By Becky Walz,
Ten members of the Decorah baseball team were recognized by the Northeast Iowa Conference recently. Among them, half are newcomers, while the other five return for accolades from previous seasons.
Five first-teamers
Flanking the first team for the Vikings are Cael Luzum, Kody Bodensteiner, Briggs Duwe, Tyler Thompson and Keenan Tyler – all collecting conference honors before.
Earning his third all-NEIC nod, Luzum finished his senior campaign with the best earned run average (ERA) in the conference at 0.74. He posted 9-0 record on the hill, striking out 92 batters and giving up just six earned runs during the 2021 season. Luzum had a .364 batting average and .508 on-base percentage for Decorah, with 36 hits. The senior tagged the ball for nine doubles, four triples and three homers, driving in 23 runs.
Centerfielder Kody Bodensteiner raced the outer realms for the field and moved from second team a year ago to first with a .342 average and .529 on-base percentage. The senior had 25 hits in his 73 at-bats, providing 15 RBI in his four doubles, one triple and one home run. He also finished with 20 stolen bases, good for third for the Vikes.
An honorable mention last year, Duwe made seven appearances on the mound and filled the shortstop position. Also a senior, Duwe finished with a 2-1 record on the bump and a 3.28 ERA with 23 Ks. He led the NEIC with his .566 on-base percentage and scored 43 runs. While out-hitting his squad with 48, Duwe was tied for the most doubles with 11. He also had 25 RBI and 14 stolen bases.
Posting a .320 average, Thompson earned his second straight first-team honor. He had a .447 slugging mark and .426 on-base percentage while collecting 33 hits. The senior was second in RBIs with 38. He also climbed the hill to finish with a 2-0 record, 3.41 ERA and 16 strikeouts.
A junior, Tyler was a second-team honoree a year ago and did much damage at the plate for opponents this season with a .465 average, slugging mark of .697 and .535 on-base percentage. He led the Vikings with 46 hits, including 11 doubles and four home runs. He led the team and was second in the NEIC in RBIs with 47 to go with 23 stolen bases.
Second team
Named to the second team were Cai Brevig, Kyle Renken and Gunnar Steine.
During his senior campaign, Brevig posted a 5-2 record and 2.47 ERA on the mound. He was second for the Vikings with 56 batters rung out in his nearly 40 innings on the hill.
Senior outfielder, Renken earns a second team nod after he provided 20 put-outs for Decorah. Renken was also effective in the batter’s box with a .291 batting average and .425 on-base percentage. He connected for 25 hits and drove in 15 runs.
Earning his initial all-NEIC recognition, south paw Steine made 14 appearances on the mound for the Vikings to earn a 6-0 record and one save. The senior had a 1.16 ERA and was third on the team with 45 strikeouts.
Honorable mention
Picking up their first all-NEIC on the honorable mention list for Decorah were James Marx and Noah Storts.
Marx, a senior, was recognized for his play in the outfield. During the season, Marx hit .338 with a .456 on-base percentage and .365 slugging. He scored 19 runs while driving in 12. Marx had a total of 25 hits, including two doubles.
Storts, the junior third baseman, batted .333 for the season. He had a .386 on-base percentage and .524 slugging. Batting mid-lineup, Storts had 35 hits, with nine doubles and 34 RBI.
NEIC final baseball standings
NEIC Overall
Decorah 17-1 28-6
Waverly-Shell Rock 14-4 33-7
New Hampton 10-8 19-15
Charles City 10-8 12-19
Waukon 6-12 15-16
Crestwood 4-14 7-20
Oelwein 2-16 3-27
All-NEIC lists
First team – Kaden Barry, Charles City, utility; Kody Bodensteiner, Decorah, outfield; Briggs Duwe, Decorah, infield; Cael Luzum, Decorah, pitcher; Tyler Thompson, Decorah, infield; Keenan Tyler, Decorah, infield; Connor Rochford, New Hampton, utility; Carter Schellsmidt, Waukon, catcher; Lincoln Snitker, Waukon, infield; Carson Graven, Waverly-Shell Rock, infield; Chance Key, Waverly-Shell Rock, pitcher; Andy Roose, Waverly-Shell Rock, outfield
Second team – JJ Ritter, Charles City, infield; Carter Henry, Crestwood, infield; Cai Brevig, Decorah, pitcher; Kyle Renken, Decorah, outfield; Gunnar Steine, Decorah, pitcher; Drake Wemark, New Hampton, infield; Noah Hatlan, Waukon, utility; Konnor Krameer, Waukon, outfield; Benjamin Buseman, Waverly-Shell Rock, utility; Korbyn Dewey, Waverly-Shell Rock, infield; Ethan Hennings, Waverly-Shell Rock, outfield; Luke Shover, Waverly-Shell Rock, catcher
Honorable mention – Colton Crooks, Charles City, outfield; Tina Tamayo, Charles City, pitcher; Landen Bergan, Crestwood, infield; Gabe Grabau, Crestwood, utility; James Marx, Decorah, infield; Noah Storts, Decorah, infield; Cael Leistikow, New Hampton, infield; Nathan O’Donnell, New Hampton, outfield; Carsen Jeanes, Oelwein, catcher
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