Waukee High School

Waukee and Waukee Northwest will face off in their doubleheader on Thursday. Holding the third and fourth spots in the CIML conference and only being separated by one game, a sweep by either team is very important for staying in the race at the top of the standings. The Wolves have rebounded well from the 7-0 loss to the Warriors at the end of May, going 6-4 in their last 10 games. The key will be finding consistency in all phases of the game, being that three of the four losses have come by ten or more runs. Northwest will be relying on seniors Sam Johnson and Brady Walton to continue producing along with junior Tanner Jackson, who leads the team in home runs. The team will need to find consistency in the starting pitching staff and find at least one other starter to deliver consistent performances outside of Chuck Berdovich and Chris Peterson. The Warriors were rolling with ten straight victories from late May into early June, but they have hit a rough patch recently losing four of their last six games. The bats seem to have reheated in the last three games scoring a total of 19 runs and they have a chance to kick off another streak against Dowling on Wednesday. With 5 players hitting over .300, Waukee certainly has the firepower to end the season on top. Stay in the Zone for the results of this highly anticipated clash! Photo Credited to: Instagram @ginniecolemanphotography

With excellent facilities and a head coach with over 600 victories in his career, Coach Dirkx will be looking to take his team over the postseason hump. Waukee has been unable to move past the first round since 2017, when the Warriors lost to Johnston High School in the 4A semifinals. Maintaining hot bats throughout the season will be key, as in the teams’ last 4 playoff appearances the offense has only scored 3 runs. First Baseman Hayden Anderson has been highlighted as a key player that will bring power and stability on the mound and the bat. Stay in the Zone as Waukee starts a new journey to reach greater heights than ever before!