5 Gazette area Iowa high school baseball games to watch for Week 2 of 2025

The prep baseball season enters the second week of competition. Larger schools have had a full week, while some smaller schools will start playing with the conclusion of track season. Here are 5 Games to Watch for the upcoming week.

MONDAY: CLEAR CREEK AMANA AT CEDAR RAPIDS KENNEDY

The first meeting between these two programs (according to Bound anyway) is a matchup of ranked teams. The Clippers (2-1) are seventh in the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 3A preseason poll. The Cougars (4-3) opened the year at No. 9 in 4A. CCA returned nearly its entire roster from a team that won 23 games last season, reaching the substate final and losing to state semifinal Dubuque Wahlert. All-state duo Ty Fuller and Maclane Morgan are back, as well as two-way standout Kaden Phan. Fuller has started strong offensively, batting .500 through two games. Phan owns a .400 average with two RBIs. Junior Wyatt Key pitched six innings and struck out six in the Clippers’ 7-2 win over Iowa City Regina after a loss to 3A No. 3 Pella to start the season. Kennedy shoehorned seven games in the first week of play. The defending 4A state champion Cougars have a lot of turnover from last season due to graduation. The tough schedule to begin the season will help them in the long run. Kennedy still has experienced players like senior all-stater Colton Duerling and junior Ty Donels. The Cougars are coming off wins over Ankeny and Southeast Polk that sandwiched a loss to Ankeny Centennial. They have also split with 4A No. 1 Iowa City High and Dubuque Hempstead. Duerling already has 10 hits, while Max Leno and Donels have eight and seven, respectively, to lead Kennedy.

TUESDAY: DYERSVILLE BECKMAN AT DUBUQUE WAHLERT

The Dubuque County showdown. Wahlert owns a 7-5 lead in the series since 2009, including a three-game win streak. The Blazers last win over the Golden Eagles came in 2019. 3A top-ranked Wahlert is 4-0 with a wins over Cedar Rapids Xavier, North Scott and a sweep against Dubuque Senior. Beckman is 1-1, opening with a win against Monticello and dropping a one-run loss to West Delaware. Wahlert is powered by University of Illinois commit Foti Rigopoulos, who pitched four scoreless innings in his first victory. Offensively, Brandon Cummer already has seven RBIs, while J.P. Elbert leads Wahlert with nine hits and a .600 batting average. Beckman has a strong arm in Dylan Recker. He hasn’t allowed a run in six innings with 12 strikeouts. Carter White is hitting .429 to lead the Blazers. Beckman averages about eight runs a game, while Wahlert has held opponents to 1.4 runs a game.

WEDNESDAY: WESTERN DUBUQUE AT C.R. XAVIER

The Bobcats and Saints share a strong rivalry, regardless of sport. They have split their last five doubleheaders. Western Dubuque has had some bad luck to open the season. The 3A No. 6 Bobcats have had each of their games rained out. They could play their first full game Tuesday against Pleasant Valley. Western Dubuque has some key players back from last season, including Brett Harris, Tanner Anderson and Aaron Kraft. Xavier lost the opener to Wahlert but rebounded with a sweep over Cedar Rapids Jefferson and a win over No. 3 Marion. Mac Driscoll leads Xavier with six hits, batting .462. Tate Proskovec has a team-high five RBIs, while being the ace of the staff. He hasn’t allowed an earned run and struck out nine in 7 1/3 innings.

THURSDAY: LANSING KEE AT SOUTH WINNESHIEK

Who said early-season games don’t mean anything? Kee and South Winneshiek are expected to battle with MFL MarMac for an Upper Iowa Conference title. These games will have an impact on the race. The Warriors have won 11 straight in the series, going 4-0 against the Kee Hawks in 2024 and 2023. This marks South Winneshiek’s season opener. Kee (4-0) has been impressive to start, scoring double-digit runs in every game and averaging 11.5 per contest. Jordan Cota leads the Kee Hawks with three hits and is 2-0 on the mound. Kee’s Dalton Mudderman is 2-0 with 11 strikeouts in 10 innings.

FRIDAY: CASCADE AT NORTH LINN

This non-conference, inter-class meeting is a notable meeting to traditional powers, featuring some standout players. Cascade has had a decisive advantage, winning 14 of the last 15 against the Lynx. Cascade will play on the three previous days, including a River Valley Conference showdown with 2A No. 5 Northeast on Thursday. Cooper Hummel and Nathan Schockemoehl are top returners for Cascade’s offense. The Cougars have a full stable of arms, which helps during a week filled with games. Eli Fritz, Jackson Green, Hummel, Schockemoehl and Mick Hoffman. The Lynx are guided by three accomplished seniors – Mason Bechen, Cael Benesh and Cole Griffith. North Linn reached the state quarterfinals and returned everybody for last year’s roster. North Linn opens Wednesday against Springville. The Lynx will be tough for anybody. This game will be a good measuring stick for both teams.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com