Coe baseball team builds championship chemistry around the card table

CEDAR RAPIDS — After all the time on the baseball diamond playing games, pitching in the bullpen, fielding groundballs, tracking down flyballs and taking cuts in batting practice, Coe’s baseball team can still be found hanging out together.

The Kohawks have built strong camaraderie and chemistry off the field, which has transferred into success on it.

“I think we’re just as close off the field as we are on it,” Coe centerfielder Jake Brosius said. “Just the other day we had a team dinner. We hang out outside of the field, which is great.

“A lot of watching sports. Our whole team is big on playing cards. Last year, a couple of us taught a lot of the guys to play euchre. That was a team game for us. It’s always fun being around everyone.”

Coe has parlayed the personal bonds into a successful season, winning a regular-season title and claiming the No. 1 seed at the American Rivers Conference tournament Thursday at Memorial Stadium and Mount Mercy’s Plaster Athletic Complex, beginning at 11 a.m. Coe will face the winner between No. 4 Dubuque and No. 5 Loras at 2 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.

“We play well as a team,” Brosius said. “Our team chemistry has been great this year. That is credited to a lot of guys coming back from last year and having an older team this year helps us.

“We’ve gotten to know each other and have become a real team.”

A team that trades triples for trump. Brosius said there are some established playing partners — he regularly teams up with pitcher Tyce Johnson. Brosius said Johnson and freshman shortstop Jon Wille are the top smack talkers around the card table. Brosius, who comes from euchre hotspot Dubuque County, claims he and Johnson are the top pair.

“We like to think we’re some of the better ones on the team,” said Brosius, a former Dubuque Wahlert prep who was named American Rivers Conference Player of the Week on Monday. “We’ll have different groups try to challenge us to see if they can beat us.”

On the field, Coe captured the regular-season conference title with a win over Luther Friday. The Kohawks earned their first crown since 2021 and third in the last five seasons. Coe Coach Steve Cook has seen the team evolve from the start of the season, needing time to define their strength.

“Every team has to define their niche, their culture,” Cook said. “It just took a little time to find ours. At the same time, any good team is going to lean into leadership but also result-based leadership. That’s just guys getting it done at the most critical moment in conference play.

“We’ve had a number of guys do that. I think if you’re going to have a top team at any level it’s going to require great performances and contributions from a number of individuals. We’ve had that.”

Coe (26-14, 18-6 A-R-C) has battered opposing pitchers. The Kohawks lead the conference with a .339 team batting average, 225 runs (more than nine runs a game) and 297 hits in conference play. The pitching staff has complemented the potent offense, ranking second in the conference with a 4.92 team earned-run average over all 40 games, allowing 5.8 runs a game.

It has been leadership by committee.

“It’s been a lot of fun to see, collectively, that everybody is pulling their own weight,” Cook said. “Everyone is rowing in the same direction, regardless of where they’re at experience-wise in the program.”

Cook said the conference tournament hasn’t been a smooth ride for many top-seeded teams. All six teams in the field are competitive and tough. Any team can win the tournament and the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division III tournament.

The Kohawks must find a way to continue to score runs during the next three days. The right approach to each game is key.

“Quoting Coach Cook, we have to play every game like the championship,” Brosius said. “Play for our seniors who aren’t coming back next year. Win it for them. Play with everything we’ve got.”

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