By Ryan Stonebraker
Sports Editor, Tipton Conservative
The North Cedar Knights will look to keep building this season under second year coach Kari Martin. Martin is back to offer stability to the Knights program that saw two coaches in two years in the 2014 and 2015 season. Last year, Martin set the base for the young program, one that reached a Regional Final in 2014, by infusing excitement into the program and a back to the basics approach. The Knights have really made strides in their offense this summer to start the 2017 season. In four of their first six games this summer, they have scored two or more runs in those games including an 8-4 win at Bellevue. That win was the first RVC victory since June of 2015.
The Knights return six of their nine starters from the start of the 2016 season and two all-conference players from last year. Sophomore Alyssa Barnhart was an All-RVC pick last summer. Barnhard made 17 pitching starts and logged 114 1/3 innings. She led North Cedar in hitting with a .382 batting average in 89 at-bats with 34 hits, 10 RBI’s and 21 stolen bases.
Catcher Katie Thompson is back. Thompson is a good defensive catcher and showed that as a freshman. She batted .265 in 83 at-bats last summer and had 11 RBI’s. Senior first baseman Morgan Sander returns and will be a two-year starter there. Sander moved up from the JV team last summer and batted .239 with 16 hits. Infielder Kaci Gottschalk is back after playing a lot of second base last summer. Gottschalk makes contact with the ball and works hard to get better.
Two of the three starting outfielders return led by junior Anna Petersen. Petersen was an honorable mention all-conference selection last summer. Petersen was second on the Knight’s team in batting with a .313 average in 80 at-bats with 25 hits and a team high 19 RBI’s. Junior Taylor Tenley also returns. Tenley didn’t play softball in 2015, but returned last season and batted .132 and gave the Knights another solid outfielder.
North Cedar lost Kaylee Entwisle to graduation and shortstop/pitcher Emily Hay to injury. Entwisle batted just under .100 in 77 at-bats, but was a good defensive outfielder for the Knights. Hay, injured her knee in basketball season and will miss the season. Hay pitched last year, making 11 starts and batted .250 in 76 at-bats last season.
The Knights will play in weekend tournaments at Jesup on Saturday, May 27, West Branch on June 3 and at Springville on June 10. North Cedar will play Marion in late June in a non-conference game.
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