Joel Holst Photo By Elwin Huffman, KOEL-Oelwein

The Iowa Conference baseball race has come down to the final weekend of the regular season. League-leading Wartburg hosts second-place Dubuque in a three-game series that will determine the title and the top-seed in next week’s conference tournament in Cedar Rapids.

Wartburg is seeking its 22nd Iowa Conference championship in program history and 16th under coach Joel Holst. The Knights are 17-4 in league play and currently have a one-game lead over the 16-5 Spartans.

“We have won a lot of championships in our baseball program but it is never easy and it seems like it’s just a grind”, said Holst. “I am sure that is what the series is going to be like this weekend.”

Wartburg has won the regular-season crown three of the last four years. The Knights are 26-11 overall. Dubuque is 22-13 and has equaled the school record for wins. The Spartans will be in search of their first Iowa Conference championship.

story by Elwin Huffman