Eagles ready for state opener
Jason Wilcox - Sentinel Sports WriterArticle Photos
BANCROFT, Iowa - Things may be looking a bit eerie for the North Sentral Kossuth Eagle baseball team.
The Eagles (33-6), in their second year of existence, will be competing in their second Iowa Class 1A state baseball tournament Monday as the No. 3-ranked and No. 3-seeded team against the unranked and No. 6-seeded Grandview Park Baptist Defenders (21-10) at Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa Grandview Park Baptist's home city.
Last season, the Eagles entered the state tournament as the No. 1-ranked team in Class 1A and also received the No. 3 seeding against the unranked and sixth-seeded Coon Rapids-Bayard a team known for pitching and defense.
Coon Rapids-Bayard was making its first tournament appearance, as are the Defenders this season. The Defenders are likewise a team whose reputation is pitching and defense.
Last season, the Eagles entered the state tournament on a 15-game winning streak, this year it is 19 victories in a row.
Last summer at the 1A tourney, it was the Crusaders who ended up pulling off the 4-3 upset over the Eagles in a nine-inning affair.
"That's exactly what we told our kids. ... You're going to hear a lot of that don't listen to that. ... If we're a better team than them, it will show at the end of the game," said Eagle co-head coach Mike Elsbecker.
"It's a lot of de ja vu, hopefully the end result isn't the same. ... We're just expecting a tough team going in. We'll know how good they are by the final score," said Eagle co-head coach Chad Slagle.
But other things that don't change should be a help for the Eagles in the form of the team's top marquee players seniors Shaun McGuire and Aaron Siefken.
McGuire and Siefken will play in their final prep games this week and both are among the Class 1A state tournament leaders in numerous categories. Siefken is hitting 55 of 124 this season for a .444 average, while racking up 11 doubles, six triples and a team-best nine home runs. He has driven in 50 RBIs and stolen 22 bases.
On the pitching rubber, the left-handed Siefken holds a 9-2 record, including the win in the 17-5, five-inning substate championship game against No. 7-ranked Clay Central-Everly, and has struck out 74 in 59.2 innings pitched.
Grandview Park Baptist advanced via a 6-0 win over Moulton-Udell in its substate title game.
McGuire has been even more impressive pitching as the right-hander leads the Eagles with 65.2 innings of work, a 1.92 ERA and 101 strikeouts. At the plate, McGuire has notched 52 hits, including four triples, to go with 43 RBIs.
Leadoff batter senior Phil Maze also has produced 52 hits this season to go along with 56 runs scored and 28 stolen bases.
Two Eagle juniors also are among the Class 1A state statistical leaders as Nick Larson has 46 RBIs and 11 doubles, while Griffin Hatten has racked up an ERA of 1.53 with 75 strikeouts in 55 innings.
"We just want to get down there and lean on our pitching again if we can. ... Our strength has been our pitching. It's led us to big victories or kept us in games," said Elsbecker.
Sophomore designated hitter Brock Beadle has made his presence known with 47 runs scored, six triples and 36 RBIs this season.
For the Defenders, there is one name that continues to pop up in the state tournament statistics senior Phil Hotchkiss. Hotchkiss is the team's leading hitter and pitcher. He has collected 47 hits in 105 at-bats (.448) for the Des Moines-based school and stolen 21 bases. Hotchkiss also holds an 8-4 pitching record with 73 strikeouts.
Trey Cook and Wes Sanford, Hotchkiss' teammates, also have some notable pitching statistics to speak of. Cook has 67 strikeouts in 54.1 innings of work, while Sanford has only walked 10 batters all season in 42 innings.
Hotchkiss was a first-team all-district pitcher last season, while Cook made the second team.
"Some people say Hotchkiss is their ace and some say Cook is," said Slagle.
Slagle and Elsbecker said they have talked to several coaches about the Defenders and true to their nickname, what they have behind their pitching also is impressive.
"One thing that's been consistent (for them) is their team defense. That's what we've been hearing about this team. I think we'll have our work cut out for our hitters," said Slagle.
"They play really good, solid defense. They're contact hitters they do put the ball in play. ... They wait for you to mess up. They're an opportunistic team," said Elsbecker.
The other side of the lower bracket features the No. 1-ranked, No. 2-seeded and defending champion Iowa Mennonite (30-1), who plays No. 7-seeded Gehlen Catholic, LeMars (22-10) at 8 p.m. Monday night.
In the top half of the bracket, No. 1-seeded and No. 4-ranked Mason City Newman (32-6) plays No. 8-seeded Northeast Hamilton, Blairsburg (18-8) at noon Monday before No. 5-ranked and No. 4-seeded Don Bosco (28-3) plays No. 5-seeded Lenox (21-6) at 2 p.m.
The semifinals are slated for 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday, with the Class 1A state title game set for 2 p.m. July 26 at Principal Park.
"Iowa Mennonite is a pretty strong favorite. They brought their ace (Reggie Hochstedler) back, he really knows his way around the mound. ... (Mason City Newman) is a very strong team. We saw them early and we did get a big win against them. ... I look for IMS to be a tough customer to knock off," said Elsbecker.
There will be a sendoff for the North Sentral Kossuth Eagles baseball team at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Memorial Park in Bancroft, Iowa.
