State baseball tournament action heats up
By Steven Allspach, Journal sports writer | Posted: Monday, July 24, 2006
DES MOINES -- The abiding assumption is that Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley doesn't stand a tinker's chance in a Class 2A first-round game at the state baseball tournament.
But those in the know predicted two other Siouxland schools who occupied space here in no man's land, Le Mars Gehlen Catholic and Wall Lake View-Auburn, wouldn't fare well in Class 1A games on Saturday.
Defining the odds, eighth-seeded Gehlen defeated top-seeded Mason City Newman and seventh-seeded WLVA toppled second-seeded Avoca AHST in first-round games.
Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley, seeded eighth in Class 2A, can take heart from their Siouxland bretheren's success when it meets top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Davenport Assumption in a high noon contest today at Principal Park.
There's more Assumption state tournament history.
In the girls Class 2A state basketball tournament last March in Des Moines, Audubon, a vast underdog, defeated the No. 1-ranked Davenport school in a stunning first-round upset.
Although rare, Assumption athletic teams have had to endure defeat on the grand stage.
"We'll just go out there and do our best," said BHRV coach Matt DenHartog. "We fully understand what we are up against, but we're not in awe.
"Our guys have had a very good season and they've accomplished good things too. Assumption's reputation is deserved."
Assumption is a 2A school that won the Mississippi Athletic Conference, otherwise a 4A league, that brings a sparkling 35-6 record into the tournament. Earlier this summer, the Knights ended 2005 state champion Wilton's 58-game winning streak.
BHRV is 17-11 after whipping Orange City Unity Christian 13-7 in a substate title game.
BHRV is playing in its first state tournament. Assumption is gunning for its seventh state baseball title, the most recent in 2004.
BHRV's sharing program might be in its first state tourney, but Rock Valley qualified five times. The Rockets were fourth in 1A in a four-team field in 1976 when there were just two enrollment classifications.
Rock Valley also advanced to a four-team 1A tourney in 1977 and after the field was expanded to four classes, the Rockets dropped first-round 1A games in 1987 and 1988 along with a ifirst-round 2A game in 1989.
Assumption won a substate final over Solon, 5-2, despite being outhit 7-4.
"We got to play solid fundamental baseball," points out DenHartog, of BHRV's stern challenge. "Our pitcher has to throw strikes and we have to play good defense."
Senior Brian Sipma will be BHRV's starting pitcher. He's 2-2 with a 6.63 ERA.
Junior second baseman Ryan Ranschau (6-2) boasts the team's best won-loss record.
Senior Nick Slobe is the leading hitter with a .449 average. A senior outfielder who will attend Macalester College, Slobe has also slugged four home runs and driven in 33 runs.
Senior third baseman Corey Meyer is hitting .444 with 47 RBIs.
Assumption's loaded lineup features sophomore outfielder/pitcher Willie Argo (.478), Dan O'Donnell (.395), Anthony Miller (.381), Mackey Pangburn (.376), Kyle Steinbrecher (.359), Michael Schwartz (.362) and Sean Carlin (.349).
Jake West (8-1) is Assumption's probable starting pitcher.
For BHRV, catcher Carl Johnson (.286), shortstop Chad Bolkema (.293), outfielder Aaron Uittenboogaard (.167), first baseman Logan Hooyer (.138) and Keaton Gravengoede (.233) round out the Nighthawks' batting order.
Jarrod Moser and Spencer Gort will also play roles in the outfield for DenHartog's team.
The BHRV coach is a graduate of Sioux Center and Briar Cliff College, where he played second base on Charger baseball teams.
"I don't think it is a case of our overachieving the season as much as underachieving," said DenHartog, in his sixth season directing the program with a 92-68 record. "We felt we had a good team, but we got off to a slow start. This is the right time of the year, obviously, to get things going our way."
But those in the know predicted two other Siouxland schools who occupied space here in no man's land, Le Mars Gehlen Catholic and Wall Lake View-Auburn, wouldn't fare well in Class 1A games on Saturday.
Defining the odds, eighth-seeded Gehlen defeated top-seeded Mason City Newman and seventh-seeded WLVA toppled second-seeded Avoca AHST in first-round games.
Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley, seeded eighth in Class 2A, can take heart from their Siouxland bretheren's success when it meets top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Davenport Assumption in a high noon contest today at Principal Park.
There's more Assumption state tournament history.
In the girls Class 2A state basketball tournament last March in Des Moines, Audubon, a vast underdog, defeated the No. 1-ranked Davenport school in a stunning first-round upset.
Although rare, Assumption athletic teams have had to endure defeat on the grand stage.
"We'll just go out there and do our best," said BHRV coach Matt DenHartog. "We fully understand what we are up against, but we're not in awe.
"Our guys have had a very good season and they've accomplished good things too. Assumption's reputation is deserved."
Assumption is a 2A school that won the Mississippi Athletic Conference, otherwise a 4A league, that brings a sparkling 35-6 record into the tournament. Earlier this summer, the Knights ended 2005 state champion Wilton's 58-game winning streak.
BHRV is 17-11 after whipping Orange City Unity Christian 13-7 in a substate title game.
BHRV is playing in its first state tournament. Assumption is gunning for its seventh state baseball title, the most recent in 2004.
BHRV's sharing program might be in its first state tourney, but Rock Valley qualified five times. The Rockets were fourth in 1A in a four-team field in 1976 when there were just two enrollment classifications.
Rock Valley also advanced to a four-team 1A tourney in 1977 and after the field was expanded to four classes, the Rockets dropped first-round 1A games in 1987 and 1988 along with a ifirst-round 2A game in 1989.
Assumption won a substate final over Solon, 5-2, despite being outhit 7-4.
"We got to play solid fundamental baseball," points out DenHartog, of BHRV's stern challenge. "Our pitcher has to throw strikes and we have to play good defense."
Senior Brian Sipma will be BHRV's starting pitcher. He's 2-2 with a 6.63 ERA.
Junior second baseman Ryan Ranschau (6-2) boasts the team's best won-loss record.
Senior Nick Slobe is the leading hitter with a .449 average. A senior outfielder who will attend Macalester College, Slobe has also slugged four home runs and driven in 33 runs.
Senior third baseman Corey Meyer is hitting .444 with 47 RBIs.
Assumption's loaded lineup features sophomore outfielder/pitcher Willie Argo (.478), Dan O'Donnell (.395), Anthony Miller (.381), Mackey Pangburn (.376), Kyle Steinbrecher (.359), Michael Schwartz (.362) and Sean Carlin (.349).
Jake West (8-1) is Assumption's probable starting pitcher.
For BHRV, catcher Carl Johnson (.286), shortstop Chad Bolkema (.293), outfielder Aaron Uittenboogaard (.167), first baseman Logan Hooyer (.138) and Keaton Gravengoede (.233) round out the Nighthawks' batting order.
Jarrod Moser and Spencer Gort will also play roles in the outfield for DenHartog's team.
The BHRV coach is a graduate of Sioux Center and Briar Cliff College, where he played second base on Charger baseball teams.
"I don't think it is a case of our overachieving the season as much as underachieving," said DenHartog, in his sixth season directing the program with a 92-68 record. "We felt we had a good team, but we got off to a slow start. This is the right time of the year, obviously, to get things going our way."
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Randy Starkweather wrote on Jul 24, 2006 5:31 AM: