Collins-Maxwell/Baxter sophomore Abbey Kahler hit nearly .400 at the plate and struck out more than 100 batters in the circle during conference play.
Kahler’s teammate, junior Payge Jurgens, led the Raiders with nine home runs, 25 RBIs, 25 runs and 22 walks.
Colfax-Mingo sophomore Amy Russell was fourth in conference play with a .422 batting average and she also led the Tigerhawks in runs, doubles, RBIs and walks this season.
Prairie City-Monroe senior Molly Vignovich was instrumental at the top of the Mustangs’ lineup, leading the team with a .462 average and scoring 16 runs in conference action.
Put all the numbers together and these four area athletes all were named to the Heart of Iowa Conference first team for their efforts.
A total of 16 area athletes were somewhere on the three teams as the all-HOIC squads were released this weekend.
But only four separated themselves from the rest of the pack.
CMB and PCM tied for second in conference play with identical 13-5 records. And Kahler, Jurgens and Vignovich were at the front of the line.
Kahler was a first-team pitcher but also batted .337 overall and blasted four homers. She finished 18-12 in the circle and had an earned run average of 1.70 with 191 strikeouts.
Jurgens, a first-team utility selection, hit .365 in HOIC play. Included in that was five homers and 13 RBIs. She hit .330 overall.
Vignovich, a first-team infielder, made up for a lost junior season with a stellar final campaign. At the top of the order, Vignovich hit .364 overall with 24 runs, 17 RBIs and 11 walks. She drove in 13 runs in HOIC play.
Russell helped the Tigerhawks finish strong in conference play. She hit .451 in conference play and batted .422 with a team-best 33 runs, 12 doubles, 29 RBIs and 28 walks. She also was second on the team with four home runs.
During conference play, Russell, a first-team infielder, had an on base percentage of .594.
PCM had three second-team selections, including sophomore infielder Jayci Vos, sophomore outfielder Kayla Jennings and senior pitcher Rachel Freland.
CMB’s second-team picks were senior catcher Abbey Appelgate and sophomore infielder Mikayla Eslinger.
Colfax-Mingo freshman Ries Wilson was a second-team pick as a utility player.
Freland went 16-9 overall in the circle in 2015. She also struck out 129 batters and had an ERA of 2.87. In league play, Freland went 11-4 and fanned 84.
Vos was second behind Vignovich with a .362 batting average. She also hit two homers with 24 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, 29 runs and a team-best 14 doubles. Vos hit .424 in conference play and scored 18 runs with 10 stolen bases.
Jennings hit .303 with 26 runs and 17 RBIs at the plate, and was 5-2 with a 1.17 ERA in the circle.
Eslinger hit .325 for the Raiders and she blasted four home runs with 16 RBIs, while Appelgate batted .283 in conference play and drew 10 walks.
Wilson became the Tigerhawks’ primary pitcher midway through the season. She batted .397 with a team-best six homers and also drove in 19 runs, scored 26 times and had 10 doubles. In 12 starts in the circle, Wilson had an ERA of 3.72.
Honorable mention selections included CMB senior MacKenzie Schmitz and sophomore Megan Ritter, PCM senior Makenna VanVeen and sophomore Katie VandeWall and Colfax-Mingo seniors Erin Earles and Sara Lahart.
The only two unanimous all-HOIC first-team selections were Saydel outfielder Liz Miklus and Greene County pitcher Marissa Promes.
Miklus hit .440, scored 52 runs and stole 33 bases for the Eagles, while Promes led the Rams to a third-place finish in Class 3A following a season in which she finished 30-4 with a 2.16 ERA and 241 strikeouts.
The Rams won the conference title at 17-1.