March 19, 2024

Five Cardinals receive LHC softball honors

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Ending their softball careers together on the 2016 All-Little Hawkeye Conference first team softball squad are Newton High seniors Sydney Jenkins and Kari Adams. Three younger Cardinal softball players earned recognition from conference coaches for the 2016 season.

The Little Hawkeye Conference coaches recently made the all-conference selections, which had to be held until conference champion Oskaloosa finished playing in the Class 4A state softball tournament last week. The Indians claimed the 2016 4A state championship.

Jenkins earned All-LHC first-team honors for the fourth straight year — the first two years as catcher for the Cardinals and the last two as shortstop. Adams received conference honors for the third time, but first as a first-team selection as an outfielder. Adams garnered honorable mention honors as a freshman and sophomore.

Freshman pitcher Anna Coyle received All-LHC second-team honors as a pitcher.

Sophomore Karley Leiker and freshman Emily Valtman were named on the LHC 2016 honorable mention list. It is the second year for Leiker as Newton’s left fielder. Valtman, who played right field, earned conference recognition for the first time.

There was only one unanimous selection to the 2016 all-conference first team. Madison Carpenter, Dallas Center-Grimes senior, was unanimously chosen as an outfielder.

Others named to the first team were Oskaloosa’s junior pitcher Alexis Groet, junior catcher Alexis Westercamp, senior infielder Kylee Silliman and junior utility/designated hitter Aubrey Miller, Pella Christian’s junior pitcher Emma Schnell, Norwalk’s sophomore infielder Alyx Witt and senior utility/DH Taylor Goode, Pella’s junior outfielder Sara Tallman and senior utility/DH Alexa Dingeman, Grinnell freshman infielder Megan Doty and Dallas Center-Grimes junior utility/DH Allie Boender.

Oskaloosa won the 2016 LHC title with a 10-2 mark in conference games. DCG finishes second at 8-4 while Newton and Norwalk tied for third at 7-5. Pella Christian went 6-6 in conference at ion followed by Pella at 3-9 and Grinnell was 1-11.

Jenkins, who will play NCAA Division I softball at Creighton next year, led the Cardinals to a 21-11 record in 2016. Jenkins’ 28-of-28 perfection on stolen base attempts topped the LHC list and was 10th in Class 4A. She was a tough out, batting .451 with 43 hits, drawing the most walks, 22, in the conference and striking out just nine times.

Jenkins had an on-base average of .561, which third best in the LHC and was 12th best in 4A. She led the Cardinals with four triples, which tied for first in the conference. She hit two home runs and 10 doubles. She scored 39 runs and drove in 11 runs. She had a fielding average of .956 with five errors at shortstop.

Jenkins, who has been a starter for Newton for five years, has earned 4A all-district honors the past four years from the Iowa Girls Coaches Association. She was the starting catcher for three years, receiving all-district honors as a freshman and sophomore. As a junior, Jenkins switched to shortstop and has been an all-district selection twice at that position.

Adams was the anchor in the Cardinal outfield as the starting center fielder the past two seasons. She had a .957 fielding average with two errors during the 2016 season. She powered out three home runs, hit two doubles and had 22 base hits.

Adams hit .319 and had a slugging percentage of .478. She scored 14 runs and drove in 10. She was 8-for-8 on stolen base attempts.

Coyle became Newton’s ace pitcher as a freshman. She finished 11-5 in the circle with a 1.29 earned run average. She pitched 136.5 innings allowing 38 runs and 94 hits. She had 92 strikeouts and issued 26 walks.

Leiker had a .906 fielding average with three errors as Newton’s starting right fielder. She hit .327 right behind Jenkins, who was the team’s lead-off hitter. She finished with 38 hits, eight double sand one triple. She scored 33 runs and had 18 RBIs. She was 8-for-8 on stolen base attempts.

Valtman emerged as one of the team’s top hitters leading Newton with four home runs, which was eighth in LHC. Also eighth in the conference was Valtman’s .392 batting average. She had 33 RBIs, tied for third in the conference.

Valtman’s 14 doubles was third in the LHC and she had 40 base hits. She scored 23 runs. Valtman did not commit an error as the team’s starting left fielder. She also played behind the plate a few games during the season.

2016 Little Hawkeye Conference

All-Conference Softball Selections

First Team

Alexis Groet, Oskaloosa, Jr., pitcher

Emma Schnell, Pella Christian, Jr., pitcher

Alexis Westercamp, Oskaloosa, Jr., catcher

Sydney Jenkins, Newton, Sr., infielder

Alyx Witt, Norwalk, So., infielder

Kylee Silliman, Oskaloosa, Sr., infielder

Megan Doty, Grinnell, Fr., infielder

*Madison Carpenter, Dallas Center-Grimes, Sr., outfielder

Kari Adams, Newton, Sr., outfielder

Sara Tallman, Pella, Jr. outfielder

Taylor Goode, Norwalk, Sr., utility/DH

Alexa Dingeman, Pella, Sr., utility/DH

Allie Boender, Dallas Center-Grimes, Jr., utility/DH

Aubrey Miller, Oskaloosa, Jr., utility/DH

Second Team

Rachel Lowary, Dallas Center-Grimes, Jr., pitcher

Anna Coyle, Newton, Fr., pitcher

Lydia Dingeman, Pella, Sr., catcher

Courtney Johannes, Pella Christian, Sr., infielder

Brooke Mitrisin, Pella Christian, Jr., infielder

Shelby Nelson, Norwalk, Sr., infielder

Brooke Kramer, Dallas Center-Grimes, Jr., infielder

Amron Born, Norwalk, Jr., outfielder

Alexis Vroegh, Oskaloosa, Sr., outfielder

Natalie Vos, Pella Christian, Jr., outfielder

Elizabeth Van Manen, Pella Christian, Jr., utility/DH

Ryley Harris, Norwalk, Jr., Utility, DH

Paige Linthincum, Dallas Center-Grimes, Jr., utility/DH

*unanimous selection

Honorable Mention: Newton-Karley Leiker, So., Emily Valtman, Fr.; Dallas Center-Grimes-Rachel Hillman, Sr., Kamryn O'Brien, 8th; Grinnell-Bailee Kriegel, So., Macy Harris, Fr.; Norwalk-Miranda Hughes, So., Courtney Westvold, So.; Oskaloosa-Anna Jones, So., Josie Bunnell, So., Pella-Hannah Emmert, Jr., Kinzi Van Wyk, So.; Pella Christian-Chloe Dembski, Jr., Kirsten Vander Hart, Jr.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com