Jeff Johnson

The Iowa Heartlanders announced Tuesday that Chuck Weber has been hired as the ECHL franchise’s new head coach. Weber, 52, has been a head coach and assistant coach in the ECHL, the American Hockey League, England and Division I college hockey. He won two Kelly Cup championships in the ECHL with the Cincinnati Cyclones.

Brian Meyer is in his first season as manager of the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Meyer’s wife, Ashley, and 6-year-old son Walker joined him from their home in Florida for the rest of the summer earlier this week. That made Father’s Day at the ballpark Sunday pretty special.

Catcher-first baseman Jaime Ferrer of the Cedar Rapids Kernels was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was just three years old. He always looked up to athletes who played their respective sports despite having the disease and now wants to be a role model of his own.

Chase Chaney of the Cedar Rapids Kernels threw a seven-inning complete-game shutout in Game 1 of Thursday afternoon’s double-header against Peoria. He is pitching of the hometown of his best baseball buddy Connor Van Scoyoc, the Cedar Rapids Jefferson grad now in Triple-A. The two were teammates and roommates for multiple years as member of the Los Angeles Angels organization.

It has not been a smooth go so far this Midwest League baseball season for Cedar Rapids Kernels starting pitcher Ty Langenberg. The former University of Iowa hurler and Urbandale native had an 0-3 record and 7.79 ERA in nine starts. But he was terrific Wednesday afternoon, throwing six shutout innings to get the victory as his team blanked Peoria, 6-0.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels went into their home game Tuesday night against Peoria a half-game behind Quad Cities for first place in the Midwest League’s Western Division.A 7-6, 10-inning win coupled with a QC loss jumped C.R. into first place by a half-game. The Kernels have nine first-half games remaining.

Here is your third look at how Eastern Iowans and former University of Iowa baseball players are doing in the early going of the 2025 Major League Baseball and minor league seasons.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson graduate Connor Van Scoyoc is pitching in Triple-A for the first time in his professional baseball career. He also has a new role as a reliever.

Iowa City High came into this Mississippi Valley Conference baseball double-header at Mercer Park in Iowa City with a 1.05 team earned run average. The Little Hawks pitched to that ERA here but settled for a split against Dubuque Wahlert.

Catcher-first baseman Nate Baez began this season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels as a part-time player at best. But the 12th-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2023 made so much of the opportunities he did get, he has forced his way into an everyday role and in the three or four hole in the lineup. He is second in the Midwest League in batting average and fourth in OPS.

Ryan Cameron likely is going to be the primary goaltender this coming United States Hockey League season for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The 17-year-old from suburban Philadelphia recently was named USA Hockey’s Goaltender of the Year after a standout season for Lone Star of the junior North American Hockey League. Cameron participated this weekend at C.R.’s main tryout camp.

Cedar Rapids Prairie grad Corbin Day has gone from teaching part time at Kennedy High School four years ago to a role as “Advanced Scout, Run Production” with Major League Baseball’s Minnesota Twins. He is with the team daily, home and away, supporting its hitting coaches with game planning and other tasks.

“I don’t even give him the steal sign. He has the green light,” said Kernels Manager Brian Meyer.

Starting pitcher Jose Olivares through a season-high five innings Wednesday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Stadium as the Cedar Rapids Kernels beat Lake County, 1-0. The 22-year-old from Venezuela has the makings of a future major leaguer.

He knows them, loves them, is one of them. RoyShawn Webb grew up on the west side of Cedar Rapids, graduated from Jefferson High School and has been picked to take over its boys’ basketball program, the school announced Tuesday. He’s just 25 years old.