Metro Sports Report

Prairie softball ready to rise to a new level

(Editor's Note: This is the fifth in a series of preseason stories about Metro softball teams. Next: Washington)

The theme of Prairie’s softball team this season is “Raise the level” and the Hawks’ senior class is ready to do just that.

Prairie lost just one senior off of last year's 10-18 team and this year’s group of seniors is excited for their final season.

“This year we have six seniors, which is not usual for us because we are normally the underdogs,” said senior Kaitlyn Baetsle.

Hawks Coach Kimi Hynek is looking to that large senior class to lead the way this season.

“We are expecting them to play a pretty big role, both offensively and defensively,” Hynek said. “We are expecting them to lead their team in a lot of ways that most coaches would expect their seniors to lead the team, but we are very lucky to have such a large group of kids coming back.”

Marion faces busy start to baseball season

(Editor's Note: This is the fourth in a series of preseason stories about Metro baseball teams. Next: Prairie)

The Marion Indians, featuring a young pitching staff, will open the 2011 baseball season with five big games in four days next week.

They'll play three games in the Bob Vrbicek Metro Tournament on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, then host Dyersville Beckman in a Wamac Conference doubleheader Thursday.

"With our young pitching staff," Coach Steve Fish cracked, "I'm kind of hoping for some rain."

Garrett Fortner and Dalton Combs, who combined for 14 of Marion's 25 wins last season, graduated. Jake McDonald, who went 4-2 last year, is not playing baseball this season. Neither is Justin Dolly, who made  six appearances for Marion in 2010.

"Instead of having some proven kids on the mound, we'll have to start the year off with some inexperience," Fish said. "But I really like our defense and I really like the way our kids are throwing the ball right now."

Fish will build his staff around junior southpaw Cale Cannoy (5-3, 3.07) and a young group that features five left-handers. He described the development of his pitching staff as "crucial" to the team's success.

Optimistic Marion looks to improve in softball

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Fourth in a series of preseason Metro softball stories. Next: Prairie)

The Marion softball team is optimistic as it gears up for the 2011 season.

The Indians were a little bit disappointed with their season last year, after finishing 4-17 in the Wamac Conference and 11-20 overall.

“We had worked really hard throughout the winter last year, and we had injuries last season that hurt,” Coach Kim Knapp said. “But every game we were in we were close, just one or two runs, so we’ve got to learn how to win.”

The Indians return the core of last season's team, led by lone senior Leah Smith, who received honorable mention all-state honors last season after making the switch from center field to shortstop.  Smith, who batted .361 last season, has committed to play college softball at St. Ambrose.

“She had honors in center field,” Kim Knapp said. “I hate moving kids that have honors in certain areas, but I asked her if she would be willing to move to shortstop and she looked at me and said, ‘Anything you need coach.’ She adapted really well to it and she did a really nice job for us.”

Roloff retiring as Kennedy boys track coach

Dennis Roloff has decided to retire as the Cedar Rapids Kennedy boys track coach after this season. He'll finish his 15th and final year as Kennedy's head coach at the state meet in Des Moines this week.

Roloff planned to make the announcement at the team's annual banquet Tuesday night.

Roloff, 57, decided in January to take early retirement as a teacher from Cedar Rapids Community Schools. He will continue as Kennedy's girls basketball coach next season, but will step down as boys track coach following the state meet.

Roloff said basketball and track are two different sports, one indoors and one outdoors, with different responsibilities. He thinks it would be difficult to coach a track team with 80 to 100 members without being in the school on a regular basis.

Roloff was a state 440-yard champion at Cedar Rapids Jefferson in 1971 and was a champion quarter-miler at the University of Northern Iowa. He's been involved with the sport since he was a seventh grader, either as a runner or coach.

"Track has been my true love my whole life," he said.