Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Summer may still be a few weeks away but baseball season is already in full swing in Iowa.

The season opens for high school teams across the state on Monday with several Your Prep Sports area teams getting into the action.

Before the season gets going full speed Your Prep Sports takes a quick look at some of the area players to keep an eye on this season.

Gable Mitchell

Junior, City High

A returning all-stater and the reigning Your Prep Sports area player of the year Mitchell is one of the best shortstops in the state.

Already a two-year starter for the Little Hawks Mitchell had his best season to date as a sophomore hitting a team-leading .433 with five extra-base hits and 17 RBI in 60 at bats.

An all-around weapon Mitchell is perhaps the top fielding shortstop in the state, stole a team-high 12 bases in 20 games and has been a solid relief pitcher during his career.

Marcus Morgan

Senior, West High

Long regarded as one of the top pitchers in the state Morgan will look to put an exclamation point on an impressive prep career with a strong senior season.

Morgan went 1-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 22 innings in the COVID-shortened 2020 season after posting a 16-1 mark and 1.10 ERA and striking out 152 over 95 1/3 innings in his first two prep seasons combined.

An Iowa recruit, Morgan is also a major factor at the plate and hit .294 with a home run and eight RBI last season.

Ethan O’Donnell

Senior, Liberty High

A stalwart in the Liberty High rotation since his freshman season O’Donnell has ranked in the top two on the team in innings pitched each of the last three years while logging 95 2/3 career innings.

O’Donnell had the best season of his career last summer when he posted a 2-0 record and 2.06 ERA while striking out 16 and walking just four in a team-high 17 innings.

A Coe College recruit, O’Donnell has more than 100 career at bats and can be a factor in the Liberty High lineup in addition to his pitching duties.

Carter Seaton

Junior, City High

Another multi-year varsity contributor coming off a breakthrough season, Seaton earned Mississippi Valley Conference all-division honors last season after hitting .391 with 12 runs scored and eight RBI in his first season as a full-time starter.

A versatile player with the ability to play the infield or the outfield, Seaton ranked second on the team with 25 hits and drew nine walks while posting a .466 on-base percentage a year ago.

Brock Reade

Senior, Clear Creek Amana

A WAMAC West Division first-team selectin as a junior Reade emerged as one of the best two way players in Class 3A last season while leading the Clippers to the state tournament.

Reade hit .338 with five doubles and 11 RBI last season while also serving as the ace of a deep Clear Creek Amana pitching staff.

The left-handed throwing Reade posted a 4-0 record with a 2.10 ERA while striking out 35 and walking 13 in 30 innings.

Carson Shive

Senior, Solon

Shive returns as an anchor in the middle of the Solon lineup after hitting .359 and earning WAMAC all-East Division honorable mention honors a year ago in his varsity debut season.

Shive led the Spartans with 23 hits last season and drove in 14 runs while helping Solon to a 14-8 record.

Cael Fiderlein

Senior, West Branch

A River Valley Conference Elite Team selection a year ago Fiderlein hit .390 with seven extra-base hits and 11 RBI in 41 at bats as a junior.

Fiderlein had a home run and six doubles in his first season as a full-time starter last summer while splitting time between the infield and outfield.

Levi Quinlan

Senior, Regina

Quinlan was a utility selection on the River Valley Conference South Division squad after hitting .323 with eight runs scored and five RBI last season in 12 games.

A true utility player, Quinlan did a little bit of everything as a junior drawing seven walks at the plate, going seven-for-seven on stolen base attempts on the basepaths and posting a 2-1 record and 4.00 ERA in five innings on the mound.

Parker Smith

Junior, Clear Creek Amana

Already a two-year starter Smith had a breakthrough season last summer as a sophomore ranking second on the team in batting averaging while earning first-team all-WAMAC West Division honors.

Smith hit .435 with six extra-base hits and 14 RBI in 62 at bats a year ago and led Clear Creek Amana with 27 runs scored and a team-high .611 on-base percentage with 10 walks and 18 hit by pitch.

Cade Obermueller

Junior, City High

After get a small taste of varsity action as a freshman Obermueller emerged as the ace of the City High staff as a sophomore last summer.

Obermueller went 2-2 with a 3.74 ERA a year ago, striking out a team-high 27 in 24.1 innings.

Opponents hit just .150 off Obermueller last season as the left-hander allowed just 12 hits in seven starts.

Keian Secrist

Senior, Liberty High

Another four-year varsity starter for the Lightning, Secrist has been a stalwart on the mound and in the field for Liberty High since the inception of the program.

Secrist has 96 1/3 innings pitched and 79 career hits making him one of the most experienced players in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

Last season Secrist was 1-2 with a 5.76 ERA in a team-high 17 innings striking out 15 and walking 17.

Brett White

Freshman, Solon

White burst onto the scene last as an eighth grader earning second-team all-WAMAC East division honors after hitting .304 in his first look at varsity pitching.

The Solon outfield ranked third on the team in hits (21) and RBI (18) last season posting seven extra-base hits in 69 at bats as an eighth grader.

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