DYERSVILLE, Iowa (KCRG) – ESPN Sportscenter will highlight the Field of Dreams Movie Site as part of the “50 States in 50 days” nationwide tour. KCRG reports on July 25, ESPN will record and broadcast live from the Dyersville location. The ESPN network will be on-site handing out merchandise to visitors starting at 5 p.m. on Friday.

ESPN Radio will be on-site between 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. SportsCenter Live will take place from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Saturday. This is the first major cross-country tour SportsCenter has done in 20 years.

SportsCenter is visiting the Field of Dreams during a youth baseball tournament and will provide details on the history of the site as well as ongoing updates.

AMES, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa State University Athletics is facing significant budget cuts, including postponing major renovation projects. The budget cuts are due to a $147M budget deficit through the year 2031. That averages 24.5M dollars a year.

The athletics budget cuts are as follows:

• The $25M Hilton Coliseum renovation is postponed.
• The $20M wrestling practice facility construction is postponed.
• Initiated cost reduction mandates in all sports to slow the growth of overall expenses.
• Passing on the annual cost of sale tax on ticket sales to consumers.

The changes come from struggles including the House vs. NCAA settlement. Schools can now share up to $20.5M per year with their athletes. The Big 12’s realignment of ten to sixteen teams negatively impacted the conference for their distribution model for revenue. Full details can be found here.

The Riverside baseball season has ended after a 4-19 season and for first-year Head Coach Kyler Morgan everyone including himself was growing into their positions as the season progressed.

Riverside dropped their first four games of the season before beating Audubon 12-2 and Missouri Valley 6-2. Morgan said when the pitchers provided good command the Bulldogs were as competitive as can be.

The confidence and the skills the Bulldogs developed throughout the season prepared Riverside for the postseason despite a walk-off first round loss to Bedford.

Riverside loses four seniors who played significant roles on this year’s team.

On the flip side, Riverside has many players returning including their top four hitters who all have two years of high school baseball left. Two of those sophomores in Cole Jeppesen and Victor Alfonso pitched the two most innings for the Bulldogs as well.

Riverside will bring lots of experience back for 2026 and will seek to build off this season’s campaign.

Iowa center Logan Jones is ready for his final season in a Hawkeye uniform. Jones decided against entering the NFL Draft after being named first team All Big Ten and is entering his fourth season as the starter.

The native of Council Bluffs began his college career as a defensive lineman.

Jones on the excitement as fall camp approaches.

Jones made his comments at Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas. The Hawkeyes open the season at home on August 30th against the University of Albany.

Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz says he backs Big Ten commissioner Tony Petiti’s plan for a 16-team playoff. Petiti is pushing for a format that gives the Big Ten and SEC four automatic spots. It would also involve play-in games for teams finishing third through six in the Big Ten.

The plan would give six Big Ten teams a chance to get in or play in to the College Football Playoff.

Ferentz made his comments at Big Ten Media days in Las Vegas and like the other coaches in the league praised Petiti’s leadership during the rapidly changing landscape of college athletics.

Iowa opens the season at home on August 30th against the University of Albany.

Iowa State basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger says conditioning is the focus during the final stages of summer workouts. Two weeks remain before the Cyclones have an August break prior to the start of classes.

Otzelberger says they are looking to get the players in game shape.

Otzelberger says senior forward Joshua Jefferson will miss the remainder of summer workouts with a wrist injury. The second team All-Big 12 standout averaged 13 points and nearly seven and-a-half rebounds last season.

Otzelberger says with Jefferson sidelined it has given them a chance to evaluate several newcomers long the front line.

Jefferson is one of three starters back from a team that finished 25-10 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Second ranked Clarksville and top ranked Wayne will collide in Friday night’s 1A championship at state softball. Clarksville advanced after an 11-3 win over Fort Dodge St. Edmond. Cate Lodge had the second of two grand slams for Clarksville in the game.

Clarksville coach Katie Burman.

Wayne advanced with a 7-3 victory over Riverside.

Class 1A Semifinals

#1 Wayne – 7 vs #4 Riverside – 3

#2 Clarksville – 11 vs #6 St. Edmond, Fort Dodge – 3

Class 2A Semifinals

#1 Van Meter – 5 vs #5 West Fork – 4

#3 West Lyon – 9 vs #2 Louisa-Muscatine – 5

Class 3A Semifinals

#1 Wahlert Catholic – 7 vs #4 PCM – 1

#2 Williamsburg – 9 vs #3 Albia – 1

Class 4A Semifinals

#8 Pella – 2 vs #5 ADM – 1

#3 North Polk – 11 vs #7 North Scott – 3

Class 5A Semifinals

#1 Waukee Northwest – 11 vs #4 Ankeny Centennial – 3

#2 Linn-Mar – 8 vs #6 Cedar Falls – 0

Consolation

1A: Newell-Fonda 7 Highland 6

1A: Newman Catholic 5 Wapsie Valley 4 — 8 inn

2A: Cascade 11 West Monona 8

2A: Durant 5 East Marshall 4

3A: Estherville Lincoln Central 3 Washington 1

Two innings were the difference Wednesday night as the Riverside Bulldogs fell to the Wayne Falcons 7-3 in the 1A semi-final. Despite putting the leadoff batter aboard in six out of the seven innings, Riverside struggled to string together hits, leaving four runners in scoring position. This was largely due to the ability of Falcon pitcher Izzie Moore, who struck out seven and limited Bulldog hitters. The Majority of the Wayne offense came in the first, scoring the first four that came to the plate. Then in the third, the Falcons were able to build on the lead with a two-run homer. After the homer, Peyton Schafer was excellent, allowing just one baserunner in the final three frames. However, outside of a chaotic string of errors that spotted the Bulldogs two runs in the seventh, Moore held the Bulldogs down to secure a spot in the final. 

Out of the gate, it appeared as if the Bulldogs’ offensive momentum from the quarterfinal would carry over. Adaline Martens led off the game with a rope of a double to immediately put Riverside in position to score. However, as would be the case for a large portion of the game, Moore would shut it down. Every time throughout the first five innings that the Bulldogs put the leadoff batter aboard, Moore responded with three straight outs. 

On the other side, the Falcons got off to a quick start. After Ella Whitney earned a leadoff walk, the Falcons crushed back-to-back RBI doubles, followed by a Moore RBI single and a Crystal Peck RBI groundout to score the first four batters. Although Schafer faced the minimum in the second (after Sophia Fenner became just the second catcher this season to catch Ella Whitney stealing), the Wayne bats when back to work. Three consecutive hits highlighted by a Moore long bomb tacked on three to bring the lead to 7-0. 

After giving up the homer, Schafer was excellent. Only two Falcons reached base in her final three off of an error and a walk, and picked up three strikeouts while holding the line for the Bulldogs. In the sixth, Riverside finally broke through as Sydney Somers cashed in a Fenner leadoff double to put the Bulldogs on the board. However, the string hits elude them, including a couple of rockets that went right into a Falcon glove. 

Down by six heading into the final inning, the Bulldogs finally caught a break. A wild play that saw Wayne commit three errors scored two as Lilli Reed came all the way around on a little league home run that started with a bunt. Despite the hint of life breathed back in the Bulldogs, Moore once again shut the door to push Wayne to the state championship game. Head coach Lacie Patterson noticed the ability of Moore to change her velocity with effectiveness. 

Despite Moor’s performance, the Bulldogs had some success but the timing of them didn’t help.

Although the hopes of a state championship this year are dashed, there is a bright future ahead with Riverside only losing one senior.

The Bulldogs still have a chance to tack on to an already successful season and end the season in third place.

Riverside will take on St. Edmond in the third place on Friday with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. KJAN will have coverage starting at 5:30 pm.

1A Semifinals 

#4 Martensdale-St. Marys – 18 vs #8 Hillcrest Academy 8

#3 Saint Ansgar – 8 vs #7 East Buchanan – 5

3A Semifinals 

#1 Wahlert Catholic – 10 vs #5 Saydel – 0

#2 Pella – 3 vs #3 Bishop Heelan Catholic – 2