By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com
Prep Baseball: Mount Pleasant to Meet with Fort Madison Tonight:
The Mount Pleasant baseball team (7-24) will take on Fort Madison tonight as they open their postseason schedule on the road.
The Bloodhounds, who have been in and out of the Class 3A rankings all year enter playoff action with a record of 24-8.
Mount Pleasant is paced offensively by Chase Williamson who leads the team with a .333 batting average with 17 runs batted in and five doubles.
On the mound, it’ll be an all hands on deck effort for the Panthers.
Freshman Payton Hagans has been the teams best arm since being called up from the junior varsity ranks. He’s appeared in four games and thrown 12.1 innings to the tune of a 3.97 ERA.
Will Edeker was the team leader in innings pitched with 36.2 innings.
Meanwhile, Fort Madison has been outstanding at the plate this season, with a team batting average of .325.
Senior Jason Thurman has been the catalyst for the Bloodhounds, hitting a team-best .424 with 28 runs batted in. His brother Vasin Thurman leads the team with 38 RBI this season.
The team will most likely turn the ball to sophomore Kane Williams, who has been the defacto ace of the staff. Williams is 6-1 in a team-high 43.1 innings with a 2.10 ERA, though the Hounds could go with Landes Williams or Garrett Hannum who have also been equally as effective.
The winner of tonight’s game will move to Monday’s semifinal round where they’ll greet either third-seeded Central DeWitt or Fairfield.
Tonight’s game will begin at 7:00 p.m. and you can listen on FM 105.5 and kilj.com.
College Basketball: Former Mount Pleasant Standout Playing in TBT Tournament:
Former Mount Pleasant standout Jordan Ashton will be competing for top cash prizes as a part of the TBT Basketball team, where he will suit up with the Peoria All-Stars.
Ashton, a 6-4 guard who starred at Iowa State and Northern Iowa, will join a roster of 13 other former collegiate players in a field of 64 tournament.
The No. 13 seed in the Illinois bracket, Ashton’s group will take on No. 4 “Always Us” — a team of Oregon alumni in the first round.
Last year, the Golden Eagles — Marquette alumni — won the tournament.
The TBT Tournament can be seen regionally on the ESPN Family of Networks.
College Basketball: Cyclones to Face Xavier in Season Opener:
Iowa State will play Xavier to open play at the NIT Season Tip-Off on Wednesday, November 24 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The Cyclones and Musketeers will play the opening game of the tournament, tipping off at 6 p.m.
Iowa State and Xavier have met twice previously, splitting games in Ames and Cincinnati with the home team winning each contest.
Iowa State won the first meeting, 68-61, in 2003, while Xavier took a 2005 meeting on its home floor, 72-59.
College Football: Iowa State, Breece Hall Not Focused on Expectations:
Iowa State running back Breece Hall says the Cyclones are not focused on lofty expectations as they get ready for the season.
Coming off a win over Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl, Iowa State has been tabbed to finish second in the Big 12 preseason poll and is considered a legitimate contender for the College Football Playoff.
Hall met with media yesterday as a part of Big 12 Media Days.
“Really we are just telling ourselves to not focus on anyone else’s expectations just focus on the expectations for ourselves that we have for each other.”
“We are purpose and process driven team and we feel if we stay true to ourselves and stay true to what we do, we’ll be fine.”
Iowa State opens their season at home, Saturday, September 4th when they host Will McElvain and the high-flying UNI Panthers.
