The two words you heard most when asking around for a scouting report on the 2025-26 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders were “speed” and “depth.” The club begins the United States Hockey League regular season Friday against Des Moines at the league’s annual Fall Classic in suburban Pittsburgh.
See photos as the Whitecaps traveled to Cedar Rapids to play for the Midwest League title.
The West Michigan Whitecaps had the best overall record in minor league baseball after the regular season. The Caps won all four playoff games, including 3-1 Tuesday night over the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Veterans Memorial Stadium to win the 2025 Midwest League championship. West Michigan finished 96-39 overall, playoffs included.
The Cedar Rapids Kernels led the West Michigan Whitecaps, 3-0, after three innings of Game 1 of the Midwest League Championship Series on Sunday afternoon in Comstock Park, Mich. But the Whitecaps, who have an overall record of 95-39 (best in the minors) scored the final five runs to pull out a 5-3 win.
The Cedar Rapids Kernels beat Beloit, 7-1, Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium in a deciding Game 3 of the Midwest League Western Division championship series. The game strangely was delayed a half-hour with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the first inning of a scoreless game because a transformer blew.
The Cedar Rapids Kernels scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to go from 2-1 down to 5-2 ahead, eventually securing a 5-3 win over the Beloit Sky Carp in Game 2 of the Midwest League Western Division playoff series. Winner-take-all Game 3 is Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The Cedar Rapids Kernels failed to come up with clutch hits and fell to Beloit, 7-1, Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Midwest League Western Division championship series.
For the 11th time in 12 seasons as an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, the Cedar Rapids Kernels have qualified for the postseason. That was via a first-half Western Division championship. They play second-half winner Beloit in a best-of-3 series that begins Tuesday night in Wisconsin and continues Thursday night and possibly Friday night in Cedar Rapids.
Sunday was special for Ty Langenberg. The Urbandale native and former Iowa Hawkeyes pitcher saw his mother, Kathy, throw out a ceremonial first pitch prior to the Cedar Rapids Kernels’ 2-1 win over Beloit. Then he went out and threw six very good innings for the victory in the regular-season finale at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Shortstop Marek Houston was the top draft pick of the Minnesota Twins in July, signed with the club and is making his professional debut. He excelled at low-Class A Fort Myers, prompting a promotion to the high-A Cedar Rapids Kernels for the rest of the minor league season.
Here is another 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 Kernels infielder Kyle DeBarge opposed good friend and former college teammate L.P. Langevin of the Quad Cities River Bandits twice this week in a seven-game series. He went 2-for-2 at the plate, including a go-ahead two-run single Sunday in his team’s 6-3 victory.
This is the first homestand in two and a half weeks for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. There are 12 different players on the active roster since the last time C.R. played at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Kernels split a Wednesday afternoon doubleheader with Quad Cities.
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