The week after the last Communiqué publication, the baseball and softball teams began their season.
The baseball team has opened the season with a 3-1, record while the softball team has started 2-4. In this article, there will be a preview for both teams alongside a statistical breakdown.
Baseball: Coming off a 37-22 season where the Eagles finished third in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference, the baseball team has a lot to prove going into this upcoming season.
As a team, Kirkwood compiled 541 runs across 59 games, averaging around nine runs scored per game. This strong showing was caused by all-around great offensive output. The team had a .320 AVG, a .448 OBP and a .556 SLG, which all ranked amongst the top three for ICCAC team leaderboards.
On the pitching side, the Eagles were generally strong compared to the rest of the ICCAC. Their team ERA sat at 5.46, second best in the conference. The pitching staff also did the best at striking players out (11.10 strikeout per nine).
Notable returning players include sophomore shortstop Blake Lundholm (.331/.462/.369, 17 SB), sophomore third baseman Landon Frost (.329/471/.612, 12 HR) and sophomore catcher Ty Andrews (.286/.460/.579, 9 HR).
On the pitching side there is sophomore right-handed pitcher Jackson Niederwerder (3.71 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 8.95 K/9) and sophomore right-handed pitcher Grant Miller (5.77 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 9.70 K/9) among many others.
Softball: Last season the Eagles had a dominant season with a record of 50-18, they would end up finishing the season third in the ICCAC. The softball team is looking to add onto its previous success.
Last season the Eagles offense ranked second in the ICCAC in batting average (.371), on base percentage (.465) and slugging percentage (.588). This led to an astounding 596 runs scored in just 68 games (about 8.8 runs scored per game).
On the pitching side the Eagles had the third-lowest ERA (3.05) in the conference. Despite allowing the most walks, Kirkwood was able to get out of tough situations. The Eagles strikeout per seven (5.85) was the third lowest of all teams in the ICCAC.
Notable position player returners include sophomore catcher Mischa Reiners (.361/.447/.572, 16 SB, 5 HR), sophomore outfielder Shannon Finn (.358/.477/.446, 25 SB, 3 HR) and sophomore infielder Reese Stockman (.348/.480/.504, 47 H, 3 HR).
On the pitching staff there is sophomore pitcher Carley Cavanagh (3.50 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 6.78 K/9) and sophomore two-way Jessa DeMoss (3.67 ERA), 1.37 WHIP, 5.46 K/7). among many others.
