Mid-Prairie ready for tourney opener at West Liberty

Golden Hawks face 9th-ranked Comets in 3A battle

By Paul D. Bowker
Posted 7/5/21

WEST LIBERTY

Mid-Prairie began its softball season the last week of May with a doubleheader loss at West Liberty.

The Golden Hawks are hoping not to end it against the same team at the same …

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Mid-Prairie ready for tourney opener at West Liberty

Golden Hawks face 9th-ranked Comets in 3A battle

Posted

WEST LIBERTY


Mid-Prairie began its softball season the last week of May with a doubleheader loss at West Liberty.

The Golden Hawks are hoping not to end it against the same team at the same place.

After reaching 10 wins in the regular season for the first time since 2017, the Golden Hawks (10-29) face
ninth-ranked West Liberty (20-7) in the first round of a Class 3A district tournament at 7 p.m. Tuesday at
West Liberty.

A victory would send the Golden Hawks (10-29) to the semifinals on Friday against Knoxville or PCM.
Mid-Prairie, which won just two games a year ago, began the season with a six-game losing streak, but
has rebounded strongly. The Golden Hawks have won four games since June 28, including its first
doubleheader sweep in two years and an 8-2 win over North Cedar this past Friday.

“These girls deserved the success that found them at the end of the season,” first-year head coach Matt
Hoeppner said. “They work exceptionally hard day in and day out, and the future is bright.”

The Golden Hawks have been led by pitcher Myah Lugar, the only senior on the team, and a youthful
lineup that includes eighth graders Dakota Mitchell and Brenna Jehle. Mitchell, who has started 35
games, has had three hits in each of Mid-Prairie’s last two wins over North Cedar and Regina Catholic,
and leads the team with a .398 batting average. Katelyn Schneider, a junior, has a team-leading 28 RBIs.

The Golden Hawks hope they are positioned for an upset victory Tuesday.

“Like I told the kids, if we find a way to put our bats with our fielding,” Hoeppner said, “we give
ourselves a shot. And that’s all you can ask for in any game, do you have a shot? If you kick the ball
around or don’t hit anything, and you take that shot away from yourself, that’s one thing. But give
yourself a shot, and that’s what we’re looking for.”

The Comets opened their season with 8-5 and 12-4 victories over Mid-Prairie, and have won four of
their last five games.

“Solid ballclub,” Hoeppner said. “It’s a program that I would say maybe a little bit is what Mid-Prairie
used to be. Expectations to try to get to state or be in a position to get themselves to state every year.
Kids that are very consistent at the things they do, good pitching staff.

“But we’ve hit good pitching staffs all year.”

Sailor Hall, a junior pitcher, has won 10 games, and struck out 88 in 77.1 innings. She is also one of three
West Liberty batters hitting over .400, with a .407 hitting average and a team-leading 34 RBIs.

Hoeppner may have a bit of a coaching advantage in the game simply because he knows the opposing
players so well. He is the girls basketball head coach at West Liberty and among the girls he coached was
Hall this past season, when the Comets finished with a 16-6 record.

Mid-Prairie, softball, tournament