5 area prep baseball games to watch this week

5 games to watch this week

The Iowa high school baseball postseason is rapidly approaching. Districts for Class 1A begin June 29, while 2A starts July 1. The next 10 days will include conference battles and late tune-ups against non-conference foes in another class. Here are five notable Gazette-area games this week:

Tuesday: DeWitt Central at Marion

Marion has been steady this season. The Wolves have been a mainstay in the rankings and opened the week with a 17-4 record. They won five straight entering Monday’s Wamac Conference doubleheader against Clear Creek Amana. Marion has seven batters with 20 or more hits this season and all have averages of .303 or better. The Wolves average 8.5 runs per game, allowing just 3.8 per contest.

Anyone else wondering why the Sabers aren’t getting more love by coaches in the rankings? They are 16-5 with wins over ranked teams like Williamsburg, Burlington Notre Dame, Anamosa and Cascade. Two of their losses were by a total of four runs to Davenport Assumption. The Sabers scored 8.6 runs a game. Michael Cabrera paces the Sabers with 35 hits and a .500 batting average. Jacob Maher is hitting .403 with 33 RBIs for a team batting .363 overall.

Tuesday: Davenport Assumption at Dyersville Beckman

For years, Dyersville Beckman has faced teams in larger classes in the regular season. The Blazers took some lumps and entered the postseason with a deceiving record because of it. The philosophy paid dividends most years, preparing them for tough postseason games. Consider this one of those type of matches. The Knights are ranked ninth in 3A with a 14-9 record to start the week, while Beckman is No. 4 in 2A at 14-7. Assumption has come on strong lately, winning six in a row. The Knights have won eight straight in the series, including consecutive one-run wins in 2021 and 2022. Beckman’s last victory was in 2012. This also promises to be a clean game with both teams having to earn runs. The Blazers lead 2A with a .954 team fielding percentage with the Knights coming in at .942.

Wednesday: Iowa City High at Pleasant Valley

The Little Hawks and the Spartans are nestled together in the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association 4A rankings. City High (17-11) was as high as sixth and is No. 8 in the latest installment. The Spartans (18-9) are No. 7. The Little Hawks have won three in a row and 11 of the last 12 against Pleasant Valley. City High has an extremely deep pitching staff with 12 pitchers taking the bump for three innings or more. Max Waldschmidt has 32 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings with a 1.44 ERA. Sophomore Talon Young is 4-0 with a 0.69 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. Cooper Drake and Drew Carlson have three wins apiece for the Little Hawks. Carlson also has 30 hits, three back of City High leader D.J. Hodges. A strong Spartans offense scores 7.8 per game and will have a tough test against the Little Hawks’ arms.

Wednesday: Cedar Rapids Prairie at Bettendorf

The Hawks have been a staple in the 4A rankings, maintaining their spot at No. 2. The Bulldogs have been on the edge of the top 10, receiving votes. Prairie is 21-3 but those setbacks have come in the last seven games. Bettendorf is 15-6, winning four of the last five. Prairie has won the last two meetings. Both teams have split with No. 7 Pleasant Valley. Kade Knock has 42 hits and Cal Sullivan has 28 RBIs to lead Prairie’s offense. Wrigley Matthys has 34 hits and Connor Chase has 19 RBIs to pace Bettendorf. The teams have similar offenses with Prairie owning a 7.4-7.1 edge in runs per game. The key could be pitching. Prairie allows two runs per game and has a 1.80 ERA. Both categories are almost three times better than the Bulldogs. The Hawks’ Maddux Frese is 4-0 with a 1.97 ERA and 41 strikeouts.

Next Monday: West Delaware at Solon

This could be a battle for the top spot in the Wamac East. According to Bound, West Delaware opened this week 11-3 in the conference, which would put it in first with an .846 win percentage. Solon was 10-2 in the Wamac, giving it an .833 win percentage. Both teams split with Marion. The Spartans have had some ups and downs but have won four of their last six, including an impressive sweep of Williamsburg. The all-state duo of Brett White and Blake Timmons powers Solon. They have combined for 68 hits, 91 runs and 41 RBIS. The Hawks have swept two straight conference foes in Vinton-Shellsburg and Independence. Their only losses in the last 10 days have been to 4A No. 8 Cedar Rapids Kennedy and 3A top-ranked Western Dubuque. Brent Yonkovic and Will Ward lead the Hawks with 23 hits apiece and Yonkovic and Peyton Aldrich are tied for a team-high three wins on the mound.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com