Cedar Rapids Kennedy bounces back from rough start to reach substate baseball finals

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids Kennedy baseball coach Bret Hoyer has witnessed a lot of growth this season.

The Cougars survived a rough start to the season that included injuries to key players, a tough slate and a 3-8 mark when May concluded.

Now, Kennedy is 26-14 with an opportunity to claim a state tournament berth.

“I’m just super proud of how resilient they are and how relentless they have become,” Hoyer said. “I’m excited for them to play another ball game.”

Another game will come against one of the top teams in the state. The Cougars travel to third-ranked Cedar Rapids Prairie on Wednesday for the Class 4A Substate 4 championship game. The winner advances to the state tournament July 18-22 at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City.

The two teams split a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader May 26 at Prairie (30-8). The Hawks won, 12-2, in the opener with the Cougars scratching out the nightcap, 4-2. Both teams made strides as the season progressed.

“We knew they were going to be a top-five team,” Hoyer said. “They are very talented and well-coached. The record they have put together this year is no surprise.

“We know we have a tremendous challenge ahead of us. We know it’s going to be an electric atmosphere out there. We’re excited to be a part of it.”

Kennedy has won 23 of its last 29 games, avenging an earlier loss to Dubuque Hempstead in Monday’s substate semifinal game. The Cougars throttled the Mustangs, 16-7, in Dubuque. They even logged wins over ranked teams like Western Dubuque, Dubuque Wahlert, Cedar Falls and Pleasant Valley leading up to a postseason-opening win over Davenport Central.

“We’re starting to hit the ball pretty consistently up and down our lineup,” said Hoyer. “It’s been a lot of fun to watch the boys grow, improve and learn.”

It pays to be healthy. The Cougars overcame adversity that surfaced as the season began. All-state power hitter Dylan Davis was injured in the first game of the year, joining another leader, Mason Behn, who missed the entire first week and didn’t return to the mound in a pitching role until mid-June.

The situation forced players to mature quickly against talented pitchers from Hempstead, Cedar Rapids Washington, 3A No. 5 Cedar Rapids Xavier, 4A No. 2 Iowa City High and Prairie.

The Cougars responded properly and remained positive, including the players, coaches and parents. They are much stronger, deeper and unified.

“The schedule was strong early on and we saw some really good pitching,” Hoyer said. “We felt that would pay dividends for us down the road with our younger players by seeing the kind of pitching we saw.

“We’ve seen some really good pitching. We felt like if we could keep their attitudes up and keep believing in themselves and be patient with their development, we felt like we could become a pretty good team.”

Hoyer also touted the contributions of a group of reserves, affectionately called the “Bench Mafia.” The non-starters provide a boost of electricity and enthusiasm that Hoyer credits for keeping up team morale. They have made an impact.

“They bring so much energy and passion to the park,” Hoyer said. “It helps the crew deal with some disappointing experiences and move on to the next pitch.”

In other 4A substate finals Wednesday, City High (30-8) will face Bettendorf (15-20) at Mercer Park. Iowa City Liberty (20-19) upset second-seeded Cedar Falls and now faces top-seeded Pleasant Valley (24-11).

Linn-Mar (24-16) heads to West Des Moines Dowling (24-14) for the Substate 3 final.

Xavier (28-11) will host Independence (28-11) in the Class 3A Substate 6 title game, which is a rematch of a regular-season contest won by the Mustangs. Defending state champion Marion (25-10) plays top-seeded Davenport Assumption (29-6) in Eldridge. The Wolves are looking for their fifth straight state trip.

West Delaware (31-10) will look to continue its strong run, hosting DeWitt Central (16-23) in the 3A Substate 4 final. The Sabers advanced by upsetting top-seeded Wahlert, 7-3, Monday. Western Dubuque (28-11) hosts Clear Creek Amana (23-10) at Farley with a state berth at stake.

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