By Bob Bakken
MaxPreps.com
Another Iowa Baseball Coach Reaches Milestone
In a season where Iowa's legendary baseball coach Gene Schultz reached the 1,500 win level and continues to be the national leader in that category, another prep coach has reached a significant victory plateau.
Algona Garrigan's Gene Meister is heading into the postseason with a record of 800-319. The 800 wins puts him seventh all-time in Iowa high school coaching victories and he is fourth among active coaches. Meister is in his 19th year at Garrigan, 35th overall.
Prior to coming to Algona, Meister coached at Bancroft St. John's, Boxholm, Lake Mills and Thompson. He first coached baseball in 1969.
Meister won back-to-back state championships with Bancroft St. John's in 1985 and 1986. At Garrigan, the Golden Bears were the Class 1-A runner-up in 1999.
In addition to being baseball coach, the 59-year old Meister is president of the Catholic school system, similar to being school superintendent.
Cherokee's Ege To Sign With UNI
A top Iowa baseball player will remain in-state for his college baseball career. Cory Ege of Cherokee says he will sign with the University of Northern Iowa and play with the Panthers next spring.
Ege is playing this summer for a Cherokee team that's ranked No. 1 in Class 2-A. He was recently named an honorable mention high school All-American by Collegiate Baseball Magazine as a shortstop and right-handed pitcher; although he says he'll concentrate exclusively on the infield while in college.
Ege hit .471 with four home runs and 38 RBI last year when Cherokee completed a 26-7 season and made the state quarterfinals in Des Moines before losing to Charles City.
There's some bloodline connections with Ege. His father John is a member the International Softball Congress Hall-of-Fame, having been inducted in 1996.
Gibbs Nears Decision about College Future
One of the state's most highly-prized basketball players is close to deciding where he will go to college and continue his playing career.
Marion Linn-Mar 6-5 guard Grant Gibbs apparently has narrowed his list to two - Iowa State and Gonzaga.
According to a report in the Des Moines Register, Grant's mother Judy said that Iowa and Wisconsin of the Big Ten had been eliminated from the list, although both schools had offered scholarships.
No decision is expected until after the weekend, when Gibbs returns from a tournament in Tulsa, Okla., with his Martin Brothers AAU team.
Gibbs was an all-tournament selection in leading the Lions to a 24-1 record and the Class 4-A state title last March. In the state tournament, Gibbs averaged 15 points and seven rebounds in three games, including a 20 points, five boards, and seven steals against Urbandale in the state semifinals.
Goodman Returning to the Sideline
An Iowa Basketball Hall of Fame player and coach is returning to the sidelines. Tom Goodman, 61, will coach this season at West Central Valley of Stuart, where he last coached in the 2005-06 season.
Goodman said he was retiring "for good" at the end of that season, but when the school didn't have anyone available for the job, he volunteered to take it.
In 30 years at several stops around the state, Goodman has posted a record of 425-222. He has taken four teams to the state tournament, including a 1988 Fort Dodge team that won the 4-A state championship.
Goodman, with his son Jay, are one of only three father-son combinations in the Iowa High School Athletic Association's Hall of Fame for players. He was inducted last season into the coaches' hall of fame. The Goodman coaching blood also goes back to Tom's father, W.A. "Connie" Goodman, who also is in the coaches' hall of fame. The elder Goodman won 322 games for seven Iowa schools in 27 seasons.
Cedar Falls Softball Coach Hired at Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls head softball coach Ryan Jacobs is moving from high school coaching to the Division I level, but he won't have to change ZIP codes.
The Tigers' mentor has been named head coach of the softball program at the University of Northern Iowa, which is also located in Cedar Falls. He'll become the fifth coach of the Panthers' program since it started in 1974.
Jacobs has been the coach at Cedar Falls since 2004, guiding the Tigers to a 90-52 record. Last year's team finished with a 32-10 record, the school's second-best record in history and was ranked 15th in the state 4-A ratings. This year's team has been in the top 10 of the state rankings, currently standing at No. 6 with a record of 23-7.
