Mid-Prairie, West Marshall to battle with state trip on the line

WELLMAN — Mid-Prairie baseball needs one more win to make their second trip to the state tournament in the last three years.

The Golden Hawks (17-10) are set to battle with No. 6 West Marshall (28-8) on Tuesday in Solon.

It’s been an eventful season for Golden Hawks baseball. During the regular season, Mid-Prairie reached as high as No. 4 in the Class 2A rankings.

Mid-Prairie now sits unranked in the postseason after a tough regular season schedule. That season now holds no weight and Mid-Prairie is playing some of its best baseball at the right time.

Heading into Tuesday’s contest, the Golden Hawks have won four straight, which includes a pair of postseason victories over a seasoned Cardinal squad, 4-0, and a dominant, 15-3, win over Van Buren County in the district semifinal.

Most likely to lead the Golden Hawks from the hill will be sophomore standout and Iowa commit Karson Grout.

Grout has been stellar on the mound this season, allowing just 10 runs (nine earned) and 14 hits on 92 batters faced. Out of those 92 batters, he has 41 strikeouts. Against Grout, batters have a batting average of just .152.

The Golden Hawks are set up nicely as far pitch count as anyone of the starters can go in the substate final.

Sophomore Brock Harland has a 2.10 ERA with five starts, junior Collin Miller holds a 3.41 ERA in six starts, freshman Brady Weber has a 3.13 ERA with five starts a well, while Alex Bean and Bowen Burmeister have ERA’s of 2.62 and 4.44 with two starts each.

From the plate, Grout leads with an average of .384. He is one of three Golden Hawks that bat over .350. Cain Brown has an average of .373, while Bean bats .353. Joe Hall and Miller both bat over .300. Hall holds an batting average of .333 and Miller .325.

West Marshall has cruised through the postseason thus far. The Trojans defeated Union Community 6-1 in their opening game and followed up with a 13-0 win over Williamsburg in the semifinal.

The Trojans have some dominant pitching on their side as well. Sophomore Owen Siegert leads West Marshall from the mound with an ERA of 0.60. He’s faced 167 batters on the season. Kinnick Christensen follows with an ERA 1.27. Will Dawley and Clay Cuva have each faced 121 batters. Cuva has an ERA of 1.29 and Dawley 1.63.

With the bat, Parker Reese leads the Trojans with an average of .410. Christensen follows with an average of .394.

The winner of Tuesday’s game with earn a spot in the Class 2A state tournament in Carroll on Monday, July 18.