Williams, Chance headline five Cardinals on all-LHC squad

Between his arm on the mound and his bat at the plate, Newton junior Turner Williams ranked in the top 10 of 11 statistical categories inside the Little Hawkeye Conference.

For his efforts, Williams landed on the all-conference first team and was joined by senior Braydon Chance, who ranked in the top 15 of seven offensive categories.

The other three Cardinals who earned all-conference recognition were juniors Kacey Sommars (second team) and Brody Bauer (honorable mention) and senior Kael Swarts (honorable mention).

All-conference recognition is based on statistics inside conference play only.

Williams (3-2) was a first-team selection as a pitcher. He ranked seventh in the LHC with an earned run average of 1.54. He was fifth with 44 strikeouts in 41 innings and ranked fifth with a 1.00 WHIP.

His three pitching wins ranked tied for ninth and his opponent’s batting average of .199 ranked 10th. He walked eight and hit two batters.

At the plate, Williams ranked first in the conference with 33 hits and was tied for first with a batting average of .418. His slugging percentage of .570 ranked 10th, his seven doubles ranked tied for second and Williams was tied for third with 23 runs and 45 total bases.

Williams also was second on the team with an on-base percentage of .434 and he walked three times.

Williams had a fielding percentage of .983, which ranked 14th in the LHC.

Chance’s first-team selection came in the outfield. He ranked tied for sixth in the conference with 26 hits and was tied for eighth with six doubles.

His four hit by pitches ranked tied for 10th, his .443 OBP was 11th and his .371 batting average ranked 12th. He scored 16 runs and had 12 RBIs, which both ranked tied for 13th.

Chance also drew five walks and he had a fielding percentage of .922.

Sommars was a second-team infielder after leading the LHC with 23 RBIs. He also ranked tied for eighth with two home runs, tied for 12th with five doubles and tied for 13th with 33 total bases. His 22 hits ranked tied for 14th and he also ranked 15th with a slugging percentage of .508.

Sommars batted .338, had an OBP of .411 and finished with 13 runs, seven walks and three stolen bases. His fielding percentage was .905.

Bauer ranked tied for 13th in the conference with 16 runs, tied for fifth with 12 walks and tied for 15th with four steals.

He also batted .276, had an OBP of .417 and finished with two doubles, nine RBIs and two hit by pitches. His fielding percentage was .949.

Swarts was hit by five pitches, which ranked tied for fifth in the LHC. He also scored eight runs, had 10 RBIs and drew five walks.

As a pitcher, Swarts was 2-2 with an ERA of 4.08. He had 39 strikeouts, 29 walks and seven hit batters and his opponent’s batting average was .189, which ranked ninth in the league.

His 39 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings ranked sixth in the LHC and he had a fielding percentage of .877.

2022 Little Hawkeye Conference Baseball

Final Standings

Team LHC Overall

Grinnell 18-3 32-4

Indianola 15-6 23-12

DCG 15-6 21-14

Pella 11-10 20-14

Newton 9-12 16-15

Norwalk 9-12 18-17

Pella Christian 4-16 9-19

Oskaloosa 2-18 8-24

All-Conference

First Team

Pitcher — Turner Williams, jr., Newton; Will Doty, sr., Grinnell; Ian Fisher, jr., Norwalk.

Catcher — Noah Johnston, sr., Indianola.

Infielder — *Clayton Campidilli, jr., DCG; *Colin Gibson, sr., Grinnell; Keegan Hansen, sr., Pella; Bennett Brueck, jr., Indianola.

Outfielder — Braydon Chance, sr., Newton; *Dariel Santana, jr., DCG; Isaiah Kettler, fr., Pella.

Utility — *Brady Blake, jr., Indianola; Brady Steward, sr., Grinnell; Jack Strong, so., Indianola.

*Unanimous Selection

Second Team

Pitcher — Jason Knox, sr., Pella.

Catcher — Charlie North, sr., Oskaloosa.

Infielder — Kacey Sommars, jr., Newton; Kasey Carter, sr., Indianola; Bennett Spronk, sr., Pella Christian; Alex Smith, sr., Grinnell.

Outfielder — Casey Stecker, sr., Indianola; Colin Snitker, sr., Oskaloosa; Tucker Beving, sr., Norwalk.

Utility — Vinny Mauro, sr., Norwalk; Jaylen Eitel, jr., Grinnell; Corbin Westerkamp, jr., Pella Christian.

Honorable Mention

Kael Swarts, sr., Newton; Brody Bauer, jr., Newton; Keaton Fenn, so., DCG; Isaac Short, sr., DCG; William Schultz, sr., Oskaloosa; Jarrod Parks, jr., Oskaloosa; Dylan Christensen, sr., Norwalk; CJ Davis, so., Norwalk; Cole Hillman, sr., Pella; Tate Weesner, jr., Pella; Hayden Hoffman, sr., Indianola; Luke Rockhold, so., Indianola; Cole Johnson, sr., Grinnell; Braden Blackford, sr., Grinnell; Micah DeHaan, sr., Pella Christian; Lincoln VanderMolen, jr., Pella Christian.