Lynx land 3 first-team, 3 second-team all-NCC baseball spots
Davis a repeat selection to top team; Hibbing and Nelson join himBy Troy Banning, DFJ Sports Editor
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WEBSTER CITY - A third-place finish in the North Central Conference translated into three spots on the league's first-team for the Webster City baseball team, it was learned when the all-conference selections were released this week.
A trio of juniors - Kyle Hibbing (catcher), Alex Davis (infield) and Brent Nelson (utility) - received the high praise from the conference coaches. Hibbing and Davis were both unanimous picks.
Three other Webster City players - junior Ryan Vande Zande (infield) and seniors Sean Biggins (outfield) and Zach Perkovich (utility) - were named to the second-team.
Davis - a repeat first-team member - led the Lynx with a .404 batting average, including a .455 mark in conference contests. One of the toughest outs in the NCC, he ripped seven doubles and two home runs to go along with 23 runs batted in and 38 runs scored. His keen eye for the strike zone led to 48 walks on the season, a conference-high.
Hibbing hit at a .439 clip in 18 conference games and .394 overall on the season. He led Webster City in RBI with 37, scored 31 runs and ripped four dingers.
Hibbing was also dangerous from his position behind the plate. He threw out 20 attempted base stealers in the league and 30 overall.
Nelson touched home plate 35 times to go along with a .369 batting average (.431 in the NCC). And on the mound he was a solid 7-3 with two saves and a 4.38 earned run average. He went 4-2 in the conference.
Vande Zande ripped a pair of home runs and a team-high 14 doubles, 10 of which came in conference play. The third basemen who hit No. 3 in the Lynx order finished the year with a .336 batting average (.379 in NCC), 27 RBI and 34 runs scored.
Biggins - a first-team all-NCC honoree in 2007 - batted .355 during his senior campaign with two home runs, 12 doubles, 19 runs scored and 28 RBI.
Perkovich helped Webster City with his bat, his glove and his pitching arm. He belted a team-high six homers to go along with 34 RBI and 32 runs scored. He hit .340 overall and .328 in the conference.
Perkovich also went 2-2 on the mound in league action.
Conference champion Fort Dodge St. Edmond garnered a league-high five first-team spots, one more than runner-up Eagle Grove.
Other unanimous selections included Ryan Lynn (pitcher) and Jon Morris (infield) of Eagle Grove; Joey Flattery (pitcher) of St. Edmond; Levi Miller (infield) of Humboldt; Chris Gelhaus (outfield) of Algona Bishop Garrigan; and Justin Uhlenhopp (outfield) of Clear Lake.
All-district teams
The Iowa Baseball Coaches Association announced its all-district teams this week and 10 area players were honored.
Hibbing and Davis were first-team Class 3A selections in the Central District, while Vande Zande and Biggins were placed on the second-team.
In 2A, South Hamilton senior outfielder Bret Bell snapped up one of the first-team spots in the Central District. Bell hit over .400 this season to lead the Hawks to the district final for the first time since 1991.
Northeast Hamilton put five players on the 1A Central District all-district squads. Noah Rapp (pitcher), Jordan Anderson (catcher), Darren Holtkamp (infield) and Lucas Mechaelsen (outfield) were first-team picks. Zac Seaman (outfield) landed on the second-team.
The Trojans' four first-teamers are all seniors, as they led the program to the state tournament for the first time in 17 years. Northeast Hamilton was defeated by Mason City Newman, 5-1, on Monday in a quarterfinal-round game.
