Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The baseball postseason is already nearly a week old after Class 1A and 2A teams opened district play last week.

Things heat up on Friday with Class 3A and 4A getting into the act as teams around the state chase trips to the state tournament that runs July 26-August 3 at Principal Park in Des Moines.

There is plenty took look forward to as area teams compete for state tournament bids in the next few days but before looking ahead here is a look back at some of the best of the regular season.

Best individual pitching performance: Nolan Frey against West High. Tossing a no-hitter is always impressive. Frey did it against a West High lineup that ranks second in 4A in team average and runs while striking out nine in five innings to give Liberty High it’s first win against its cross-town rival.

Best individual pitching performance II: Cam Miller against Central DeWitt. Just like no no-hitter can't be ignored neither can what Miller did in a 1-0 loss to the third-ranked Sabers. The Solon ace allowed seven hits and a walk while striking out nine in nine shutout innings.

Best individual offensive performance: West High senior teammates Owen McAreavy and Ryan Cooper share this award after both posting single-game performances too impressive to leave off. McAreavy went 4-for-5 with five RBI including the game-tying 3-run home run in the seventh and the game-winning single in the eighth in a 11-10 win over City High. Cooper came up a single shy of the cycle in a three-hit, seven-RBI performance in a 15-13 win over Linn-Mar.

Best game: West High vs. City High. It doesn’t get any better than the first matchup between the cross-town rivals. West High rallied from an 8-0 deficit with a seven-run seventh inning and then won the game with three runs in the eighth.

Best comeback: West Branch against Tipton. The Bears trailed 10-0 after two innings before rallying for a 13-10 win over their Cedar County rival.

Most improved player: West Branch junior Trey Eagle. Bigger and stronger than a year ago, Eagle physically looks like a much different player this season. The offseason work shows up in the stat line for Eagle who is hitting a career-best .410 with a team-high four home runs and 30 RBI after batting .255 with 10 RBI a year ago. Eagle is also 5-0 with a 3.25 ERA after going 1-4 last season with an ERA over 4.00.

Breakthrough performer: Liberty High junior Nolan Frey. Liberty High has made a big jump in year two and Frey has been a big part of the success. Frey is hitting a team-best .426 and leads the Lightning with 23 extra-base hits and 39 RBI and is 4-2 with a 3.87 ERA in a team-high 47 innings.

Coach of the year: West Branch’s Andy Lapel. In his first season at West Branch Lapel has directed the Bears to their first winning season since 2012 and into the district title game. With a win on Saturday West Branch (18-7) will match its win total from the previous two seasons combined.

Most consistent: Clear Creek Amana senior Camden Smyka. On the mound or at the plate Smyka has been a model of consistency for the Clippers. The senior has a hit in 31 of 36 games, has reached safely in 33 and brings a 15-game hitting streak into the postseason while hitting a team-high .381 on the year. On the mound Smyka has allowed three runs or fewer in six of eight starts and has a team-best 2.09 ERA in 47 innings.

Unsung hero: Solon senior Chris McSweeney. After going hitless in his first 13 at bats this season McSweeney has a hit in 25 of his last 33 games hitting .407 over that stretch. The senior second baseman has quietly put together his best season hitting .356 with a team-high 23 RBI.

Best pinch-hit performance: West Branch sophomore Kaleb Sexton against Tipton. Sexton has one varsity hit in three at bats this season. That one hit was a three-run pinch-hit home run in the sixth inning that snapped a 10-10 tie in a 13-10 win over the Tigers.

Top pitching tandem: Solon juniors Lucas Walker and Cam Miller. The duo should make the Spartans a tough out in the postseason after combining for a 9-6 record and a 1.17 ERA in 101 1/3 innings. Miller is 5-3 with a 1.00 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 56 innings while walker is 4-3 with a 1.39 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 45 1/3.  

Most durable: City High senior Liam McComas. The numbers for McComas are the best of his career as he leads the Little Hawks in batting average (.391), doubles (12), home runs (4) and walks (22) while driving in 32 runs. What makes it more impressive is that McComas has done it all while catching 36 of 39 games this season for City High including 26 of the last 27. Over the last 27 games McComas has a hit in 23.

Rookie of the year: Clear Creek Amana freshman Sam Young. While he technically isn’t a rookie after getting his feet wet last season Young has had a freshman season worthy of honors after hitting .339 with 29 runs while posting a 2.18 ERA in 41 2/3 innings.

Newcomer of the year: Regina sophomore Chase Becker. In his first season at Regina Becker hit a team-high .417 and led the Regals with 28 RBI and 27 walks while also posting a 3.65 ERA in 30 2/3 innings.

Most versatile: West Branch junior Matt Paulsen. Last season Paulsen established himself as the ace of the Bear pitching staff. This year he has done it all for upstart West Branch hitting .433 with nine doubles and going 4-2 with a 3.37 ERA on the mound. Paulsen has put up those stats while starting games at six different positions.

Gold glover: City High freshman Gable Mitchell. The shortstop spot for City High should be in good hands for years to come with the slick fielding Mitchell manning the spot. The freshman has been solid offensively this season (.259, 32 runs) but has been even more impressive defensively.

Silver slugger: West High senior Ryan Cooper. A solid performer last season (.379, 25 RBI) Cooper has been one of the toughest outs in the state this season hitting .450 with 49 RBI and three home runs.

Cy Young: West High sophomore Marcus Morgan. In his first season as the ace of the always-strong West High staff Morgan has delivered going 7-0 with a .70 ERA while fanning 66 in 40 innings. Morgan has also hit .434 with three home runs and 31 RBI.

Most valuable player: West High senior Jason Strunk. Despite the best efforts from opposing teams Strunk has put together an impressive senior season. Strunk is hitting a career-best .407 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs all while drawing 41 walks, the second most in the state. The .636 on-base percentage and 53 runs scored for Strunk are both seventh best in the state.

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