116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Surging Beckman is on the cusp of a River Valley North softball championship
Blazers have won 10 of their last 11, and appear worthy of a Class 2A ranking
Jun. 25, 2025 12:17 pm, Updated: Jun. 25, 2025 12:58 pm
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
Keep this up, and the Dyersville Beckman softball team is soon to be ranked.
And crowned.
Winners of 10 of their last 11 games, the Blazers (18-9 overall, 9-1 River Valley North Division) are closing in on a divisional championship.
“We’ve been on a hot streak,” Coach Amber Boeckenstedt said. “We’re playing good softball. I hope we can keep it up.”
The championship math has become simple. Win one game of Thursday’s home doubleheader against Anamosa (7-15, 6-2), and the Blazers are guaranteed at least a share of the divisional title.
Win both, and they are outright champions.
Beckman moved into first place with a sweep of Cascade (12-6, 6-2) — currently ranked No. 7 in Class 2A — last Thursday.
The Blazers are unranked by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, but are currently slotted at No. 8 in the Varsity Bound 2A power ratings.
“Sometimes, it’s a good thing to be the underdog. There’s no pressure with that,” said Boeckenstedt, a 2017 Beckman alum who played at Clarke College and is in her fourth year coaching her alma mater.
“I told the girls, we’ve just got to keep playing the way we are.”
Beckman won’t overwhelm you statistically. The Blazers have only one .400 hitter (freshman Maggie Cassidy), but four others are at .300-plus.
Sophomores Claire Karcher (9-4, 3.47 ERA) and Hannah Schlichte (8-5, 4.52) handle the bulk of the pitching duties.
“It’s the little things that we’ve done well,” Boeckenstedt said. “The kids are picking each other up. Nobody is standing out individually, but the whole lineup is chipping in.”
In their recent run, the Blazers have played six games decided by two runs or less. They’ve won five.
As a result, they’re on track for their first winning season since 2019.
“We’re heading in the right direction,” Bockenstedt said.
16 teams, one fantastic field ...
The only issue with the Linn-Mar/Alburnett tournament, on an annual basis, is the weather. Rain routinely plays a role.
If it stays dry this weekend, the 16-team event figures to be a dandy.
Twelve teams are ranked, including 4A No. 1 Cedar Rapids Xavier and 5A No. 2 Linn-Mar, which could collide in the semifinals.
Other top contenders include 5A No. 7 Pleasant Valley, the reigning big-school state champion, along with 4A No. 3 Dallas Center-Grimes and 5A No. 3 Johnston.
The tournament begins at 11 a.m. Friday, with two diamonds working at both Oak Ridge Middle School in Marion and the Martin Sports Complex in Alburnett.
Semifinals are scheduled for 11:45 a.m. Saturday at Oak Ridge, with the title game set for 3:15 p.m.
... and then, a manic Monday
Three Monday matchups will go a long way toward determining divisional championships.
* Cedar Rapids Xavier (26-1 overall, 19-1 MVC) travels across town to face Linn-Mar (21-2, 16-1), with the Mississippi Division lead on the line.
* Two-time defending Class 3A champion Williamsburg (20-5, 15-1) goes to Tiffin — it’s not Oxford anymore, remember — for a Wamac Conference showdown with Clear Creek Amana (16-5, 11-1).
* River Valley Conference South Division contenders West Liberty (12-4, 7-0) and Durant (12-8, 5-0) play two biggies in two days: Monday at Durant, Tuesday at West Liberty.
Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com
Daily Newsletters