ON TO STATE!!! ...

Members of the Kee baseball team celebrate the presentation of their State Qualifier banner being held up by Kee baseball head coach Jim Mauss after the Hawks won their Class 1A Substate 2 championship game over Northwood-Kensett Tuesday, July 20 at Charles City High School. The baseball Hawks hammered away for an eight-run second inning that proved to be the catalyst for their 11-0 mercy-rule victory in five innings that shines on the scoreboard in the background of the above photo, earning Kee baseball its first qualification for the State Baseball Tournament in 10 seasons, when the Hawks finished as the Class 1A State Tournament runner-up to complete their 2011 season. This year’s Substate 2 Championship earned the Hawks a number-four seed in the Class 1A State Tournament eight-team pairings and a Monday, July 26 first-round date with fifth-seeded New London at Merchants Park in Carroll. Additional details and photos from Kee’s Substate Championship victory, as well as additional information about the Hawks’ State Tournament possibilities, can be found on Pages 12-13 of this week’s edition of The Standard. View and find out how to purchase this photo and more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on The Standard’s webpage.