Connor Smith suffered a concussion in a game early last season for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. Then in his second practice back, he suffered a severe knee injury that ended his rookie USHL season. He’s back and healthy, hoping to provide offense for a hockey club devoid of experience at the forward position.
The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders open the home portion of their 2023-24 United States Hockey League season Saturday night against Dubuque. Offseason improvements at ImOn Ice include the replacement of over 3,000 original seats.
The Cedar Rapids Kernels won the Midwest League championship Wednesday night with a 7-6 win over Great Lakes in a winner-take-all Game 3 of the team’s title series. It’s the first MWL championship for Cedar Rapids since 1994.
The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders begin the USHL regular season at the Fall Classic in Pittsburgh, with games Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon. The top 13 scorers from last season have departed, meaning there is a lot of unknown surrounding the team.
Game 2 of the Midwest League Championship Series was suspended by rain Tuesday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium with Great Lakes leading the Cedar Rapids Kernels, 1-0, as the bottom of the fifth was about to happen. The game will restart Wednesday night at 5:30. If C.R. wins, it has its first Midwest League championship since 1994. If Great Lakes wins, the teams will play a seven-inning, winner-take-all Game 3.
Jack Dreyer has had his share of obstacles. The southpaw pitcher threw two seasons at the University of Iowa, had his junior year wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic, then blew out his elbow and had Tommy John surgery the following year. He got signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers anyway, and his Great Lakes team is playing against the Cedar Rapids Kernels right now for the MIdwest League championship.
The Cedar Rapids Kernels scored five runs in the top of the ninth inning to beat Great Lakes, 10-6, Sunday afternoon in Game 1 of the Midwest League Championship Series. Carson McCusker’s three-run home run put C.R. ahead for good, 8-6, with Emmanuel Rodriguez then adding a two-run shot.
Cedar Rapids Kernels infielder Luke Keaschall was a very good high school wrestler in California, coming up just one match shy of qualifying for the state tournament as a senior. His love of the sport helps him appreciate playing professional baseball in a wrestling state.
The Cedar Rapids Kernels scored four runs in the first inning and went on to beat Peoria, 9-3, Friday night in the deciding Game 3 of their Midwest League Western Division championship playoff series. Cedar Rapids plays a best-of-3 title series against Great Lakes.
An unexpected stomach flu hit several members of the Cedar Rapids Kernels prior to their Thursday night game against Peoria in the Midwest League Western Division finals series. They persevered through that illness, winning 9-4, to force a winner-take-all Game 3 Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The Peoria Chiefs scored four straight runs to grab a 4-1 lead on the Cedar Rapids Kernels in Tuesday night’s Game 1 of their Midwest League Western Division playoff championship series. The Kernels closed within a run and had the bases loaded in the ninth inning, only to fall, 4-3.
Despite losing their final four games, the Cedar Rapids Kernels finished the Midwest League regular season with an 82-50 record, their .621 winning percentage tops in all of minor league baseball. They face Peoria in the Western Division playoff championship series, with Game 1 Tuesday night in Illinois.
The Cedar Rapids Kernels have the best team in all of minor league baseball at 80-46 overall. That .635 winning percentage is fourth all-time in the club’s modern history. They wrapped up their home schedule Sunday with a 9-0 win over Lake County.
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