Ballard and Gilbert combine for five first-team all-RRC selections in baseball and softball

Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune
·4 min read

Gilbert and Ballard combined for five first-team all-Raccoon River Conference baseball and softball selections in 2022.

Gilbert and Ballard both had one player make the all-RRC first team in softball.

Gilbert second baseman Sydney Lynch landed on the all-RRC first team after she recorded a .407 batting average with six doubles, one triple, 23 runs, 15 RBIs and nine steals during her junior season. Lynch finished with 54 assists and 38 putouts with only four errors in the field.

Ballard shortstop Ella Husak also made the first team. She hit .505 during the regular season with six doubles, one triple, 40 runs, 25 steals and 14 RBIs.

Gilbert junior Sydney Lynch hit .407 with 23 runs and 15 RBIs and she played excellent defense at second base to make the all-RRC first team in softball during the 2022 season.
Gilbert junior Sydney Lynch hit .407 with 23 runs and 15 RBIs and she played excellent defense at second base to make the all-RRC first team in softball during the 2022 season.

The other first-team selections were Winterset's Jena Young, Thea Banning, Lauren Carter, Riley Kious and Bridget Stover; Adel-Desoto-Minburn's Olivia Tollari, Addison Banse and Aliya Yanga; Carlisle's Isabelle Noring and Reagan Roling, Bondurant-Farrar's Jackie Bass, Tori Carroll and Katelyn Lappe; North Polk's Ava Husak and Lucy Lucas, Boone's Erin Ades and Carroll's Parker Adams.

Landing on the all-RRC softball second team from Gilbert and Ballard were the Tigers' Bella Nelson and Carlee Schwartze and the Bombers' Maggie Mortensen and Sam Vetter.

Nelson hit .357 with six doubles, one triple, two homers, nine steals, 28 runs and 31 RBIs and Schwartze hit .462 with nine doubles, one homer, 35 runs and 24 RBIs.

Mortensen hit .342 with nine doubles, one triple, one home run, 31 runs, 20 RBIs and 14 steals. Vetter posted a .398 average with 10 doubles, one triple, one homer, 26 runs and 27 RBIs.

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Gilbert freshmen Zoey Jones and Emma Latterell were joined by Ballard pitcher Brooklyn Baumgardner in making all-RRC honorable mention.

Jones tallied a .351 average with one double and 24 runs and Latterell recorded a .370 average with six doubles, four homers, 17 runs and 27 RBIs. Baumgardner went 11-12 with a 3.29 ERA, 90 strikeouts and 26 walks in 129 2/3 innings.

The all-RRC baseball selections featured two Bombers and one Tiger on the first team. Ballard's Bryce Haessig and Eli Rouse were selected after leading the Bombers to the RRC title and Gilbert's Eli Eldred was also chosen.

Eli Eldred hit .425 with 19 runs and 15 RBIs and went 4-1 with a 2.02 ERA on the mound for Gilbert to make the all-RRC first team in baseball as a junior.
Eli Eldred hit .425 with 19 runs and 15 RBIs and went 4-1 with a 2.02 ERA on the mound for Gilbert to make the all-RRC first team in baseball as a junior.

Haessig hit .253 with three doubles, seven steals, 11 runs and 12 RBIs and went 3-2 with a 1.96 ERA with 41 strikeouts and 13 walks in 46 1/3 innings on the mound. Rouse posted a 7-2 record with a 1.54 ERA, 61 strikeouts and 17 walks in 54 2/3 innings and he hit .346 with 26 runs, 19 steals, 15 RBIs, three doubles and one triple.

Eldred tallied a .425 average with nine doubles, two triples, one home run, 19 runs, 15 RBIs and 14 steals. On the mound he was 4-1 with a 2.02 ERA, 53 strikeouts and only 10 walks in 45 innings.

The other first-team all-RRC selections in baseball were: Adel-Desoto-Minburn's Luke Greth, Sam Holloway and Christian Madison; North Polk's Hunter Cook, Nick Cox and Austin Parkins; Winterset's Justin Hackett and Jake Porter, Bondurant-Farrar's Jake Edenburn, Boone's Evan Behn and Carlisle's Archer Ogbourne.

Ballard juniors Jaren Njos and Jaden Peasley and senior Jacob Ross were joined by Gilbert senior Jake Shedarowich in making the all-RRC second team in baseball.

Njos posted a .308 average with four doubles and 13 runs and RBIs apiece, Peasley hit .267 average with 10 doubles, one triple, one homer, 16 runs, 13 RBIs and eight steals and Ross was 3-2 with a a 3.67 ERA and 30 strikeouts and walks apiece in 34 1/3 innings on the mound. Shedarowich recorded a .280 average with one double and 15 RBIs and he threw out two runners and only had four errors in 157 chances at catcher.

Eli Rouse went 7-2 with a 1.54 ERA and hit .346 with 26 runs and 15 RBIs to help Ballard win the RRC championship in baseball during the 2022 season.
Eli Rouse went 7-2 with a 1.54 ERA and hit .346 with 26 runs and 15 RBIs to help Ballard win the RRC championship in baseball during the 2022 season.

Ballard seniors Jayden Cattell and Colby Calvert and junior Cole Heinen were named all-RRC honorable mention. Gilbert seniors Trevor Jensen, Mason Howard and J.B. Schwartze and sophomore Grant Konz were also honorable mention in baseball.

Cattell hit .267 with five doubles, 17 runs, 15 RBIs and 13 steals, Calvert .247 with four doubles, one triple, 26 runs, 13 steals and 10 RBIs and Heinen .218 with one double and nine RBIs. Jensen was 3-1 on the mound with a 2.92 ERA in 36 innings, Howard scored 10 runs, drove in four and made 15 putouts and four assists, Schwartze hit .242 with 13 RBIs and Konz tallied a .224 average with 14 runs and seven RBIs.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Ballard and Gilbert do well in all-RRC baseball, softball selections