The Gazette’s 2023 high school baseball awards, including area player, coach and team of the year

The Iowa high school baseball season is complete. Here are a few Gazette-area awards:

Player of the Year: Maddux Frese, Cedar Rapids Prairie

Frese is one of the top all-around players in the entire state. He did just about everything for the Hawks, filling vital roles on the mound, at shortstop and in the No. 2 spot in the batting order. Frese earned Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division Player of the Year honors.

He posted an 8-1 record on the mound with a 2.03 earned-run average and 66 strikeouts in 58 2/3 innings. At the plate, he was sandwiched between Kade Knock and Cal Sullivan. Frese, a first-team all-district pick, batted .371 with 49 hits, 45 runs, 33 RBIs and 18 stolen bases in as many attempts. Frese hit four home runs and 10 doubles, recording a .503 on-base percentage. He makes plays few other shortstops can make. His .946 fielding percentage, playing one of the most challenging positions, is impressive.

The Southeastern Community College commit does just about everything and will be greatly missed by Prairie next season.

Other candidates include Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Rowan Donels and Western Dubuque’s Isaac Then. Donels notched six wins with a 2.48 ERA and 75 strikeouts in just 48 innings. He also exploded at the plate for 56 hits, 17 doubles, 43 RBIs, a .481 batting average and a .559 OBP. Then batted .423 with 38 RBIs and 39 runs. He won eight games, including the substate final, state quarterfinal and state championship.

Team of the Year: Western Dubuque Bobcats

Western Dubuque completed a very difficult feat, winning two straight Class 3A state crowns. The Bobcats were No. 1 from start to finish, sitting atop the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association rankings all season and beating North Polk in the final for a 36-9 mark. They had to win a rubber match against Dubuque Wahlert in the semifinals, overcoming an early deficit for a 7-4 win. Western Dubuque claimed the Mississippi Valley Conference Valley Division title, overcoming the challenge of 4A No. 4 and state quarterfinalist Iowa City High and 4A No. 6 Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

The Bobcats’ potent offense ranked among the 3A leaders all season. They led the class in runs (378), RBIs (315), run differential (205), hits (415), singles (291), triples (26), total bases (589) and on-base percentage (.457). Western Dubuque became just the second program in state history to win back-to-back 3A titles, joining Davenport Assumption, which did it twice in 2017-18 and 1992-93.

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Honorable mention to just about any team in Dubuque County, including 2A state champion Dyersville Beckman and Cascade. Also, Lisbon’s march to the 1A state final has to be considered, as well as South Winneshiek and Iowa City High returning to state.

Coach of the Year: Ryan Mabe, Dyersville Beckman

The Blazers captured the Class 2A state championship in Mabe’s first season as head coach, experiencing something that has eluded many veteran coaches. He guided Beckman to its seventh state title in 14 championship game appearances after becoming just the fourth Blazers head coach since the first title in 1968. Mabe was groomed to take over the reins of Beckman’s tradition, replacing former coach Fred Martin after serving as his assistant in 2022.

Mabe is a 2008 Beckman graduate, playing for the late Hall of Fame Coach Tom Jenk Jr. All he did was lead the Blazers to their first title since the emotional 2017 title run with Jenk attending the finals at Principal Park in Des Moines while battling glioblastoma. Mabe did inherit a strong team that reached the 2022 semifinals, but still needed to fill some holes due to graduation.

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Mabe’s humility also makes him stand out, praising his players and downplaying his impact after big wins. Beckman’s Drew Their said, “He gives us all the credit it seems like but without him we wouldn’t be anything.” Beckman’s tradition is in good hands.

Honorable mention goes to Lisbon’s John Tesensky and Western Dubuque’s Casey Bryant. Tesensky has taken the Lions to the state tournament three straight seasons, advancing to the title game for the third time in school history. His devotion to the players and passion for baseball are palpable, which is key to Lisbon’s success. Obviously, Bryant’s back-to-back titles earn consideration. Don’t forget Marion’s Steve Fish and Solon’s Keith McSweeney, who reached the 800- and 600-win plateaus, respectively.

Underdog Award: Iowa City Liberty

Iowa City Liberty surprised many in the Iowa high school baseball community, reaching the Class 4A state tournament for the second straight season. After eking out wins over Davenport North and Davenport Central by a total of three runs, the Lightning shocked No. 2 Cedar Rapids Prairie, 6-2, in the substate final. The Hawks swept a regular-season doubleheader, 5-0 and 6-3, at Liberty. Statistics seemed to favor Prairie, which owned edges in hits (8-7) and strikeouts (11-7). Liberty still managed a victory to go further after a late-season surge with wins over Marion, Wahlert and a doubleheader sweep of Kennedy.

Honorable mention goes to Williamsburg and Mount Vernon. The Raiders knocked off No. 10 Pleasantville and No. 8 West Marshall to reach the 2A state tournament. The Raiders ended the season in the quarterfinals with a 20-20 mark, qualifying for the fourth time and first since 2013. Mount Vernon reached the substate finals, beating West Delaware and Waverly-Shell Rock before a one-run loss to Western Dubuque.

Pitcher of the Year: Nate Offerman, Dyersville Beckman

Offerman was the Blazers’ ace and emotional leader, going 10-0 with a 0.97 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 66 strikeouts in 64 2/3 innings. He earned wins in the substate final and state quarterfinal.

Slugger Award: Myles Davis, Marion and Nolan Grawe, Cedar Rapids Kennedy

Davis hit seven home runs with 11 doubles and a triple, giving him 68 total bases and a whopping .829 slugging percentage. He did this in 82 at-bats over just 26 games. Grawe batted .440 with a .509 OBP. He tallied 62 hits with 23 extra-base hits, including 18 doubles and three home runs.

Speak Softly and Carry a Big Bat Award: Brett White, Solon

White seems to quietly amass impressive stats. The first-team all-district player batted .460 with a .609 OBP. He had 58 hits, including 17 doubles and seven home runs, with 36 walks. He drove in 38 runs, while scoring 61.

Bruised Batter Award: Treyton Weber, Independence

Weber was hit by pitch 25 times, ranking second in 3A and third among all classes.

Wheel and Steal Award: Dylan Muszynski, Linn-Mar

Muszynski missed the Lions’ single-season record by one, tallying 43 stolen bases. He averaged more than one a game.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com