Underdog to top dog: Iowa City Liberty has same approach as last year

IOWA CITY — The hunter is now the hunted.

The sentiment my be saturated with hyperbole but in the course of a year Iowa City Liberty went from unexpected qualifier to a favorite for another state berth.

After being a lower seed a year ago, the No. 9 Lightning have been a mainstay in the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association rankings and earned the No. 1 seed in Class 4A Substate 8 bracket that begins Friday.

Liberty (24-13) has qualified for state the last two years and opens the postseason at home against sixth-seeded Waterloo East (13-18).

“I think where the experience helps us the most is that It keeps us grounded,” Liberty Coach Uby Martinez said. “We were that team that people were kind of looking by and looking ahead to the substate final.

“We know anything can happen. We’ve been that team two years in a row. We’re not going to take it for granted. We still have to do our job and play our game. If we’re going to win, we have to be sharp, regardless.”

The approach is the same as last season. The Lightning were the only ones that didn’t receive notice they weren’t supposed to win. They felt poised for the postseason run. Liberty will bring a similar confidence and won’t take any wins for granted.

“Last year, we knew we had the pieces and knew we weren’t really the underdogs,” Lightning senior Ryan Schmierer said. “Everyone around us thought we were the underdogs.

“We still know who we are and where we can be. We saw that earlier this year. It’s the same approach where we’re going to be aggressive, attack and play our kind of baseball. See where it goes from there.”

The Lightning went 2-2 in their last four regular-season games. They did close with an 8-2 victory over 3A No. 7 Solon. Martinez has noticed rediscovered energy from the players, who were bouncing around and enjoying Wednesday’s batting practice. They were ready to get back at it again Thursday.

“I feel we’re at a really good place,” Martinez said. “They were excited about practice today and wanted to know if the cages would be open early. It’s never going to be a thing about ability for us. It’s going to be more about focus. We’re back in to where we need to be.”

One perk for top seeds is a second-round bye to the substate final with a first-round win. The bracket would allow Liberty to use ace Mason Waterbury in each game. Waterbury has been nearly untouchable, posting a 9-0 record with a rare 0.14 earned-run average over 51 innings in 10 appearances. He has allowed just one earned run and only five total, striking out 53.

“It’s huge,” Schmierer said. “The entire team knows when Waterbury is on the mound, we not only have a chance to win but we’re going to win. The consistency that he has brought this year has been incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it. He carries himself in such a good way, too, that the team loves him and we all rally around him. We feed off his energy that he brings to the table.”

Schmierer has made his own impact as well. He sits at the top of the lineup, leading the Lightning with 48 hits and 23 RBIs. Schmierer is batting .393 with a .456 on-base percentage.

“I’ll do anything to get on base,” Schmierer said. “I’ll do the dirty work. I’ll bunt. I will take pitches, trying to work counts and get walks. I’ll take pitches so my teammates can see what the pitcher is throwing. I just do anything to help out the team and get us to be the best we can be.

“Anything to put us in better position to win.”

Liberty has a streak going and its own aspirations to reach the state tournament July 22-26 at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids. The Lightning have faith in their ability to advance, making a run at an all-time best finish.

“It’s been our goal all year,” Schmierer said. “This year we have the pieces and tools to make it to the state tournament and do some damage at state and wins some games there.”

Along with Liberty, top-seeded Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Linn-Mar and Iowa City High will host first-round games. The top-ranked Cougars face Waterloo West at Herkelman Field on Friday in 4A Substate 5.

Linn-Mar, ranked No. 6, welcomes Cedar Rapids Jefferson in 4A Substate 6 at Oak Ridge Middle School. Third-ranked Iowa City High hosts Clinton in 4A Substate 7 at Mercer Park. Iowa City West travels to Cedar Rapids Prairie for another 4A Substate 7 first-round game.

Cedar Rapids Washington travels to Southeast Polk for 4A Substate 3 competition.

In Class 3A, No. 2 Marion will host South Tama. Cedar Rapids Xavier hosts Nevada. The winner of both games will face off in the 3A Substate 6 semifinals Monday.

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