Sorden and Solon: A winning match so far

Solon is back among the state's elite in softball, and the slumping housing market might be part of the reason why.

A former pitching coach at Coe College, Ben Sorden left for Phoenix in 2010 to take an assistant job at South Mountain (Ariz.) Community College, helping lead that team to a ninth-place national finish.

Then he came back to Eastern Iowa.

"My house up here didn't sell, and I didn't want to make double payments," said Sorden, whose "day job" is as a financial advisor.

Sorden lives in rural Solon, the Lady Spartans' head position opened up, and he snatched it.

His coaching philosophy is pretty simple, really.

"I point them in a direction, and let them go," he said. "One thing I'm big on is a team mentality and playing unselfishly."

The Lady Spartans have taken hold of it. They moved to 8-1 after splitting a Wamac Conference East Division double-header with Mount Vernon on Monday.

Solon is ranked 11th in Class 3A. Statistically, it's a well-rounded team.

The Lady Spartans have allowed eight runs in nine games. Juniors Arran Weeces (5-0) and Casey Musgrave (3-1) have carried the pitching load. Weeces has struck out 53 in 31 innings.

On offense, six batters are hitting .435 or better. Mel Breza leads the team in RBIs (12) and is second in runs (11).

"We're strong in the circle, we hit the ball well and we are aggressive on the bases," Sorden said.

Strub sizzling for CCA

What has Fran Strub done with her summer? Here's a sample:

A junior for undefeated, Class 3A top-ranked Clear Creek Amana, Strub is batting .813 (26 of 32). Half of her hits are for extra bases -- four doubles, six triples and three home runs -- calculating an astronomical slugging percentage of 1.594.

Strub leads the state in hits and runs (25). She has driven in 15 runs and stolen 15 bases and sports an on-base percentage of .850.

Not to be outdone, West Branch freshman Shannon Laing has hit seven home runs with 26 RBIs in six games. She leads the state in slugging percentage at 1.810.