New London, IA- As student-athletes, coaches, and parents get a deserved rest for Family Week, KILJ will be using this week to remember some of the state championship winning teams from our local schools in a series called “Championship Road.” To start the week, we start at the most recent team to raise a banner: the 2022 New London Baseball team.
“The expectations for the boys were, it was really, you know, we wanted to get back there, and their expectations were to win it all. A great example of that would be, you know, during the sub-state games, normally when you win your sub-state, you dogpile and you get your banner that said you’re a state qualifier, but our boys just ran out to right field and when we asked them why they didn’t want to celebrate, they said…”
“… that wasn’t the end story. We want to win it all. That was probably one of my favorite moments.”
This team had been developing since their freshman years and their first push, maybe a bit premature, actually started in 2021 and for seven of the starters—their junior season. The Tigers lost only one game in the regular season and had earned their second state tournament berth in their program’s history. However, a late rally was stymied by Kee in the quarterfinals, losing 4-3.
A narrow loss has the ability to loom over a team like a shadow; at least, some teams can feel those effects, just not New London according to Kooper Schulte,
“I mean, we were just all excited. I know me and Tucker Gibbar, we kind of pushed everybody to kind of start working on baseball. Like right now, like even a week after our season ended, hey, let’s get back to work. Like, so I feel like we did a good job of that and just staying on us to not, not focusing on, you know, winning a state chip, but focusing on our process.”
That focus was needed early in the season as the coaching staff of Brad Helmerson, Justin Schulte, and Jayden Flowers, a New London alum, had devised a schedule with a gauntlet of tough teams such as Cardinal, Keota, and a rematch against the villain of 2021: Kee High School.
“… not going to say I had a mark on my calendar cause I like to play an approach every, every game, the exact same, but, um, I know we were all excited to play, um, especially, you know, get our revenge back. And that was definitely fun. And I believe we run-ruled them in the regular season. So that was awesome.”
The schedule might have read tougher, but it was not phasing the Tigers. Including a demolishing 10-0 victory over Kee, Schulte’s team leading 0.444 batting average, 44 RBIs, and 20 extra-base hits, led to New London run-ruling 15 opponents and beating 21 teams with a winning record. But it was not just Schulte, as 8 of the 9 starters all hit at 0.299 or better, while the pitching staff notched a 1.30 ERA. The 2022 Tigers had been playing together since middle-school and that familiarity produced some of the best baseball in the state,
“Playing with those guys. That was awesome. I mean, I can remember all of them. We played, you know, the New London, uh, T-ball or town ball growing up together. And some of us played child ball together. And I mean, we were really close. One of the closest teams I’ve ever been on in my career so far. And it was just special, special group, special, special coaches, coaches did a great job… Most fun I ever played ball one more winning and obviously I love winning. And two, like when everyone’s bought in and to the same goal, to the same mindset, it’s, it’s some special, it doesn’t matter if it’s baseball sport work, whatever it is, you got a whole team that’s bought into something that’s, its life changing and changes your career for sure.”
But even this New London team was fallible. After winning their first 25 games of the season, The Tigers tripped in game one of a doubleheader against Anamosa, losing 3-0. Despite the domination exhibited through all of June, the coaches placed a challenge on their squad,
“I remember vividly, uh, my dad [Coach Schulte] who was the assistant coach at the time took me to his car and he chewed my butt out cause I wasn’t, um, performing the way I should have at the time. Um, and we had to respond like doubleheader. We lost game one. What are we going to do now? How, how do we want to be remembered? You know, that type of stuff. And I remember just how our team responded.”
14 hits, 7 strikeouts on the mound, and an 11-2 victory over the Blue Raiders. That response carried New London through the postseason, beating Pekin, 6-2, Burlington Notre Dame, 5-0, the aforementioned run-rule of Moravia, and a state quarterfinal win over CAM, 12-3. Gibbar, Josh Catala, Derek Santiago, and Seth Bailey each had their moments. For Coach Flowers, the semifinals was all the proof he needed,
“Yeah, I’d probably say it’s a state tournament against Newman Catholic…Yeah, I would say that that game there was probably, like, the deciding factor on, you know, this team is absolutely special, and it was fun to see. I mean, going into that game, you know, they had some kids on their team that, you know, were supposed to go play D1 baseball and college baseball and it was a game where we were headed into it and Coach Schulte told them before the game that it was, you know, this is your chance to make a statement and you guys can do with it what you will. And they went out there and it was awesome to watch and awesome to see.”
A 16-1 shellacking of the Knights set up a matchup against the #1-seed Remsen St. Mary’s for the state championship. The Hawks made the first move, scoring three runs in the first inning, putting New London in an unfamiliar position, but nerves never entered the equation for coach Flowers,
“It’s going to sound weird to say, but with that team, like, you really didn’t get that nervous when you got down, like, because there was always a chance that they were going to score five to 10 runs any given inning. And I knew that once, you know, they calmed down and they got things settled in that we would be okay.”
A Gibbar home run helped spark New London to score eight of the next nine runs and lead 8 to 4 entering the final two innings. Yet, the Hawks would not go away, scoring three runs in the 6th inning before forcing the Tigers into a precarious spot in the bottom of the 7th inning,
“Yeah. One of the most surreal moments, uh, so far in my life. Um, very special. Honestly, I just wasn’t even thinking. I was just so I was pretty upset that we gave up the lead a little bit and partially my fault. You know, I was, I was on the mound last two innings…”
“…and to load up the bases in the state tournament in the seventh inning with one out, like, you just, you’re just thinking to yourself, like, a lot of things have got to go right here and, you know, Kooper threw a curve ball outside that got hit right back to him. And then we got turned the one, two, three double play. And after that, you really don’t like remember too much. Like, it’s awesome seeing our kids out there dog piling. They worked so hard for it. Like, it’s a great thing, but it was a great thing to see and a great thing to watch.”
An 8-7 victory, 31 victories, and New London’s first state baseball championship. These moments find a way of becoming a habit, especially for Schulte, who’s was selected by the New York Mets in the 2026 MLB draft,
“Yeah, for sure. Um, I think everywhere, everywhere I’ve been in my career, I’ve won, um, well, that’s Arizona my freshman year, but I think we won 50 games, uh, Southeast in my sophomore year. We went to the World Series, won a lot. Iowa, um, harder to win, still managed to win, make the Big Ten tournament both years and almost won the Big Ten my junior year. And, uh, I just think, um, knowing how to win and knowing when to win has just helped me in my career. Like, yeah, it just helps a lot. You know, when you’ve been in that situation, that big moment helps out, helps out a lot.”
For coach Flowers, the current Tigers’ head coach, it has set the expectations,
“Year by year, it’s different. All the kids change, you know. The biggest thing is the culture aspect of what we bring and how high our expectations are and the standard that you’re going to practice at in order to compete at a high level. That’s the most that I took out of that year as a coach. I would say that, you know, being able to pick the brain of Justin Schulte helped me a lot. And yeah, basically, it’s just the standard and the culture that, you know, this is what it’s going to take to win. Here’s our standard. Here’s how you have to approach it. Here’s how you have to come to practice every day. And here’s how hard you got to work.”
But, beyond the team, it’s a moment shared by the entire community,
“Means a lot. I just know not many people have you know, won a state championship, um, in any sport in high school and won first time doing it in baseball, um, at New London. So that was special. And, uh, the group was awesome. Loved every single one of my teammates. Couldn’t have done it without the coaches… Like everybody played a part, even the community was awesome and everything.”
Stay tuned throughout the week as we ride “Championship Road”!