CLINTON — Woodward-Granger’s Michael Connor and Ogden’s Cayce Good and Treston Hagen were members of the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Senior All-Star Small School West squad, which dropped a tough, 7-6 decision to Large School East in the championship of the IHSBCA tourney Sunday.
The four teams of senior standouts played games Thursday, Friday and Saturday to determine who would meet for the top honors. All games were played on Ashford University Field, the home diamond of the Clinton LumberKings, the 1A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.
SSW surprised Large School West Thursday, 5-4. Connor caught the final three innings and was 1-for-1 at the plate with a RBI-single. Center fielder Good was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored, while first baseman Hagen was 2-for-2 with a single, a double and a run scored.
Korey Kuhlmann (MVAO) was the winner, with Reece Wadle (Bishop Garrigan) earning a save. The loss went to Sioux City West hurler Tanner Wauhob.
LSE shut down SSW, 8-0, Friday. The game was scoreless entering the fifth, when the LSE offense came to life off Humboldt’s Brenden Schnell, who suffered the loss. Austin Suhr (Pl. Valley) collected the win. Both Connor and Good were hitless in the loss while Hagen did not play.
SSW bounced back with a 7-6 win over SSE Saturday. Connor was 0-for-1 in a pinch-hit role, with Good 0-for-2 while Hagen had a single in four at-bats. Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton’s Tyler Jacobson picked up the win, with Clear Lake’s Brock Adams assessed the loss.
The title game Sunday saw LSE jump to a 6-1 lead after three frames. Four runs in the top of the fourth and another in the top of the sixth allowed SSW to tie the game, but LSE pushed across a run in the bottom of the seventh to snatch a 7-6 edge.
SSW managed to load the bases in the top of the seventh but could not find a way to plate a trying run and were turned aside.
Connor was 2-for-2 with a RBI, with courtesy runners scoring both times when he had reached base. Hagen was 0-for-2, but reached on an error and scored while Good was 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter.
Iowa City High’s Nick Sueppel was the winner on the bump, with Jacobson (E/EH-K) taking the loss.
The game was the final contest in the long career of Sergeant Bluff-Luton skipper Rick Admire, who is retiring after 36 years, all at SB-L. He finishes 639-381 with the Warriors. Admire led SB-L to the state tournament in 2001, 2003 and 2014.
W-G’s Eric Evans served as an assistant coach, as did Clarinda’s James Hash.
One of the highlights of the extended ceremonies is the honoring of the IHSBCA’s prestigious Academic All-State teams, with First Team players invited to attend a breakfast Saturday. Perry’s Nic Wilhelmi was a First Team choice, as were Connor and fellow Hawks Alex Bodermann and Tre Loge, giving W-G an unprecedented three players among the 24 chosen for top honors.
W-G’s Jacob Smiley was one of 24 selected for First Team recognition in 2014, with Chris McConahay one of the 22 picked for Second Team plaudits in 2013. The five Hawks named in three years is one of best stretches for a single school in the 29 years the IHSBCA has named the teams.
All photos courtesy of Eric Evans.
