At long last, fans of Emmetsburg E-Hawk baseball can breath a little better as the search for their next head coach has concluded. Following the departure of their previous head coach, the E-Hawks will now turn towards Estherville Iowa native Briar Rowley to spearhead their efforts starting in the 2022 campaign.

“Very excited for the opportunity to be the next head baseball coach at Emmetsburg High School. Can’t wait to get started with the team. Go E-Hawks,” mentioned Rowley on Twitter.

Rowley was a four year participant for the Estherville High School baseball squad where he collected 121 career hits, 93 career RBI, and 160 total bases offensively. His best year offensively came in the 2018 campaign where he collected career highs in all three of those categories including 37 hits, 28 33 RBI, and 56 total bases. The dual threat was also strong on the pitching mound where he collected 156 total strikeouts. His best year as a hurler came in his farewell season (2019) where he tossed a career-high 70 strikeouts which toppled his previous best by 21. He earned All-Conference honors from his sophomore season on from the outfield to the pitching mound. That included a first-team All-Conference outfield honor in his sophomore season of 2017. From there he picked up first-team All-State honors his junior and senior seasons. With his help, the Midgets made their way to the state tournament twice during his high school tenure (2017 & 2018).

Rowley also found his way as a volunteer assistant coach for Iowa Lakes CC baseball following his time as the head JV baseball coach for Spirit Lake High School baseball. Prior to that, Rowley committed his talents to Northwestern College in Orange City Iowa. He eventually made his way to Buena Vista University in Storm Lake Iowa. He joins a new crop of coaches such as Clayton Ridge HC and Bondurant-Farrar alumni Casey Zarr as current college student-athletes head coaching at the high school level.

Across the 2021 campaign, the E-Hawks accumulated an overall record of 16-12 while ranking second in the Twin Lakes Conference standings with a mark of 9-2. Those 16 victories officially tied for the third-highest win total for Emmetsburg over the past 15 seasons.