***Due to wet weather, tonight’s game has been postponed to tomorrow. Game time and location are to be determined.**** Seven innings separate the Highland Huskies baseball team (23-6 overall) from their second ever appearance in the state baseball tournament. The Huskies will make the trek to Solon High School for the Class 1A Subdistrict 5 matchup versus the North Linn Lynx (34-9 overall). The winner will make their second ever trip to the state baseball tournament. North Linn made their state debut last season, while Highland hasn’t made a state appearance in baseball since 1984.

Highland claimed the Class 1A District 10 championship seemingly with ease, outscoring their three district opponents, 29-2, including two shutouts. A factor in the team’s overall success this summer has been Highland’s aggressive base running, stealing 215 bases in 230 attempts. Senior Spencer Wieland and junior Bill Burton are among the top 10 base stealers in the entire state. Wieland’s 53 stolen bases are second most in Iowa, while Burton’s 40 steals are the sixth most.

Defensively, junior Chase Rath is among the top strike out pitchers in the state. His 109 strikeouts are the second most in Class 1A and seventh most in the state regardless of class.

North Linn has posted back-to-back 30-plus win seasons on the diamond, winning 34 of their 43 games played this summer. Freshman Jake Hilmer has been a workhorse on the mound for the Lynxes, posting a team-high 75.2 innings pitched. He posts a record of 13-0 with an earned run average of 0.46 and has a strikeout to walk ratio of nearly 8:1. Hilmer also is the team’s leader in batting average (.467), on base percentage (.530), slugging percentage (.630), doubles (14), and triples (4).

KCII Sports will provide live play-by-play coverage of the Class 1A Substate 5 game beginning with the Washington Hy-Vee Pregame Show at 6:30 p.m. and first pitch is set for 7 p.m. at Solon High School.