Cedar Rapids Kennedy baseball focused on the little things with hopes of another big season

CEDAR RAPIDS – Just the mention of last year’s state championship draws a smile from Cedar Rapids Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer.

Hoisting the state baseball title trophy for the second time in school history. The hugs and high-fives shared with players, assistants, family and friends from the field to the concourse at Memorial Stadium. The glowing green-and-gold Cougar on the jumbotron long after the clinching out.

Easy for the warm and fuzzy memories to surface thinking back on the special season. What can top winning a crown in your own back yard? What kind of encore can Kennedy manufacture?

“Obviously, expectations are pretty high,” Hoyer said during practice at Herkelman Field earlier this week. “We're okay with that. We embrace those high expectations.

“(Assistant) coach (Jake) Nauman had a good comment the other day after a scrimmage that we're just trying to figure out what pieces to the puzzle fit together the best. It’s going to take a while to figure that out.”

Despite the loss of a huge senior class and some younger players expected to contribute this season, the Cougars will look to recapture the success that led them to the top of Class 4A. Kennedy opens the high school baseball season Monday at Dubuque Hempstead.

“Everybody's 0-0,” Hoyer said. “We just have different things that are very process-oriented we ask the kids to focus on. They're not going to be very good at it at the beginning of the year but the longer they stick with trying to accomplish those process-oriented objectives then success is going to follow.”

Kennedy’s approach is to develop through repetition and routine, meshing with Hoyer’s analytical and meticulous style of baseball. Address all the intricacies that are the foundation of every in-game scenario. Drill those consistently and it becomes second-nature in competition.

“I would say the mindset is just keep getting better day by day,” Senior Colton Duerling said. “We're going to have a new team out there, for the most part, but we are getting better every day. We're going to take it day by day, game by game and just try to win as many games as possible.

“Sometimes it might be a little tough because you're thinking of the end result. You’ve just got to think of today.”

Kennedy’s Ty Donels echoed those sentiments. The Cougars face a new quest, not a repeat of an old feat. The talk isn’t of past achievements or future possibilities. Kennedy concentrates on improvement.

“We know that the only thing that matters is today,” Donels said. “It’s about what we’ve got to work on right now at practice. At the end, it will all fill in.”

Last season, few teams could match the Cougars’ offensive onslaught. They battered pitchers for 386 runs and 45 home runs, batting a whopping .352 as a team. Kennedy averaged more than 9.6 runs a game.

The pitching staff was also effective, owning a 3.16 team earned-run average. The Cougars allowed less than 3.5 runs per game.

Kennedy will have a tough time matching that kind of production and stability, especially with eight seniors graduated from that team. Donels and Duerling are clear offensive leaders. While both will take the mound with teammates Max Leno and James Perkins, who are among the top returners in innings pitched.

“It starts with Ty and Colton,” Hoyer said. “Those guys were underclassmen that were very successful last year. Jacob Doyle was, too. Max Leno and James Perkins were second on the team in pitching appearances last year, which a lot of people don’t realize.

“Those guys are all critical to leading the way as well. … They’re going to be instrumental in getting the ship steering in the right direction early on and learning how to deal with some adversity.”

Incoming players have had success at lower levels. The offseason has been crucial for experienced players to share their knowledge with younger teammates. Everyone came in knowing the standards and expectations.

“We passed it on as a team,” Donels said. “We worked all winter. They know what it's like. They know what we're going to need to have. We talk to them and they all know.”

The Cougars displayed a strong chemistry and bond that produced an energetic brand of baseball. They were close on and off the field, which enhanced their performance. Duerling said that won’t change, despite the high turnover.

“We're going to take that into this year, too,” Duerling said. “We all we like each other. We love and will play for each other. We’re going to bleed and sweat on the field for each other again, because we love each other.”

Hoyer noted that there will be growing pains. He said he hopes the kids don’t focus on wins and losses and lock in on those “process-oriented objectives.”

With the influx of juniors and sophomores, Hoyer said he is uncertain what aspect of the game will be a strength, like the offense was a year ago.

“We’re not exactly sure what it’s going to be,” Hoyer said. “We have so much inexperience out there. Some things have looked pretty good early on and some things that we need to become more consistent at, so it it's hard to say.

“We've got some athleticism out there that I really like. We've got some fine motor skills with several of our players. It's just finding out where do we put different pieces and it's going to take us a while to find that out.”

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