As delivery day approaches, Lindsey Murray and Linn-Mar prepare for transition

MARION — For Lindsey Murray, this Summer of Great Expectations extends far beyond softball.

In fact, it could interrupt her softball season any day.

“Two weeks to go,” Murray said, referencing her July 7 deadline for delivery.

Of twin girls.

“The timing’s not the best, but I’m thankful,” said Murray, softball coach at Linn-Mar High School. “We’re blessed to have two (daughters), and we wanted more kids.

“Selfishly, I don’t want to leave the team, but there’s life beyond softball, and I’m grateful to add to our tribe.”

Murray, 35, is in her fifth year coaching at her alma mater; she has fashioned a 113-52 record, including 17-8 this season. At 14-1 in the Mississippi Valley Conference, the Class 5A fifth-ranked Lions hold a 1 1/2-game lead in the Valley Division.

Last year, Linn-Mar advanced to its first state tournament since 2015.

The Lions have remained among the MVC elite despite graduating their entire infield. And Murray is confident the team will roll on after she steps away.

“The girls know what the mission is,” she said. “At the end of the day, they don’t need me here to be successful.

“We’ve talked about this. We’re prepared. My assistants (Maddy Colbert and Megan Weber) have been with me five years. This team works together and supports each other, and that will take them far.”

Sophomore Emily Koranda leads the team in hitting at .436 with four home runs, and owns a 9-4 pitching record with 107 strikeouts.

Now at 36 weeks, Murray has missed two doubleheaders this season.

She was in the third-base coaching box as recently as last week, but has since removed herself from the field of play in favor of the safety of the dugout.

The Lions welcome Dubuque Senior for an MVC cross-division doubleheader tonight, then co-host the Linn-Mar/Alburnett Invitational tournament Friday and Saturday.

It’s a stacked 16-team field, with eight ranked teams. Among the favorites, in addition to Linn-Mar, are 5A No. 4 Muscatine, 4A No. 2 Dallas Center-Grimes and 4A No. 3 Fort Dodge.

The first round starts at 11 a.m. Friday, with the championship scheduled for 3:15 Saturday afternoon.

Regional pairings will be released by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union later this week, and assuming the Lions remain in the top eight of the 5A rankings, it’s likely they will host two regional games.

“There’s a little more pressure this year because we started the season ranked pretty high,” Murray said. “But the girls have stuck to it and fought.”

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com