Only a handful of schools qualify for the state tournament in both softball and baseball each summer, and Van Meter, who has been ranked in the top 10 in both sports, has high hopes of returning to do so again this year.
Baseball (28-6)
The journey back to the state tournament began Tuesday night, with the team aiming to qualify for the state tournament after failing to qualify in overtime in the semistate finals last year.
The challenge started off without a hitch on Tuesday, as the Bulldogs defeated visiting Woodward-Granger (11-15) 11-1.
That sends the Bulldogs back into the region championship game on Saturday to face No. 2-seeded Chariton (22-14), which beat Ogden on Tuesday. The Chargers boast an offense that ranks fourth in Class 2A with a .340 batting average and ranks in the top 15 in many pitching categories.
The Bulldogs must win to reach the state tournament in Carroll. The Chargers have won 17 straight games and are off to their best season since their last Elite Eight appearance in 2013. But one more game stands in their way: the state final on July 16, likely against OABCIG (13-8), featuring freshman phenom Jax Dejean, or Kuemper Catholic (16-17).
Softball (37-1)
After becoming the first WCAC team to post a 20-0 league record, the Bulldogs will be on the quest to return to the state championship game.
The journey begins Wednesday with a match against ACGC (13-12) to open regional play. Unless the Chargers can thwart the Bulldogs’ historic conference championship and beat Van Meter for the first time since 2009, the Bulldogs will advance to the semifinals and face either AHSTW (16-8) or Logan Magnolia (13-9) on Friday.
If the tournament is played in seeding order, the Bulldogs will turn their attention to a state qualifier Monday in the regional championship game against No. 2 seed Traynor (14-11), ranked 14th in Class 2A, or No. 3 seed Missouri Valley (21-7), which recently dropped out of the state rankings. Both teams lost to the Bulldogs by double digits during the regular season.
