Three players in Week 1, three more players in Week 2.
That's the score so far as college softball players begin to register for the Metro Sports Report summer league that will begin operations next year.
Lexi Kinnaird of Kirkwood, Maddy Ryan of Coe and Mallory McArtor of Coe are the three latest players to enroll in the program. They join Tianna Drahn of Northern Iowa, Erin Kuba of Indian Hills Community College and Peyton Baskerville of Mount Mercy.
That makes six players to join the league since we announced the new program just two weeks ago.
(CLICK HERE TO REGISTER)
Kinnaird, who played at Clear Creek Amana High School, helped the Kirkwood Eagles finish fifth at the junior college national tournament last season as a freshman as one of their star pitchers.
Ryan, who starred at Linn-Mar High School as a pitcher and outfielder, is now a sophomore at Coe. She received all-state honors in high school and is pitching and chasing fly balls for the Kohawks.
McArtor was an all-state shortstop at Mid-Prairie High School and helped the Golden Hawks finish 5th, 3rd, 6th and 5th at the state tournament during her career. She's now a senior at Coe and would like to continue playing after she finishes her career with the Kohawks this spring.
Kuba, who was an all-state third baseman at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, is now a freshman at Indian Hills. Drahn, who was an all-state center fielder at Kennedy, is a freshman at UNI. And Baskerville, who was an all-conference catcher at Kennedy, is a freshman at Mount Mercy.
Anyone who is currently playing softball at a college in Iowa is eligible for the summer league. So are all Iowans who are currently playing at an out-of-state college.
The league has already attracted players from an NCAA Division I school (UNI), an NCAA Division III school (Coe), an NAIA program (Mount Mercy) and junior colleges (Kirkwood and Indian Hills). Players from all levels will be able to test their skills in a friendly environment.
The league will be held on 10 consecutive Sundays in 2017, from May 28 through July 30. There will be doubleheaders each Sunday at Kirkwood and Coe for a 20-game season.
The goal is to enroll 64 players and assign them to four teams, based on competitive balance.
The registration fee is $100, but confidential scholarships are available. All you have to do is ask.
To register in the summer league, simply click on the link that accompanies this story. The entire registration process can be done on-line, or you may print the registration form and mail it in.
Please contact Metro Sports Report president Jim Ecker at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.
The four gold medal sponsors for the summer softball league are Ironside Apparel, Emil's Hideaway restaurant, Construction Materials and the Barracudas AAU softball program. Play It Again Sports of Cedar Rapids is a silver medal sponsor.
