Peppers, Gross lead area All-State softball list

 DES MOINES -- Seniors Sophia Peppers of Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton (Class 1A) and Peyton Gross of IKM-Manning (2A) are both first-team selections and five other area players have also been recognized on the Iowa Girls’ Coaches Association’s 2018 All-State Softball teams.
 Peppers is a repeat first-team selection after twice being named to the second team earlier in her career. She played on Spartan teams that finished 95-40 during the last five years and advanced to a pair of regional finals.
 Gross, now a five-time all-state selection and two-time first-teamer, surpassed 100 career wins and 1,000 career strikeouts as a pitcher this summer and played a big role in the Wolves’ 118-33 record since 2014.
Area All-State Softball Honors
Sophia Peppers, Exira-EHK, sr. -- Class 1A: First Team
 A Morningside College basketball recruit, Peppers also shined on the softball diamond during her Spartan athletic career. The third baseman hit .492 as a senior (.692 slugging percentage), hitting four doubles and three home runs while scoring 22 runs and driving in 20.
Peyton Gross, IKM-M, sr. -- Class 2A: First Team
 Gross will play softball at Buena Vista University following a tremendous high school career that saw her finish 110-28 in the pitching circle with 1,093 strikeouts in 847 and a third innings. As a senior, Gross went 24-3 with a 1.38 ERA, allowing 93 hits and 66 walks in 152 frames while striking out 235.
 Gross improved as a hitter throughout her career and finished this season with the third-best batting average (.564) in 2A. Her 15 doubles, two triples and one home run equated to a .798 slugging percentage and she also totaled 35 runs, 31 RBI and 15 stolen bases, striking out just five times in 94 at-bats.
Payton Sporrer, IKM-M, sr. -- Class 2A: Second Team
 The Wolves’ veteran second baseman moves up one spot from last year’s third team after hitting .403 with a team-high 37 RBI this year and turning in some outstanding defensive plays.
Morgan Schaben, HCHS, jr. -- Class 4A: Second Team
 The only junior among this year’s area all-staters, Schaben was the top hitter and pitcher for the Cyclones this summer, batting .394 while going 10-11 with a 2.44 ERA. Incredibly, Schaben struck out just one time in 99 at-bats while totaling 11 doubles, two home runs, 27 RBI and 12 walks.
 As a pitcher, Schaben struck out 181 batters in 129 and one-third innings, allowing 95 hits and walking 59 batters.
Kealey Nelson, Exira-EHK, sr. -- Class 1A: Third Team
 A four-year starter for the Spartans in center field (and right), Nelson moves up to the third team this year after twice receiving honorable mention status. She hit .388 this summer with a .567 slugging percentage, scoring a team-high 30 runs while driving in nine from the leadoff spot.
Paige Gaskill, IKM-M, sr. -- Class 2A: Third Team
 A solid and dependable shortstop the last four years for the Wolves, Gaskill lands on the 2A third team after receiving honorable mention plaudits last season. She hit .418 as a senior and led the team with 41 runs scored, totaling 12 doubles, three triples, one homer, 22 RBI and nine stolen bases.
Shyanne Sporrer, IKM-M, sr. -- Class 2A: Honorable Mention
 After suffering a devastating lower leg injury at the start of her junior year, Sporrer returned to her spot as the Wolves’ catcher this summer and batted .435 at the plate.