Starman, Blankman honored on senior night for the Wolves

MANNING — Thursday night was about more than baseball for IKM-Manning as they fell to Riverside 6-0.  Before the first pitch against Riverside, the Wolves honored seniors Isaac Blankman and Jace Starman during Senior Night, recognizing the pair for the impact they have made on the program.
While the evening ended with a 6-0 loss to Riverside, followed by an 18-6 defeat to Coon Rapids-Bayard on Friday, head coach Jeremy Nielsen walked away encouraged by the way his team competed as it prepares for district play.
“I thought we played good defense. We were in position to make the plays,” Nielsen said following Thursday’s loss. 
“I just think it came down to we weren’t able to get the timely hitting. We had people on base every inning, we just couldn’t get them around to score. A strikeout here or a popup there and we’re out of the inning. The timely hitting hurt us tonight, but I thought the guys played well, played hard, were getting good swings and taking good at-bats.”
Although the Wolves were shut out against Riverside, junior Karsyn Lorenzen turned in one of the strongest pitching performances of the season. 
Lorenzen struck out 12 batters over 6 2/3 innings while allowing six hits and three runs, only two of which were earned. 
He walked three and threw 98 pitches before freshman Andrew Greving recorded the final out.
IKM-Manning finished with five hits and four walks but couldn’t deliver the clutch hit it needed. 
Starman provided the lone extra-base hit with a double, while Greving, Blankman, Ethan Meiners and Jeremy Wax each added singles. 
Rylan Mundt, Lorenzen, Greving and Meiners all drew walks as the Wolves put runners aboard throughout the contest but were unable to cash in.
Despite the outcome, Nielsen liked the effort his club displayed.“Our season starts next Friday with districts, so I’m kind of pleased with what happened tonight,” Nielsen said. 
“I wish the outcome was different and a little better for Senior Night, but I really like that the guys competed and fought until the end. That’s all you can ask for.”
The Wolves bounced back offensively Friday night against Coon Rapids-Bayard, collecting eight hits and drawing seven walks, but the No. 1-ranked team in Class 1A proved too much as the Crusaders claimed an 18-6 victory.
Logan Halbur and eighth-grader Gabe McCarville led the offense with two hits apiece. 
Halbur went 2-for-3 with a run scored, while McCarville also finished 2-for-3 with a pair of singles.
Greving continued his productive weekend, finishing 1-for-2 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI. Meiners added a single, a walk, a run scored and an RBI, while Mundt reached base twice with a single and a walk and crossed the plate once.
Starman added another hit, going 1-for-3 after doubling the night before. Lorenzen and Jeremy Wax each drove in a run, while Blankman reached base with a walk and added a sacrifice bunt as the Wolves totaled 15 baserunners. 
IKM-Manning used four pitchers in the contest as Halbur, Blankman, Meiners and Wax combined to cover four innings.
While the weekend ended with a pair of losses, Senior Night provided an opportunity to celebrate two players who reached the finish line by different paths.
For Starman, Thursday marked the closing chapter of a five-year varsity career that included becoming IKM-Manning’s all-time career home run leader.“It’s meant a lot to me,” Starman said.
“I’ve been here for five years and I’ve played baseball my whole life, and it’s probably my favorite sport that I play. I also hold the record for most home runs in a career here, so it means a lot. The guy who held it, he’s our assistant football coach, so it was kind of a little battle back and forth between us. It’s meant a lot to me.”
As his career comes to an end, Starman hopes the younger players appreciate every moment they have together. “It goes fast,” Starman said. 
“When you’re a freshman you think it’s not going to go by fast, but it does. It goes by very fast. Just last year I feel like I was a freshman and now I’m a senior and we have two games left. Just cherish every moment with the guys, all the bus rides, all the dumb stuff that we try not to do but we end up doing.”
Starman plans to attend Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, where he will major in paramedic and fire science.
Blankman’s journey was much different. Although he played baseball growing up, he stepped away from the game before returning to the program for his junior season after encouragement from a friend.
“One of my friends convinced me to go out for baseball last year and it was kind of a, ‘You go out, I’ll go out for it,’ kind of thing,” Blankman said.
“So I’ve only played for two years, but it’s been fun. I really like this team.”
Like his fellow senior, Blankman’s advice centered around appreciating every opportunity. “Cherish every moment,” Blankman said. 
“Even if you’re not playing the best that you can, just try and go out the next day and have fun, and the results will come.”
Blankman will continue his education at Iowa State University, where he plans to major in civil engineering.
Nielsen praised both seniors for the different ways they impacted the program.
“Isaac helped us out last year when our numbers were way down,” Nielsen said. 
“He did us a solid and helped his teammates out by going out for baseball for the first time since sixth or seventh grade. That’s the sign of a great teammate.”
The Wolves coach said Blankman’s contributions often came in ways that don’t always show up in the box score.
“He comes to work, puts in the time and contributes,” Nielsen said. 
“Even tonight he had a bunt single and moved guys around. He does his job, and he’s a great person and a great teammate.”
Nielsen said Starman has been the example every coach hopes for in a veteran player.
“Jace has been the heart and soul of our team the last three, four or five years now,” Nielsen said. 
“He’s done everything right. He comes to work, puts the work in and leads by example. He does everything the proper way to make sure the other guys are doing the same thing.”
Beyond the statistics and school records, Nielsen believes Starman’s leadership is what will be remembered most.“He’s just a great guy all the way around,” Nielsen said.
Now, the Wolves turn their attention to the postseason. IKM-Manning will open district play Friday against AC/GC, with the winner advancing to face No. 1-ranked Coon Rapids-Bayard in the district semifinals.
Nielsen admitted he is still learning about the Chargers but believes the matchup favors two similarly constructed teams.
“I know they have three seniors and a lot of underclassmen, so the matchup is probably going to be pretty equal,” Nielsen said.
“We’re in the same boat with two seniors, two juniors and the rest are all freshmen or eighth graders, so it’s probably pretty evenly matched.”
Although he has not seen AC/GC in person, Nielsen has gathered information from other coaches.
“I haven’t seen them yet, but the couple of coaches I’ve talked to said they have three lefties at the top of the lineup,” Nielsen said. 
“Then it’s like everyone else where it falls off a little bit from there. They play on Monday and we don’t, so I may do some scouting on them then.”