(Fort Dodge) Action gets started Monday morning for the 2020 State Softball Tournament in Fort Dodge. Class 5A competition will kicks things off at 11:00 a.m. KSOM/KS95.7 Sports takes a look at the participating schools and their history. Scores and schedules for all five classes will be posted daily at westerniowatoday.com.
Class 1A
#1 (19-1) Collins-Maxwell
Collins-Maxwell has won back-to-back state titles. Last year they topped Clarksville in the finals. Collins-Maxwell enters the state tournament with a 19-1 record and will play 12th ranked Newman Catholic in the first round.
#2 (18-2) Newell-Fonda
The Mustangs are in Fort Dodge for a 12th time overall and 3rd consecutive year. They have one state title to their credit which came in 2008. First up for them is 8th ranked Lisbon, a team they lost to last year in the 3rd place game.
#3 (16-1) Clarksville
The defending runner-up is back at the state tournament for the third time int he last four years. They’ll be making their fourth appearance overall and are coming off of a 3rd place finish in 2019. They begin the tourney with a tradition rich Akron-Westfield squad.
#4 (18-2) Lynnville-Sully
Lynnville-Sully is making their 7th state appearance. They’ve played in Fort Dodge six of the last ten years. 3:30 p.m on Tuesday is when their tourney begins with a matchup against #5 Wayne.
#5 (17-4) Wayne
The Falcons are state tourney bound for the 5th time in school history. It is their 2nd year in a row in Fort Dodge. They’ll oppose #4 Lynnville-Sully in a quarterfinal contest.
#7 (17-2) Akron-Westfield
The tradition of the Westerners is hard to top. They’ve qualified 15 times including four of the last five years. Akron-Westfield boasts six state championships.
#8 (20-3) Lisbon
Lisbon makes their third straight appearance. They’ve been to state nine times overall and have won championships in 1994, 1995, and 1996. They were a semifinalist last year and ultimately placed third with a win over Newell-Fonda in their final game of 2019.
#12 (19-3) Newman Catholic
It’s the 4th appearance for Newman Catholic. Their most recent trip was 2012. In the first round they draw the two-time defending champion Collins-Maxwell.
Class 2A
#1 (23-0) North Linn
North Linn is the defending champion. They are the only undefeated team in the field in any class. This is their 2nd state tournament appearance.
#2 (18-5) Louisa-Muscatine
The last time they were in Class 2A was 2018 and they won the state championship. Last year they finished as the Class 3A runner-up. It is their 3rd straight state trip.
#3 (19-3) Ogden
The Bulldogs are in their 5th state appearance. They advanced to state this year via an East Marshall forfeit due to COVID-19 in the regional finals. All-Stater Denali Loeckner is among Iowa’s all-time leaders in several offensive categories. This year she is hitting with .565 with 10 home runs and 29 RBI. Loeckner has also walked 28 times in 21 games.
#4 (19-2) Northeast
It is the first ever state appearance for Northeast, Goose Lake. Their only loss on the season is to North Scott which was the runner-up in Class 4A last year and is back in the 4A field this season.
#6 (17-3) Central Springs
It is the seventh state qualification for Central Springs. They’ll be playing in their 6th straight state tournament. They’ll open the tourney against #4 Northeast on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.
#10 (10-4) Mount Ayr
The Raiders posted a dramatic comeback win over #9 Earlham to advance he state for their 2nd year in a row. Last season Mount Ayr came away with a 3rd place finish. It is their fourth appearance overall. They’ve played the fewest games on any state qualifier in any class this year.
(14-4) Underwood
The Eagles come away with the 7th seed and will face defending Class 3A runner-up Louisa-Muscatine which won the 2A title in 2018. Underwood is making their 8th trip to Fort Dodge and 1st since 2004.
(11-8) Ridge View
The Raptors finished just 4-4 in the Western Valley Conference standings, but rallied to win four straight games at the right time of the year. They avenged a regular season loss to Alta-Aurelia and also got by Sioux Central, Hinton, and West Lyon on the regional trail. It is the school’s 2nd state tournament appearance.
Class 3A
#1 (19-1) Albia
Top ranked Albia is a six time qualifier, but has never won it all. They are making their fourth straight appearance. The Blue Demons only loss is to Class 4A #3 Fairfield.
#2 (19-5) Assumption
Assumption is the three time defending champion. They make their 5th straight appearance and 10th trip overall.
#3 (23-4) Williamsburg
This is Williamsburg’s third trip to state. Their previous appearances are in 1995 and 2002.
#4 (20-2) Humboldt
Humboldt appears in the state tourney for the 7th time. They’ve made it to Fort Dodge three times in the last four years. The Wildcats haven’t allowed a postseason run thus far, outscoring their regional tourney opponents 23-0.
#5 (20-4) Mount Vernon
It’s the Mustangs 7th appearances. Six of those have come since 2014. They’ve allowed just five runs over their last seven games.
#6 (16-1) Algona
Algona made their state debut last season and earned a return trip this year. The Bulldogs are led by one of the toughest hitters in Class 3A. Kameryn Etherington is hitting .667 with five home runs and 16 RBI. Her on base percentage is .789.
#15 (14-2) Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley
The Siouxland Conference Champs are the only team in the Class 3A field that isn’t ranked in the top six. They’ve been a four time qualifier, with all of those appearances being in the last six years.
Class 4A
#1 (18-3) Carlisle
The Wildcats are the defending champs. They’ve won five titles in their 18 appearances. They’ve only missed the state tourney two times since 2008.
#2 (21-4) West Delaware
The 2002 champs are making their 15th state appearance. They placed 4th last year.
#3 (24-1) Fairfield
The Trojans are one of six teams in the state tournament with only one loss. They are a seven time qualifier with four of those in the last six years.
#5 (16-9) North Scott
The 2019 runner-up lost to Carlisle 1-0 in last year’s finals. They go to state for the 14th time with three state championships in their trophy case.
#7 (13-3) Charles City
The Comets finished third last year. They make their fourth straight appearance and 29th overall. Their lone championship came in 1979.
#8 (19-9) Dallas Center-Grimes
It’s their 10th state appearance in school history. They won championships in 2013, 2014, and 2015.
#10 (14-7) Winterset
The Huskies make their 10th appearance in Fort Dodge. They’ve been to state five of the last nine years. Winterset won titles in 2008 and 2017.
(14-5) LeMars
The only prior trip for LeMars came in 2014. To get to state they avenged a prior 10-1 loss to #9 Sergeant Bluff-Luton in the regional finals.
Class 5A
#1 (26-3) Fort Dodge
The Dodgers have never won a state title in front of the home crowd at Harlan Rogers park. They make their fifth trip in the last six years and 16th overall.
#2 (23-1) CR Kennedy
Kennedy is a five time qualifier. The Cougars have won 16 in a row and haven’t given up a run in 13 of those. In fact, their last run scored against them came nine games ago in a doubleheader sweep of Linn-Mar when they won the two games 12-0 and 13-1.
#3 (23-4) Valley, WDM
Valley won the state championship last year. They’ve won the tourney seven times. The 2020 tournament will be their 8th straight appearance and 18th overall.
#4 (23-4) Waukee
The Warriors were the runner-up in 2019. They’ve been to state 12 times and have won three titles.
#6 (21-8) Ankeny Centennial
Ella Schulz is one of the top hitters in Class 5A with 55 hits on the year and a .545 average. The Jaguars are making their first state appearance.
#8 (18-2) Muscatine
Muscatine is a 16 time state qualifier. They’ve won state championships in 1999 and 2000.
#9 (17-6) Pleasant Valley
Pleasant Valley is a nine time state qualifier. They’ve been to state in four of the last five years.
#13 Bettendorf
The Bulldogs have won six games in a row and have scored eleven runs or more in four of those victories. Bettendorf makes the state tourney for the 7th time.
