Local News

Metro prep baseball: Who's the best?

Question: Who has the best high school baseball team in the Metro area this year?

Answer: It depends on the day.

It's been a topsy-turvy season in the Metro, with several different teams staking their claim to "No.1 in the Metro" during the course of the year.

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Schillig remembers the tough, glorious grind

She was the girl who just wanted to prove herself — prove that she could beat her brother, prove that great tennis players do come from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

At first, Micki Schillig didn’t especially care for tennis. In her view, she didn’t have the natural talent her brother possessed. But she was driven, and she had the physical gifts and family support that enabled her to climb to the highest stages in her sport — major international tournaments including the U.S. Open and Wimbledon.

Thirty years later, from her place in the small pantheon of Cedar Rapids natives who have made it to the professional level in their respective sports, she looks back with a mixture of gratitude and regret. And when she cheers for her 8-year-old son at his baseball games, she sometimes wants to warn the over-ambitious parents surrounding her to be careful what they wish for.

“Just being average is sometimes better,” she says with a knowing smile.

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Fitzgerald makes PGA Championship field

Appropriately enough, it was a Wednesday when Caine Fitzgerald faced the most significant and pressure-packed challenge of his golf career.

He had spent many Wednesdays in northeast Cedar Rapids, competing in what is called The Wednesday Game at St. Andrews Golf Club. The game has drawn upwards of 50 players each week. It involves an entry fee, fierce competition and sometimes some significant side bets.

“I’ve said many times those days at St. Andrews prepared me as much as anything for tournament golf,’’ Fitzgerald said.

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Baseball tourney pairings announced

The Iowa High School Athletic Association released the pairings for the postseason baseball tournaments in Class 3A and 4A on Tuesday and four Metro teams got first-round home dates.

Xavier got the top seed in substate 3 and will host No.6 seed Waterloo East when the Class 4A tournament opens on July 19. Prairie is the No.2 seed in the same substate and the Hawks will host No.5 seed Waterloo West.

Linn-Mar is the No.2 seed in substate 6 and the Lions will host Washington. Third-seeded Kennedy will host Iowa City High. Sixth-seeded Jefferson travels to No.1 seeded Iowa City West.

The highest remaining seed in each substate after the first round gets a bye into the substate finals.

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