IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa expects its number of season tickets sold to drop by as many as 4,000 this fall. The Hawkeyes finished 2014 with just under 40,000 season ticket holders. Athletic director Gary Barta says the Hawkeyes anticipate selling between 35,000 to 37,000 of those to the general public by next season.

Iowa’s overall ticket sales have plunged in the past few years, and a blowout bowl loss to Tennessee in January following a 7-5 regular season didn’t help. Next season’s home schedule is tepid, highlighted by Pitt, Minnesota, Purdue and Illinois.

But the Hawkeyes finished 22nd nationally in 2014 with nearly 68,000 fans per game, and Barta says they believe an increase on that average is “attainable.”

AMES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa State will face the likes of Colorado, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M as part of a non-conference schedule next season. The Cyclones will host Chicago State and Chattanooga after opening against the Buffaloes in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  Iowa State will play the Hokies and then either Illinois or UAB – which stunned the Cyclones in last year’s NCAA Tournament – in the Emerald Coast Classic in Florida.

Iowa State hosts rivals Iowa at home and Northern Iowa in Des Moines. North Dakota State, Buffalo, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Coppin State round out its non-conference home schedule. The Cyclones will interrupt their round-robin Big 12 slate by playing at Texas A&M on Jan. 30. The schedule was released Tuesday.

Class 4-A
1. Johnston
2. Waukee
3. SE Polk
4. Cedar Rapids Jefferson
5. Sioux City East
6. West Des Moines Dowling Catholic
7. Linn-Mar, Marion
8. Cedar Rapids Prairie
9. Cedar Rapids Kennedy
10. Davenport Central

Others: Cedar Falls; West Des Moines Valley; Iowa City West; Lewis Central

Class 3-A
1. Davenport Assumption
2. Pella
3. Waverly-Shell Rock
4. West Delaware
5. Knoxville
6. Gilbert
7. Williamsburg
8. Boone
9. Spirit Lake
10. Spencer

Others: Saydel; Oskaloosa; Sioux City Heelan; Fairfield; Harlan

Class 2-A
1. Beckman Catholic
2. Wilton
3. Cascade
4. Columbus Catholic
5. Clear Lake
6. Des Moines Christian
7. South Winneshiek
8. Hinton
9. Monticello
10. Hampton-Dumont

Others: Treynor; New Hampton; East Sac County; Kuemper Catholic; Ogden

Class 1-A
1. Mason City Newman Catholic
2. Van Buren
3. Lisbon
4. Coon Rapids-Bayard
5. Pleasantville
6. Martensdale-St. Marys
7. Remsen St. Mary’s
8. Don Bosco
9. Exira/EHK
10. West Sioux

Others: Twin Cedars; Central Lyon; North Tama; Van Meter; Bishop Garrigan; LeMars Gehlen

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Jim Field.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.3MB)

Subscribe: RSS

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Vanderbilt has opened the College World Series finals by downing Virginia 5-1 at Omaha.  Carson Fulmer combined with two relievers on a four-hitter for the Commodores, who will successfully defend their championship if they win on Tuesday or Wednesday. Fulmer improved to 14-2, striking out eight and walking two in his 20th consecutive start of at least five innings.

Will Toffey’s two-run double broke a scoreless tie in the sixth.

SOFTBALL SCORES
Atlantic 14-6, St. Albert 0-0
Adair-Casey 9, Ar-We-Va 5
Exira/EHK 8, CAM 5 (8 innings)
Charter Oak-Ute 5, Boyer Valley 0
Griswold 6-9, Tri-Center 3-7
Treynor 10-11, Riverside 0-1
Griswold 6-9, Tri-Center 3-7
Logan-Magnolia 17-10, A-H-S-T-W 6-0
Creston 12-12, Clarinda 1-1
Denison-Schleswig 11, Harlan 1
Lewis Central 4, Kuemper Catholic 3
Glenwood 15-15, Red Oak 0-4
A-D-M 9, Carroll 0
Interstate-35 10, Bedford 0
Charter Oak-Ute 5, Boyer Valley 0
Essex 21-15, Stanton 6-4
Fremont-Mills 8, Sidney 6
Glidden-Ralston 14, Coon Rapids-Bayard 2
Panorama 6, Earlham 5

BASEBALL SCORES
St. Albert 5, Atlantic 0
Exira/EHK 13, CAM 1
Logan-Magnolia 5, Tri-Center 4
Missouri Valley 5, Audubon 2
Guthrie Center 3, West Central Valley 0
Harlan 11, Denison-Schleswig 8
Lewis Central 11-13, Kuemper Catholic 1-3
Glenwood 15-9, Red Oak 2-7
Creston 8, Clarinda 0
Carroll 6, ADM 0
Coon Rapids-Bayard 5, Glidden-Ralston 0
Earlham 12, Panorama 2 (5 Innings)
Fremont-Mills 11, Sidney 0
Nishnabotna 8, East Mills 2
Stanton 16-23, Essex 6-4
Pleasantville 17, Lenox 3
Interstate-35 9, Bedford 4
West Harrison 17, Woodbine 0 (4 Innings)

WESTERN IOWA CONFERENCE TOURNEY:
1st Round:
Audubon 12, Griswold 5
Underwood 10, Riverside 4

Quarterfinals:
A-H-S-T-W 2, Treynor 1
Logan-Magnolia 5, Tri-Center 4
Missouri Valley 5, Audubon 2
IKM-Manning 3, Underwood 2

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have recalled outfielder Matt Szczur from Triple-A Iowa to take the roster spot that was held by productive rookie Kyle Schwarber. Szczur is in the starting lineup in left field for Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is beginning his fourth stint of the season with the Cubs, and has hit .167 with six RBIs in 23 games.

Schwarber was sent to Triple-A after driving in two runs during Chicago’s 8-0 win at Minnesota on Sunday. The 22-yearold catcher hit .364 with one homer and six RBIs in six games after making his big league debut.

The Cubs had called up Schwarber from Double-A Tennessee to primarily be the designated hitter during a string of interleague games at AL parks. He was the overall No. 4 pick in last year’s draft and will be making his first appearance at the Triple-A level.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Jim Field.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.8MB)

Subscribe: RSS

As season ticket sales continue to drop Iowa officials are getting creative in hopes of filling Kinnick Stadium for the upcoming football season. The Hawkeyes will begin offering fans three game ticket packages today and Associate Athletic Director Rick Klatt says fans will be allowed to design their own three game plan.

As recently as 2011 Iowa sold out Kinnick Stadium for the entire season but season ticket sales for this season are expected to only reach 30 thousand. Klatt says if there is a silver lining it may be the opportunity to get new fans into the stadium.

A home schedule with no marquee opponents is a factor in the drop in season ticket sales but the biggest factor is fan dissatisfaction in a program that has declined in recent years and finished with a 7-6 record in 2014. The cost of the three game ticket package is 157 dollars. Iowa opens the season at home on September fifth against Illinois State.

(Learfield Sports)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Defending national champion Vanderbilt and Virginia will meet for the second straight year in the College World Series finals beginning Monday night at TD Ameritrade Park. The Commodores went 3-0 in bracket play. Virginia was 3-1, securing its spot in the finals with its 5-4 win over Florida on Saturday.

Virginia will be trying to win the Atlantic Coast Conference’s first national title in baseball since Wake Forest in 1955. The Cavaliers will send Connor Jones (7-2, 3.05 ERA) to the mound against Carson Fulmer (13-2, 1.95 ERA) in Game 1. Jones went six innings and got a no-decision in a 5-3 win over Arkansas on June 13. Fulmer pitched six innings against Cal State Fullerton on June 14 and got a no-decision in a 4-3 victory.