Cyclone SB Sweep Shenandoah in DH Monday

Harlan Community's Olivia Scheuring, Clara Schmitz, & Taylor Heese (6-22-26)

Cyclone SB Sweep Shenandoah in DH Monday –

(6-22-26) – The bats woke early and the pitching was solid. The result: Double-digit wins for the first time since 2021.

Harlan Community softball reached that milestone with a doubleheader sweep of Shenandoah Monday by finals of 12-4 and 9-1.

Getting to the double-digits in wins was just another goal achieved by Cyclone Coach Nolan Heese’s group and while likes the accolade, what he really likes seeing is progress in all aspects of the game.

“What really kind of gets me excited is just seeing their abilities grow better,” Coach Heese said following his team’s doubleheader sweep of Shenandoah. “Even if like games you lose is when you still play well against good teams or when we're making good plays or putting ball in play, that's kind of stuff that gets me more excited.”

Taylor Heese, who was 3-7 with a homer an 6 RBI in the twin bill, echoed her coach’s sentiment.

“You've seen how like we've progressively gotten better. Like the record might not show it, but every game we get better and it's just really exciting to see how the outcome has changed.

A youth movement is also taking over this Cyclone team, with several underclassmen leading the charge.

8th-grader Olivia Scheuring was 2 for 6 in doubleheader with 2 RBI, including her first home run. She talked about the thrill hitting her one at the varsity level.

“I was a little bit excited, but it was very nice,” said of her walk-off hit in Game 1. “I've been working a lot on my swing and it was nice just to see it all come together.”

Fellow 8th-grader Clara Schmitz caught Game 2 of the doubleheader and was 2-4 with 2 RBI, including the walk-off single to clinch the sweep. She says having the opportunity to observe at the varsity level has been helpful.

“I think it's helped me a lot, like, mature in the game more and seeing it in a faster pace too. So, I think it's helped me get a lot more experience, I would say.”

View past scores by visiting the Iowa High School Athletic Association's website, Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union website,
or Iowa Quik Stats