KALONA

The upward trend Hillcrest softball has been on continued this season as they notched double digit wins for the first time since 2013 and when it came to postseason honors, a quartet of Ravens were recognized for their impressive play this year.   

A standout junior, Malia Yoder was selected first-team all-conference as a utility player in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference North division and was named to the 1A Southeast all-district team. 

Even if you only attend a single Raven softball game this year there is a great chance you saw Yoder make a great play, whether she was on offense or defense. 

In her second year as the starting pitcher for Hillcrest not only did Yoder eclipse 200 strikeouts in her career but she also surpassed 300. 

Pitching in 134.2 innings, she ended her junior year with the second most SO (173) in the SEISC North and her 11 pitching wins are the fourth best in the conference. Both were career highs and her 25 starts on the mound are the second most in the conference. 

Going from being the leadoff hitter from a year ago to second in the batting order this year, Yoder finished with career highs in multiple categories on offense and that included batting average (.571). 

In the SEISC North she is tied for the second most home runs (3), scored the fifth most runs (34), had the fourth most hits (44), the second best on base percentage (.637), and the second-best batting average (.571).

Yoder also led the Ravens in RBIs (33) and she was one of three captains on this year’s Hillcrest team. 

In addition to Yoder, there was another junior captain selected to an all-conference team, and it was Delaney Shaw. 

Shaw earned second-team all-conference honors as a catcher. Staying alert, the nine times she caught a base runner stealing with a quality throw is the second most in the conference. Her 173 putouts were good enough for the third most in the SEISC North.  Only making seven errors all season long, her fielding percentage of .965 was the best on the team. 

Also putting in the work on offense, Shaw was a part of a one-two punch (along with Yoder) that made opposing teams stand at the ready whenever she stepped up to the plate. 

Shaw was also tied third in the conference with home runs (3), had the second most hits on the team (33), had the second most RBIs (24), and had a batting average of .402. 

The final two Ravens to earn all-conference accolades were Claire Withrow and Morgyn Nafziger. 

Nafziger (the third Hillcrest captain who is also a junior) was an honorable mention all-conference. She was walked a conference best 26 times and she scored 33 runs, the second most on the team. With a batting average of .203 she compiled 13 hits and 10 RBIs. 

Withrow was also named honorable mention all-conference as a sophomore. Going 10-for-10 on stolen bases, she had a batting average of .389, hit the ball 28 times, and knocked in 21 runs. 

Looking towards the future with the Ravens now in the midst of the offseason, you can expect the upward trend to continue next season. 

With no seniors on the roster, they can expect their entire team to return and with their strong junior class entering their final season on Hillcrest softball, expect them to make the most of it.