K.J. Pilcher

Unity and camaraderie have played a part in North Linn’s success this year, ending the regular season ranked sixth and reaching Tuesday’s Class 1A substate finals.

Iowa high school baseball takeaways: GMG has been the Cinderella story, winning a district title despite an 11-14 record. Williamsburg has overcome midseason woes to reach the substate final for the first time since 2015. MFL MarMac rallied to beat New Hampton. Dubuque County rivals are a win from state returns.

The Gazette’s 2023 Male Athlete of the Year is Ben Kueter of Iowa City High. He was a two-time all-state linebacker in football, a four-time unbeaten state wrestling champion, a Drake Relays medalist and a member of two state tournament baseball teams.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s potent offense scored six runs on eight hits in the final three innings. Trevor Scott’s two-run single in the fifth gave the Cougars the lead for good in a 7-4 victory over the River Kings.

Here’s a look at five noteworthy games involving Gazette area teams as the Iowa high school baseball postseason begins for Class 4A and 3A teams Friday night.

Lisbon’s Hunter Clark serves as his toughest critic. He wasn’t satisfied with his performance but he powered Lisbon to a 7-3 win over Belle Plaine in a district semifinal, striking out 10 in six innings.

Here are the final Class 4A and 3A rankings by the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association.

Less than a day after getting swept by Cedar Falls, Class 4A No. 2 Cedar Rapids Prairie rebounded to sweep 3A No. 1 Western Dubuque in a battle of Mississippi Valley Conference division leaders.

South Winneshiek has reached the state baseball tournament three times since 2019. The Warriors open the postseason as a No. 1 district seed, looking for a second consecutive trip to state.

Marion sophomore Jake Miller has been an offensive leader and versatile defender this season. Wolves Coach Steve Fish considers him a “sneaky” candidate for team MVP for the fourth-ranked team in Class 3A.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Iowa City High, Western Dubuque and Marion were among the top seeds in 3A and 4A Iowa high school baseball substate brackets released Wednesday by the Iowa High School Athletic Association.

Henry Reicks is no stranger to Cedar Rapids Xavier wrestling. He has been an assistant coach at the school since 2006. Reicks will take on a new role, becoming the first head coach for the girls’ wrestling team.

Here are this week’s Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association rankings. Cedar Rapids Prairie produces two quality wins to extend win streak to seven games and remain at No. 2 in Class 4A.

Week 7 of the Iowa high school baseball season includes a top-10 showdown in Class 1A that could be a prelude to a substate final, a battle between Mississippi Valley Conference divisional leaders and the start of 1A and 2A district games. Here is a look ahead to some noteworthy contests this week.

Linn-Mar’s Dylan Muszynski wanted to increase his role from last season. He has carved a niche as the leadoff batter and top base stealer for the Lions. Muszynski stole two more Friday against Cedar Rapids Washington, giving him 35 this season.