K.J. Pilcher

Iowa City West junior left-hander Kyle Cherry is unassuming off the field. When he took the mound Friday night, he took command of the game stifling Cedar Rapids Prairie in a 3-0 victory for the Trojans.

All-conference baseball teams from Gazette-area conferences in 2024.

Iowa City Liberty was a No. 3 substate seed last season and earned a second straight state baseball tournament berth. The Lightning are a No. 1 seed in Class 4A Substate 8 and have the same focus as a year ago, looking for a third consecutive state appearance.

Here’s a look at Tuesday’s 2A and 1A Iowa high school baseball district semifinals. Luke Sigwarth’s home run propelled defending state champion Dyersville Beckman past Monticello.

Freshman Tanner Topping was an unlikely hero. He came to the plate in the top of the eighth and smacked an RBI single, sparking a three-run inning and helping Cascade to a 6-4 victory over Iowa City Regina in a Class 2A district semifinal baseball game Tuesday night.

Class 4A No. 4 Johnston scored five runs in the middle innings and prevented a late rally to hold on for a 6-3 victory over No. 3 Iowa City High Monday night at Mercer Park in a game that mimicked a postseason atmosphere.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy closed the regular season as the No. 1 team in the final Class 4A poll by the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association poll released Monday. Here is a look at the 3A and 4A rankings going into the postseason.

This week transitions from the end of the regular season for Class 3A and 4A to the postseason for all four classes. Class 1A and 2A will continue district play Tuesday and Saturday. Some intriguing matchups close the regular season with 3A and 4A substates beginning Friday.

Brady Van Scoyoc’s passion has produced solid season for East Buchanan, which hosted Clinton Prince of Peace in the first round of the Class 1A District 10 play Saturday. He pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing just one run and earning a no-decision in the Buccaneers’ 2-1 victory in eight innings.

North Linn baseball coach Travis Griffith will attempt to perform a balancing act in the postseason. He will have to find the middle ground between realistic expectations and the program’s lofty aspirations.

Sigourney has enjoyed a strong baseball season, placing second in the South Iowa Cedar League, moving to No. 8 in the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 1A rankings and earning the No. 1 seed in District 12.

Marion’s Grayson Kirsch was expected to be near the top of the pitching rotation this season. A knee injury prevented that from happening but he did make a return to the mound, getting a win in the Wolves’ doubleheader sweep of Williamsburg.

The weekly Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association statewide rankings has contained a large contingent of Mississippi Valley Conference teams. As the regular season winds, the MVC maintains a strong presence in the poll.

The postseason begins at the end of this week for Class 1A and 2A schools. The bigger schools still have conference and some playoff primers on the slate. Dubuque Wahlert at Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Marion at Central DeWitt are among the highlighted Iowa high school baseball games in Week 8.

Class 3A ninth-ranked Solon received quality starts from Tyler Bell and Vince Steinbrech, sweeping Clear Creek Amana, 10-2 and 9-3, in a Wamac Conference baseball doubleheader Thursday night in Tiffin.