Ankeny Fanatic

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Joe Balvanz

Young, talented Hawks look to compete in rugged CIML Central Conference

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If the Ankeny baseball team can be competitive in the CIML Central Conference, then the Hawks will likely be among the top squads in Class 4A. The Central Conference boasts three of the top six teams in the preseason rankings--No. 1 Johnston, No. 5 Dowling Catholic and No. 6 Urbandale. The J-Hawks are the defending state champions. "The league is … [Read more...] about Young, talented Hawks look to compete in rugged CIML Central Conference

Ankeny pitcher Fulk commits to play baseball for Hawkeyes

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Ankeny High School's Class of 2021 appears to have multiple college prospects in a variety of sports. One of them has already made his future plans. Sophomore pitcher Weston Fulk has verbally committed to play baseball for Iowa. He chose the Hawkeyes after attending one of their winter evaluation camps. "They had open arms for me," said Fulk. "They … [Read more...] about Ankeny pitcher Fulk commits to play baseball for Hawkeyes

Hard-throwing Patzner shuts down Hawks in substate final

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Wednesday's substate baseball final between unranked Ankeny and No. 2 Urbandale was a classic David vs. Goliath matchup. This time, Goliath prevailed. Luke Patzner tossed a two-hitter and had 10 strikeouts to lead the host J-Hawks to a 6-0 victory in a Class 4A Substate 7 final. The loss ended a seven-game winning streak for Ankeny, which finished the … [Read more...] about Hard-throwing Patzner shuts down Hawks in substate final

Seth Harpenau’s walk-off hit allows Hawks to survive and advance

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Seth Harpenau wasn't trying to be a hero. The Ankeny senior was simply trying to drive in the tying run during Monday's Class 4A substate baseball semifinal against visiting Des Moines East. He ended up getting a walk-off hit. Harpenau stroked a two-run single into right field to give the Hawks a thrilling 5-4 victory that moved them one step closer … [Read more...] about Seth Harpenau’s walk-off hit allows Hawks to survive and advance

Hawks, Jaguars look to continue postseason run on Monday

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Both Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial will face familiar foes in the Class 4A substate baseball semifinals on Monday night. The Hawks (20-16) will host Des Moines East (17-22) in Substate 7, while the Jaguars (21-18) will play at 10th-ranked Valley (26-15) in a Substate 2 matchup. Both games begin at 7 p.m. Ankeny, which is riding a six-game winning … [Read more...] about Hawks, Jaguars look to continue postseason run on Monday

Maifeld hurls Hawks past Newton in substate quarterfinal

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When the Newton baseball team scored an unearned run in the first inning of Friday's Class 4A substate quarterfinal at Ankeny, it gave the Cardinals some early momentum against one of the state's best pitchers. "I was a little worried before the game--I don't know why," said Ankeny senior righthander Jayden Maifeld. "And then when that happened, I … [Read more...] about Maifeld hurls Hawks past Newton in substate quarterfinal

Centennial game moved up to 5 p.m.; Ankeny will play at 7 p.m.

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Thanks to a threat of rain, fans of the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial baseball teams won't have to choose which postseason game to attend on Friday night. They'll be able to watch both the Hawks and the Jaguars. Ankeny (19-16) will host Newton (11-20) in a Class 4A substate quarterfinal at 7 p.m., while Centennial (20-18) will host Mason City (18-21) in a … [Read more...] about Centennial game moved up to 5 p.m.; Ankeny will play at 7 p.m.

Homers by Brecht, Agan power Hawks past Gilbert in regular-season finale

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The Ankeny baseball team will take a five-game winning streak into postseason play after posting a 10-4 victory at Gilbert in its regular-season finale on Tuesday. The Hawks took a 4-0 lead in the first inning, then added two runs in the third, three in the fourth and one more in the fifth. They pounded out 12 hits off three Gilbert pitchers, five of them … [Read more...] about Homers by Brecht, Agan power Hawks past Gilbert in regular-season finale

Walk-off win allows Tigers to claim outright conference title

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The Valley baseball team had already clinched at least a share of the CIML Central Conference title heading into Monday's doubleheader against visiting Ankeny. The Tigers were determined to capture the outright crown. Valley swept the twinbill by scores of 6-5 and 4-1 to finish with a 15-5 record in the league. The Tigers improved to 24-12 … [Read more...] about Walk-off win allows Tigers to claim outright conference title

Maifeld tosses 3-hitter, leads Hawks to split against No. 6 S.E. Polk

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When Jayden Maifeld is at the top of his game, the Ankeny baseball team can be pretty dangerous. Maifeld tossed a three-hitter and had eight strikeouts to lead the Hawks to a 5-2 victory over sixth-ranked Southeast Polk in the first game of a CIML Central Conference doubleheader on Saturday at Ankeny. "I felt great," said Maifeld, who evened his record … [Read more...] about Maifeld tosses 3-hitter, leads Hawks to split against No. 6 S.E. Polk

Hawks bounce back to win nightcap, earn split against Waukee

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Ankeny baseball coach Joe Balvanz wanted to use both Cameron Rinker and Chris Spear on the mound during Wednesday's doubleheader against visiting Waukee. He is also hoping to get some innings out of both pitchers during Saturday's make-up twinbill against sixth-ranked Southeast Polk. The only solution was to split Wednesday's second game between the … [Read more...] about Hawks bounce back to win nightcap, earn split against Waukee

After long layoff, Hawks fall to Heelan, then roll past Bettendorf

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It took awhile, but the Ankeny baseball team finally got its offense untracked during the Brent Prange Classic on Saturday. After dropping a 2-1 decision to Sioux City Heelan, the Hawks fell behind Bettendorf, 1-0, in their second game of the tournament. Ankeny scored twice in the third inning to take a 2-1 lead. The Hawks then erupted for six runs in … [Read more...] about After long layoff, Hawks fall to Heelan, then roll past Bettendorf

Hawks rally past Valley in nightcap, salvage split of twinbill

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The Valley baseball team had a chance to take a commanding lead in the CIML Central Conference race on Wednesday. The Tigers posted a 6-3 victory in the first game of a doubleheader at Ankeny, then jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning of the nightcap. But the Hawks refused to go away. Ankeny rallied for a 9-8 walk-off win and a split of the … [Read more...] about Hawks rally past Valley in nightcap, salvage split of twinbill

Blimpie Sub of the Week: Jake Slattery, Ankeny baseball

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Jake Slattery of the Ankeny baseball team is the Ankeny Fanatic Sub of the Week sponsored by Blimpie. The senior has helped the Hawks to a 9-6 record, including a 5-3 mark in the CIML Central Conference. "Jake usually plays left field and is just a very solid defender," said Ankeny coach Joe Balvanz. "He's a defensive replacement, and he knows his job … [Read more...] about Blimpie Sub of the Week: Jake Slattery, Ankeny baseball

Waukee’s Sorenson, Irvine shut down Hawks en route to sweep

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The Ankeny baseball team had a chance to score some early runs during Monday's doubleheader at Waukee. When the Hawks failed to capitalize on the opportunity, they never again had a similar chance to gain some momentum. The seventh-ranked Warriors posted a 2-0 victory in the opener, then completed a sweep with a 9-0 win in the second game. Both teams … [Read more...] about Waukee’s Sorenson, Irvine shut down Hawks en route to sweep

Maifeld, Rinker lead Hawks to first-ever sweep over Centennial

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The Ankeny baseball team had to wait 48 hours to complete a doubleheader against visiting Ankeny Centennial on Friday. It was well worth the wait. The Hawks posted a 6-2 victory in the opener, then used a nine-run outburst in the third inning to win the nightcap, 12-0, in five innings. They swept their crosstown rival for the first time since the split … [Read more...] about Maifeld, Rinker lead Hawks to first-ever sweep over Centennial

Casel tosses 3-hitter, leads Hawks to split at Southeast Polk

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Ankeny lefthander Will Casel recorded only one strikeout during the first game of a CIML Central Conference baseball doubleheader on Monday at Southeast Polk. But the senior was still very effective. Casel tossed a three-hitter and retired 13 batters on fly balls as the Hawks extended their winning streak to seven games with a 3-2 victory in the opener … [Read more...] about Casel tosses 3-hitter, leads Hawks to split at Southeast Polk

Maifeld, Rinker hurl back-to-back gems in Hawks’ sweep over Ames

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Ankeny pitcher Jayden Maifeld tossed a gem in the first game of a doubleheader against visiting Ames on Thursday. Then teammate Cameron Rinker threw another one in the nightcap, allowing the Hawks to sweep the CIML Central Conference opener. "It's fun to watch those two guys talk to each other. They kind of feed off each other," said Ankeny coach Joe … [Read more...] about Maifeld, Rinker hurl back-to-back gems in Hawks’ sweep over Ames

Talented trio of freshmen helps Hawks sweep doubleheader at East

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The Ankeny baseball team returned to Des Moines East on Wednesday and avenged last year's substate loss to the Scarlets by sweeping a doubleheader, 10-0 and 8-3. The Hawks won the opener in six innings for their first victory of the season. They then completed the sweep to improve their record to 2-3, while East dropped to 1-7. "We played much better … [Read more...] about Talented trio of freshmen helps Hawks sweep doubleheader at East