Coach pleasantly surprised with surging Kohawks this spring

CEDAR RAPIDS - Expectations and pressure often are related. It's hard to act tense or screw up when you don't have either.

For the Coe baseball team, coming off a strong season in which most key players left, that's exactly what manifested. The Kohawks traveled to Florida in early March for seven games scattered across five days during a weeklong trip and played very loose. And very well.

“We were joking about it as coaches that these guys had no idea,” Coe Coach Steve Cook said. “They almost didn't know what to expect. Then we come into our place and we get an early 3-0 sweep.”

The Kohawks used that sweep over Wartburg in late March, coupled with a 7-2 stint on the road in Florida and Illinois, to start the season 10-2. Coe, which wasn't projected to do particularly well this year, is just a half-game behind Simpson for first in the Iowa Conference with less than four weeks before the conference tournament. Coe hosts Central for a doubleheader today at 1 p.m. and a single game Monday at 3 p.m.

The Kohawks' production at the plate has made all the difference. Coe leads the league with a .326 team batting average, 174 runs and 57 steals. The Kohawks rank second with 10 home runs - half of them by sophomore outfielder Nick Stein, who leads the team with a .430 average and 34 RBIs.

“We've always tried to be a dual-threat team,” Cook said. “It's a goal, a philosophy. We don't expect to lead in either area, but we want to be near the top in both power numbers and steal numbers. We feel like that's the best formula.”

Coe's pitching staff has been impressive, posting a 3.74 team earned run average. Only one of the top three starters pitched in conference play last season.

The top three arms in the bullpen are two freshmen and a sophomore who entered the year with little experience. Relief pitching has turned into a huge strength, with Coe posting a 17-0 record when leading after six innings.

With 19 wins, the Kohawks have 11 games remaining before the Iowa Conference tournament starts May 12 at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids.

Coe won 25 games a year ago and the school record for wins in a season - 27 set in 2006 - could be in reach.

“There are some tangible things that all teams want,” Cook said. “With our conference tournament, the top two teams get a bye and that's a great advantage going into a tournament to stay ahead with pitching matchups and lining up the rotation.”