Des Moines Hoover softball named the Register's 2019 All-Iowa Team of the Year

The Des Moines Hoover softball team defied both odds and history en route to the 2018 Class 4A state title last summer, and for their efforts, they have been named the All-Iowa Team of the Year for the 2018-19 school year.

The Huskies went 22-7 and won a state championship for the first time since 1982. At the state tournament in Fort Dodge last July, Hoover blitzed the field, outscoring all three opponents by a combined 27-6. 

For the year, Hoover was among the toughest squads in 4A. The combination of stout hitting — a team batting average of .347 — and a collective ERA of 2.78 propelled the Huskies through the toughest odds.

At the beginning of the 2018 season, head coach Melissa Feuerbach counted just 14 players out for the team, including two who had just wrapped up eighth grade. It was without question the smallest roster of the five Des Moines high schools.

It mattered little, as Hoover went 13-2 against its fellow Des Moines public schools, and stormed through the 4A postseason thanks to stellar defense, explosive offense, and excellent pitching. The Huskies are the first Des Moines school to capture a softball state title since East won in 2011.

After defeating Charles City and Sergeant Bluff-Luton, Hoover met ADM, Adel in the final. Down 2-0 after four innings, the Huskies erupted for seven runs in the fifth to put the game out of reach.

Members of the 1982 state championship team were in attendance to watch Hoover win. When the final out was recorded, they celebrated with the current group of Huskies just as they did 36 years earlier.

Members of the Hoover softball team will be honored at the Des Moines Register Sports Awards, featuring NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner, on June 21 at Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines.

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.