Talent, hard work and camaraderie pay dividends for Sigourney baseball

Sigourney is enjoying one of its best baseball seasons.

The talent, the hard work and the team’s camaraderie have yielded success on the field.

“They’re here to play ball,” Coach Lee Crawford said. “I’ve told them it’s their team. The coaching staff is here to make them better and keep them on track. At the end of the day, it’s their efforts and their team to make it all happen. It’s been a great year for them.”

Sigourney earned the top seed in Class 1A District 12, which begins play Saturday, and has a chance to reach a rare win plateau for the program. The Savages landed at No. 8 in the final Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 1A rankings.

“I feel like we’re a pretty competitive team, a tough team,” Crawford said. “You kind of felt that was coming because we had a lot come back.

“We really lost one starter. We had good leadership. We feel we have a good thing going.”

Sigourney possessed a 17-3 mark before Wednesday’s game against Wilton.

“Everyone has been contributing,” Sigourney’s Caden Clarahan said. “We’ve just all put it together.”

The potential was evident early. Most of the roster and starting lineup returned from last year’s 18-7 team. Proof of progress is in the proverbial pudding. Sigourney beat state qualifier Pella Christian, 3A Davis County and Iowa City Regina to avenge losses from a year ago.

Senior Reid Molyneux said the 9-4 victory over Regina, which ended Sigourney’s 2023 season in the district semifinals, shows the Savages’ strides.

“Confidence is a big thing,” Molyneux said. “We were pretty young last year. Now that we have another year of experience under our belt, I think that has helped us a lot. We’ve been really confident at the plate. We’ve been confident in our fielding abilities. I think that is one of the biggest differences this year compared to other years.

“We’ve been working really hard. Everything is just coming together right now.”

Crawford noted that all but a few players were involved in track and field, golf, soccer or trapshooting in the spring. The team worked out in March, having to work around spring sports in April. They came together in May and started to build strong bonds. Crawford encouraged them to hang out together to be more unified on the field.

“Good teammates are nice to have,” Clarahan said. “It makes the game fun to play. We just come out, have fun and whatever happens happens.”

For Molyneux, this season has a special meaning. Baseball has been the only sport he has played in his senior year. Normally a multisport athlete, Molyneux missed the football and wrestling seasons due to a knee injury suffered during a college football camp in the offseason. He had to tirelessly work through rehabilitation on ligaments and a meniscus to get cleared for baseball.

It was well worth all the sweat to salvage a last season.

“Watching everything go by and finally being able to compete again is fun,” said Molyneux, who is second on the team with a .397 batting average and .562 on-base percentage. “I’m holding nothing back. I’m going all out, doing what I can while I can. It only lasts so long and for it to be cut – two-thirds of my sports during senior year – it feels good to get out and compete again.

“It’s a long process. I knew I could make it for baseball and that was the goal. I worked hard to get there and it’s been pretty good so far.”

Sigourney has reached 17 wins for the fourth straight season thanks to a potent offense that scores 9.8 runs per game and pitching that holds foes under four runs a game. The Savages have their eyes set on 20 wins, a feat that hasn’t been achieved since a 22-win 2010. They also had 21 in 2008. Sigourney would have to reach the district or substate final to get there.

“It’s a big goal,” Clarahan said. “Only two other teams have done it, so it would be nice to get those 20 wins.”

Clarahan has emerged as a leader for this group. He has team-highs in hits (32), home runs (5), RBIs (36), batting average (.582), on-base percentage (.689) and total bases (54). Clarahan is also 4-1 on the mound with a 1.50 earned-run average and 48 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched.

Clarahan embraces his role on the team.

“I’d like to see my batting average go up a little more for the postseason,” Clarahan said. “On the mound, I’ve been trying to throw a lot of strikes and I have been, so that’s nice. I’ve just been throwing a lot of strikes and hitting the ball.

“I’m just trying to keep kids in the game. Make everybody want to win.”

Sigourney begins the postseason at home against English Valleys. The No. 1 seed can come with confidence or pressure. The Savages are concentrating on the game and nothing on the periphery. They are only concerned with the next game, maintaining their offense, accurate pitching and clean fielding.

“It’s just a number for us,” Clarahan said. “I don’t think a whole lot of people look at it. It is a little boost to know you’re doing well and we just need to keep doing well.”

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