Young North Linn baseball team is capable of another deep postseason run

TROY MILLS — North Linn baseball coach Travis Griffith will attempt to perform a balancing act.

He will have to find the middle ground between realistic expectations and the program’s lofty aspirations for a young team and a trio of upper-class leaders.

“Our goal is to get to state, regardless of years,” Griffith said. “Are we in a situation to do that? We can be. We’ve played some pretty damn good baseball at times.

“I think we’re good enough we can still make a run at the right time.”

The Lynx have slid in and out of the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association rankings but earned the No. 1 seed in the Class 1A District 10 bracket. Postseason play in 1A and 2A begins Saturday across the state.

North Linn opens with North Cedar (1-19) at home, starting at 5 p.m..

“I like where we’re at with a young team,” Griffith said. “I think we have everybody in the right spot. It’s just whether we are going to come out and perform or not at this point.”

The Lynx own a 20-8 record and won their fourth straight Tri-Rivers Conference West Division title. The Lynx have reached 20 wins in 10 of the last 11 seasons. They have done it with five eighth-graders and freshmen in this year’s starting lineup.

Waylon Raue and Macoy Winn have combined for eight wins. Winn, Braden Wheatley and Patrick Peyton rank among the top six on the team in hits.

“These kids have watched enough North Linn baseball in the postseason,” Griffith said. “This is going to be their first go at it. I don’t know how nervous and how composed we will be. We’ll find out.”

Juniors Mason Bechen, Cael Benesh and Cole Griffith have held the reins the entire season. They will have an even stronger grip, guiding the newbies. They were freshmen during North Linn’s last state tournament appearance.

That upper-class trio ranks first through third on the team in hits. Bechen is tops with a .464 batting average and .606 on-base percentage. Cole Griffith is next at .410 and .492, while Benesh hits .372.

Cole Griffith also has a 5-1 record as a pitcher with a 1.17 earned-run average, striking out 39 in 36 innings. Classmate Mason Zimmerman is 4-1 with a 3.15 ERA. The experienced pitchers will be crucial for the Lynx’s postseason success.

“We’ve leaned on them all year the way it is,” Griffith said about the juniors. “They were young guys on a good team a couple times. They were part of our postseason run a couple years ago. They’re used to it.”

East Buchanan (13-8) will also host first-round games in 1A District 10. The Buccaneers face Clinton Prince of Peace (7-17) in the first game at Winthrop. Belle Plaine (10-10) and Midland (12-9) play the nightcap at 7.

North Tama (14-11) hosts Lisbon (5-23), Maquoketa Valley (13-10) and Springville (3-18-1) in 1A District 9. The Redhawks play the Orioles, while the Lions and Wildcats compete in the opener at 5 p.m.

Iowa Valley (12-8) and Central City (7-16) battle in a first-round game at Jewell.

In 2A, Cascade hosts 2A District 7 quarterfinals. The Cougars (9-12) will attempt to make a run for a third straight state appearance. They open with Clayton Ridge-Central (8-16) at American Legion Field, starting at 7:30 p.m. Monticello (11-11) and Oelwein (11-15) will play the opener at Cascade.

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