March 28, 2024

Three Panthers on Hawkeye 10 first team

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Seven players from Creston’s Class 4A third-place softball team received recognition on the 2015 Hawkeye 10 all-conference softball team announced after the state tournament last weekend.

The Panther senior battery of pitcher Haylee LaMasters and catcher Natalie Mostek are repeat members of the first unit, and unanimous selections. This is the third straight year for LaMasters on the first team. Mostek was on the second team as a sophomore before joining the top unit last year.

Also on the first team from Creston is junior shortstop Taylor Briley.

Junior center fielder Josie Sickels earned all-conference honors for the second consecutive year, named to the second unit this year. Also on the second team are senior second baseman Brenna Baker and junior right fielder Alyssa Higgins.

Receiving honorable mention from Creston’s conference champion team is sophomore third baseman Lexie Little.

This is the first year the number of nominations was not directly correlated with how a team finished in the league standings. Conference athletic directors have instituted unlimited nominations in the 2014-15 school year.

Coach Mike McCabe said Creston’s representation on the all-conference teams is comparable to the former system when the team earned a championship.

“I felt pretty good about it,” McCabe said Monday morning. “In the past, a first-place team was allowed seven people to be nominated, and that ended up being the number of players we had who got honored.”

LaMasters was second in the conference in batting average (.536), tied for second in home runs (10) and led the league (and Class 4A) in runs batted in (61).

As a pitcher, LaMasters led the league in ERA (1.31) and was third in strikeouts (157) while posting a 20-5 record. She shared pitching duties with Briley, who was 8-2 with a 2.25 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 53 innings pitched.

Besides being a defensive standout at shortstop, Briley was an offensive force in the No. 2 position in the Panther batting order. She was 12th in the league with a .402 batting average, tied teammate Alli Thomsen for 13th in home runs (2) and tied for sixth in stolen bases (16 of 17). She had a team-high 51 runs scored.

Mostek was a defensive leader behind the plate for the Panthers for four years, and offensively batted fourth in the lineup behind LaMasters. Mostek was ninth in the league in batting (.424) and tied for 15th in RBI (28). She was tied for 18th in stolen bases (11 of 11).

“Those three first-teamers are very deserving,” McCabe said. “Taylor bounced back and had a really good season, and Haylee and Natalie have been among the best in the league for a long time.”

Likewise, he was happy about the second team selections, who all played key roles in the team’s march to third place in the Class 4A state tourney.

“Josie was a first-teamer last year and made the all-tournament team for us with a great state tournament,” McCabe said. “Alyssa was honorable mention last year and improved for us this year. Brenna had a good senior season coming off the (knee) injury and not getting to play full-time last year.”

Showing impressive range in center field defensively, Sickels batted .312 with 39 runs scored in the leadoff position. She was 4-4 in stolen bases. Baker was also a defensive standout at second base while batting .275 with 22 runs, 21 RBI and 6-6 in stolen bases.

Higgins was part of a speedy Panther outfield including Josie and Jami Sickels, and was adept at throwing batters out at first on hits to shallow right field. She batted .288 with 23 runs scored, 21 RBI, five sacrifices and 6-6 in stolen bases.

Little showed power hitting ability and athleticism at the third base position for Creston in earning honorable mention. She tied for 15th in the league in stolen bases (13 of 13) while hitting .312 with 16 RBI and 19 runs scored.

Hawkeye 10

All-conference

(* — Unanimous)

First team — Allie Wolf, Jr., Lewis Central; McKenna Duffek, Jr., Lewis Central; Jaedra Moses, Sr., Clarinda; *Brooke Newell, So., Atlantic; *Erin Olsen, Jr., Atlantic; Ashley Sibenaller, Sr., Kuemper Catholic; *Sara Ingoldsby, So., Glenwood; Jacy Embray, Sr., Glenwood; *Haylee LaMasters, Creston; *Natalie Mostek, Sr., Creston; Taylor Briley Jr., Creston; Devon Wood, Sr., Shenandoah; Sam Pick, Sr., Denison-Schleswig; Paige Lansink, Sr., Denison-Schleswig; *Kassidy Craig, Sr., Harlan; * Logan Schaben, Jr., Harlan.

Second team — Bailey Clark, Jr., St. Albert; Kaley Lightfoot, Sr., Lewis Central; Alexis Handel, Fr., Atlantic; Ally Anderson, Fr., Atlantic; Tori Bruck, Sr., Atlantic; Alison Bruck, So., Harlan; Morgan Schaben, 8th, Harlan; Elise Berg, Sr., Kuemper Catholic; Myranda Starner, Jr., Glenwood; Molly Dean, Jr., Glenwood; Jordan Major, Sr., Shenandoah; Payton Lee, Sr., Denison-Schleswig; Sadie Petersen, Sr., Denison-Schleswig; Alyssa Higgins, Jr., Creston; Brenna Baker, Sr., Creston.

Honorable mention: Sydney Streicher, Fr., Red Oak; Josie Shudak, Fr., Lewis Central; Ashtyn Miller, Fr., Lewis Central; Brenda Hopkins, So., Harlan; Julia Sorfonden, Jr., Harlan; Mackenzie Richter, Jr., Glenwood; Lyndie VanNess, Jr., Glenwood; Emily Bardon, Sr., St. Albert; Chandler Strough, So., Clarinda; Klarissa McElroy, Sr., Clarinda; Baylee Newell, 8th, Atlantic; Bailey Nichols, Jr., Kuemper Catholic; Lexie Little, So., Creston; Alex Mohr, 8th, Denison-Schleswig; Sarah Heilesen, 8th, Denison-Schleswig.

Conference standings (overall record) — Creston 15-3 (28-7), Atlantic 15-5 (32-11), Denison-Schleswig 14-6 (25-10), Lewis Central 14-6 (24-14), Harlan 14-6 (21-16), Glenwood 12-8 (18-17), Kuemper Catholic 9-9 (20-14), Shenandoah 7-13 (20-19), Clarinda 4-16 (9-24), St. Albert Catholic 3-17 (6-21), Red Oak 1-19 (4-30).

(Creston vs. Kuemper games were postponed by inclement weather and not replayed.)