On Monday, April 27th the Elkhorn North Wolves’ baseball team faced off against the Gross Catholic Cougars. This game was a matchup between two of the top four teams in Nebraska class B with Elkhorn North ranked fourth at the time and Gross at number two. 

Senior pitcher Jack Settles took the bump for the Wolves. Coming into the game, Settles had an impressive statline. Over 34 innings he had four wins, five walks allowed, and 32 strikeouts. Settles has some of the best numbers in class B. 

“Jack has been a bulldog on the mound for us,” head coach Anthony Dunn said. “He sets the tone early in big games and has gotten better in each start. Whenever he toes the rubber we feel like we have a chance to win.”

The Wolves ended up striking first, scoring three runs over the third and fourth inning assisted with a meaningful first high school home run by Keegan Driever in the fourth. These would end up being the only runs scored by both teams that day in a 3-0 Wolves win. 

“That was a great team win,” senior baseball player Sam Hunsberger said. “The wind was blowing out of left field at 20 MPH and it was pretty chilly. We really needed a win like that.”

Settles made a statement, dominating Gross and throwing a complete game. Over his seven inning shutout victory, Settles only gave up two hits, walking four, and striking out seven. His performance proves why he is considered the ace of the Wolves’ pitching staff. 

“Jack has just been lights out this season,” Hunsberger said. “He threw a full seven innings against a top three team in the state, so yeah he was good.”

As of April 29th, the Wolves have proven themselves one of the top teams in class B, ranked number one on Maxpreps, with Gross dropping to number four. Even with their success across the board, Settles has proved to be a foundation for this team. Settles ranks 7th in the class B for wins, 11th in strikeouts, and 16th in earned run average.