Jackson Payne is direct and unafraid to discuss his path of hurt and heartbreak that includes injuries that derailed his University of Iowa career, the deaths of a close friend and his grandfather weeks apart and the uncertainty before he called Kirkwood Coach Todd Rima for another shot at college baseball.
A 2008 Cedar Rapids Washington High graduate, Phil Richmond grew up hearing Polish spoken by his maternal grandparents who had emigrated from Poland in Eastern Europe after World War II. Now 34, Richmond never dreamed he would end up living in Poland and chasing his baseball dreams as a right-handed pitcher and sometimes position player.
Here’s the second edition of Eastern Iowans In The Minors and Majors. It’s a look at Gazette-area players and how they are doing in affiliated professional baseball. Four pitchers are in the majors in Mitch Keller (Pirates), A.J. Puk (Athletics), Keaton Winn (Giants) and Colin Rea (Brewers).
Ashley Smith filled the leadoff spots in high school and for travel club teams. After a year of getting acclimated to college softball, she’s back in that role for Mount Mercy.
Cornell baseball coach Robbie Dombrowski challenged Kale Rose in the offseason to become more of a leader. He has responded and the versatile contributor has helped the Rams contend for a postseason berth.
Area softball Super Ten (2024 preseason): Reigning Class 3A state champion Williamsburg opens on top.
If there was a project that needed a little help, a program that needed a boost or a person in need, Bill Quinby was the person to contact. Quinby died in his sleep Saturday morning at the age of 92.
Here is the first 2024 edition of Eastern Iowans in Professional Baseball. This is a list of guys from Eastern Iowa or the University of Iowa playing in the major leagues or affiliated minor league baseball. There are four big leaguers right now in pitchers Mitch Keller (Pirates), Keaton Winn (Giants), Colin Rea (Brewers) and A.J. Puk (Marlins).
Marcus Morgan was a four-sport athlete at Iowa City West High School. He could have played Division I in basketball, football or baseball. But Iowa baseball coach Rick Heller ultimately won the multi-sport recruiting war, and Morgan is coming off his best starting pitching performance of the season last weekend at Ohio State.
Kirkwood’s Grace Zaugg displays resilience in softball while her biggest fan fights cancer to cheer her on. Her mother has been ‘Shelly Strong’ after a brain tumor was discovered in November.
Kirkwood’s Sailor Hall leads the team in starts, innings pitched and wins. She closed the Eagles’ softball doubleheader sweep against Southeastern Thursday at home, throwing a shutout for her ninth win of the season.
Coe’s roster consists of seven fifth-year seniors. Many returned from last year’s NCAA Division III World Series team to make one more postseaosn run together.
Kirkwood’s Peyton Johnson tallied three hits with a home run and double, drove in five runs and scored twice, including the game-winning run on Sailor Hall’s double for a walk-off 9-8 victory against Iowa Lakes in the opener of a softball doubleheader.
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