State-bound Comets have entire starting lineup named All-NEIC

By John Burbridge
sports@charlescitypress.com
CHARLES CITY — When former major league pitcher Jim Bouton — author of the seminal book Ball Four — tried to negotiate a raise while armed with a ream of numbers to bolster his case, he was told, “Tell your statistics to shut up!”

It would be hard to tell the statistics compiled by the Charles City Comets this softball season to quiet down as they jump out in your face.

The Comets currently lead all classes in the state in team batting average (.445), team slugging percentage (.626) and team on-base percentage (.495). And with a team total of 191 stolen bases, Charles City is third behind Carroll (339) and Newell-Fonda (226).

While holding opponents to a .114 batting average, the Comets boast the greatest batting average discrepancy in the state.

So it should be little surprise that the Comets are making their fourth-straight State Softball Championship appearance next week (July 23-26) at the Harlan Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge.

It should also be little surprise that Charles City was the most represented among the All-Northeast Iowa Conference Softball Teams as its entire regular starting lineup was honored.

Five Comets were named to the first team, including three-time first-teamer Sami Heyer.
The Comets’ lone senior on a team dominated by underclassmen, pending three-time all-stater Heyer leads the state in wins with a 33-3 record, earned run average (0.38) and opponent batting average (0.98). With 355 strikeouts in 185-and-a-third innings, Heyer is second to Treynor’s Sydni Huisman, who has recorded 361 Ks in more than 200 innings.

With an uncanny ability to battle back from even behind 3-0 in the count, Heyer has only walked 27 batters this season. Also, allowed to hit for herself for the entire season, Heyer sports a .660 slugging percentage and leads the team with four triples.

Making her second first-team appearance is Comet junior leadoff hitter and middle infielder Lisabeth Fiser, who leads the team in hitting (.597), hits (77), runs scored (61) and stolen bases (57).

In 129 at-bats, Fiser has only struck out once.
The other All-NEIC first-teamers from the Comets are all freshman —

Rachel Chambers, Ashlyn Hoeft and Lydia Staudt.

As an eighth-grader, Hoeft made the NEIC second team as a utility player. Having since taken over the catching duties, Hoeft has only made one error in 291 chances.

With players of the position often placed in one of two categories — catcher who can hit or hitter who can catch — Hoeft belongs in both camps as she has 10 home runs and is hitting .482.

Hoeft also has a slugging percentage of .916, which — believe it or not — doesn’t lead the team. That honor goes to shortstop Chambers (.957), who also leads the team in doubles (12), home runs (15) and RBIs (68).

Hitting from the No. 2 spot, Staudt is hitting .541 with three triples. She has stolen 41 bases in 44 attempts.

Charles City sophomores Kiki Connell, Allie Cross and Sadie Gebel were all named to the All-NEIC second team.
Known more as a two-time cross country and track state-qualifier, Connell is having a breakout softball season where she is hitting .448 and has stolen 21 bases out of 22 attempts. A slap-hitter from the left side of the plate, Connell has proven she can be a reliable line-drive hitter from the right side when needed.

Third baseman Cross, who helped break open Tuesday’s regional final against Mason City with a 3-run home run — her third homer of the year — is slugging at a .570 clip, hitting .380, and has 10 doubles this season.

First baseman Gebel, who recorded the final out in Tuesday’s win, is slugging .547 and hitting .379.

Comet junior outfield Alex Litterer was named All-NEIC honorable mention. Litterer is hitting .363 and has yet to be caught in 19 stolen base attempts.

In the Class 4A bracket, the Comets (35-3) are the No. 3 seed. They will face No. 6 seed Dallas Center-Grimes (25-14) in the first round at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday (July 23) at Iowa Central Field.
Winner from that game will face the winner of the No. 2 seed North Scott (26-14)-vs.-No. 7 seed Oskaloosa (25-11) game at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday (July 24) at Iowa Central Field in the semifinals — losers from the aforementioned games will play a consolation game at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Dodger Diamond.

Other first-round games in the bracket include No. 1 seed Carlisle (35-3)-vs.-No. 8 seed Denison-Schleswig (26-13), and No. 4 seed Independence (30-11)-vs.-No. 5 seed West Delaware (30-10).

The Class 4A championship game is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. Friday (June 26) at Kruger Seeds Field; the third-place game is scheduled for 4:45 p.m. that day at Iowa Central Field.

Late during the regular season, Charles City faced Oskaloosa and North Scott during a tournament in Coralville. The Comets defeated Oskaloosa 9-5 before losing in extra innings to North Scott 6-5.