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HOW ABOUT A NCC 4-PEAT?

Lynx return plenty of talent to contend in league again

Right-handed pitcher Zach Dyvig went 5-0 with a 0.85 ERA a season ago. He’ll be Webster City’s most seasoned pitcher this summer. DFJ file photo/Troy Banning

WEBSTER CITY — Adison Kehoe carries himself with a swagger and it moves over into his voice as he talks about his Webster City baseball program that has won four of the past five North Central Conference championships, including the last three in succession.

He’s heard the whispers. He knows there are some people who think that this is the summer where the Lynx finally fall back to reality. And what’s his response to that theory?

“You go ahead, you find your nine (players), I’ll find my nine, and we’ll see what happens after seven innings,” Kehoe, who will embark on his sixth season as the WCHS head coach on Tuesday against Eagle Grove, said. “I don’t know if you’d call us the favorite (in the NCC), but I’ll just say that I’m confident with my nine.”

WCHS is coming off the near dream season — a 26-2 record, a perfect 14-0 in the NCC that stretched the program’s league winning streak to 22 and a spot in a Class 3A substate final. That’s where it crashed back to Earth though — a 9-3, 9-inning loss to Waverly-Shell Rock with the program’s first state bid in 14 years on the line.

There are plenty of talented veterans that will return with something to prove, but there are also plenty of holes to plug. One of those holes is actually a crater.

WCHS catcher Devon Stoakes shows the ball to the umpire after tagging out a runner at the plate during a game last season. He’s a two-time first-team all-NCC catcher. DFJ file photo/Troy Banning

How do you replace multiple-time all-state pitcher Tyler Olson, who went 27-1 with a 0.63 ERA and just 16 earned runs allowed in 181 innings of work over his career?

You don’t.

The same could be said for graduated all-NCC players Chase Rattenborg, Sean Carver and Trey Lyons.

“You can’t ever replace a senior class,” Kehoe, who is 94-27 overall and 55-7 inside the NCC since he took the reins in 2017, said. “So this year is going to be a little different. But I’ve got some bulldogs, and I have put more pressure on them in practice than they’ll actually feel in a game. These guys are out to prove themselves.”

Unanimous first-team all-NCC selections Devon Stoakes (catcher), Ty McKinney (shortstop and third base) and CJ Hisler (outfield) all return. So does second-team outfielder Connor Hanson and third-team pitcher Zach Dyvig.

WCHS junior Ty McKinney celebrates a home run as he reaches third base during a game against Humboldt last summer. DFJ file photo/Troy Banning

Add in talented sophomores like Keegan Hisler and Briar Klaver, likely starters on any NCC team not named WCHS a season ago, and eager players like Josh Griep, Josh Stansfield, Brady Asklund and Jaxon Cherry into the mix, and Kehoe sees a group that can compete.

CJ Hisler was an all-state talent last summer, as he hit .462 with a pair of home runs and 38 RBIs. McKinney hit at a .418 clip and Stoakes put up a .344 average. Hanson didn’t have the type of year he wanted offensively, but he bashed a team-high three home runs and there wasn’t a better defensive center fielder in the league.

Dyvig will be asked to carry a heavy burden on the mound. He went 5-0 with a 0.85 ERA and 47 strikeouts a season ago.

“This is a fun group,” Kehoe said. “Last year we were probably individually a better team, but in the sense of team itself, this group is a lot more cohesive. We have three kids that have been starters since the eighth grade, so they’ve been around and they know what it takes. They’re up for the challenge.”

The pitching staff will certainly be inexperienced though, and with a beefed up schedule — 31 regular season games in 46 days — Kehoe knows it’s going to be tricky to navigate all of the potential potholes. In addition to Dyvig, McKinney and Stoakes could see extended innings on the mound for the first time. Keegan Hisler and Klaver, both lefties, threw heavy junior varsity innings a season ago and will be asked to step up to the next level this summer.

“Zach has established himself as one of the better pitchers in the conference, and Keegan and Briar are lefties that are vastly different,” Kehoe said. “Keegan throws some heavy stuff, and then you have Briar who throws spitball-type stuff. It’s very difficult to barrel that kid.

“We are not a staff this year that is going to ride one kid for seven innings. In my eyes, the majority of our games will be a platoon, and that will come with some successes and I’m sure some growing pains. Our defense is meant to work this year too. That will make us go from being an OK team to a very good team.”

Clear Lake and Humboldt will certainly be difficult challenges, and they’ll look to end the Lynx run atop the conference. Algona is the last team to beat WCHS inside the conference on July 8, 2019, and Hampton-Dumont/CAL can sneak into the conversation as well.

A look at Webster City’s 2022 regular season schedule that gets started Monday night.

May 17 — Eagle Grove

May 18 — Ballard

May 20 — at Bodurant-Farrar

May 21 — at Algona Garrigan (2 games)

May 23 — Carroll Kuemper

May 24 — at Fort Dodge

May 25 — at Newell-Fonda

May 27 — at Humboldt

May 31 — Storm Lake

June 1 — Clear Lake

June 3 — Clarion-Goldfield-Dows

June 6 — at Algona

June 7 — Saydel

June 8 — St. Edmond

June 9 — Pocahontas Area

June 10 — at Hampton-Dumont/CAL

June 13 — at Iowa Falls-Alden

June 15 — Humboldt

June 16 — at West Marshall

June 17 — Boone

June 18 — at Council Bluffs St. Albert (2 games)

June 20 — at Clear Lake

June 22 — Hampton-Dumont/CAL

June 23 — at Carroll

June 24 — Algona

June 27 — at Clarion-Goldfield-Dows

June 28 — Nevada

June 29 — at St. Edmond

July 1 — Iowa Falls-Alden

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