Vote now: Who should be the SBLive Iowa high school athlete of the week?
By Nate Olson
Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for June 12-18. Read through the nominees and cast your vote. Voting will conclude Sunday at 11:59 p.m. If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email nate@scorebooklive.com.
Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes who receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
Tyler Welch, Davenport Assumption baseball
Welch had four hits in eight plate appearances in a sweep of Davenport North. Welch pitched a three-hitter in the first game, and the Knights pounded 20 hits in the nightcap.
Ryer Crichton, West Lyon baseball
Crichton went 3-for-3 with a triple and five RBIs from the leadoff spot as the Wildcats (11-1) rolled past Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley, 19-4. Crichton also stole two bases and scored four runs.
Nick Severson, Ankeny Centennial baseball
The senior catcher was 4-for-4 with two RBIs as the Class 4A top-ranked Jaguars beat Urbandale, 12-1, in the first game of a doubleheader. Urbandale, though, handed Centennial just its second loss with a 2-1 win in the nightcap.
Cal Sullivan, Cedar Rapids Prairie baseball
The senior catcher had two doubles and a homer, driving in four runs for the 4A second-ranked Hawks in a 7-4 win over No. 8 Cedar Rapids Kennedy.
Sam Hesselman, Johnston baseball
The senior drove in four runs with a single and double, leading the third-ranked Dragons past Waukee Northwest, 13-5, in the second game of a doubleheader.
Karson Keesey, Southeast Polk baseball
The senior homered and drove in three runs for the fourth-ranked Rams in a 13-5 victory over Des Moines East.
Caden McDermott, Pleasant Valley baseball
The senior outfielder collected four hits in five at-bats with two triples, driving in a pair for the No. 5 Spartans in a 16-4 win over Linn-Mar. McDermott also scored a couple of runs.
Jack Doolittle, Lewis Central baseball
The senior had a single and double and a key RBI in the Class 3A second-ranked Titans’ 5-3 victory over Waukee.
Nick Cox, North Polk baseball
The senior dialed a four-hit shutout, striking out 12, as the third-ranked Class 3A Comets blanked Saydel, 3-0.
Beau Leisure, Knoxville baseball
The senior struck out 16 batters and allowed only two hits in 6.1 innings of a 6-1 win over Davis County. The 3A fourth-ranked Panthers (22-1) have won nine in a row.
Kaden Frommelt, Marion baseball
The senior hit two homers and drove in five runs and was the winning pitcher in an 18-2 win over Center Point-Urbana in the second game of a doubleheader. Frommelt had three hits and knocked in three as Marion won the first game, 10-6.
Rhett Pleggenkuhle, Van Meter baseball
The top-ranked and defending Class 2A state champions blanked Woodward-Granger, 2-0, as Pleggenkuhle struck out 10 and gave up one hit in 6.2 innings of relief. That avenged a 4-3 loss to W-G in the opener.
Karson Grout, Mid-Prairie baseball
The junior shortstop was 4-for-5 with a triple and six RBIs in a 16-2 win over Treynor for the 2A second-ranked Hawks.
Luke Schietz, Dyersville Beckman baseball
The senior was 5-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs as the Class 2A fourth-ranked Trailblazers rolled to a 14-4 win over South Winneshiek.
Mason Boothby, Underwood baseball
The junior picked up a pitching win and had two hits and an RBI as the Eagles won their 11th straight, 5-4, over Woodbury Central.
Doug Taylor, Mason City Newman baseball
The senior and future Iowa Hawkeye had 18 strikeouts and allowed three hits in a 9-0 triumph over Nashua-Plainfield for the Class 1A top-ranked Knights.
Jackson Nissen, Kingsley-Pierson baseball
The junior was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and picked up a pitching win, allowing no hits while striking out nine in four innings. The second-rated 1A Panthers (18-1) bounced back from their first loss of the season, 5-1, to Don Bosco.
Jaxon Bunkers, Remsen St. Mary’s baseball
The Hawks won three games in the Granville Spalding tournament, running their winning streak to 11 games. Bunkers was a combined 5-for-8 at the plate with two doubles, a home run and five RBIs, while going nine innings for a pitching win in a 3-2 victory over Akron-Westfield.
Corder Noun Harder, Lynnville-Sully baseball
The Class 1A fourth-ranked Hawks stayed unbeaten at 18-0 with a doubleheader sweep of West Marshall. Noun Harder was 5-for-6 with a homer, four RBIs and three runs scored.
Mason Bechen, North Linn baseball
Bechen, a sophomore shortstop, was 3-for-3 with a single, triple, homer and three RBIs in a 12-3 win over North Fayette Valley. North Linn (17-3) bounced back from a 4-3 loss to Dyersville Beckman.
Sam Harris, Urbandale baseball
The senior had two hits, including a homer, in a 6-5 win over West Des Moines Valley. Harris leads the state with 13 round-trippers.
Kayden Anderson, Glenwood baseball
The junior picked up three hits in a 6-5 win over Harlan. Anderson leads the state with a .686 batting average, with 24 hits in 35 at-bats.
William Kiburis, Gladbrook-Reinbeck baseball
The senior stole two bases against Hampton-Dumont-CAL, giving him a state-high 40 for the season. Kiburis has been thrown out just four times in 44 attempts and also has a state-leading seven pitching wins and 87 strikeouts.
Jackson Manning, Van Buren County baseball
The senior shortstop had four RBIs for the 17-2 Warriors in a 16-0 win over Highland. Manning ranks second in the state behind Mason City Newman’s Doug Taylor with 37 RBIs.
Koleson Evans, West Harrison baseball
The senior collected four hits in two wins in the West Harrison tournament. Evans is hitting a robust .604 for the season, second in the state.
Ellie Flanagan, North Linn softball
The senior was 4-for-5 with a double and homer, driving in five runs as the Lynx swept Edgewood-Colesburg. Flanagan has driven in a state-leading 49 runs this season, including a record 41 in Tri-Rivers Conference games.
Ryleigh Algood, Lisbon softball
The senior reached base seven times in nine plate appearances and picked up two pitching wins as the Class 2A third-ranked Lions swept No. 12 Alburnett. Lisbon banged out a school-record 25 hits in a 17-7 win in the opener.
Emily Opstevedt, Mason City Newman softball
Opstevedt had four singles and drove in two in a 13-1 win over AGSWR. She hit a bases-clearing double a 7-5 victory over Belmond-Klemme.
Kiya Johnson, North Butler softball
Johnson homered and drove in four runs in a 7-0 shutout of CCLUW. She allowed only one hit in the pitching circle, striking out 10.
Madison DeJong, West Lyon softball
Dejong went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and allowed a run on four hits and struck out seven for the pitching win in a 9-1 victory over Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley for the Class 3A ninth-ranked Wildcats.
Peyton Driscoll, Williamsburg softball
Driscoll (9-0) pitched a one-hit shutout, striking out 12, as Class 3A top-ranked Williamsburg blanked No. 6 Mount Vernon, 2-0.
Reagan Rolling, Carlisle softball
The senior shortstop was 3-for-4 with an RBI as the Class 4A top-ranked Wildcats beat Class 5A No. 1 Ankeny Centennial, 3-1.
Abby Rusher, Ankeny softball
The junior had three hits, including a double, and drove in three runs as Class 5A No. 2 Ankeny swept No. 6 West Des Moines Valley. Rusher was also the winning pitcher in the first game.
Aubrey Bender, Muscatine softball
The junior slugged three home runs and drove in eight runs in a 13-1 victory over Ames. Bender homered in each of her three trips to the plate.
Sydney Potter, Southeast Polk softball
The senior catcher had a productive performance as the Rams won three times at the Jack North tournament. Potter was 4-for-7 with two home runs and seven RBIs.
Macee Reiling, Dallas Center-Grimes softball
The junior shorstop was 4-for-5 with three home runs and eight RBIs as the Class 4A No. 2 Mustangs swept Oskaloosa. Reiling hit two homers and knocked in six in the first game, a 12-0 win for DC-G.
Lydia Lara, Fort Dodge softball
The senior was 3-for-3 with a single, double and homer, driving in seven runs in a 10-1 win over Cedar Rapids Kennedy for the Class 4A third-ranked Dodgers. Lara also homered against Mid-Prairie earlier on Friday.
Lucy Lucas, North Polk softball
Lucas, a sophomore, had a triple and single, driving in a 5-2 win over defending Class 3A state champion Mount Vernon. Lucas had two more hits against Roland-Story in the North Polk tournament Friday.
Hannah Hoefer, Western Dubuque softball
The sophomore was a combined 4-for-8 with a double and four RBIs as the Bobcats swept Cedar Falls. Hoefer was the winning pitcher in a 10-5 second-game triumph.
Sophia Young, Davis County softball
The senior hit home runs in a pair of one-run wins that kept Davis County unbeaten this week. Young had two hits, including a homer, and drove in two in a 5-4 win over Cardinal, then went deep in a 2-1 victory over Knoxville.
Tatum Dunlavy, Estherville-Lincoln Central softball
The junior third baseman had a homer and double, driving in three in a 7-1 win over Gilbert. The Midgets (23-1) suffered their first loss of the season, but finished 3-1 at the Roland-Story tournament.
Morgan Gahan, Iowa City Regina softball
The junior drove in five runs for the Class 3A top-ranked Regals in an 8-5 win over No. 4 Lisbon.
Cooper Klaahsen, Central Springs softball
The senior struck out 10 and allowed just three hits in a 9-0 win over Mid-Prairie.
Brihanna Hill, West Monona softball
The freshman had four hits, including a triple, and knocked in five runs in a 20-5 rout of Woodbury Central. Hill was one of four Spartans with two or more hits as West Monona collected 18 as a team.
Campbell German, Martensdale-St. Marys softball
The junior pitched a one-hitter, striking out 13, as the Class 1A No. 2 Blue Devils beat No. 3 Southeast Warren, 1-0.
Mia Walker, Newell-Fonda softball
The senior had three hits and drove in three runs and was the winning pitcher in a 10-9 win over Atlantic in the Fort Dodge tournament.
Ana Glawe, Benton softball
The sophomore clubbed her state-leading 13th home run in an 11-0 shutout of Perry. She also was 3-for-3 with two homers and five RBIs in a 14-0 Benton win over previously undefeated and 3A No. 4 ranked Estherville Lincoln Central.
Lily Coll, Columbus softball
The sophomore collected three hits and picked up a pitching win in a 15-0 win over Winfield-Mt. Union. Coll is batting .641 on the season, fourth best statewide.
Audrie Kohl, Missouri Valley softball
The sophomore struck out 12 and allowed just two hits in a 10-2 victory over IKM-Manning. Kohl has an 18-2 pitching record, the most wins of any pitcher in the state, and also leads the state with 203 strikeouts.
Dakota Lake, Saydel softball
The senior struck out 18 batters and gave up only two hits in a nine-inning thriller as Saydel clipped Interstate 35, 3-2. Lake has fanned 183 batters this season to rank second statewide.
