The postseason is upon us and KCII’s playoff coverage kicks off with a trip to Sigourney Saturday for a Class 1A District baseball twin bill featuring three local teams.

Game one is an all-KCII area rivalry matchup when the Highland Huskies square off with the Lone Tree Lions. Highland is 11-13 on the season, finishing 8-3, second in the Southeast Iowa Superconference North Division. Their last performance was a 7-5 win over Lone Tree on Monday. The Huskies are hitting .248 as a team this year with a .390OBP and .306 slug, scoring 139 runs on 153 hits with 106 walks and 216 strikeouts. A pair of Highland hitters are at .300 or better, led by William Dunbar’s .380 average. He and Logan McFarland are tied for the team lead with 27 total hits. McFarland has a team best 18RBI and has scored a team high 20 times, carrying a .338 average. On the mound, the Highland staff ERA is 5.48 with a .272 opponent batting average on 186 hits, 126 earned runs, and 133Ks. Colten Sypherd, Bryce Hazelett and Hunter Seibel have all won three games with a combined ERA of 4.25.

Lone Tree is 6-13 this season, 4-7, fifth in the SEISC North after a 13-10 win over Wapello Wednesday to close the regular year. The Lions hit .254 as a team with a .378OBP and .300 slug, scoring 104 runs on 122 hits with 72 walks and 123 strikeouts. Three Lions hit .300 or better with Emmett Burke in the lead at .473 with a team best 25 hits. Ethan Bockelman has 17 runs scored and Jack Patterson has driven in 14, both team highs. Bockelman and Maddox Jondle carry matching .327 averages. On the mound, Lone Tree’s team ERA is 7.53 with a .226 opponent average on 150 hits, 124 earned runs, and 111 strikeouts. Jack Patterson has four wins with a 3.16ERA. The Huskies have won the last 11 in the series, including both so far this year by a 27-13 total. The Lions last win came in 2019.

In the nightcap Sigourney hosts conference rival English Valleys. The Savages are 17-4 this season, 13-1 champions of the South Iowa Cedar League East Division, their sixth consecutive division title. They dropped their regular season finale Wednesday to Wilton 3-0. Sigourney is ranked No. 8 in Class 1A in this week’s poll from the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association. The Savages hit .337 as a team this year with a .481OBP and .478 slug, scoring 196 runs on 190 hits, 130 walks and 135 strikeouts. Seven Sigourney batters are at .300 or better, paced by Caden Clarahan’s state leading .552 with 32 total hits and 36RBI. Cole McKay leads Sigourney with 31 runs scored. Reid Molyneux, Isaac Bruns, McKay, Jake Moore, Lincoln Power and Brady Clark are all north of .300 at the plate this year. On the mound, the Savages have a staff ERA of 2.87 with a .184 opponent average on 89 hits, 53 earned runs, and 178 strikeouts. Chase Clarahan is 5-0 with a 2.85 while Molyneux and Caden Clarahan have each won four times with a combined 2.75 mark.

English Valleys is winless this season at 0-17 overall. They have dropped 43 straight dating back to June of 2022. The Bears were beaten at North Mahaska 14-4 Monday to end the regular season. This year, the Bears are hitting .253 as a team with a .359OBP and .284 slug, scoring 46 runs on 88 hits with 43 walks and 124 strikeouts. Individually, Everett Bender is at .400 this season to pace EV, scoring a team best seven runs. Luke Moore has 15 hits and 11 RBI to lead those categories. On the mound, the Bear’s staff ERA is 16.67 with a .341 opponent average on 189 hits, 208 earned runs and 51 strikeouts. Top ERA belongs to Moore at 12.39. Sigourney has won 19 in a row over EV including two games this season by a combined 35-0 score.

You can hear both ends of this playoff doubleheader live tonight from Sigourney on all KCII signals, streams and apps, beginning with the Roder Epoxy Pregame Show at 4:30, first pitch for the Lions and Huskies and 5p.m. with the Savages and Bears to follow.