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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Iowa high school baseball 2024 substate brackets: Pairings provide picture of postseason paths to state
Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Iowa City Liberty, Iowa City High, Linn-Mar top seeds in Class 4A substate; Marion are a No. 1-seed in 3A
Jun. 26, 2024 9:56 pm, Updated: Jun. 27, 2024 9:01 am
Postseason assignments have been released for Iowa high school baseball teams.
Programs in all four classes know the hurdles they have to clear to compete in state tournaments at Carroll and Cedar Rapids.
District brackets for Classes 1A and 2A were published last week, while the Iowa High School Athletic Association announced the pairings for 4A and 3A Wednesday afternoon.
Class 4A Iowa high school baseball substate brackets
Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Iowa City High, Linn-Mar and Iowa City Liberty are No. 1 seeds in their respective 4A substates and Marion is a No. 1 seed in 3A.
Liberty qualified for the state tournament as a No. 3 seed last year, knocking off second-ranked Cedar Rapids Prairie for a substate crown. The role has reversed for the eighth-ranked Lightning, who open the postseason against Waterloo East.
“Do we feel we’re deserving of a No. 1 seed? Yeah, I think we do, but if we don’t you still have to play your way through it,” Liberty Coach Uby Martinez said after Monday’s doubleheader split with No. 3 City High. “You still have to win games, regardless of whether you’re the No. 1 or No. 4 seed.”
The rest of the field includes Burlington, Davenport North, Davenport West and Pleasant Valley. Liberty earned its spot by amassing quality victories against ranked teams like the Little Hawks, No. 4 Ankeny Centennial, No. 6 Linn-Mar, 3A No. 3 Dubuque Wahlert and 3A No. 4 Western Dubuque.
“Our body of work is really good,” Martinez said. “If people look at our schedule, the teams we have played and beat, we can play with anybody.
“We are going to be a tough team to beat in a one-game series.”
City High is looking for its third state tournament appearance. The Little Hawks face Clinton in the first round, while Prairie takes on Iowa City West and Bettendorf faces Davenport Central in 4A substate 7.
“I feel like we’re in a really good situation,” Iowa City High Coach Brian Mitchell said. “We’re definitely a top-five team in the state.”
Kennedy has pounded opponents all season, posting a 28-2 record and ascending to the top of the 4A state rankings the last two weeks behind a dynamic offense. Kennedy reached the substate finals last season but hasn’t reached the state quarterfinals since 2015. The Cougars start postseason play against Waterloo West. Dubuque Hempstead, Dubuque Senior, Muscatine and North Scott round out 4A substate 5.
Linn-Mar opens with Cedar Rapids Jefferson. The Lions also have Ottumwa, Norwalk, Des Moines Lincoln and Waukee Northwest in 4A Substate 6.
Class 3A Iowa high school baseball substate brackets
Marion spent time as the No. 1 team in 3A and it will be a No. 1 seed in the 3A playoffs. The Wolves take on South Tama in the substate quarterfinals. The winner takes on the winner between Cedar Rapids Xavier and Nevada in the semifinals. Marion and Xavier played in the opening week of the season with the Wolves winning an 11-10 thriller.
The Wolves are attempting to earn their second straight state berth and sixth in the last eight, winning a title in 2021. Benton Community is in the same substate, hosting Gilbert.
Two-time defending 3A state champion Western Dubuque is the top seed in 3A substate 3, facing Charles City in the first round. Center Point-Urbana, which has been in the 3A rankings, is the second seed. The Bobcats edged the Stormin’ Pointers, 3-2, winning with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh last week.
Class 2A Iowa high school baseball substate brackets
In 2A, No. 4 Dyersville Beckman is the No. 1 seed in District 7. The Blazers await the winner of Oelwein and Monticello. Iowa City Regina is the No. 2 seed and plays the winner of Cascade and Clayton Ridge-Central.
Since the Blazers moved to the River Valley Conference from the Wamac, they have faced familiar foes. This season is like last year with at least three possible RVC opponents to get to state. None of the potential matchups will be easy.
“It is going to be a challenge,” second-year Beckman head coach Ryan Mabe said. “I think when you break down the pairings, you see multiple teams in each district capable of making a run. For us, we are trying to focus on ourselves, go game by game, and hope to be playing our best ball at the right time like we were last season.”
Beckman won its seventh state baseball title in its 20th appearance. The Blazers are in the hunt for their third straight trip with hopes of adding to the program’s long legacy. The team has talked about expectations and standards.
“The tradition we have at Beckman is awesome and I'm glad to be a small part of it, but at the end of the day it’s 16 to 18-year-old kids that are basically told if you don't make state, your season didn't mean much,” Mabe said. “To me, that's not fair to them, and the biggest thing is not playing with that pressure and burden on themselves. It is the same approach every year. One game at a time.”
The Upper Iowa Conference is represented among the top seeds. MFL MarMac is the No. 1 seed in 2A District 6. The Bulldogs play the winner of Denver and North Fayette Valley. Starmont is the No. 2 seed.
Class 1A Iowa high school baseball substate brackets
MFL MarMac will face South Winneshiek Thursday with the winner all but taking the UIC crown. South Win is the 1A District 8 No. 1 seed. The field also includes rival Lansing Kee. If the Warriors hold their seed, the road to a substate final goes through Calmar.
South Winn Coach Alex Smith said his team has gained these opportunities from recent results.
“Earning a top seed has its advantages but we know we will have to earn it with each team offering a top pitcher at us,” Smith said. “We can't look past any game and have emphasized at our practices that doing little things well and executing will ultimately help us win close games. We've seen some of these teams during the regular season and know they will be well prepared.
“Hosting postseason games in Calmar is a big deal for our program and the community. We have a great environment and appreciate the support and have had a lot of postseason success advancing on our field and hope to continue that run.”
The state baseball tournament is set for July 22-26. Classes 1A and 2A will be at Merchants Park, while 3A and 4A will be held at Memorial Stadium.
Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com
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