ST. LOUIS, Mo., August 4, 2021 – The St. Louis Cardinals, in conjunction with Major League Baseball’s league-wide release, today announced their 2022 regular season schedule.  The Home Opener is scheduled for Thursday, April 7, against Pittsburgh as part of a six-game homestand featuring four games with the Pirates (April 7, 9-11) and two games versus the cross-state rival Kansas City Royals (April 12-13).

The Cardinals will open the 2022 season on the road with a three-game series at Pittsburgh beginning on Thursday, March 31, followed by a two-game series at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs on April 4 and 6.

The Cardinals 20-game Interleague schedule features matchups with all five AL East opponents for the first time since the 2017 season.  Highlighting those matchups are a three-game weekend series versus the New York Yankees at Busch Stadium on August 5-7 (their first series at Busch Stadium since 2014) and a three-game series with the visiting Baltimore Orioles on May 10-12 (first visit to St. Louis since 2003).  St. Louis will travel to Tampa to play the Rays for three games on June 7-9 and to Boston for a weekend series against the Red Sox on June 17-19.  The Interleague schedule also features a pair of two-game home-and-home series against the Toronto Blue Jays (May 23-24 at Busch Stadium & July 26-27 at Toronto) and Kansas City Royals (April 12-13 at Busch Stadium & May 3-4 at Kansas City).

Additional key home dates for the 2022 season include two weekend series versus the Chicago Cubs on June 24-26 and September 2-4.  The Cubs will also visit for a three-game series on August 2-4 before the Yankees come to town.  The club will host Pittsburgh for three games on September 30-October 2 to conclude the 2022 regular season.

The 2022 season will feature 26 home series and 26 road series, including 14 weekend series at Busch Stadium: April 7, 9-10 vs. Pittsburgh; April 28-May 1 vs. Arizona; May 13-15 vs. San Francisco; May 26-29 vs. Milwaukee; June 10-12 vs. Cincinnati; June 24-26 vs. Chicago Cubs; July 8-10 vs. Philadelphia; July 15-17 vs. Cincinnati; August 5-7 vs. New York Yankees; August 12-14 vs. Milwaukee; August 26-28 vs. Atlanta; September 2-4 vs. Chicago Cubs; September 16-18 vs. Cincinnati; and September 30-October 2 vs. Pittsburgh.

The Cardinals are scheduled to play 50 of their 81 home games before the July 18-20 All-Star Break, playing 12 home games in April, 15 home games in May, 13 home games in June, 10 home games in July (all before the break), 15 home games in August, and 16 home games in September/October.  The club is scheduled to host holiday games on Memorial Day (May 30 vs. San Diego) and Labor Day (September 5 vs. Washington).

The Cardinals longest homestand of the 2022 campaign consists of ten games over a 10-day span leading up to the All-Star Break on July 8-17 versus Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Cincinnati.  Their longest road trip of the season comes on April 14-24, where they will play 10 games in 11 days against Milwaukee, Miami and Cincinnati.  The team has a stretch that will see them play 30 games over 31 days June 17-July 17, including 17 consecutive games without a day off from July 1-17.

The Cardinals will make future announcements regarding games times, ticket pricing and ticket availability for the 2022 season.  The complete 2022 regular season schedule follows below and can be viewed at cardinals.com/schedule.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS 2022 HOME SCHEDULE

April 7, 9-11 vs. Pittsburgh*                                        July 8-11 vs. Philadelphia*
April 12-13 vs. Kansas City                                          July 12-14 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
April 25-27 vs. New York Mets                                    July 15-17 vs. Cincinnati*
April 28-May 1 vs. Arizona*

May 10-12 vs. Baltimore                                              August 2-4 vs. Chicago Cubs
May 13-15 vs. San Francisco*                                      August 5-7 vs. New York Yankees*
May 23-24 vs. Toronto                                                August 12-14 vs. Milwaukee*
May 26-29 vs. Milwaukee*                                          August 16-18 vs. Colorado
May 30-June 1 vs. San Diego                                      August 26-28 vs. Atlanta*

June 10-12 vs. Cincinnati*                                           September 2-4 vs. Chicago Cubs*
June 13-15 vs. Pittsburgh                                            September 5-8 vs. Washington
June 24-26 vs. Chicago Cubs*                                     September 13-14 vs. Milwaukee
June 27-29 vs. Miami                                                   September 15-18 vs. Cincinnati*
Sept. 30-Oct. 2 vs. Pittsburgh*

* Denotes Weekend Series

2021 IHSBCA Academic All-State Teams
The 35th All-Academic Team has been selected by the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association.
A panel of coaches selected these senior player’s who demonstrate outstanding academic, moral,
and athletic characteristics.

2021 First Team Academic All-State
Dawson Bergmann, Sumner-Fredericksburg-Tripoli
Jacob Brinkman, Ridge View
Bode Dykens, Lamoni
Trey Engelmann, Alta-Aurelia
PJ Feuerbach, Clear Lake
Brock Galetick, South Hamilton
Blake Hall, Underwood 
Justin Horgen, St. Ansgar
Ty Kelderman, North Mahaska
Chase Knoche, Calamus-Wheatland
Aric Laubenthal, Bishop Garrigan
Ben Macy, AGWSR
Noah Maske, West Fork
Carson Michels, Marquette Catholic
Sam Petersen, Ballard
Zach Pleggenkuhle, Van Meter
Luke Rasmussen, Central Lyon
Kayden Rezac, Tipton
Cade Rohwer, Alta-Aurelia
Nolan Schonhorst, Ballard
Slade Sibenaller, Carroll
Joe Simpson, Clinton
Drew Taylor, Panorama
Aaron Wilkins, Pleasantville

2021 Second Team Academic All-State
Steven Berends, Roland-Story
Brody Brecht, Ankeny
Ryan Coke, St. Ansgar
Christian Davidson, Ft. Dodge
Grant Heldofer, St. Edmond
Sam Heyn, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn
Braden Hoyer, CR Kennedy
Cael Kolacin, St. Edmond
Ethan Luzum, South Winneshiek
Connor McKee, CAM 
Josh Merrifield, Waterloo Columbus
Marcus Morgan, Iowa City West
Cael Ogier, Lamoni
Jacob Pytleski, Central Lyon
Garrett Reynolds, Atlantic
Keian Seerist, Iowa City Liberty
Patrick Steele, Waterloo Columbus
Grant Sturm, Atlantic
Evan Taylor, Panorama
Joe Trainer, Bishop Garrigan
Ajay Twedt, Roland-Story

The Griswold Tigers have found their next head wrestling coach. Former Lewis Central standout grappler Colton Lear has been hired to take over the post.

Lear has spent a couple of years as a volunteer coach with the Lewis Central program. He has also worked with a lot of youth programs to start building his coaching chops.

Griswold has struggled with getting a good number of kids to come out for the sport in recent years, so getting more athletes interested will likely be task number one for Lear.

Lear will be a Health and PE instructor for the district as well.

(Radio Iowa) – David Pearson will join the University of Iowa baseball program as the volunteer assistant coach, it was announced Tuesday by head coach Rick Heller. Pearson will serve as the Hawkeyes’ hitting coach.

Pearson joins the program following a two-year run as associate head coach at North Dakota State – his second stint with the Bison. He also has served as head coach at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) from 2016-19.

During the 2021 season, Pearson helped the Bison to a school record 42 victories, as the team went 42-19 on its way to a Summit League Tournament title and NCAA Regional berth. NDSU won its first NCAA Regional game – a 6-1 win over Nevada – to tally its first NCAA win of the Division I era.

Pearson spent 10 years in Fargo from 2007-2016 where he ended his run as the associate head coach for two seasons.

(Radio Iowa) – Tickets to next week’s Major League Baseball game at the Field of Dreams site in Dyersville are a hot commodity some Iowans have found out they were chosen in a drawing for tickets. Nikki Glatt of Dubuque is one of them.

“I was shocked and then I immediately called my nephew because he was the one who said ‘you need to register,’ and he is actually out at Yellowstone National Park right now visiting,” she explains. “So, I was like ‘sorry to interrupt your vacation, but guess what I qualified for?’ He was like, ‘that’s awesome, sell them’ but I can’t because they are non-transferable. He was like ‘okay take me’.”

Iowa residents had from July 16th through the 23rd to enter a lottery drawing for a chance to purchase tickets for the highly-anticipated game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox. They’ll be playing in Iowa’s first Major League Baseball game under the lights in the newly-constructed stadium near the Field of Dreams Movie Site next Thursday night, August 12th. Glatt had an appointment to try to purchase tickets at 11 a-m – and was able to get two tickets for 375 dollars each. She says she’s had a lot of people reaching out to her willing to buy them – even though it appears tickets are non-transferable.

“It’s crazy how many people are Facebook messaging me, saying…’hey this is my story, can I please purchase your ticket?’ It’s insane. Or the number of text messages I’m getting saying from people like ‘hey I’ll go with you.’ Strangers on Facebook, and then it’s friends and family texting me,” Glatt says.

Eight-thousand fans will be at the game itself – and the Dyersville Chamber says Major League Baseball isn’t even sure how many people will be coming to Dyersville for the event or the “Beyond the Game” two-day festival that the community will be hosting next Wednesday and Thursday. Glatt says she’s not looking forward to the crowds, but she is excited for the game itself – even though she’s a Braves fan.

She says her cousin sent her photos saying she had Yankees stuff, but Glatt says she will probably wear her Braves stuff. The Field of Dreams game between the Yankees and the White Sox will be aired live on FOX next Thursday night, August 12th at 6 p-m, with an official M-L-B viewing party at the “Beyond the Game” Festival in Dyersville’s City Square. For more information on the “Beyond the Game” festivities, check out beyondthegameiowa.com/schedule.

(By Janelle Tucker, KMCH, Manchester)

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa women’s basketball team heads to Durham, North Carolina, to take on Duke on Thursday, Dec. 2, as part of the 2021 Big Ten/ACC Challenge. It marks the pair’s second matchup.

The Big Ten and ACC offices collaborate to determine the challenge schedule each season. The Big Ten and ACC have been among the most competitive conferences on the national women’s basketball landscape for many years, with the two conferences sending 15 schools to the NCAA Tournament in 2020-21.

The Big Ten won the 2019 Big Ten/ACC Challenge, 9-5. Iowa defeated Princeton, 77-75, in overtime, posting the Tiger’s sole loss of the 2019-2020 season.

Game times, as well as television coverage, for the 2021 Big Ten/ACC Women’s Basketball Challenge will be announced at a later date.

CLEVELAND – The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced that Iowa State Athletics Director Jamie Pollard has been named the Association’s President for the 2021-22 membership year.

Pollard succeeds University of Michigan Director of Athletics Warde Manuel, who served as President in 2020-21.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as the next President of NACDA,” Pollard said. “It is humbling to join the long list of amazing leaders who have previously served as President of our organization. I look forward to working with Bob Vecchione and the NACDA staff, along with the other members of the Executive Committee, to help lead our profession during one of the most challenging times our industry has ever faced.”

Pollard, who is in his 17^th year as the leader of Cyclone Athletics, set a vision for success and provided the energy to execute a plan for major impacts on the Iowa State campus, in the Big 12, and nationally.

Under Pollard’s leadership, the department has invested significantly in facilities, energized the fan base, tripled its operating budget, eliminated its dependence upon state funding, recorded all-time program bests on the field and in the classroom, and bettered attendance marks in its five major sports.

“NACDA is excited to welcome Jamie as President for 2021-22,” NACDA Chief Executive Officer Bob Vecchione said. “Jamie’s history with NACDA and its Affiliate Associations runs deep, including his time as CABMA President more than 15 years ago. Through the years, dating back to his undergraduate day at Wisconsin-Oshkosh where he was a national champion long distance runner, he has channeled his competitive drive into an extremely successful athletics administration career, developing into one of the industry’s most trusted and respected leaders.”

National observers have noticed the resurgence in Ames and Pollard was recognized as 2019 Athletics Director of the Year by NACDA.

Pollard added another prestigious assignment to his resume in 2019 when he was chosen to serve a five-year term on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee. Pollard begins his third year of a five-year term this season.

Pollard is a member of the Executive Committee of NACDA and will be the organization’s President in the 2021-22 academic year. He has previously served as President of the Division I-A Athletics Director’s Association and the Collegiate Athletics Business Manager’s Association.

Prior to his arrival at ISU he served in various athletic administrative capacities at Wisconsin, Maryland and Saint Louis.

Pollard is the second Iowa State Athletics Director to serve as president of NACDA. Former AD Gene Smith was president during the 1994-95 school year.

The Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association has released their 2021 All-District Baseball honorees. Here is a look a the area districts and links to the full lists from around the state.

1A SOUTHWEST DISTRICT

FIRST TEAM 
POS NAME SCHOOL GR AVE W-L
P Leyton Nelson Tri-Center 12 7-0
P Quentin Culbertson Coon Rapids-Bayard 12 6-2
P Corey Bantam Woodbine 11 5-1
P Jaydon Knight Mt. Ayr 10 6-1
C Colby Rich CAM 11 .539
C Jaxon Johnson Tri-Center 11 .491
1B Isaac Sherrill St. Albert, CB 12 .437
2B Mason Rohatsch Tri-Center 12 .452
SS Jalxon Frost Mt. Ayr 10 .661
3B Landon Gililand Lamoni 12 .535
OF Joe Kaufman CAM 11 .457
OF Brendon Monahan St. Albert, CB 10 .422
OF Justice Weers Tri-Center 11 .512
OF Tre Melby Logan Magnolia 12 .376
UT Cy Patterson St. Albert 12 .543
UT Trent Kozeal Tri-Center 12 .500
UT Caelen Devault Nodaway Valley 11 .522 5-3
UT Kasey Carter Martensdale-St. Mary’s 11 .446
UT Lane Spieker CAM 11 .514 5-1

SECOND TEAM
POS NAME SCHOOL GR AVE W-L
P Eric Matthai St. Albert 12 6-1
P Bode Dykens Lamoni 12 3-0
P Matt Hughes Martensdale-St. Mary’s 11 5-1
P Luke Hubbard St. Albert, CB 12 5-3
C Aaron McAlister Coon Rapids-Bayard 12 .318
C Cooper Kock Ar-We-Va 12 .418
1B Brett McGee Tri-Center 12 .500
2B Colton Brennan St.Albert 10 .350
SS Mason King West Harrison 10 .444
3B Joe Hedger Logan Magnolia 12 .419
OF Carson Elbert Martensdale-St. Mary’s 12 .412
OF Easton Hays Coon Rapids-Bayard 11 .390
OF Javin Stevenson Lamoni 11 .434
OF Gabe Gilgen West Harrison 11 .358
UT Lance Clayburg Coon Rapids-Bayard 10 .449 3-2
UT Gavin Smith Audubon 11 .403
UT Mason Mather Nodaway Valley 12 .406 5-1
UT Sage Evans West Harrison 10 .472 5-1
UT Erik Trujillo Mount Ayr 12 .345 5-1
Honorable Mention: Tanner Dierking (12) SE Warren, Colby Royal (12) Stanton, Keegan Christiansen (12) Lenox.

 2021_All-District_Team_Class_1A

2A SOUTHWEST DISTRICT

FIRST TEAM 
POS NAME SCHOOL GR AVE W-L
P Jack Vanfossan Underwood 09 6-1
P Drew Taylor Panorama 12 6-1
P Michael Shull Clarinda 12 4-2
C Jaxson Schumacher Treynor 10 .520
C Evan Taylor Panorama 12 .507
1B Austin Tigges Kuemper 12 .367
2B Blake Hall Underwood 12 .471
SS Blake Pottebaum Kuemper 12 .455
3B Cooper Neal Clarinda 11 .376
OF Hunter Dukes Shenandoah 09 .436
OF Alec Fichter Missouri Valley 12 .432
OF Wyatt Schmitt Clarinda 10 .338
UT Blake Holst AHSTW 12 .411
UT Cal Wanninger Kuemper 11 .337 6-0
UT Dawson Bond Red Oak 10 .394

SECOND TEAM
POS NAME SCHOOL GR AVE W-L
P Cael Jensen Underwood 12 3-2
P Brice Taylor Panorama 11 3-1
P Devin Adams Central Decatur 11 4-2
C Brock Wallace Treynor 12 .254
C Kale Rockhold Central Decatur 09 .400
1B Jarod McNeese Clarinda 11 .300
2B Tadyn Brown Clarinda 10 .370
SS Matthew Boothe Central Decatur 11 .453
3B Kayden Snyder Treynor 11 .422
OF Mason Boothby Underwood 09 .333
OF TJ Fallis Central Decatur 12 .392
OF Garrett Couse Red Oak 12 .387
UT Braden Knight Shenandoah 12 .346
UT Domonic Walker Panorama 12 .375
UT Logan Sibenaller Kuemper 10 .325

2021_All-District_Team_Class_2A

3A SOUTHWEST DISTRICT

FIRST TEAM 
POS NAME SCHOOL GR AVE REC
P Justin Hackett Winterset 11 3-2
P Trevor Hamil Dallas Center-Grimes 10 5-1
P Morgin Smith Boone 12 7-2
C Blake Deal Carlisle 12 .352
C Bodie Johnson Atlantic 12 .338
1B Clayton Campidilli Dallas Center-Grimes 10 .381
2B Zach Truitt Carlisle 12 .414
SS Kayden Anderson Glenwood 09 .511
3B Evan Behn Boone 11 .372
OF Dawson Forgy Winterset 11 .436
OF Tegan Bock Boone 12 .407
OF Archer Ogbourne Carlisle 11 .375
UT Jayme Fritts Glenwood 11 .396 2-4
UT Alex Monson Harlan 11 .387 3-3
UT Will Heithoff Winterset 12 .258 7-2

SECOND TEAM
POS NAME SCHOOL GR AVE REC
P Ben Craven Boone 12 4-2
P Jake Porter Winterset 11 3-3
P Tate Stine-Smith ADM 12 3-5
C Jensen Kaldenberg Winterset 11 .292
C Martin Smith Boone 09 .242
1B Kole Teeples Greene County 11 .377
2B Gannon Greenwalt Creston 10 .410
SS Joey Moser Harlan 11 .340
3B Nathan Castellano Carlisle 11 .318
OF Austin Patton Glenwood 11 .420
OF Cole Williamson ADM 12 .357
OF Isaiah Ahrenholtz Harlan 12 .370
UT Tyson Guard Carlisle 11 .388
UT Bryce Stalder Greene County 11 .435 3-4
UT Joey Marker Carlisle 10 .340

2021_ All-District_Team _Class_ 3A

4A WEST DISTRICT

FIRST TEAM 
POS NAME SCHOOL GR AVE W-L
P JC Dermody Lewis Central 11 6-2
P Sean McManamy Sioux City East 12 7-1
P Aidan Haukap Sioux City East 11 5-3
C Easton Voight Sioux City East 11 .269
C Keenan Hegna Sioux City West 12 .315
1B Aron Harrington Lewis Central 11 .424
2B Drew Benson Sioux City West 11 .430
SS Cael Boever Sioux City East 12 .438
3B Cam Riemer Sioux City East 12 .395
OF Jonah Pomrenke Lewis Central 12 .333
OF Terrick Thompson Sioux City East 12 .364
OF Tyler Huey Council Bluffs TJ 12 .425
UT Evan Helvig Sioux City North 12 .474 5-3
UT Cael Malskeit Lewis Central 12 .297 3-0

SECOND TEAM
POS NAME SCHOOL GR AVE W-L
P Trevor Hill Sioux City East 12 4-0
P Ryan Smith Sioux City West 11 2-4
P Ayden Schrunk Sioux City North 09 4-5
C Carson Schaa Council Bluffs Lincoln 11 .255
C Britton Bond Lewis Central 11 .277
1B Kaleb Nutt Sioux City East 12 .365
2B Drew Kinnaman Sioux City North 12 .347
SS Braydon Lincoln Council Bluffs Lincoln 10 .275
3B Casey Clair Lewis Central 10 .286
OF Bennett Vanderloo Sioux City East 12 .337
OF Jaden Reiss Council Bluffs Lincoln 12 .325
OF Carter Pinney Sioux City North 11 .328
UT Skylar Hansen Sioux City West 11 .315 2-3
UT Kelynn Jacobsen Sioux City East 10 .371

2021_All-District_Team_Class_4A

DES MOINES, IA (Aug. 2, 2021) — Registration for the “Healthiest State 11th Annual Walk”, presented by Delta Dental of Iowa, is now open. On Wednesday, October 6, thousands of Iowans across the state will participate in organized walks at schools, workplaces and in their communities. Registration is free and easy: Visit IowaHealthiestState.com/Walk to sign-up as a household, school, workplace, organization or community to walk for 30 minutes any time on October 6. Jami Haberl, executive director for the Healthiest State Initiative, says “Walking is an accessible form of physical activity that benefits our physical, mental, emotional and social health. Following more than a year of social distancing, we are excited to once again gather with our fellow Iowans to walk and re-connect.”

The 2021 theme “Walk More. Connect More.” highlights the social benefits of walking. Being physically active is one of the most important steps that people of all ages and abilities can take to improve their health and integrating exercise with social activities has been shown to have a positive impact on our overall health.  Jeff Russell, President and CEO of Delta Dental of Iowa and Board President of the Healthiest State Initiative, says  “Delta Dental of Iowa is proud to be the presenting sponsor and longtime supporter of the Healthiest State Annual Walk. We know that social connectedness is a key component to Iowans’ health and walking is the perfect opportunity to connect with our neighbors, colleagues and classmates.”

Studies have shown that walking or exercising with others provides supportive relationships for behavior change. Walking within communities creates more opportunities for social cohesion and personal interactions while increasing safety, reducing pollution and boosting local businesses. Lura McBride, Annual Walk Co-Chair says  “The theme for this year’s walk is perfect.  Walking is a big part of total wellness ­– heart, mind and spirit – and an intentional focus on total wellness as well as getting reconnected with colleagues, friends and family is so important for relationships in our workplaces and communities this year.”

Those who register for the Healthiest State 11th Annual Walk will have access to resources, such as communications templates, social media guide, customizable posters and a month-long walking calendar. The Healthiest State Initiative is also hosting two contests:

School Mascot Challenge: The first 64 schools who register will automatically be entered in the School Mascot Challenge. Fans will be able to vote weekly in the bracket-style competition and the winner will be announced following the Annual Walk on October 6.  The winning mascot will earn their school $1,000 to spend on a health and wellness project.
Community Walk Mini Grant: The Healthiest State Initiative has partnered with the Iowa Parks and Recreation Association to award mini grant(s) to community parks and recreation departments to promote walking in their community and have registered for the Healthiest State 11th Annual Walk. Applications due August 31. See full details and apply here.

Show your excitement for the Healthiest State 11th Annual Walk by posting a photo from your walk (or walks from years past) and use the hashtag #WalkMoreConnectMore or #HSIWalk2021 on social media. For more information and to register a walk, visit IowaHealthiestState.com/Walk.

Healthiest State Month in October

The Healthiest State Annual Walk also acts as a kick-off event for Healthiest State Month celebrating 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count! across the state. Iowans are encouraged to keep practicing healthy habits, including physical activity, throughout October. Schools, workplaces, health care clinics, communities and households can download toolkits to help them celebrate Healthiest State Month at IowaHealthiestState.com/HSIMonth.

(Radio Iowa) – Former Iowa standout Luka Garza says he appreciates the chance the Detroit Pistons have given him. Garza was taken by the Pistons in the second round with the 51st pick in last week’s NBA Draft.

Garza was a two-time All American and the consensus national player of the year this past season. He closed his Iowa career as the Hawkeyes’ all-time leading scorer.