Iowa high school baseball 2023 substate brackets released for Class 4A, 3A

Cedar Rapids Kennedy has produced an impressive regular season.

The Cougars have claimed 26 victories while rising toward the top of Mississippi Valley Conference Valley Division and are ranked fourth in the Class 4A coaches’ rankings. They were rewarded for their work.

Kennedy, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Iowa City High, Western Dubuque and Marion were among the top seeds in 3A and 4A substate brackets released Wednesday by the Iowa High School Athletic Association. The postseason for 1A and 2A begins Saturday, while the two larger classes begin July 7.

Iowa high school baseball substate brackets

» Class 4A | Class 3A

Kennedy has won five straight and is the top seed in Substate 4, opening with No. 6 Clinton. The bracket includes No. 2 Linn-Mar and No. 3 Cedar Falls.

“All the schools have it figured out this time of year,” Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer said. “There’s nothing easy. We’re thrilled to be the No. 1 seed. We’ll get to be at home, and if we win, we get to go scout.”

The Cougars have one of 4A’s top offenses. They rank in the top five in nine categories. Kennedy is second in hits (328), total bases (487), slugging percentage (.504) and doubles (94). The Cougars are third or tied for third in team batting average (.339), RBIs (224) and runs (276). The Cougars’ run differential of 136 is fourth and a .447 on-base percentage is tied for fourth. Nolan Grawe is one of the top hitters in 4A, pacing the team with 54 hits, 18 doubles, 83 total bases and 41 runs.

Kennedy pitchers lead 4A, holding opponents to a .181 batting average including .092 by Matt Stoltenberg, who leads the class. Grant Mather leads the team and is tied for tops in 4A with seven wins.

The Cougars can play at home as long as they keep adding the wins.

“It’s a huge advantage,” Hoyer said. “I feel the guys have played really well. They’ve earned it.”

City High is 24-12 and is sixth in the latest rankings. The Little Hawks have played some of their best baseball in recent weeks, winning seven straight including a 2-1 win over Pleasant Valley, the No. 2 seed in Substate 6. They have outscored foes 61-6 during that stretch.

Chemistry has developed and the Little Hawks have survived injuries to get where they are now.

“It took us a little while to come together and figure things out,” City High Coach Brian Mitchell said. “We’ve overcome a lot. We’ve played really well.”

Mitchell said pitching has been fantastic and some changes have solidified the defense. The biggest boost has come from a change in mentality.

“We freed ourselves up,” Mitchell said. “We’re looser. We’re have a lot of fun.”

The Little Hawks face No. 6-seed Muscatine. Mitchell said all matchups are tough, so they won’t look any further than that game. He admitted that the ability to host is a plus and getting a second-round bye can be beneficial.

“As a whole, we’re super excited about it,” Mitchell said about the No. 1 seed. “The players buy into the program and the work they put in is unreal.”

Prairie will look to return to state as the No. 1 seed in Substate 2. The Hawks face Cedar Rapids Washington in the first round.

In 3A, top-ranked Western Dubuque and fourth-ranked Marion are top-seeded. The defending state champion Bobcats are in Substate 3 and open against Maquoketa. The Wolves are in Substate 4 and play South Tama in the quarterfinals.

The Wolves are in the same bracket with No. 2-seed Benton Community and No. 3-seed Cedar Rapids Xavier.

The 3A and 4A state tournaments will be held July 17-21 at the University of Iowa’s Duane Banks Field.

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