The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk baseball and softball teams are home for the first time on the young season Monday when they welcome the West Branch Bears to Wellman and Kalona. The Mid-Prairie baseball team is 1-0 on the year after a 4-3 win in Muscatine over the Class 4A Muskies Tuesday. The Hawks were led in the game by Brock Harland with a pair of hits and two RBI. Collin Miller recorded the win on the hill going three innings in his start and Cain Brown recorded a six out save. The Golden Hawks are ranked No. 3 in Class 2A in the first poll of the season from the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association. The West Branch Bears are on the diamond for the first time this year. They were 5-26 a season ago. They hit .250 as a team, scoring just under four runs per game. On the mound they posted a 6.13 team ERA and.310 opponent batting average against. They return their top five hitters by the numbers led by Lucas Pierce with a team best .382 average to go along with 18RBI and 13 runs scored. Pierce was also the ERA leader last year at 1.06 in 33 innings with a 2-1 record, giving up 21 hits and striking out 54. The Golden Hawks swept the doubleheader between these two last year by 9-7 and 13-3 scores and have won 12 of the last 15 in the series.

The Golden Hawk girls open the season tonight when they welcome the Bears to Kalona. Mid-Prairie was 10-30 a season ago, 7-12 in the River Valley. They hit .311 as a team with 196 runs scored, just under five per game. Defensively, they posted 6.91 team ERA and .368 opponent batting average against. Mid-Prairie returns their top four hitters from last year led by Dakota Mitchell who hit .381 as an eighth grader with 22 runs scored and 22 RBI. Also back are Hannah Sellers, Katelyn Schneider and DeLanee Patterson who all hit .333 or better. In the circle, Mid-Prairie has to replace senior Myah Lugar and her 156 innings. Dawsyn Miller has the most experience after turning in a junior year with 58 innings, a 3-9 record and 6.31 ERA. West Branch was 16-17 a season ago 11-8 in the River Valley. The Bears hit .314 and scored just over five runs per game. Defensively, they had a 6.11 team ERA and .320 opponent batting average against. Two of the Bears top three hitters have departed with Iva Senio and her second best on the team .440 average last season this year’s leading returner. She also had 33 hits, 16 runs scored and 12RBI. In the circle, every pitcher who appeared last year for the Bears returns, led by Hannah Schiele and her 12-12 record across 136 innings and 5.15 ERA.

This contest also serves as the return for Mid-Prairie head coach Amy Hartsock-Williams who led the program from 1997-2009 including multiple state tournament appearances.

West Branch has won four straight in the series, including a doubleheader sweep last year. Mid-Prairie has won 13 of the last 23. You can hear all of the softball action live tonight on AM 1380, FM 102.5 and KCIIradio.com, beginning with the Washington HyVee Pregame show at 6:30 and first pitch at 7p.m. from Carr, Vincent, Gould Field in Kalona.