Hawks unplug in preparation for regional final

No Twitter. No Facebook. No Instagram.

Joe Yegge has mandated that his Cedar Rapids Prairie softball team tuck into a social-media cocoon as it awaits Tuesday's Class 5A regional-final softball showdown with No. 3 Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

'I told them to stay away from their phones, from all social media,” Yegge said. 'I just want them focusing on each other, the 21 of them, until (Tuesday) is over.”

Four Metro teams take their shots at the state tournament. The Prairie-Jefferson matchup - at 7 p.m. at Larry Niemeyer Field - is the lone Metro-vs.-Metro matchup.

'It's going to be a great matchup,” J-Hawks Coach Brian Erbe said. 'We've been getting better, and we know how good Prairie is.

'We've talked to the kids a lot about situational hitting. A base hit or a ground ball in the third inning is just as important as something at the end. It could win the game for us.”

Prairie (27-11) earned the MVC Mississippi Division championship, its first divisional title since 1988. The Hawks were a softball afterthought before Yegge climbed aboard in 2013. They reached their first state tournament that year and have remained a salty program since.

'Everybody knows about Jefferson's tradition,” Yegge said. 'We're trying to build our own tradition.”

Jefferson is chasing its 22nd state-tournament appearance, including its third in a row after a four-year absence.

J-Hawks catcher Maddie Hansen (.508, 19 doubles, 11 home runs, 46 RBIs) has committed to play for Yegge next season at Kirkwood Community College. Yegge coaches Kirkwood in the spring, Prairie in the summer.

In other regional finals involving Metro teams Tuesday, Linn-Mar (24-17) faces Davenport West (18-18) at Cedar Rapids Kennedy in 5A and Marion (22-14) meets Pella (20-13) at Oskaloosa in 4A.

Marion and Pella both pulled regional-final surprises. The Indians blanked No. 15 Cedar Rapids Xavier, 1-0, while Pella shocked No. 2 Indianola, 4-0.

No. 4 Iowa City West (34-5) escaped an upset bid by Cedar Rapids Washington in the regional semifinals, scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Women of Troy host Ankeny (20-21) in 5A.

West Delaware (25-14) is at 10th-rated Waverly-Shell Rock (33-5) in a 4A contest. The Hawks are chasing their fourth trip to state in five years.

PREP SOFTBALL: TUESDAY'S REGIONAL FINALS

No. 3 CEDAR RAPIDS JEFFERSON (34-7) vs. CEDAR RAPIDS PRAIRIE (27-11), Class 5A Region 3

* Time and site: 7 p.m., at Niemeyer Field, Jefferson H.S.

* Overview: This is a rematch of a Mississippi Valley Conference double-header June 17, which the teams split. Prairie earned its first Mississippi Valley Conference divisional title in 27 years, capturing the Mississippi Division crown. Jefferson was second to Iowa City West in the Valley Division. Jefferson catcher Maddie Hansen (.508, 19 doubles, 11 homers, 46 RBIs) will play for Joe Yegge next season at Kirkwood Community College. Yegge also is the Prairie coach. Hansen is one of four J-Hawks hitting .470 or better. Likely pitchers are Alyssa Olson of Jefferson (17-4, 1.29 ERA) against Natalie Halvorson (21-6, 1.33) for Prairie.

LINN-MAR (24-17) vs. DAVENPORT WEST (18-18), Class 5A Region 4

* Time and site: 7 p.m., at C.R. Kennedy

* Overview: Linn-Mar was a state-tournament regular in the 2000s, making five trips in a six-year span that ended in 2008. The Lions are seeking their first trip since. Maddy Ryan is 18-10 on the mound with a 2.26 ERA and is hitting .358. Elison Ollinger leads the team in hitting at .419 with 31 RBIs. John Begley is in his second year at Linn-Mar; he has taken six teams to state (four at Solon, two at Jesup), and his Solon team won a championship in 2003. West pulled a minor regional-semifinal upset, knocking off No. 10 Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 4-0, to reach the .500 mark. Rachel Stewart is hitting .437 for the Falcons.

No. 4 IOWA CITY WEST (34-5) vs. ANKENY (20-21), Class 5A Region 6

* Time and site: 7 p.m., at Iowa City West

* Overview: West escaped a serious upset bid by Cedar Rapids Washington in the regional semifinals, scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh for a 6-5 victory. Grace Tafolla won it with a two-run single. The Women of Troy were the overall champions of the Mississippi Valley Conference with a 24-2 mark. They'll chase their second state-tournament bid (the first was in 2012). Taleah Smith is hitting .477 and is tied for third in the state with 52 steals. Adara Opiola is batting .443 with a team-high 52 RBIs. Jessie Harder and Laynie Whitehead provide an excellent pitching tandem. Peyton Daugherty is hitting .530 with 39 runs for Ankeny.

WEST DELAWARE (25-14) vs. No. 10 WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK (33-5), Class 4A Region 3

* Time and site: 7 p.m., at Waverly

* Overview: This is a regional-final rematch from last year, when West Delaware prevailed, 2-1, and eventually finished sixth at state. The Hawks were hovering around the .500 mark for the first half of the season, but have won 15 of their last 20, including a 13-6 victory over Western Dubuque in the regional semis. Athlete of the Year runner-up Emily Thole is hitting .492 with 44 runs and 50 stolen bases. Waverly-Shell Rock captured in the Northeast Iowa Conference title and is led by the power of Andrea Groen, who has hit 12 home runs and driven in 38 runs.

MARION (22-14) vs. PELLA (20-13), Class 4A Region 6

* Time and site: 7 p.m., at Oskaloosa

* Overview: A pair of regional-semifinal surprises has produced an unlikely regional-final matchup. Marion tripped No. 15 Cedar Rapids Xavier, 1-0, behind a four-hit shutout by Alicia Steepleton. Pella pulled an outright shocker, 4-0 over No. 2 Indianola. Marion exhibits a lineup full of youth. Junior Haley Dullea leads the team at .341 with 29 runs, but the next two highest averages belong to eighth-graders Sydney Nielsen and Maddie Knapp. Nielsen has driven in 39 runs. The Indians, seeking their first trip to state since 1999, will have their hands full with Pella junior Sara Tallman, who hits .636 with 40 runs and 52 stolen bases.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com