The reigning class 1A State Softball Champions will begin their title defense tonight. However, it is a very different Twin Cedars than what greeted Coach Zach Dunkin last season. Gone are star pitchers and leading hitters Grace Bailey, who just completed her first season at DMACC, and Ali Mockenhaupt, who is also a freshman at NCAA Division III Elmhurst, plus several other starters and role players. Dunkin adds he will still have senior leadership in catcher Rylee Dunkin, but a few players will be on the injured list to start the season. The Sabers take on Wayne on Monday. The baseball Sabers will take on Madrid on non conference play. Twin Cedars has a new coach that is not new to the program as Mateo Varese, who was an assistant for the last couple of seasons, but was also head boys basketball coach this winter. Varese tells KNIA/KRLS Sports having most of the guys that played basketball for him this summer, meant for an easy transition process.

Varses: “A lot of the guys were basketball players so it was an easy transistion for all of us and they know what I expect and it was really easy to get a plan moving for the season.”

Twin Cedars is currently 1-2 after losing to Keota on Friday.