Brockshus finally learned about his record

WILLIAMSBURG - Lloyd Brockshus tied the all-time record for the most strikeouts in a state championship game when he whiffed 15 batters for Williamsburg High School against Council Bluffs Jefferson.

That was in 1962. He learned about the record nearly 30 years later.

Brockshus went on a road trip for the insurance company he was working for in Des Moines in the early 1990's and when he returned to his office there was a copy of the program from the Iowa state baseball tournament that year with a note to turn to page so-and-so.

And there, in black and white, it listed Lloyd Brockshus of Williamsburg as one of the record-holders for most K's in a championship game.

"I couldn't believe it, to be honest with you," Brockshus said recently. "I absolutely could not believe it."

The 15 strikeouts in a championship game is still the state record, now held by six pitchers. One of the record-holders is Bill Drummond, who fanned 15 batters for Council Bluffs Jefferson against Williamsburg in that same championship game in Boone.

That's right. Brockshus AND Drummond both struck out 15 batters that day, giving them the record for most combined strikeouts by two pitchers in the state finals.

Unfortunately for Brockshus, the Williamsburg ballclub lost the finals to Council Bluffs Jefferson 2-0 on a seeing-eye, two-run single by Tom Zimmerman in the third inning.

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Sueppel, Czerwiec win IVL awards

Nick Sueppel of the Williamsburg Red Sox and Austin Czerwiec of the Cedar Rapids Stars have won the top awards in the Iowa Valley League this season.

Sueppel, an outstanding catcher, has been named the Most Valuable Player in the league after helping the Red Sox claim their first IVL title since 1977. He also helped Williamsburg capture the IABA state title on Sunday.

Sueppel, from Iowa City, began his college baseball career at Johnson County Community College and has transferred to Mount Mercy University this year as a junior.

Czerwiec, from Muscatine, has been named the Outstanding Pitcher in the Iowa Valley League for the second straight year. The Mount Mercy grad compiled a 7-2 record in 2018.

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Red Sox claim first IABA title in 30 years

NORWAY - Lloyd Brockshus, the 73-year-old patriarch of the Williamsburg Red Sox, has promised his players they'll have swanky new uniforms when they take the field in 2019.

The grimy old uniforms went out in style.

The Red Sox put an exclamation point on their magical campaign Sunday by winning the IABA state tournament for the first time since 1988 by winning a pair of games at famed Norway Field.

Just two weeks ago, the Red Sox captured their first Iowa Valley League championship since 1977 on the final day of the regular season.

Williamsburg blanked Walford, 10-0, in the final game of the annual tournament Sunday to finish a season for the ages.

"Finally!" yelled Brockshus as he accepted the handsome championship trophy, punching the air with a clenched fist.

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4 IVL teams scrambling for IABA title

NORWAY - The Norway Bandits have thrown the IABA state tournament into a mad scramble for the title.

The Bandits upset Williamsburg, 8-7, Saturday night in a wild ballgame that ended under the Musco lights in Norway, handing the Red Sox their first loss in the tournament.

Four Iowa Valley League teams are still alive in the state meet and all four teams have one loss in the double-elimination event, setting up a free-for-all Sunday for the crown in Norway.

Williamsburg (2-1) will face Red Top (4-1) in the first semifinal at 1 p.m., with Norway (4-1) meeting Walford (3-1) in the other semifinal at 3 p.m.

The winners will collide at 5 p.m. for the 2018 IABA state title.

Williamsburg won the IVL championship this year while Norway finished in last place, but that did not matter Saturday night in the fourth and final game at Norway.

The Red Sox jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, but the Bandits responded with a five-spot of their own in the third inning with the big blow a two-run homer by Riley Braughton.

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