Coach Kelly is Reliant on Exira-EHK’s Defense to Help Create a Postseason Run

(Elk Horn, IA) – The Exira-EHK baseball team has dropped four out of their last five games to end the regular season of action. Despite the losses for the Spartans, the defense still continues to be one of the big keys to keeping Exira-EHK close in games as of late. If Exira-EHK starts to become disciplined at the plate, then success will start to follow. Head Coach Randy Kelly is hoping that the defense can continue to hold up while the bats start to catch up.

Patience is key to a successful team at the plate. In the last four games, the Spartans are averaging under .220 at the plate, which is under their team’s overall .230 batting average this season. If Exira-EHK can start batting at the plate the same way they did at the beginning of the season, the postseason may go in their favor.

The bats will get going with Jaiden Pettipier, Jameson Kilworth, and Alex Hansen who have all been leading the team at the plate. Pettipier is averaging .362 at the plate with a .436 OBP and a team-high 13 RBIs. Kilworth is batting .354 with a .479 slugging percentage and a team-high 23 bases while Hansen has been batting .324 with a team-high .510 OBP and has seven walks on the year. When these three are on point, so are the Spartans.

In terms of the defense this year, catcher Chase Schwab has been an ideal player to have behind the plate with a total of 108 putouts and 15 assists. Center-fielder Austin Rasmussen has been another key defensive player with just one error in 30 chances while maintaining consistency and control for the Spartan outfield.

With the regular season concluded, Exira-EHK now looks to their postseason game against IKM-Manning. The last time these two teams faced off, Exira-EHK fell 3-1 without some of their top players. This time around will look to be the deciding factor between these two teams in the series.

In terms of IKM-Manning, the team is averaging .271 at the plate with three hitters hitting above .300. Defensively, the team has a fielding percentage of .899 and their pitchers combine for a 4.40 team ERA. This is a team that hits well and pitches strikes, two things that the Spartans will need to be prepared for come Saturday.

Exira-EHK will take these next few days to practice in preparation for Saturday’s postseason matchup against IKM-Manning at Coon Rapids-Bayard High School. That game will start at 5:00 p.m.

(Click below to listen to this article)