t be easy, but that’s the goal every year,” Mallen said.

“The conference is tough this year with Newman, the defending champ, returning most of its players. And Forest City is always good and I think Garner-Hayfield will be improved.”

The Eagles will get a bit of a late start with many of its veteran players competing last week at the state track and field meet.

“We’ll be behind the eight-ball a little bit,” Mallen said. “But that’s OK, because you want kids to be good in other sports.

“But I think for us, it’ll take us a while to get situated defensively.

That means we’ll have to

produce some runs, especially early in the season. Once we get a few swings under our belts, we should be OK on offense.”

The Eagles don’t’ have a lot of time to practice the short game before the season starts because of track, so he says he’ll need a lineup that drives the ball.

“We’ll have some kids capable of that,” Mallen said.

Lost to graduation, however, was Taylor Formanek, who hit close to .500 last year and drove in 24 runs with a .757 slugging percentage.

“She’s going to be tough to replace, and I don’t expect any one player to duplicate those types of numbers,” Mallen said. “But we may find a couple of players who, together, can make up for the loss.”

The Eagles return their top two pitchers from last year in junior Anna Mallen and fresh-

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Above are members of the 2012 West Hancock High softball team. hit .267 last year with two doubles and three triples.

The Eagles also return rightfielder Abby Paca, who hit .280 last season.

Around the infield, West Hancock returns its catcher in junior

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positions early in the season. He said it’s possible that Haley Hiscocks could be used at catcher with Schmit possibly moving to another spot.

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Kellie Schmit. She hit .333 last season and was second on the team in RBI with 19. She also had some extra-base power with five doubles and two triples.

Mallen said he could do some switching in

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man Mallory Becker.

Last season, Anna Mallen threw 135 1/3 innings and finished 912 with a 6.93 earned run average.

Becker showed promise but didn’t get many innings. She worked all during the offseason on her pitching.

“We’ll probably use both Anna and Mallory in the circle,” Mallen said. “Anna got off to a good start last year but didn’t finish strong. And she has some issues with her shoulder.

“It might be a case where both pitchers throw equal innings, because to pitch as many innings as you need during the summer, you really need to work during the offseason.”

Anna Mallen will play left field when she isn’t pitching. She hit .400 last season with five doubles and two triples.

She also drove in 13 runs.

In centerfield, the Eagles return leadoff hitter Sarah Mallen. She

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Eagle softball returns veterans at key spots

Indian softball team to battle again for a conference title FOREST CITY - The top goal of the Forest City softball team each year under coach Denny Gilbertson is to win a North Iowa Conference title.

This year, Gilbertson feels while his team might not carry the favorites tag yet, it has as good a chance as any to win another conference title.

“Newman won it last year and are solid again this year,” Gilbertson said. “And with (pitcher) Josie Brackey, you can’t count out Lake Mills.

“Garner-Hayfield has a lot of seniors back as does West Hancock. And Osage is always in the mix. It’s going to be a balanced conference this year.”

The Indians return six starters off of last year’s team, including two of its top three hitters and run producers.

Coming at an opportune time, Gilbertson said, is the addition of three players off of last year’s Woden-Crystal Lake-Titonka team.

The Tigers had been a power in softball for the past few years but the high school was closed last year due to a whole grade sharing agreement with Forest City.

The top two returnees for the Indians are senior centerfielder Amanda Busta and shortstop Connor Thompson.

Last season, Thompson hit .393 with 33 RBI, seven doubles and a team-leading five home runs.

She had an on-base percentage of .449.

Summer Sports 2012

News-Tribune • Summit

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Summer Sports 2012

4 • May 23, 2012

Summit • News-Tribune

BY CHRIS TODD 2012 SUMMER SPORTS

BY CHRIS TODD 2012 SUMMER SPORTS

SUMMER SPORTS PHOTO BY CHRIS TODD

Above are members of the 2012 Forest City High softball team.

Busta has been a four-year starter and finished last season with a .387 batting average with 30 RBI. She hit six doubles, two triples and added two homers.

The other key returnee is veteran pitcher Rachel Price. A two-year starter, Price was 15-11 last season with 162 innings-pitched. She finished with a 3.98 earned run average.

“Rachel worked hard over the fall and winter, and we’re expecting good things from her this summer,” Gilbertson said.

“She’s developed a couple of new pitches over last year and is a year older. We’re expecting Rachel to pitch the majority of our innings this season.”

Also returning is infielder Maggie Shipman, who played third base most of last season. She was

among the Indians’ offensive leaders last season, hitting .374 with 23 RBI. She hit six doubles, one triple and three home runs.

Coming in from WCLT are Maggie Eden, Maranda Chapin and Hailey Kofron.

Maggie Eden was the starting catcher last season for the Tigers, who advanced all the way to the Class 1A region finals before losing to North Sentral Kossuth.

According to Gilbertson, she’ll play either catcher or one of the corner infield positions this season.

Chapin could also play first or third but could also see some playing time in right field. Hailey Kofron may play some second base or could be at an outSEE INDIAN SOFTBALL, 6

BRITT - West Hancock has never won a North Iowa Conference title in softball, and coach Shawn Mallen hopes this might be the year.

“It won’t be easy, but that’s the goal every year,” Mallen said.

“The conference is tough this year with Newman, the defending champ, returning most of its players. And Forest City is always good and I think Garner-Hayfield will be improved.”

The Eagles will get a bit of a late start with many of its veteran players competing last week at the state track and field meet.

“We’ll be behind the eight-ball a little bit,” Mallen said. “But that’s OK, because you want kids to be good in other sports.

“But I think for us, it’ll take us a while to get situated defensively.

That means we’ll have to

produce some runs, especially early in the season. Once we get a few swings under our belts, we should be OK on offense.”

The Eagles don’t’ have a lot of time to practice the short game before the season starts because of track, so he says he’ll need a lineup that drives the ball.

“We’ll have some kids capable of that,” Mallen said.

Lost to graduation, however, was Taylor Formanek, who hit close to .500 last year and drove in 24 runs with a .757 slugging percentage.

“She’s going to be tough to replace, and I don’t expect any one player to duplicate those types of numbers,” Mallen said. “But we may find a couple of players who, together, can make up for the loss.”

The Eagles return their top two pitchers from last year in junior Anna Mallen and fresh-

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Above are members of the 2012 West Hancock High softball team. hit .267 last year with two doubles and three triples.

The Eagles also return rightfielder Abby Paca, who hit .280 last season.

Around the infield, West Hancock returns its catcher in junior

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Kellie Schmit. She hit .333 last season and was second on the team in RBI with 19. She also had some extra-base power with five doubles and two triples.

Mallen said he could do some switching in

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man Mallory Becker.

Last season, Anna Mallen threw 135 1/3 innings and finished 912 with a 6.93 earned run average.

Becker showed promise but didn’t get many innings. She worked all during the offseason on her pitching.

“We’ll probably use both Anna and Mallory in the circle,” Mallen said. “Anna got off to a good start last year but didn’t finish strong. And she has some issues with her shoulder.

“It might be a case where both pitchers throw equal innings, because to pitch as many innings as you need during the summer, you really need to work during the offseason.”

Anna Mallen will play left field when she isn’t pitching. She hit .400 last season with five doubles and two triples.

She also drove in 13 runs.

In centerfield, the Eagles return leadoff hitter Sarah Mallen. She

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Eagle softball returns veterans at key spots

Indian softball team to battle again for a conference title FOREST CITY - The top goal of the Forest City softball team each year under coach Denny Gilbertson is to win a North Iowa Conference title.

This year, Gilbertson feels while his team might not carry the favorites tag yet, it has as good a chance as any to win another conference title.

“Newman won it last year and are solid again this year,” Gilbertson said. “And with (pitcher) Josie Brackey, you can’t count out Lake Mills.

“Garner-Hayfield has a lot of seniors back as does West Hancock. And Osage is always in the mix. It’s going to be a balanced conference this year.”

The Indians return six starters off of last year’s team, including two of its top three hitters and run producers.

Coming at an opportune time, Gilbertson said, is the addition of three players off of last year’s Woden-Crystal Lake-Titonka team.

The Tigers had been a power in softball for the past few years but the high school was closed last year due to a whole grade sharing agreement with Forest City.

The top two returnees for the Indians are senior centerfielder Amanda Busta and shortstop Connor Thompson.

Last season, Thompson hit .393 with 33 RBI, seven doubles and a team-leading five home runs.

She had an on-base percentage of .449.

Summer Sports 2012

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Summer Sports 2012

6 • May 23, 2012

Summit • News-Tribune

SUMMER SPORTS FILE PHOTO

Newman is the NIC favorite offensive force last season, hitting .312 with 14 RBI, three doubles and one triple. “We have both strengths and weaknesses in our offense as well,� Jerome said. “We have some proven guys at the plate but we’ll also have some guys who’ll need to step it up.�

Jerome says his team will be good defensively, but adds that it must be, for a number of reasons. “In high school baseball, you have to catch and take care of the ball,� Jerome said. “Not being able to defend not only scores unearned runs, but is also hard on your pitchers.�

Offensively, he said his team is going to need to execute. “We’ll need to do things like

move runners over and get some timely hits,� Jerome said. “During the regular season, we lacked timely hitting in some close games. We want to turn that around this year.�

Jerome added that the North Iowa Conference will be balanced this season.

Mason City Newman has dominated the league the last few years and Jerome says the Knights lost some top players but will reload. “And North Iowa returns some talent. Osage and Lake Mills are usually right at the top and Garner and Belmond will have some good players as well,� he said.

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INDIAN SOFTBALL: FROM 4 field position. “All three girls from WCLT should be able to give us immediate help this season,� Gilbertson said. “They are solid players.�

Several underclassmen will battle for playing time this season, including junior Kelsey McQuown, junior Jessica Tweeten, Gilbertson added that pitching help could also come from freshman Autumn Busta along with an eighth-grader, Maggie Mathiasen.

Also in the mix for playing time will be freshman Rachel Koch.

“We may start a little slow offensively,�

Gilbertson said. “But by the time the conference season starts, I expect us to field a strong lineup one through nine.� “I also anticipate us being a pretty solid team defensively.�

The Indians have six games before they start the conference season. “We’ll use those first few games to find out where people should be playing and hitting,�

Gilbertson said. “After that, we should be pretty well settled on a lineup and ready to start the conference season.�

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SUMMER SPORTS PHOTO BY CHRIS TODD

Above are members of the 2012 West Hancock High baseball team. season, he struck out almost a hitter an inning with 55.

Also expected to see time on the mound is junior Mason Muth. “We were in some close games last year, some we won and some we lost,� Sonius said. “But it’s important to have your pitchers go

through those situations in close games.�

The Eagles also return junior Zach Paulus at catcher. “That’s a key position for our defense,� Sonius said. “Zach did a great job for us at catcher last season and we’re glad to have him back.�

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He finished with two doubles and two homers.

Blocker gained some experience with WCLT last season, Sonius said.

Eekhoff and Smidt will play short when each isn’t pitching, Sonius said, with Muth

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positions, the Eagles could go with returnee Jon Burgardt or Caleb Blocker at either spot.

The Eagles inherited Blocker from the Woden-Crystal LakeTitonka baseball program.

Burgardt was second in hitting for the Eagles last year, batting .296.

MS-82771

SUMMER SPORTS FILE PHOTO

Members of the Forest City softball team have a conference in the circle before an inning starts in 2011.

BRITT - The West Hancock baseball team had just four wins last year.

But the previous two years, the Eagles had a total of just two wins.

In his first year as Eagle baseball coach in 2011, Paul Sonius doubled his team’s win total from the previous two seasons.

With a young group that nevertheless returns significant experience, Sonius is hopeful for the 2012 campaign. “We’re about as excited as you can be after just a four-win season,�

Sonius said. “We return some experience on the mound and we have some guys who can hit the ball.�

The Eagles didn’t lose a player to graduation last year but are still young, Sonius said. “We’d like to think we can finish in the top half of the conference, which

I think is one of the tougher conferences around,� the coach said. “One thing I think we definitely need to do is have some success early in the season,� Sonius said. That will keep the excitement at a high level and also give the team confidence for later in the season, he said.

In baseball, it all starts on the mound and the Eagles return a couple of experienced righthanders.

They’ll be led by sophomore Tim Smidt and senior Jonny Eekhoff. “We’re excited about what those two guys can do this season,� Sonius said.

Smidt threw 57 innings last season and finished with a 3-5 record with a 4.20 earned run average.

Eekhoff threw 44 innings and was 1-8 with a 5.96 ERA. Smidt throws hard and uses a good curveball to fool hitters. Last

MS-82772

BY CHRIS TODD 2012 SUMMER SPORTS

The Indian baseball team won its first-ever district title last season and hopes to build on that this year with some key returning players.

some time at first base while Harms, Tuttle and some new faces could play in the outfield.

Jerome says his team should be able to score some runs this season. The Indians return three of their four leading hitters from last year.

Senior designated hitter Riley Scharper led the offense last year with a .352 average with 18 RBI. He hit four doubles and added two home runs.

Rosacker was a solid run producer last year and also hit for average. He hit .333 with 18 RBI and added seven doubles and a triple.

Harms was also a productive

May 23, 2012 • 3

Eagle baseball team young but experienced

At right, Indian second baseman Jon Krein tosses the ball back to the first baseman during a rundown in a game last year.

INDIANS: FROM 2

Summer Sports 2012

News-Tribune • Summit

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Summer Sports 2012

2 • May 23, 2012

Summit • News-Tribune

Summer Sports 2012

News-Tribune • Summit

After district title, Indians hope for banner season

Eagles should sport strong offense

Baseball team returns some key players from last year

SUMMER SPORTS FILE PHOTO

West Hancock’s Josiah Eckels fouls off a pitch during a game in Forest City in 2011.

Eagle nine returns top two pitchers EAGLES: FROM 3

SUMMER SPORTS PHOTO BY CHRIS TODD

Members of the 2012 Forest City High baseball team.

Kyle Rosacker. A hard thrower, Rosacker finished with a 1-0 mark last year and threw just six innings.

Also on the hill this season, the Indians will go with righthander Thomas O’Rourke, who threw just 13 innings last season. Other options include seniors Jon

Krein, Parker Farland and Aaron Harms.

“I see both strengths and weaknesses in our pitching staff,” Jerome said. “We are very strong at the top of the rotation with Isaac, but after that, not a lot of guys threw a lot of innings for us last season.

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“We’ll need some guys to step up on the mound this year and throw some quality innings.”

Behind the plate, the Indians will go with junior Nathan Freiderich.

Jerome says he is a strong defensive catcher who also shows potential with the bat. Last

season, Freiderich hit .244 with 13 RBI. Around the infield, Rosacker will either play first or third when he isn’t pitching, while Farland and Krein will man the middle infield positions.

O’Rourke could see SEE INDIANS, 6

Wishing all area athletes the best of luck this Forest City season!

MS-82675

manning second base.

“We also have a some younger kids who have shown promise this season,” said Sonius, who added that 22 players are out for this year’s team.

In the outfield, the Eagles return strong defensive players who can swing the bat.

They’ll be led by junior Josiah Eckels, who led the team in hitting last year with a .385 average. From the leadoff spot, he drove in eight runs and added three doubles and two triples.

Also returning in the outfield is junior Seth Goepel. Hit hit .283 last sea-

have great speed. And they also have the ability to hit the gaps on occasion.”

The Eagles hope to utilize what is excellent overall team speed.

“We have some kids with wheels on this team,” the coach said.

“We have a solid corps back and once we all get together and get a few practices and games under our belts, we hope to be in the thick of the conference race.”

SUMMER SPORTS FILE PHOTO

West Hancock’s Kellie Schmit catches during a game last summer in Britt.

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“Nothing’s set in stone with this team, and we have some younger players who show a lot of talent,” Mallen said.

“If they show that they’re capable of doing the best job, they’ll be in the lineup.”

Jessica Gray returns at short, with April Burgardt returning at second and senior Brooke Heusinkveld at first. Whitney Burgardt has also shown an ability

to play the infield, coach Mallen said.

Last season. Gray was solid at short. Burgardt hit .338 last season and and Heusinkveld hit .192. The veteran first baseman did finish with ten RBI and three doubles.

“Brooke has the ability to drive the ball and that’s what we’ll be looking for her to do this season,” coach Mallen said.

“And at the top of our lineup, Sarah and April

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son with nine runs batted in. Goepel also hit three doubles last season.

In the other outfield spot, the Eagles will probably go with senior Vincent Wade. Last year, Wade hit .250 with two RBI and two doubles.

Also expected to vie for playing time is junior Cory Formanek, whom Sonius says had great speed in the outfield. Jordan Savoy could also see time in the infield, as could Mark Roth.

Sonius added that the going will be tough in the North Iowa Conference.

“You’ve got Mason City Newman and Osage who are perennial baseball powers,” he said. “And Forest City returns some key players after almost making it to state last year.”

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FOREST CITY - After last season’s post-season run to the substate tournament, the Forest City baseball team is expecting good things in 2012.

“The kids are excited about the season,” said Indian baseball coach Jeff Jerome. “We return a lot of experience but we’ll also have some new faces in the lineup.”

The Indians beat Central Springs to win the district title last summer but lost to Waterloo Columbus in the substate finals.

“I think our kids learned that they can succeed in big games and that gave us a lot of confidence going forward,” Jerome said.

“A lot of guys took advantage of the postseason last year by really

stepping it up and making some big plays.”

The Indians return some talent at some key positions.

The ace of the pitching staff will be junior lefthander Isaac Tuttle, who pitched most of the post-season innings last year.

He throws an outstanding fastball and mixes in an effective curveball.

Last season, Tuttle finished with a 6-6 record but three of those wins were in the postseason. He finished with 76 innings-pitched and with a stingy 2.50 earned run average.

But with a busy schedule this year that includes four to five games a week, Jerome knows he’ll need a deep pitching staff.

Expected to see more innings this year than he did last season is senior

EAGLE SOFTBALL: FROM 5

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BY CHRIS TODD 2012 SUMMER SPORTS

May 23, 2012 • 7

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Summer Sports 2012

8 • May 23, 2012

Summit • News-Tribune

A supplement to the May 23, 2012 Britt News Tribune, Forest City Summit

Summer Sports 2012 Schedules Forest Cty Baseball May 24 – vs. St. Ansgar May 25 – vs.

Estherville-Lincoln Central May 30 – at WaverlyShell Rock May 31 – at Webster City June 1 – at West Hancock, Britt June 4 – vs. Osage June 5 – at St. Ansgar June 6 – vs. Lake Mills June 8 – vs. GarnerHayfield June 11 – at North Iowa, Buffalo Center June 12 – at Humboldt June 13 – at BelmondKlemme June 14 – vs. Clear Lake June 15 – at Newman

Catholic, Mason City June 18 – vs. West Hancock June 19 – at Central Springs June 21 – at Algona June 22 – at Lake Mills June 25 – at GarnerHayfield June 26 – vs. ClarionGoldfield June 27 – vs. North Iowa June 29 – vs.

Belmond-Klemme July 2 – vs. Newman Catholic

West Hancock Baseball June 1 – vs. Forest City June 4 – at BelmondKlemme June 6 – vs. North Iowa June 7 – at CWL,

Corwith June 8 – vs. Newman Catholic June 11 – at Lake Mills June 13 – vs. Osage June 15 – at GarnerHayfield June 16 – West Hancock Invitational June 18 – at Forest City June 20 – BelmondKlemme June 22 – at North Iowa, Buffalo Center June 25 – at Newman Catholic, Mason City June 27 – vs. Lake Mills June 28 – vs. GarnerHayfield June 29 – at Osage

Forest City Softball May 24 – vs.

Estherville-LincolnCentral May 29 – vs. St. Ansgar May 30 – North Union June 1 – at West Hancock, Britt June 2 – at Charles City June 4 – vs. Osage June 5 – vs. Charles City June 6 – vs. Lake Mills June 7 – vs. Newman Catholic June 8 – vs. GarnerHayfield June 9 – at BelmondKlemme June 11 – at North Iowa June 12 – at Humboldt June 13 – at BelmondKlemme June 15 – at Newman Catholic, Mason City

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May 23 - at Emmetsburg May 24 - at CAL June 1 - vs. Forest City June 2 - at Lake Mills Tournament June 4 - at BelmondKlemme June 6 - vs. North Iowa June 7 - at CWLCorwith June 8 - vs. Mason

State Tournaments The state baseball tournament will be held at Principal Park in Des Moines fom July 20-28 The state softball tournament will be held at Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge from July 16-July 20.

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