Cascade back on top of 2A baseball rankings

CASCADE - The wake-up call rang loud.

The response has been louder.

Cascade answered a setback by winning 10 straight games and reclaiming the No. 1 ranking in the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 2A poll this week. The Cougars were 28-3, entering Thursday night's game at second-ranked Wilton.

The Cougars suffered its last loss June 19, falling to rival Dyersville Beckman at home. Lessons were learned.

'Unless we are locked in 100 percent in games this is what is going to happen to us,” Cascade Coach Roamn Hummel said. 'I think these last couple weeks our guys have really bought back into that fact that it doesn't matter who we are playing we always have to be at our best to win.”

Cascade had something to prove early and hit a plateau, going 14-0 and chalking up almost 11 runs per game. Hummel said a 'lull” came when they dropped three games in 11 days, including a 1-0 contest to Northeast, allowing one hit and the only run on an error.

'I think things are coming together,” said all-stater Derek Lieurance, who signed to play at Western Illinois. 'We're starting to hit the ball a lot better. I'm hoping that we're out of that rut and we're starting to peak at the right time.”

Other coaches seem to believe the Cougars are back on path, following a drop to third for a week. Rankings are based off wins and Cascade has plenty. Even though Hummel doesn't focus on the number, he realizes it is a recognition of the players' work ethics.

'These things are part of the process,” Hummel said. 'The fact we're ranked No. 1 is due to the fact we work really hard, we practice all the time and we do everything necessary to get us to that point.”

Lieurance said he can't recall the last time Cascade had a top-ranked baseball team, so it is a welcome honor. The most important time to be on top is at the end of the season.

'We don't want it to go to our heads,” said Lieurance, whose team will get to host a 2A district at American Legion Field. 'We try to stay as humble as possible, so when the postseason comes, we take it one game at a time.”

The Cougars have averaged 10.4 runs during the recent win streak. The strength may come in preventing runs with a deep pitching staff. Trace Hoffman is 5-0 and hasn't allowed a run yet this season. Adam Strang and Bryce Simon are also 5-0 with an earned-run average less than 1.80. Ries Rausch has five wins.

'We have four or five guys that we have all the confidence in the world that we are going to win the ballgame when they are on the mound,” Lieurance said. 'it has helped us this year.”

Lieurance has been a key component to the Cougars' success. Lieurance is 4-1 with 65 strikeouts in 31 innings and a 1.11 ERA. Offensive numbers are more impressive, including a .467 batting average, .563 on-base percentage, reaching base 50 times, 31 RBIs and three home runs. His bigger impact may come off the field.

'He's worked his butt off to get where he is at,” Hummel said. 'He's been in the weight room three to four days a week. He's running and doing all those things. He's made himself the player he is. I think a lot of our guys see what he is doing and the hard work he puts in and try to emulate some of it.

'He's been a great leader for us.”

A strong group of seniors has participated in multiple sports, contributing to the school's sports success. Hummel praised the class, including Nolan Weber, Luke Recker, Mitch Recker and Rausch. All four rank among the team's top hitters and run producers. Hummel said they are hungry for a championship and Lieurance wants to make the final run memorable.

'This is the last time I get to play with these guys,” Lieurance said. 'I definitely want to go out with a bang.”

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