Huskies lead area teams in GTNS small-school softball

This season featured a strong race at the top of the Southeast Iowa Super Conference. Three area teams finished in the top five of the conference, and New London leading the pack of area schools, finishing in second.

However, New London was the lone area school to claim a coveted berth in the state tournament in Fort Dodge, claiming a fifth-place finish in Class 1A, and numerous area teams falling in close postseason matches.

That competitiveness can be seen in the All-GTNS Small School softball team, which comprises of numerous stellar performances on the year, including a high number of All-staters.

Co-coaches: Duane Blint and Paula Bliven, New London

The New London duo of Duane Blint and Paula Bliven are our choices for coach on the All-GTNS team.

The Tigers went 26-11 this year and made their third trip to the state tournament in the last five years. After a first-round loss to Newell-Fonda, New London defeated West Harrison and Belle Plaine to finish fifth.

Captain: Morgan Christner, New London

A potentially year-ending knee injury during basketball season could have kept senior Morgan Christner out of softball this year, but the Tiger ace battled back and was able to play in the majority of games this season.

Christner was fantastic in the circle and at the plate. She was 22-7 as a pitcher with a 1.24 ERA and 287 strikeouts, and she hit .459 with three home runs and 45 RBIs.

Christner threw all three games of the state tournament, going 2-1 with a .95 ERA and 23 strikeouts.

Pitcher: Megan Hoenig, Highland

Entering the year, Megan Hoenig had the unenviable task of replacing a high-caliber starting pitcher.

The Huskie freshman passed those tests with flying colors early and often this season, helping Highland to a 20-win season, earning the win in 15 of those games, going 15-5 with a 2.42 ERA in 136 innings pitched and 73 strikeouts.

Hoenig also was impactful with her bat when given chances at the plate, getting on base at a clip of .433, drawing 14 walks, while registering 46 at-bats.

Pitcher: Courtney Comstock, Pekin

The Panthers? ace posted a winning record this season at 9-8 and held opponents to a sub-.250 batting average to lead Pekin in the circle.  But, she truly showed what she was capable of on her own diamond in an 11-0 drubbing of Central Lee, when the senior spun a perfect game over five innings of work.

The strikeout numbers aren?t baffling with four in that game and 67 in 105 2/3 innings of work, but Comstock was very good at avoiding solid contact on her pitches. In that June 21 perfect game, anything hit out of the infield was a lazy pop up while Comstock and the corner infielders had a busy day fielding swinging bunts.

The senior was in the circle for 70 percent of Pekin?s innings pitched this season, so the Panthers will need to turn to some inexperienced hurlers for the 2017 campaign.

Infield: Alex Rath, Mid-Prairie

A first-team Class 3A All-State selection, Alex Rath was one of the speedier softball players in the state, earning a nod on this year?s All-GTNS team.

Rath, who will be walking on to play softball at the University of Iowa, completed her senior season with a .509 batting average, getting on base at a clip of .575, while slugging .638 with the help of four triples.

The Mid-Prairie shortstop notched 59 hits on the season, claiming 41 runs scored and 22 RBIs, while using her speed to swipe 34 bases.

Infield: Lindsey Davis, Cardinal

Cardinal?s lone representative on the all-state teams played an excellent third base for the Comets and went out with a bang her senior year, batting .440 with five homers and 37 RBIs as the only Comet to lift a ball over the fence. She slugged .760 and reached base nearly 50 percent of the time at .491, making her someone nobody wanted to face with the game on the line.

In the Comets? 17-1 postseason victory over Moulton-Udell, Davis mashed a three-run homer over the left-field fence in her final home game of her career. Davis also drove in three runs in Cardinal?s tournament victory over state-qualifier New London in Fairfield on June 11.

The top-4 spots in the Comet lineup will all depart by graduation, but there will be quite the gap to fill at third base in 2017.

Infield: Amber Kral, Mid-Prairie

While Rath provided the speed to Mid-Prairie?s attack, Amber Kral provided the power for the Golden Hawks.

Kral was stellar again in her final year as a Hawk, crushing seven home runs to finish with 50 RBIs, helping her to a Class 3A first-team spot.

She scored 32 runs on the season, and claimed 16 doubles helping her to a slugging percentage of .843, with half of her 50 hits going for extra bases.

Kral batted .463 with an on-base percentage of .543.

Infield: Breanna Mettler, New London

Sophomore catcher Breanna Mettler hit .321 this year with a .536 slugging percentage and a .380 on-base percentage for New London this year.

She had 33 RBIs this year and led the team with six homeruns, including one on July 11 against Sigourney in the regional final game.

Mettler is one of a handful of underclassmen who will look to step up in the absence of New London?s five seniors as the Tigers try to make it back to Fort Dodge next season.

Outfield: Hannah Heiserman, Van Buren

The sophomore outfielder for the Warriors was a narrow scratch from the All-GTNS squad last year, when she batted .507 in the heart of the Van Buren lineup. This season, there was no question after she posted a slash line of .615 / .634 / .808. Those aren?t typos; she really did bat over .600 on the year, good for second place in the entire state among players with at least 50 at-bats.

To complement that, she smacked a pair of homers, a triple and seven doubles for the Warriors, leading the team with 22 RBIs. She drove in a quarter of Van Buren?s runs over the entirety of 2016.

Heiserman will be penciled into this list for the remaining two years she has left in a Van Buren uniform, but it?s scary to think of how much better she can get at the plate. If she can develop a little more patience and draw some more walks, this girl could sport a .700+ on-base percentage, something accomplished by only three players in all of Iowa this season.

Outfield: Kelsey Hora, Highland

Known for her speed and defense, Highland junior Kelsey Hora did everything for the Huskies this season, and was a no-doubt selection for the All-GTNS outfield.

Hora, a Class 2A first-team All-State selection, was the leadoff hitter for the Huskies, batting .585 and getting on base at a clip of .611, leading the team with 33 stolen bases, 62 hits and 42 runs scored.

She also drove in 12 RBIs on the year, not to mention what her coach described as ?daily web gems? in center field for the Huskies, posting a .966 fielding percentage on the year.

Outfield: Rubye Ney, Iowa Mennonite

Iowa Mennonite?s representative on the All-GTNS list, Rubye Ney, made a big impact for IMS, earning a spot as an outfielder on this year?s team.

Ney was an All-SEISC honorable mention selection for IMS, leading the team with a .462 average and a .541 on-base percentage, to go with 17 runs scored as the primary center fielder.

Ney, a freshman, will look to help IMS to another win improvement next season, as the team will only lose one senior from this year?s squad.

Catcher: Cheyann Adamson, Highland

Senior Cheyann Adamson switched to catcher this season and enjoyed another tremendous season for the Huskies, batting .505 with an on-base percentage of .533, while driving in a team-best 41 RBIs this season.

She finished second on the team with 37 runs scored and 50 hits, while notching a team-best two home runs on the year. She also stole 18 bases in 19 attempts.

Adamson saw her career end just short of the state tournament, but will finish with first-team All-SEISC honors as well as being named second-team Class 2A All-State.

Utility: Bailey Stroud, Columbus

After spending time as Columbus Community?s third baseman, Bailey Stroud earned the nod as an All-GTNS utility player.

Stroud led the Wildcats in average (.412) and on-base percentage (.459), while stealing a team-best 21 bases. She also led the team with 20 runs scored on the year, earning Class 2A All-State honorable mention along the way.

She was also strong in the field for her squad, finishing the year with a .915 fielding percentage, helping make 86 outs from the hot corner.

Stroud will return to Columbus for her senior season as she looks to improve on her junior numbers and help her team to a strong year.

Utility: Carson McSorely, New London

New London sophomore Carson McSorely was the true definition of a utility player this season for New London.

The speedster played both infield and outfield for the Tigers and hit .382 with a .464 slugging percentage and a .419 on-base percentage. She hit one home run, had 28 RBIs and led the team with 23 stolen bases.

At the state tournament, McSorely knocked home two RBIs for the Tigers and co-led team with three runs scored.

Utility: Lauren Starnes, Van Buren

Having one sophomore hitting above .500 on the season is nice, but having two is even better. Starnes hit .542 this season, reaching base 60 percent of the time as well, which would have been good for tops on the team if Heiserman played anywhere but Van Buren.

The third baseman finished second on the squad with 18 runs scored, smacked a pair of doubles and only drove in two runs on the season, something that can be correlated to Van Buren?s only driving in 88 RBIs all season. But there is a lot of youth on this team and some incredibly talented athletes coming up through the pipeline, something that has Warrior fans excited for the future.

With players like Starnes and Heiserman already showing some staggering potential, who wouldn?t be?

?The All-GTNS small-school softball team was selected by Aaron Viner of The Washington Evening Journal, Josh Dillon of The Fairfield Ledger and Andy Krutsinger of The Mt. Pleasant News.