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Editorial: Home runs in the classroom
Op-Ed · August 27, 2015
With school starting this week, we tip our hats to the West Branch High School baseball and softball teams which last month tallied up 20 players to the Academic All-Conference list.
That kind of head count means the two teams could fill the roster for two academic-honors teams and add a designated hitter for both.
The honors capped two seasons which challenged the Bears on the field but still saw the players put in the effort to improve and pave the way for next year.
The softball team put 16 players on the academic list.
The River Valley Conference did not make softball easy this season. Six of 13 teams in the superconference were ranked teams, 11 of them made it to the regional finals and two of those teams ended up in the Class 2A championship game. Those six teams accounted for nine of West Branch’s games this season.
Looking at the Bears’ regular season of both conference and non-conference opponents, it turns out that 15 teams were ranked at least at some point during 2015. Two of them, one Class 2A and one Class 4A, finished as state champions.
Yet by season’s end, Taylor Jones and Linzee Espensen were named to the South Division team and Bailey Lukavsky earned an honorable mention. Jones also was voted to the Southeast Iowa All-District team, one of three outfielders to do so. Jones also earned a spot on the Iowa Girls Athletic Coaches Assoc.’s Class 2A Iowa All State Second Team.
The softball team ranked in the Top 20 in Class 2A in several categories: Runs scored: 19th with 215; runs batted in: 12th at 180; doubles: No. 19 with 42; stolen bases: eighth with 110; and, although unwelcome, batters hit by pitches: second with 40.
The team also ranked 24th in on-base percentage with 0.386.
And here’s the real kicker: All this comes with no seniors on the team.
We can’t wait to see what they can do next year.
The baseball team accounted for four players on the all-academic list.
Also, Bradley Arp was named to the First Team All-Conference list for the RVC as a pitcher and Hunter Wargo earned a spot to the same list as an outfielder. Cole Tisinger, Wargo and Arp each were named to the All-District second team.
The baseball team also got to have a bit of extra fun this season.
First was a July 2 game at Perfect Game Field, home of the Cedar Rapids Kernels baseball team. The Bears took on the role of the home team and beat the Camanche Indians 9-2 that day.
Second, the parents raised money to buy “throwback” jerseys. Similar to the football team, these included a Polar Bear — the previous West Branch mascot — patch, grey and red uniforms and hats, and touches of the 1940s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s all tied into the design.
So congratulations to Head Softball Coach Kevin Kaalberg and Head Baseball Coach B.J. Rios and their teams on a strong effort on the field and in the classroom, as well as the parent support that is so important to the players.
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