Xavier Softball

Xavier at No.7 in 1st softball rankings

Xavier is the only Metro team to appear in the initial Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union softball rankings that were released Wednesday.

The Saints are ranked No.7 in Class 4A.

Only one Mississippi Valley Conference school - Dubuque Senior - is ranked in the top 10 in Class 5A.

Xavier is the only other MVC school in the polls.

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Saints sweep Cougars in Price's debut

Xavier opened the Nikki Price Era with a pair of softball wins Tuesday at Kennedy.

The Saints got a pair of home runs from Erin Drahozal and whipped Kennedy twice, 6-1 and 11-2, in an MVC doubleheader.

Price was coaching her first games as Xavier coach. She took over when Brian Erbe left after last season to take the Jefferson position.

Drahozal belted a three-run homer in the opener, then hit a second homer and picked up the win as pitcher in the nightcap.

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Nikki Price named Xavier softball coach

Xavier High School stayed within its softball family to pick a new head coach.

Nikki Price, an assistant with the Saints for eight years, will succeed Brian Erbe as head coach, the school announced Tuesday.

Erbe resigned at Xavier this summer to become the new softball coach at Jefferson, where he works as a school administrator.

Price served as Xavier's interim head coach this past season while Erbe recovered from heart surgery.

Price played softball at Kirkwood Community College and Minnesota State. She is currently a graduate student at Graceland University and plans to complete her studies in December.

"Nikki has been a big part of the success that Xavier has accomplished in softball over the past eight seasons," Xavier athletic director Mike Winker stated in a press release. "I believe it was important for our program at this time to keep a philosophical continuity for the athletes.

"She has earned the opportunity to direct the Xavier softball program. I look forward to working with Nikki as she brings her own ideas to making our program even better."

Erbe named softball coach at Jefferson

Brian Erbe is the new softball coach at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, it was announced Tuesday.

Erbe had been the softball coach at Cedar Rapids Xavier. He succeeds Larry Niemeyer, whose contract was not renewed following the 2012 season.

Erbe, a 1972 Jefferson grad, is an at-risk facilitator at Jefferson, where he has coached football and basketball. He also was a softball assistant for Niemeyer before taking the Xavier job 10 years ago.

Jefferson was 36-6 but lost in the regional finals for the third straight season. The J-Hawks graduated six players from that club.

Xavier was 24-18. Erbe, 58, did not coach the team because of a heart attack he suffered in May. He told Iowa Prep Sports that he has been given a clean bill of health to resume coaching.