The two teams who won the last three championships headline a strong Class 1A state tournament field. Top-rated Mason City Newman, making its fifth straight appearance, won it all in 2009, while Martensdale-St. Marys has taken the last two crowns. Newman is making its 16th state pilgrimage and is 16-12 in state tourney action. The two-time defending champion Blue Devils have a 10-6 slate in nine previous appearances.
Rated and Remaining: Five of the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Top 10 made it to The Show, while two others advanced to the substate round. The top four teams in order — Newman, Lawton-Bronson, Martensdale-St. Marys and Algona Garrigan have advanced along with sixth-rated Lisbon, who eliminated No. 8 Preston, 2-0 in the substate. Unranked Treynor recorded a 2-1 win over fifth-ranked Council Bluffs St. Albert (a 2A qualifier last year) in the substate.
Past Champions: In addition to Knights and Blue Devils, Lisbon is the only other former champion in the field. The late Gary Stamp guided the Lions to the 1994 crown.
First-Time Qualifiers: Lawton-Bronson and Earlham are first time qualifiers to the tournament. Coaches making their first appearance are Brad Bruning, Lawton-Bronson; Rob Meister, co-coach at Garrigan; Dan Kopriva from North Tama; Kelly Winter of Earlham and Bob Mantell of Treynor.
Winning Mentors: While Garrigan’s Rob Meister makes his tourney debut, co-coach and father Gene Meister is one of Iowa’s most successful diamond mentors. He has a 40-year career record of 929-379, which is seventh best all-time. He also coached at Bancroft St. John’s; Grand Community; Lake Mills; and Thompson. He was the co-coach with John Bartolo in 1999 when the Golden Bears were second and he brought Bancroft St. John’s to seven summer classics with titles in 1985 and 1986 and runner-up finishes in 1982, 1987 and 1988. Newman’s Tony Adams brings a career record of 471-81. This is Adams’ 10th tourney squad with titles in 2002 and 2009 and a runner-up in 2004. North Tama’s Dan Kopriva is 257-149; Martensdale-St. Marys’ coach Justin Dehmer is 200-48 and Lisbon’s Ryan Stensland is 198-119
Field Has 243 Wins: The eight schools have rolled up 243 wins against 53 losses this summer for an 82.1 winning percentage. Six of the eight teams have 30 wins or more.
Win Streaks:Lawton-Bronson’s 26-game victory chain is the best of the eight qualifiers. Martensdale-St. Marys has won its last 17 and 25 of its last 26 after being swept by Lawton-Bronson in early June. Of note, all four setbacks incurred by Newman were to teams in higher classes.
Hot Bats: The two-time defending champion Blue Devils dominate several offensive categories. They have dented the plate with tournament bests of 458 runs, 414 hits, 100 doubles and 23 triples included in a whopping 154 extra base hits. They have a tournament highs of 358 RBIs, a slugging percentage of .615 and a team batting average of .390. Five other squads have team batting averages of .337 or better with Lawton-Bronson at .377; Newman at .365; Treynor at .359; Garrigan at .342 and Lisbon at .337. Garrigan has a tourney-leading 33 home runs and is second with 404 hits, 96 doubles, 310 RBIs and a .514 slugging percentage. Lawton-Bronson’s 376 runs are second best and their .505 slugging percentage is third. Lisbon’s 374 runs are third best with their 382 hits ranking third. The Lions 144 successful steals tops the field.
Hurling the Horsehide: With all the offense, the field also has some impressive pitching totals. Newman leads the ERA list with a 1.96, followed by Martensdale-St. Marys (2.06) and Treynor (2.10). Martensdale-St. Marys and Treynor have allowed only a .166 opponents batting average. The Blue Devils’ moundsmen have struck out a tourney-high of 346 and issued a tourney-low of 61 bases-on-balls. North Tama and Lawton-Bronson have also been tough on opposing hitters, allowing averages of .191 and .192 respectively.
Enrollments: To determine the classification of each school, the IHSAA uses the official state certified BEDS enrollment figures for grades 9 thru 11 for the 2010-11 school year. Treynor is the largest member of the field with 159 students while Martensdale-St. Marys is the smallest with 122 students.
CLASS 1A INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Batting Average (min 55 ABs)
.491 – Jacob Adams, Newman Catholic (56/114)
.490 – Austin Vaske, Bishop Garrigan (70/143)
.490 – Tyler Book, Earlham (48/98)
.475 – Brad Nauman, Martensdale-St. Marys (38/80)
.473 – Zach Keith, Bishop Garrigan (62/131)
.471 – Dylon Lower, Lawton-Bronson (40/85)
.470 – Alec Sorensen, Treynor (39/83)
.463 – Dan Willer, Lawton-Bronson (44/95)
.459 – Cole Chapin, Treynor (51/111)
.459 – JD Nielsen, Martensdale-St. Marys (56/122)
.457 – Kane Louscher, Newman Catholic (37/81)
.455 – Trent Dooley, Martensdale-St. Marys (50/110)
.452 – Alex Weber, Newman Catholic (47/104)
.441 – Austin Lefler, Lawton Bronson (49/111)
.435 – Jordan Bahl, Lisbon (57/135)
.434 – Robert Walker, Martensdale-St. Marys (49/113)
Total Hits
70 – Austin Vaske, Bishop Garrigan
62 – Zach Keith, Bishop Garrigan
57 – Jordan Bahl, Lisbon
57 – Alex Boisjolie, Bishop Garrigan
56 – JD Nielsen, Martensdale-St. Marys
56 – Jacob Adams, Newman Catholic
55 – John Burns, Bishop Garrigan
52 – Ben Knake, Lisbon
52 – Kolbi Kohl, Lisbon
51 – Cole Chapin, Treynor
50 – Trent Dooley, Martensdale-St. Marys
49 – Reece Waddle, Bishop Garrigan
49 – Robert Walker, Martensdale-St. Marys
49 – Luke Skinner, Lawton-Bronson
49 – Austin Lefler, Lawton-Bronson
48 – Matt Smith, Lawton-Bronson
48 – Tyler Book, Earlham
Runs Scored
72 – Zach Keith, Bishop Garrigan
58 – Trent Dooley, Martensdale-St. Marys
57 – JD Nielsen, Martensdale-St. Marys
56 – Austin Lefler, Lawton-Bronson
56 – David Walker, Martensdale-St. Marys
55 – Jacob Adams, Newman Catholic
55 – Austin Vaske, Bishop Garrigan
53 – Ben Knake, Lisbon
52 – Reece Waddle, Bishop Garrigan
51 – Alex Weber, Newman Catholic
50 – Kolbi Kohl, Lisbon
50 – Jordan Bahl, Lisbon
49 – Alec Sorenson, Treynor
49 – Luke Skinner, Lawton-Bronson
49 – Zeb Noel, Martensdale-St. Marys
RBIs
62 – Austin Vaske, Bishop Garrigan
62 – JD Nielsen, Martensdale-St. Marys
55 – Alex Boisjolie, Bishop Garrigan
51 – John Burns, Bishop Garrigan
50 – Dylon Lower, Lawton-Bronson
47 – Jordan Bahl, Lisbon
45 – Luke Skinner, Lawton-Bronson
41 – Dan Willer, Lawton-Bronson
40 – Zach Keith, Bishop Garrigan
40 – Keegan Tritle, Lisbon
40 – Hunter Caspers, Lisbon
39 – Matt Skinner, Lawton-Bronson
38 – Kolbi Kohl, Lisbon
38 – Zeb Noel, Martensdale-St. Marys
37 – Ben Evans, Earlham
37 – Trent Dooley, Martensdale-St. Marys
Doubles
19 – JD Nielsen, Martensdale-St. Marys
18 – John Burns, Bishop Garrigan
17 – Alex Boisjolie, Bishop Garrigan
16 – Cole Chapin, Treynor
16 – Zach Keith, Bishop Garrigan
15 – Austin Vaske, Bishop Garrigan
15 – Reece Waddle, Bishop Garrigan
14 – Luke Skinner, Lawton-Bronson
13 – Kolbi Kohl, Lisbon
12 – Jacob Adams, Newman Catholic
11 – 7 athletes tied
Triples
7 – Robert Walker, Martensdale-St. Marys
6 – Trent Dooley, Martensdale-St. Marys
5 – Cole Chapin, Treynor
3 – Ben Knake, Lisbon
3 – Austin Lefler, Lawton-Bronson
2 – 11 athletes tied
Home Runs
13 – Austin Vaske, Bishop Garrigan
10 – Keegan Tritle, Lisbon
7 – Zach Keith, Bishop Garrigan
5 – Brad Nauman, Martensdale-St. Marys
5 – JD Nielsen, Martensdale-St. Marys
4 – Like Skinner, Lawton-Bronson
4 – Kolbi Kohl, Lisbon
3 – 10 athletes tied
Stolen Bases
33 – Ben Knake, Lisbon
31 – Jacob Wrage, North Tama
32 – Tyler Book, Earlham
27 – Austin Lefler, Lawton-Bronson
27 – Kolbi Kohl, Lisbon
27 – Jordan Bahl, Lisbon
25 – Zach Keith, Bishop Garrigan
23 – Jacob Adams, Newman Catholic
22 – Clayton Blocker, North Tama
22 – Caleb Bailey, Earlham
21 – Brent Billerbeck, North Tama
20 – Trent Dooley, Martensdale-St. Marys
19 – David Walker, Martensdale-St. Marys
17 – Blake Sweet, Martensdale-St. Marys
Most Pitching Wins
15 – Marshall Morgan, Lisbon (15-1)
10 – Austin Vaske, Bishop Garrigan (10-1)
9 – Eddy Kraber, Martensdale-St. Marys (9-0)
8 – Andrew Miller, Bishop Garrigan (8-1)
8 – Jake Weis, Treynor (8-1)
7 – Austin Lefler, Lawton-Bronson (7-0)
7 – Casey Hall, Newman Catholic (7-0)
7 – Phillip Lapointe, Newman Catholic (7-1)
7 – Jake Kollasch, Bishop Garrigan (7-2)
7 – Connor Woodward. Lisbon (7-2)
6 – Cole Chapin, Treynor (6-0)
6 – Matt Skinner, Lawton-Bronson (6-1)
6 – Dylon Lower, Lawton-Bronson (6-1)
6 – Jacob Wrage, North Tama (6-2)
6 – JD Nielsen, Martensdale-St. Marys (6-3)
6 – Denton Hopkins, Earlham (6-5)
Most Innings Pitched
102. 2 – Marshall Morgan, Lisbon
76.1 – Austin Vaske, Bishop Garrigan
62.1 – Dalton Hulme, North Tama
61.1 – Jacob Wrage, North Tama
58.0 – Andrew Miller, Bishop Garrigan
57.2 – Connor Woodward, Lisbon
55.0 – Phillip Lapointe, Newman Catholic
55.0 – Jake Kollasch, Bishop Garrigan
52.1 – Denton Hopkins, Earlham
51.1 – Matt Skinner, Lawton-Bronson
50.2 – Eddy Kraber, Martensdale-St. Marys
47.0 – Tyler Book, Earlham
45.1 – Cole Chapin, Treynor
Lowest ERA (min. 35 IP)
0.93 – Cole Chapin, Treynor (45.1 inn)
1.10 – Austin Vaske, Bishop Garrigan (76.1 inn)
1.11 – Eddy Kraber, Martensdale-St. Marys (50.2 inn)
1.57 – Marshall Morgan, Lisbon (102.2 inn)
2.04 – Austin Lefler, Lawton-Bronson (37.2 inn)
2.04 – Phillip Lapointe, Newman Catholic (55 inn)
2.04 – Jake Kollasch, Bishop Garrigan (55 inn)
2.08 – Jake Weis, Treynor (37 inn)
2.17 – Andrew Miller, Bishop Garrigan (58 inn)
2.18 – Ryan Hempel, Treynor (35.1 inn)
2.29 – JD Nielsen, Martensdale-St. Marys (39.2 inn)
2.40 – Jacob Wrage, North Tama (61.1 inn)
2.47 – Dalton Hulme, North Tama (62.1 inn)
2.50 – Joey Verstegen, Newman Catholic (36.1 inn)
2.60 – Casey Hall, Newman Catholic (40.1 inn)
Most Strikeouts
128 – Marshall Morgan, Lisbon
104 – Austin Vaske, Bishop Garrigan
75 – Denton Hopkins, Earlham
73 – Jacob Wrage, North Tama
66 – Connor Woodward, Lisbon
63 – Eddy Kraber, Martensdale-St. Marys
62 – Brad Nauman, Martensdale-St. Marys
61 – Cole Chapin, Treynor
59 – Brian Seda, North Tama
58 – JD Nielsen, Martensdale-St. Marys
53 – Matt Skinner, Lawton-Bronson
51 – Casey Hall, Newman Catholic
50 – Tyler Book, Earlham
50 – Zeb Noel, Martensdale-St. Marys
Fewest Hits Allowed (min. 35 IP)
16 – Ryan Hempel, Treynor (35.1 inn)
22 – Austin Lefler, Lawton-Bronson (37.2 inn)
26 – Jake Weis, Treynor (37 inn)
28 – Cole Chapin, Treynor (45.1 inn)
28 – Zeb Noel, Martensdale-St. Marys (37.1 inn)
29 – Eddy Kraber, Martensdale-St. Marys (50.2 inn)
31 – JD Nielsen, Martensdale-St. Marys (39.2 inn)
36 – Joey Verstegen, Newman Catholic (36.1 inn)
38 – Tyler Book, Earlham (47 inn)
38 – Reece Waddle, Bishop Garrigan (41.2 inn)
39 – Casey Hall, Newman Catholic (40.1 inn)
39 – Keegan Tritle, Lisbon (35 inn)
45 – Phillip Lapointe, Newman Catholic (55 inn)
46 – Brian Seda, North Tama (48 inn)
47 – Denton Hopkins, Earlham (52.1 inn)
50 – Andrew Miller. Bishop Garrigan (58 inn)
51 – Jake Kollasch, Bishop Garrigan (55 inn)
53 – Dalton Hulme, North Tama (62.1 inn)
53 – Matt Skinner, Lawton-Bronson (51.1 inn)
56 – Jacob Wrage, North Tama (61.1 inn)
57 – Connor Woodward, Lisbon (57.2 inn)
58 – Austin Vaske, Bishop Garrigan (76.1 inn)
62 – Marshall Morgan, Lisbon (102.2 inn)
(Statistics are available on Quikstats)
View All News Articles