5 Gazette area Iowa high school baseball games to watch in Week 1 of the 2024 season

Iowa high school baseball opened competition Monday. Some teams won’t compete much until multisport athletes finish track season. Others jump into tough conference play. Here are five notable games in the Gazette area this week.

Tuesday: Iowa City High at Cedar Rapids Prairie

The Little Hawks and Hawks are two of the top teams in the area. City High is returning from a Class 4A state quarterfinal appearance last season. The Hawks were upset in the substate finals. Both are Mississippi Valley Conference divisional contenders — Prairie in the Mississippi and City High in the Valley. The Little Hawks open the season ranked third by the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association, while Prairie is No. 8. Pitching is a strength for both. City High has all-stater Talon Young, Max Waldschmidt and Johannes Boevers to lead the way. Prairie counters with Reid Burkle, Kam Volz and Logan Wagemester. Prairie swept last season’s doubleheader.

Wednesday: Western Dubuque at Dyersville Beckman

A battle of defending state champions within a 10-minute drive of each other. The Bobcats won their second straight 3A championship last year. The Blazers won their 14th title and first since 2017, claiming the 2A crown. Western Dubuque opens the season ranked No. 1 and Beckman is third. A great test in the opening week. Dubuque County is baseball country and this is one of the rivalries. Both return talented players. The Bobcats’ Brett Harris and the Blazers’ Luke Sigwarth were members of the IHSBCA Super All-State team in 2023. Western Dubuque has won the last three against the Blazers and five of the last six.

Thursday: Marion at Cedar Rapids Xavier

  Buy Photo

This Metro rivalry has produced some pretty entertaining contests over the years. They split the last four meetings, including two a year ago. The Saints won the first game, 6-0, at Marion. The Wolves posted a 4-2 victory in July. Six of their meetings since 2009 have been decided by three runs or less. Marion opens the season ranked sixth after a 30-7 record last year. The Saints are coming off an 18-win season and received votes in the preseason poll. Marion was riddled with injuries and all-stater Myles Davis isn’t back. Xavier has plenty of experience, returning five starters and five more letterwinners. Both should have good arms to start games this season.

Thursday: Benton Community at Linn-Mar

As far as non-conference matchups, this one is intriguing. Benton Community has the ability to be a salty team and could be a sleeper this season. The Bobcats have some solid players back with leading hitter Wyatt Rinderknecht (38 hits, .333 BA) and pitcher Drew Fillenworth (4-1, 1.21 ERA), despite graduating some leaders from last year’s team that won 26 games and the Wamac West. Linn-Mar is in the tough MVC Valley. The Lions return their top four batters in Dylan Muszynski, Jackson Mishler, Jaxon Kramer and Toby Cruz. Benton owns a 3-2 edge in the series since 2021, winning 4-3 last year.

Saturday: Ankeny at Cedar Rapids Kennedy

The Cougars reached the substate finals last season. They will battle Western Dubuque, City High and Linn-Mar in the MVC Valley. Kennedy returns a lot of talent on offense and defense, including all-staters Nolan Grawe and Grant Mather. Ty Donels, Matthew Stoltenberg, Jace Scott and Trevor Scott are some of the top hitters, in addition to Grawe and Mather. Jace Scott and Mather combined for 20 starts a year ago and a good 1-2 starting combo for the Cougars. Kennedy won last season’s meeting, 11-0, but Ankeny had won the previous two matchups back in 2013. Facing Central Iowa teams early is a good measuring stick for Kennedy.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com