Tough Metro teams begin postseason

CEDAR RAPIDS - Baseball has had a banner season in the Metro this summer.

Most of those teams start their quest to claim an actual banner given to Iowa High School Athletic Association state baseball qualifiers.

Programs in Class 4A begin substate action, while 3A starts district play Friday. Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Cedar Rapids Prairie and Linn-Mar host first-round games, starting at 7 p.m.

Five of the seven large Metro schools had winning records, recording at least 23 wins.

'As long as I've been around now it's probably the strongest depth-wise that I remember,” said Linn-Mar Coach Chad Lechner, who has been at the school for 13 years. ”There are some really top-level teams as well.”

Fifth-ranked Prairie and No. 3 Jefferson came away with Mississippi Valley Conference division titles. The Hawks (30-7) set a school record for wins and captured the MVC Mississippi. The J-Hawks shared the MVC Valley crown with No. 8 Iowa City West.

The Lions have jumped in and out of the rankings. Kennedy opened as the top-ranked team in 4A and Cedar Rapids Xavier made the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association 3A preseason poll.

'Very solid teams,” Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer said about the Metro landscape. 'Kids are playing well and they are well coached. It has made for some really good baseball.”

The Cougars have a deep pitching staff and are led by all-staters Zach Daniels and Sammy Lizarraga, hitting .508 and .371, respectively. They have combined for an 8-1 pitching mark with Lizarraga owning a 1.00 earned-run average.

The Cougars reached the state quarterfinals last season and are looking for their fifth state berth in the last six years. The regular-season competition has readied teams for the upcoming tests.

'We're no different,” Hoyer said. 'We feel we had a challenging schedule. It will prepare us.

'We look forward to the challenge.”

Prairie has proved to be an offensive dynamo this season, averaging well over seven runs a game. Cal Clark (. 448), Trey Beckman (. 440), Nic Mougin (. 413) and Ben Boldt (. 410) lead the way for the Hawks, who face Cedar Rapids Washington (8-25).

Linn-Mar (23-11) has won seven of its last nine games. Manny Jeffery paces the Lions on the mound and at the plate with a 6-1 record and .385 batting average. Linn-Mar will try for three wins over Waterloo West in as many days, sweeping the Wahawks Wednesday.

'You hope that if you play to your capabilities you are able to win and we did that, but once you reach the postseason you throw the records out,” Lechner said. 'You're starting from scratch and it's one game, facing their top pitcher.”

Jefferson Coach Kyle Rodenkirk echoed Lechner's sentiments. Regular-season results don't matter now.

'We said all year we are excited for the new season,” Jefferson Coach Kyle Rodenkirk said. 'The records are all 0-0.”

The J-Hawks have been in the top 10 all season, opening with North Scott. Spencer Van Scoyoc has hit .407 this season, posting a 5-1 record with a 0.64 ERA. He is tied with Lucas Larson and Tyler Roeder with 16 doubles. Van Scoyoc leads a deep staff, including Jarred Wood (5-0, 1.97 ERA), Sam Meyer (4-0, 2.03 ERA) and senior Tyler Konigsmark, who has four wins and an ERA under three.

The J-Hawks (29-8) haven't been to the state baseball tournament in 17 years. They have a tough task ahead and their hard-nosed, gritty mentality will be a necessity.

'This group is unlike one I have ever played with before,” Larson said. 'It has a never-die attitude. Every single person on the team is ready to go.”

In 3A, Marion (23-16) heads to Solon. Xavier (16-21) will face DeWitt Central in DeWitt.

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