Prep Baseball- The 2024 Iowa State Baseball tournament is set to start on Monday, July 22nd, with Classes 1A and 2A playing at Merchants Field in Carroll, while Classes 3A and 4A will head off to Kernels Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids.
Here’s a breakdown of the first rounds matchups and some players to look out for.
Class 1A
#1 Akron-Westfield enters the tournament as the favorite with #8 Bedford being tasked with the first-round contest at 11 am. The Westerners only loss three games this season with one of those losses coming against Remsen St. Mary’s.
Bedford will need to lean on their speed on their base running ability as the Bulldogs have stolen 145 bases this year.
Players to Watch: Izaak Dukes is batting 0.435 for the Bulldogs with two home runs and 31 RBIs, while Nathan Gaswint sports a 9-2 record with a 1.12 ERA, including 90 strikeouts.
The most intriguing matchup will be #4 Lynnville-Sully going against #5 Sigourney at 1:30 pm. The two teams have met numerous times with their last matchup coming back in early June when the Hawks took the game 4-3.
Both had narrow wins to get to the tournament as Sigourney pulled off the upset against Burlington Notre Dame to arrive to the state tournament for the first time in their history, while the Hawks won 1-0 against Ankeny Christian.
Players to Watch: Caden Clarahan leads Sigourney in batting average and ERA, Corder Noun Harder is batting 0.570 with 7 home runs and 26 RBIs for Lynnville-Sully.
Newman Catholic will face off against a familiar opponent in South Winneshiek at 4:30 pm. The Knights have bragging rights now having defeated the Warriors on July 3rd 5-1 and holding a 7-1 record since 2015.
South Winneshiek shocked Don Bosco to get to the tournament, while the Knights handled Bishop Garrigan 10-3.
Players to Watch: Carson Streeter has tossed 60.1 innings to the tune of a 1.28 ERA and knocking in 33 RBIs at the plate for South Winneshiek, while Malachi O’Brien leads the team with a 0.370 average and has eight wins on the hill with a 0.59 ERA.
Lastly, Remsen St. Mary’s will be attempting to defend their state championship from last season with a first-round matchup against North Linn at 7 pm. It has been six years since they last played one another as the Lynx won that matchup 6-3.
North Linn knocked off Wapsie Valley 4-2, while the Hawks tossed Coon Rapids-Bayard aside, winning 8-0.
Players to Watch: Collin Homan has 40 RBIs and is batting 0.429 for the season, complimenting his 1.89 ERA for Remsen St. Mary’s. Cole Griffith is the man for the Lynx with a 0.87 ERA with a 0.402 batting average and 33 stolen bases.
Class 2A
There will be a new champion on Friday, July 26th, when Class 2A starts their tournament trail on Tuesday, July 23rd.
#1 Underwood, last year’s runner-up, will go against #8 Unity Christian to start the day at 11 am. The Eagles have lost only two games this year and have shut out their last two opponents on the postseason trail. The Knights defeated Estherville Lincoln Central 3-2.
Players to Watch: Garrett Luett is batting 0.477 with three home runs to go along with an 0.55 ERA and 81 strikeouts for Underwood. Braeden Bosma is in a similar situation for Unity Christian with a 1.55 ERA and a 0.417 average leading to 28 RBIs.
Chariton will be the home squad against Pleasantville at 1:30 pm. The Trojans had to battle their way into the tournament with a narrow 2-0 win over Des Moines Christian, while the Chargers sprinted past OABCIG 10-1.
Chariton won their matchup in late June 6-5, but it is important to note that the last two contests have been decided by one run with the teams splitting those matchups. Pleasantville has six underclassmen playing significant time.
Players to Watch: Braylon Bingham might be a freshman but he’s playing like a veteran with a 0.500 batting average to go along with 25 RBIs for Pleasantville. Mason Smith leads the team with a 0.426 average with six doubles, two home runs, and 24 RBIs.
Sumner-Fredericksburg will take on Wilton at 4:30 pm with no past matchup between the two. Wilton barely got past Cascade, winning 4-3, while the Cougars played Anamosa close, taking their game 5-3.
Players to Watch: Jaymison Howard has thrown 77 strikeouts to bring a 1.33 ERA into the tournament for Sumner-Fredericksburg, while Ben Garvin has totaled 65 strikeouts to the tune of 1.69 ERA.
Lastly, New Hampton will face off against Aplington-Parkersburg at 7 pm. The Chickasaws have outscored the Falcons in their two historical matchups 20 to 8.
The Falcons leaned on their pitching staff to get to the tournament, winning 2-1 against Roland-Story, while New Hampton knows how to score, putting up 27 runs in their three postseason matchups.
Players to Watch: Braden McShane is batting 0.531 for the season with 43 RBIs and 13 doubles for New Hampton. Devin Davis has a 1.62 ERA to go along with 92 strikeouts for Aplington-Parkersburg.
Class 3A
North Polk and Harlan Community will lead off the play in Cedar Rapids with their matchup slated to start at 11:30 am. The Comets are the home team, but they have slogged their way through the playoffs with back-to-back one-run wins against ADM and Algona.
Comparatively, the Cyclones have dominated their opponents, outscoring Carroll, Creston, and Lewis Central by a combined score of 30 to 3.
Players to Watch: Reece Wrage has an ERA of 1.05 with 85 strikeouts for the Comets, while Quinn Koesters touts a 0.355 batting average with 23 RBIs for Harlan Community.
At 2 pm, Marion will act as the host against Center Point-Urbana. This will be their 32nd matchup since 2009 with Marion sporting a 27-4 record in that span. The Wolves won both games this season with a 3-2 final for each contest.
Marion averages nearly 10 runs per game but has been held to three runs in each of their past two postseason matchups. The Stormin Pointers have held their last 10 opponents to three runs or less, going 9-1 in that span.
Players to Watch: Trey Franck is batting 0.420 with 38 RBIs and 13 doubles for Marion. Thomas Taylor has 42 RBIs with two home runs and a batting average of 0.430 for the Stormin Pointers.
Pella will square off against Bishop Heelan at 5 pm. The advantage leans toward the Crusaders since they are averaging a run more per game and giving up a run less.
Nevertheless, Bishop Heelan has had to fight to remain in the bracket with two extra inning walk offs against LeMars and Sergeant Bluff-Luton. The Dutch handled Grinnell 4-1 to get to the tournament.
Players to Watch: Jaron Bleeker leads the team on the mound and plate with a 1.33 ERA and 35 RBIs to go along with 11 doubles for Bishop Heelan. Isaiah Kettler is batting 0.515 for Pella, stealing 23 bases, tallying 35 RBIs to go along with 17 doubles.
Despite the difference in seeding, #1 Wahlert Catholic and #8 Central DeWitt provides the most intriguing matchup of Class 3A. Both teams average seven runs per game, while giving up around four runs. Overall, both handled their playoff matchups.
Additionally, the two teams are used to playing against the other in mid-to-late July with an even 5-5 record between the two teams.
Players to Watch: Jacob Maher has three home runs, 40 RBIs, and a batting average of 0.453 for Central DeWitt. Bode Nagelmaker may have a batting average of just 0.289 but the junior has clobbered the ball with 15 doubles and two triples, helping him bring home 30 runs for Wahlert Catholic.
Class 4A
Class 4A action is set to start on Tuesday at 11:30 am between #1 Cedar Rapids Kennedy and #8 Pleasant Valley. The two are familiar with one another with the Cougars holding a 6-4 advantage of their last 10 games, winning the last two matchups.
The Spartans got the extra innings victory over Iowa City Liberty to advance to the state tournament. The Cougars handled North Scott 5-1.
Players to Watch: Lincoln Dalton has a 0.67 ERA after tossing 62.2 innings with 81 strikeouts for Pleasant Valley. Nolan Grawe has crushed the ball to the tune of 14 home runs, 13 doubles, 53 RBIs, and a batting average of 0.514.
Johnston won last year’s championship in a thrilling extra innings 6-5 final over Ankeny; now, the Dragons will take on Waukee Northwest to start the state tournament at 2 pm. The Dragons have won all three contests this year by a combined score of 25 to 6.
The Wolves never had to sweat during the postseason, allowing only four runs in three games, while Johnston barely defeated Cedar Falls 1-0 in the substate championship.
Players to Watch: Adam Kayko touts a 0.369 average with 37 RBIs with four home runs for the Dragons. Chuck Berdovich is a tough ace for the Wolves with a 1.64 ERA and 55 strikeouts.
At 5 pm, Dallas Center-Grimes will face off against Dowling Catholic. The Mustangs have only dropped three games this year, while the Maroons have played it close all year, averaging 5.1 runs per game and giving up 4.3 runs per game.
Amazingly, neither team has given up a run in postseason play.
Players to Watch: Trever Baumler has thrown 48 innings with a 1.17 ERA to go along with 78 strikeouts for Dowling Catholic. Tatin Gray has belted 13 home runs with a 0.545 average and Keaton Fenn has caused 103 whiffs, executing for a 1.14 ERA for the Mustangs.
Lastly, Iowa City High will compete at 7:30 pm against Waukee. The Warriors and Little Hawks played in close contests to get her with Waukee winning 1-0 over Sioux City North, while Iowa City High took down Iowa City West 3-1.
Players to Watch: Grant Sorenson leads Waukee on the mound with a 1.25 ERA in 50.1 innings pitched and at the plate with a 0.338 average and 38 RBIs. Drake Obermueller supplies some speed for the Little Hawks on the basepath with 22 steals on a 0.330 batting average.