Iowa

Iowa Cubs outfielder Kevin Alcantara playing best baseball of his Triple-A career

Published

11 months ago

July 4, 2025

Iowa Cubs outfielder Kevin Alcantara playing best baseball of his Triple-A career

The Iowa Cubs were trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning of their June 28 game against the Columbus Clippers when outfielder Kevin Alcantara stepped to the plate to face pitcher Parker Musinski.

Musinski, a relief pitcher for the Clippers, dropped a curveball that hovered over the heart of the plate.

Alcantara jumped on the 82.4 mile per hour offering from Mushinski and pulverized the pitch 408 feet to left centerfield. The homer, his ninth of the season, came off the bat at a whopping 108.5 mph. It turned into one of the highlights of a remarkable run for Alcantara.

“Over the last two and a half weeks, he’s really started to turn it on,” said Iowa manager Marty Pevey. “It’s really good to see. That’s what we’ve been waiting for. We know he’s probably the most talented guy on the field at any point during any game, no matter who we’re playing.”

Alcantara has turned into one of the hottest hitters in the entire Chicago Cubs organization over the past two weeks. The 22-year-old entered Iowa’s July 3 game against the Omaha Storm Chasers having hit safely in his last five contests and 10 of his last 11. He became the first Iowa player to tally five-straight multi-hit games since Pete Crow-Armstrong accomplished the feat in 2024.

“He’s done really good,” Pevey said.

Alcantara has played so well lately that Pevey called it the best stretch he’s seen out of the young outfielder “since he’s come up” to Triple-A late in 2024. The young outfielder was acquired by the Cubs as part of a trade that sent fan-favorite superstar first baseman Anthony Rizzo to the New York Yankees. Alcantara was seen as an up-and-coming prospect.

Ever since he came to the Cubs, Alcantara has only shown flashes of his potential. He hit .279 with 15 homers in 112 games with Myrtle Beach in 2022. Alcantara then hit .284 with 13 homers across three different levels in 2023. He followed that up with a .278 season that led to a brief promotion to the big leagues in 2024.

But Alcantara struggled out of the gates this season, hitting just .222 in March, .264 in April and .233 in May. The slow start led to questions about Alcantara’s future. Would he ever live up to the high hopes that made him a Top 100 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline? If he was going to, an adjustment had to be made at the plate.

The adjustment was simple. Pevey said Iowa’s hitting staff has been working with Alcantara on making sure he gets his foot down on time. The hope is that it would put him in a good position to hit, so he doesn’t miss fastballs and can better recognize off-speed stuff. Pevey said it’s been a point of emphasis this season.

“It’s always been that way,” Pevey said. “It’s a matter of buying in.”

Now that Alcantara has bought in, he’s playing better than ever. He entered Iowa’s July 3 game hitting .270 with 10 homers and 45 runs driven in. The turnaround comes after a huge June that saw him hit .306 with seven doubles and two home runs in 21 games.

The recent run of success has brought around a new wave of questions about Alcantara’s future. Does he have a spot in Chicago? Or will the Cubs deal him to another team at the trade deadline? But the important thing is for Alcantara to keep hitting.

“It’s just a matter of him just putting it all together and when the light goes on and stay on, it’s going to be really special,” Pevey said.

Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468

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Iowa

Iowa State is the Perfect Team to Rebuild in College Football 27

Published

5 hours ago

June 6, 2026

Press Room

Iowa State is the Perfect Team to Rebuild in College Football 27

EA Sports College Football 27 is right around the corner, and fans can’t wait to play the new edition of the game. With new features including NIL, stadium builder, and a revamped road to glory, the game is once again going to be better than ever.

But of course, the main game mode that most fans like to play is dynasty. And the Iowa State Cyclones may be the perfect team to rebuild in College Football 27.

Iowa State is entering a new era. After former head coach, Matt Campbell, left for the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Cyclones have now hired Jimmy Rogers to take over the program. In the video game, you can start the dynasty fresh, with a new roster, a new coach, and new goals.

Speaking of the roster, Iowa State has tons of young, intriguing talent for next season. They have Cameron Pettaway, a freshman All-American who still has three years of eligibility, Omari Hayes who still has two years left, and Montreze Smith who still has three years, and a young offensive line as well. This team has a lot of fun young pieces.

The Cyclones fanbase is big, and they are passionate as well. Coming from Iowa, many midwestern college football fans pick Iowa State as their team. And their stadium backs that claim up. 61,500 seats is no small stadium by any means. The fans are rowdy, loud, and often have themes that look aesthetic as well.

In addition, the Cyclones’ jerseys are wonderful. Of course, they have their iconic home red uniforms, but also have away ones with red and yellow accents as well. Their blackout and whiteout jerseys are unbelievable as well, and super unique compared to the rest of the country. Their throwback uniform perfectly becomes the final touch to a perfect collection. Those are going to be very fun to use in game.

Overall, Iowa State is quite the team to use in College Football 27. It’s not the flashiest program, or one that can compete for a championship in year one, but a process that will take some time, but lead to great results. If you want a team that is entering a new era, has intriguing young talent, has a big fanbase and stadium, and provides jerseys that look great, you have to perfect the program to rebuild in the new video game coming this summer.

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Iowa Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 Midday results for June 5, 2026

Published

15 hours ago

June 6, 2026

Press Room

The Iowa Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big with rewards ranging from $1,000 to millions. The most an Iowan has ever won from playing the lottery was $343 million in 2018 off the Powerball.

Don’t miss out on the winnings. Here’s a look at Friday, June 5, 2026, winning numbers for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from June 5 drawing

13-30-50-52-66, Mega Ball: 02

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick-3 numbers from June 5 drawing

Midday: 5-8-4

Evening: 5-1-4

Check Pick-3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick-4 numbers from June 5 drawing

Midday: 8-8-4-0

Evening: 0-0-2-8

Check Pick-4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 5 drawing

06-38-51-54-55, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Iowa Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Day): 12:20 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Evening): 10:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Day): 12:20 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Evening): 10:00 p.m. CT daily.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Iowa editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Convenience retailer to acquire several Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh locations in Iowa

Published

1 day ago

June 5, 2026

Press Room

Convenience retailer to acquire several Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh locations in Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – A convenience retailer based in Nebraska will acquire several Hy-Vee Fast and Fresh locations in July.

Bosselman Pump & Pantry announced that they’ll acquire 21 stores, including five in-store Starbucks and seven in-store Smokey Row locations this summer.

The company currently operates 48 stores in Nebraska.

15 of the stores will be in the Des Moines area, two in Davenport, one in Marion, as well as two in the Omaha, Nebraska area and one in Lakesville, Minnesota.

After the closing of the deal, the Hy-Vee stores will be rebranded to Pump and Pantry locations. Hy-Vee fuel saver reward redemptions will continue to be accepted.

Full List of Locations: