Jeff Johnson

A look at how former Eastern Iowa high school and University of Iowa baseball players are faring in affiliated professional baseball in mid-May

Will Mulflur hasn’t been able to play much this baseball season for the Iowa Hawkeyes because of a bad back. But he got a chance to play two games last weekend against Ohio State, and made the most of his opportunity.

Cedar Rapids Prairie announced Tuesday that it has hired Todd Kuntz to lead its varsity boys’ basketball program. Kuntz comes to Prairie from Dunkerton, where he had a state tournament team this past season.

Mark Bliss announced Monday he is stepping down as head football coach at Cedar Rapids Prairie after nine years in order to help take care of a daughter who is fighting cancer.

Ohio State scored three go-ahead runs in the seventh inning to beat Iowa, 5-2, Sunday at Banks Field. The Hawkeyes still won the baseball series, two games to one, and sit pretty well when it comes to making postseason play.

The Iowa baseball team beat up Ohio State before a packed crowd of 2,138 Saturday at Banks Field, 15-3. The win gave head coach Rick Heller his 1,000th career victory.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson graduate Connor Van Scoyoc is in his fifth season in the Los Angeles Angels organization, though he hasn’t logged a ton of innings. He had a breakout 2022 season and hopes a good start Thursday night is the beginning of another good season in 2023.

Sophomore third baseman Raider Tello is a California kid who transferred to the University of Iowa from a California JUCO. He has been the Hawkeyes’ primary third baseman this season, acclimating just fine to cold-weather baseball

Eric Pohlkamp of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders was named United States Hockey League Defenseman of the Year on Thursday. The 19-year-old Bemidji State University signee is the second Rider to earn the honor.

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders selected 31 players Tuesday and Wednesday in the two phases of the United States Hockey League Draft. That included 9 players from Canada in Wednesday’s Phase II.

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders played seven games in 10 days at the end of the season, the final one a 3-1 loss Sunday night at Youngstown that eliminated them from the United States Hockey League playoffs. There’s no rest for Coach Mark Carlson and his staff, with the USHL Draft being conducted Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Youngstown Phantoms scored a mid-third period goal and added an empty net one late for a 3-1 win over the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference second-round playoff series. Youngstown won Game 1 in double-overtime and swept the series.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels lost Sunday at cold and windy Veterans Memorial Stadium, 13-1, to West Michigan. Cedar Rapids has struggled offensively the first month of the Midwest League season, ranking last or next to last in the league in several offensive categories.

Cedar Rapids Kernels pitcher Connor Prielipp is considered one of the top prospects in the Minnesota Twins farm system. Coming off Tommy John elbow surgery, he has been shut down since making his pro debut in early April because of arm tightness. After being given a clean bill of health, he’s headed to the Twins minor league complex in Florida to rehab, with the plan being for him to return to Cedar Rapids by late June.

Lisbon High School graduate and former Kirkwood Community College pitcher Austin Krob is in his first full season of professional baseball in the San Diego Padres system. His numbers have been good in three starts thus far for high-Class A Lake Elsinore, though the southpaw feels he needs to improve his control.