Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association releases 2024 preseason rankings

Western Dubuque has won the last two Class 3A state baseball titles.

The Bobcats start the 2024 season in a similar spot.

Western Dubuque is ranked No. 1 in Class 3A in the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association rankings released Monday. The Bobcats are joined by Ankeny Centennial (4A), Underwood (2A) and Coon Rapids-Bayard (1A) as top-ranked teams in the 2024 debut poll.

Iowa City High, Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Cedar Rapids Prairie are in the preseason top 10 in 4A.

Marion is ranked sixth in 3A, while Cedar Rapids Xavier and Solon received votes.

The River Valley Conference is well represented in the 2A rankings. Dyersville Beckman is third, Mid-Prairie is sixth and Cascade is seventh. Anamosa received votes.

North Linn and South Winneshiek begin the season ranked in Class 1A. Hillcrest Academy received votes.

Iowa High School Baseball Association preseason rankings

(2023 record in parentheses)

Class 4A

1. Ankeny Centennial (30-8)

2. Johnston (36-8)

3. Iowa City High (30-13)

4. Dallas Center-Grimes (30-7)

5. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (29-12)

6. West Des Moines Dowling (27-12)

7. Ames (31-14)

8. Cedar Rapids Prairie (33-7)

9. Cedar Falls (28-14)

10. Sioux City North (26-13)

Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically): Ottumwa (29-12), Pleasant Valley (27-16), Sioux City East (25-15), Waukee (18-21), Waukee Northwest (21-21)

Class 3A

1. Western Dubuque (36-9)

2. North Polk (29-6)

3. Sioux City Heelan (27-13)

4. Ballard (21-11)

5. Central DeWitt (26-15)

6. Marion (30-7)

7. Davenport Assumption (23-13)

8. Dubuque Wahlert (30-14)

9. Adel ADM (23-9)

10. Council Bluffs Lewis Central (29-5)

Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically): Bondurant-Farrar (24-14), Cedar Rapids Xavier (18-20), Harlan (22-15), Solon (22-20), Spencer (23-8)

Class 2A

1. Underwood (25-4)

2. West Marshall (27-7)

3. Dyersville Beckman (25-9)

4. Van Meter (25-10)

5. Pleasantville (28-7)

6. Mid-Prairie (27-7)

7. Cascade (25-9)

8. Carroll Kuemper (25-11)

9. New Hampton (23-10)

10. Estherville-Lincoln Central (21-7)

Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically): Anamosa (19-13), Clarinda (16-10), Forest City (19-8), Sumner-Fredericksburg (18-6), West Lyon (25-3)

Class 1A

1. Coon Rapids-Bayard (25-5)

2. Burlington Notre Dame (26-7)

3. Saint Ansgar (26-8)

4. Mason City Newman (31-5)

5. Lynnville-Sully (29-2)

6. Remsen St. Mary’s (32-2)

7. North Linn (26-5)

8. Wapsie Valley (24-13)

9. Akron-Westfield (21-9)

10. South Winneshiek (24-12)

Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically): Alta-Aurelia (22-8), Council Bluffs St. Albert (21-18), Hillcrest Academy (21-5), Kingsley-Pierson (28-3), Newell-Fonda (23-6)

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com