By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com
Girls’ Golf: New London Takes Aim in Ames:
The New London girls’ golf team is ready to take aim in Ames today as they prepare for the Class 1A State Golf Tournament.
New London, under head coach Greg Lerdal, have morphed into a state power and will golf as a team after qualifying as a runner-up at regionals last week.
The Tigers are paced by outstanding freshman Taylor Phillips, who’s older brother Clayton wrapped up his senior season with a top-10 finish at the boys’ state tournament just days ago.
Fellow underclassmen Emma Nye is also primed for a big tournament, following her 10th place finish at regionals last week.
Action will begin today with a full 18-hole round, followed up by another 18-holes tomorrow.
Joining the Tigers in the 1A field will be Danville senior Natalie Wilcox who qualified as an individual at last week’s regional.
Wilcox shot a 93 at Prairie Knolls to finish fourth, which punched her ticket to the 1A field.
Girls’ Golf: Liechty Ready for 3A Field:
Mount Pleasant senior Elli Liechty will be all business as she prepares for her state run today at Adel’s River Valley Golf Course.
Liechty finished 5th at last week’s state qualifying meet with an 88, finishing behind a trio of Washington Demons and Knoxville’s Amy Sullivan.
She led the Panthers with an average 18-hole adjusted score of 98.68.
She will begin her tournament today on Hole 16 at 9:00 a.m.
Live scoring can be tracked on the IGHSAU website.
Prep Baseball (Tuesday):
The Mount Pleasant baseball team has today off, but it will be a busy night in the Super Conference this evening.
Here’s a look at the prep baseball schedule tonight:
- Louisa-Muscatine at Hillcrest Academy
- Wapello at Winfield-Mount Union
- Van Buren County at Cardinal
- Notre Dame at Central Lee
- New London at Danville
- Mediapolis at Highland
All games are scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start.
Mount Pleasant will be back in action tomorrow for a doubleheader in Keokuk.
You can listen to both ends of that doubleheader on FM 105.5.
Prep Softball (Tuesday):
The Super Conference has a terrific slate tonight, while the Mount Pleasant softball team is off until tomorrow, when they take on Wapello.
Here’s a look at tonight’s schedule:
- Burlington at West Burlington-Notre Dame
- Mediapolis at Highland
- Wapello at Winfield-Mount Union
- Louisa-Muscatine at Hillcrest Academy
- Van Buren County at Cardinal
- New London at Danville
College Baseball: Iowa’s Wallace Named B1G Pitcher of the Year:
University of Iowa redshirt junior Trenton Wallace has been named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, the league announced Sunday.
Wallace is one of three Hawkeyes to earn All-Big Ten honors.
Wallace and senior outfielder Ben Norman were named first-team All-Big Ten honorees, while redshirt junior Izaya Fullard was selected to the third team as a second baseman. Senior Grant Leonard was also recognized as Iowa’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient.
Wallace is the first player in school history to earn Big Ten Pitcher of the Year honors. Starting pitcher Brett Backlund was the Big Ten Co-Player of the Year in 1992; the league began recognizing the Pitcher of the Year in 1994.
Wallace, a southpaw from Rock Island, Illinois, was superb in his first season in Iowa’s weekend rotation. As the Friday night ace, Wallace finished the regular season with a 7-1 record and a 2.34 ERA in 13 starts with a league-leading 106 strikeouts.