Iowa high school baseball rankings: Anamosa is ‘exceeding everybody’s expectations’

Anamosa started the season inexperienced but determined.

The Blue Raiders were depleted by graduation, returning just one starter and just two more letterwinners. First-year head coach Adam Tvedt, who previously served as an Anamosa assistant, recognized the newcomers’ potential. The question was how soon they would produce.

“We have guys who are hungry,” Tvedt said. “They waited their turn while our senior class worked their way through and they got their opportunity.

“They accepted the call. They were hungry and they’ve got the job done.”

The Blue Raiders have received votes recently but cracked the latest Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 2A state rankings. Anamosa debuted at No. 10 in the latest poll released Monday.

“I was confident in us from the start,” Tvedt said.

A 14-8 opening-day road win over 4A’s Davenport North showed success might come sooner than later.

“Definitely, I knew we had the potential,” Tvedt said. “It’s just you never know when they’ll be ready. Just trusting the process and working through it.

“In all honesty, we’re ahead of where I thought we would be, right now.”

Anamosa is 16-5 overall and 6-1 in the River Valley Conference North Division with almost a whole new cast. The season resembles last year’s 18-win campaign that included a 9-1 conference mark.

“We’ve just had guys step up,” Tvedt said. “Good senior leadership, especially from Devin Brophy at shortstop and the top of the lineup. We’ve just taken it a day at a time. We’ve filled holes. I think we’re exceeding everybody’s expectations at this point.”

Brophy leads the Blue Raiders with 38 hits, batting .475 and owning a .527 on-base percentage. The team is hitting at a .333 clip with 40 extra-base hits and 177 runs. An aggressive approach on the base paths has resulted in 103 stolen bases.

Pitching is more the bread and butter for Anamosa. Easton Wheeler owns a 5-0 record with a 0.89 earned-run average and 0.99 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched). Sophomore Jackson Watters is 2-1 with a 1.11 ERA and Jack Sellnau is 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA. Those arms are expected back next season, too.

“That’s our best strength,” Tvedt said. “If those guys are rolling, we know anything can happen come postseason time.”

The Blue Raiders are part of an RVC quartet in the 2A rankings. Mid-Prairie (15-6) is ranked second for the second straight week after holding the No. 1 spot for a couple weeks. Fourth-ranked Dyersville Beckman (14-7) has won nine of its last 10 games, splitting with No. 7 Cascade (12-7) Thursday.

In 4A, Cedar Rapids Prairie held its spot at second behind Ankeny Centennial. The Hawks are 21-3 and average more than 7.3 runs per game. Cedar Rapids Kennedy, which split with Prairie last week, swapped spots with Iowa City High. The Cougars are up two spots to No. 6. The Little Hawks moved down two, coming in at No. 8.

Western Dubuque hasn’t budged from the top spot in 3A all season. The defending state champion Bobcats own a 22-6 mark and lead the Mississippi Valley Conference Valley Division with a 16-4 conference mark. Western Dubuque has won 10 of its last 12 games, losing just one game to a 3A program with all but one loss coming to a ranked team. The Bobcats are joined in the top 10 by No. 5 Marion.

In 1A, North Linn and Lisbon remain the only Gazette-area teams in the poll. The Lynx (17-3) are fifth, while the Lions (15-3) are ranked ninth.

Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Rankings (June 19, 2023)

Class 4A

1. Ankeny Centennial (20-2)

2. Cedar Rapids Prairie (21-3)

3. Johnston (21-5)

4. Southeast Polk (20-7)

5. West Des Moines Dowling (17-6)

6. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (21-9)

7. Pleasant Valley (18-9)

8. Iowa City High (17-11)

9. Dallas Center-Grimes (16-5)

10. Indianola (17-7)

Other teams receiving votes (alphabetical order): Ankeny (11-12), Bettendorf (15-6), Sioux City North (19-9), Urbandale (15-12), Waukee Northwest (13-14)

Class 3A

1. Western Dubuque (22-6)

2. Council Bluffs Lewis Central (18-2)

3. North Polk (14-3)

4. Knoxville (22-1)

5. Marion (17-4)

6. Sioux City Heelan (19-7)

7. Adel ADM (18-6)

8. Dubuque Wahlert (17-10)

9. Davenport Assumption (14-9)

10. Ballard (14-5)

Other teams receiving votes (alphabetical order): Benton Community (20-7), Cedar Rapids Xavier (13-11), Bondurant-Farrar (17-7), MOC-Floyd Valley (14-5), West Delaware (16-8)

Class 2A

1. Van Meter (18-6)

2. Mid-Prairie (15-6)

3. Estherville-Lincoln Central (14-5)

4. Dyersville Beckman (14-7)

5. Underwood (14-2)

6. Carroll Kuemper (12-8)

7. Cascade (12-7)

8. West Marshall (18-5)

9. New Hampton (15-7)

10. Anamosa (16-5)

Other teams receiving votes (alphabetical order): Pleasantville (17-6), Sumner-Fredericksburg (13-3), West Lyon (14-2), Williamsburg (14-13), Woodward-Granger (12-4)

Class 1A

1. Mason City Newman (20-2)

2. Kingsley-Pierson (18-1)

3. Remsen St. Mary’s (19-2)

4. Lynnville-Sully (18-0)

5. North Linn (17-3)

6. West Harrison (14-2)

7. Don Bosco (18-4)

8. Burlington Notre Dame (19-6)

9. Lisbon (15-3)

10. Coon Rapids-Bayard (18-2)

Other teams receiving votes (alphabetical order): Akron-Westfield (16-6), LeMars Gehlen (14-2), Newell-Fonda (14-4), Saint Ansgar (16-5), Woodbury Central (11-4)

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com