Three state regulars, trio of new teams help make up 1A state baseball field

For the first time in school history, the Orient-Macksburg baseball team will make an appearance at the state tournament after a 13-3 victory over Nishnabotna in a substate final Tuesday in Bedford.

The Bulldogs are one of two teams in the field with a losing record and as the No. 7 seed, face second-seeded Mason City Newman Catholic in the quarterfinals Monday night at 8 p.m.

Unlike the state softball tourney, the baseball tournament is single elimination. If the Bulldogs lose Monday night, the season is over. Win and O-M plays in the semifinals Thursday against the winner of the Kee, Lansing vs. George-Little Rock quarterfinal.

Martensdale-St. Marys is the top seed and defending champion. The Blue Devils have won a national-record 84 games in a row and look to make it back-to-back crowns.

Three former state champions are in the field led by nine-time winner Kee, Lansing, whose last title was in 2005. Mason City Newman Catholic has three titles to its credit the most recent being 2009. That talented duo joins defending champion Martensdale-St. Marys, who is bidding to be the first back-to-back undefeated champion in Iowa prep history.

Joining the tournament field for the first time are George-Little Rock, Orient-Macksburg and English Valleys, North English. While Orient-Macksburg and English Valleys come in with losing records, due to slow starts they each put together late season surges.

Orient-Mackburg's Bulldogs lost six of its first seven games, but on the trail to Principal Park they handled Murray, East Union and Corning before knocking off a finalist from last year, Nishnabotna in the sub-state.

Coaches Luis Cruz (O-M), Mark Snakenberg (English Valleys) and Brian Luenberger (George-Little Rock) each are making their first state tournament appearance.

Three coaches, each with 400 or more career wins decorate the Class 1A field, led by the national win leader Gene Schultz of Kee, Lansing with a record of 1,673 wins against 352 setbacks. He is bringing Kee to an all-time, all-class record 19th state appearance. John Waddle of Coon Rapids-Bayard will lead the Crusaders into their fourth state tournament with a career record of 534-257 and Tony Adams of Newman Catholic, Mason City enters the tourney with a career slate of 435-65. The Knights are making their 15th trip to the elite tournament and the ninth under Adams.

The IHSAA uses the official state certified BEDS enrollment figures for grades 9 thru 11 for the 2009-10 school year to determine placement in one of the four classes. Newman Catholic is the largest with a 9-11 enrollment in the field with 135. Orient-Macksburg is the smallest with 57 students.

Here is a quick look at each of the eight teams in this year's Class 1A State Baseball Tournament field. The squads are listed in the order they appear in the bracket.

No. 1 Martensdale-St. Marys

Nickname: Blue Devils

Record: 41-0

Tournament trail: defeated Iowa Christian Academy, 9-1; defeated Earlham, 13-2 (6); defeated Southeast Warren, 8-1; defeated Twin Cedars, 10-0 (6).

Leading pitcher: Ethan Westphal - 11-0 with 0.59 ERA, 100 strikeouts and 9 walks in 59 innings pitched, .128 opponent BA.

Leading batters: Dillon Coates - .473 BA, 16 doubles, 11 home runs, 49 RBIs, 57 runs; Ethan Westphal - .468 BA, 15 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs, 52 RBIs, 52 runs, 24 steals; J.D. Nielsen - .414 BA, 7 doubles, 10 home runs, 61 RBIs, 52 runs.

English Valleys, North English

Nickname: Bears

Record: 9-15

Tournament trail: defeated Keota, 5-2; defeated Sigourney, 6-3; defeated BGM (Brooklyn), 4-2 (8); defeated East Greene, 6-4.

Leading pitcher: Kendall Gent - 4-7 with 3.39 ERA, 105 strikeouts and 32 walks in 72-1/3 innings pitched, .227 opponent BA.

Leading batters: Carsten Parmenter - .400 BA, 3 doubles, 1 home run, 17 RBIs; Wes Warwick - .303 BA, 5 doubles, 5 home runs, 19 RBIs.

No. 6 Coon Rapids-Bayard

Nickname: Crusaders

Record: 29-5

Tournament trail: defeated Ar-We-Va, Westside, 5-1; defeated Glidden-Ralston, 6-3; defeated West Harrison, 23-3 (5); defeated Walnut, 2-0.

Leading pitcher: Jacob Esdohr - 6-0 with 0.73 ERA, 73 strikeouts and 20 walks in 47-2/3 innings pitched, .162 opponent BA.

Leading batters: Jacob Esdohr - .564 BA, 15 doubles, 3 triples, 9 home runs, 47 RBIs, 50 runs, 25 steals; Gage Reis - .431 BA, 12 doubles, 5 home runs, 33 RBIs.

Preston

Nickname: Trojans

Record: 22-11

Tournament trail: defeated Bellevue Marquette, 11-5; defeated East Central, Miles, 5-4; defeated Midland, Wyoming, 4-0; defeated Iowa Mennonite School, 5-4.

Leading pitcher: Colton Bormann - 5-4 with 3.22 ERA, 69 strikeouts and 19 walks in 67-1/3 innings pitched, .270 opponent BA.

Leading batters: Colton Bormann - .589 BA, 13 doubles, 3 home runs, 37 RBIs; Jason Feddersen - .496 BA, 10 doubles, 5 triples, 5 home runs, 34 RBIs, 60 runs.

No. 3 Kee, Lansing

Nickname: Kee Hawks

Record: 37-7

Tournament trail: defeated Postville, 12-0 (5); defeated Riceville, 11-0 (5); defeated Rockford, 10-0 (5); defeated Don Bosco, 8-5.

Leading pitcher: Jon Heiderscheit - 12-2 with 1.95 ERA, 118 strikeouts and 25 walks in 82-2/3 innings pitched, .153 opponent BA.

Leading batters: Jalen Cooper - .507 BA, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 50 RBIs; Jon Heiderscheit - .428 BA, 13 doubles, 5 triples, 4 home runs, 52 RBIs, 58 runs.

George-Little Rock

Nickname: Mustangs

Record: 13-11

Tournament trail: defeated Trinity Christian, Hull, 11-1 (5); defeated Central Lyon, Rock Rapids, 4-2; Spalding Catholic, Granville, 5-2; Kingsley-Pierson, 8-0.

Leading pitcher: Taylor Klingenberg - 8-2 with 0.50 ERA, 112 stirkeouts and 27 walks in 69-2/3 innings pitched, .109 opponent BA.

Leading batters: Jeffrey Wagenaar - .385 BA, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 15 RBIs, 26 steals; Taylor Klingenberg - .357 BA, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 17 RBIs.

No. 5 Mason City Newman

Nickname: Knights

Record: 34-4

Tournament trail: defeated Northwood-Kensett, 19-0 (4); defeated Belmond-Klemme, 9-0; defeated Bishop Garrigan, Algona, 4-1; West Bend-Mallard, 14-0 (5).

Leading pitcher: Andrew Verstegen - 10-1 with 1.01 ERA, 68 strikeouts and 17 walks in 55-2/3 innings pitched, .176 opponent BA.

Leading batters: Hunter King - .505 BA, 15 doubles, 2 triples, 11 home runs, 68 RBIs, 52 runs; Isaac Gribben - .427 BA, 10 doubles, 12 home runs, 58 RBIs.

Orient-Macksburg

Nickname: Bulldogs

Record: 13-15

Tournament trail: defeated Murray, 3-0; defeated East Union, 7-2; defeated Corning, 6-5; defeated Nishnabotna, 13-3 (6).

Leading pitcher: Nick Ray - 6-3 with 2.07 ERA, 67 strikeouts and 38 walks in 64-1/3 innings pitched, .161 opponent BA.

Leading batters: Jonathon Breda - .369 BA, 10 doubles, 5 home runs, 28 RBIs; Jacob Caviness - .321 BA, 8 doubles, 1 home run, 9 RBIs.