Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

It seems almost impossible but baseball season is upon us.

Monday marks the first day of competition for teams across the state with a number of Your Prep Sports area squads getting into action on Monday.

With the season already getting role we roll out our list of players to watch this summer in the Your Prep Sports area.

Gable Mitchell

Senior, City High

An Iowa recruit, Mitchell hit .352 with nine extra-base hits and 30 RBI last season while being named a third-team all-state pick by the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association.

Among the best defensive infielders in the state, Mitchell led City High with 41 runs scored and 32 stolen bases last season and tied for the team lead with 24 walks.

Jack Funke

Senior, Liberty High

Funke flourished in his first full-time season in the Liberty High lineup on his way to earning first-team Mississippi Valley Conference all-division honors.

Last season Funke hit .346 and led the Lightning with 37 hits and 13 doubles and ranked second on the team with 27 RBI.

Blake Timmons

Junior, Solon

Timmons earned first-team all-state honors last season as a sophomore after leading Solon in runs, batting average and stolen bases.

The speedy Timmons hit a team-high .431 a year ago with 17 extra-base hits and led the Spartans in runs (59), triples (4), walks (29), hit by pitch (17) and on-base percentage (.582).

Timmons also emerged as a key contributor in the Spartan rotation posting a 5-2 record and 2.05 ERA in 44 1/3 innings.

Mitch Frey

Junior, West High

Frey burst onto the scene last season as a sophomore when he ranked second on the team in hits and RBI and led a West High team that won 22 games in bases on balls.

In his first varsity season Frey hit .327 with nine doubles and 31 RBI and drew 28 walks while posting a .471 on-base percentage.

Ben Swails

Senior, Clear Creek Amana

Swails missed nearly all of last season with an injury but is a multi-year starter for the Clippers with the athleticism to excel at any position on the diamond.

In his last extended action Swails hit .368 with four doubles and a team-leading 23 RBI as a sophomore in 2020.

Swails could be among the biggest breakthrough stars of the season.

Cade Obermueller

Senior, City High

The hard-throwing senior left-hander has quickly emerged as one of the top pitchers in the state.

An Iowa recruit, Obermueller went 4-1 with a 1.65 ERA last season allowing just 11 hits and striking out 36 un 29 2/3 innings.

Obermueller also hit .319 with 19 RBI and scored 27 runs last season while leading City High with a .479 on-base percentage.

Danny Gavin

Junior, Regina

Gavin was the offensive catalyst for the Regals last season posting team highs in hits, runs, walks, batting average and on-base percentage and ranking second on the team in RBI.

A strong all-around player Gavin stole 12 bases, scored 23 runs and drove in 14 more while hitting a team-leading .392 on his way to being named to the River Valley Conference all-South Division squad for the first time.

Josh Loren

Junior, Clear Creek Amana

Loren stepped into a big-time role in the Clear Creek Amana rotation last season and responded with a strong sophomore season.

The left-hander posted a 2.97 ERA in a team-high 37 2/3 innings last summer allowing 32 hits while striking out 41.

Carter Seaton

Senior, City High

A four-year varsity contributor Seaton is coming off a strong junior season in which he led City High in hits, batting average and total bases.

Seaton hit a team-leading .351 last season with nine extra-base hits, scored 32 runs and drove in 27 runs.

A versatile player, Seaton also went 2-2 with a 2.48 ERA in 31 innings pitched a year ago.

Kinnick Pusteoska

Senior, Solon

One the top power hitters in Class 3A, Pusteoska enjoyed a breakthrough season as a junior leading the Spartans in home runs and ranking second in RBI while hitting a career-best .404.

Pusteoska had a team-high six home runs among 21 extra-base hits and drove in 51 runs in his breakout season.

He led Solon with a .731 slugging percentage while posting a 1.257 OPS.

Brett White

Sophomore, Solon

White followed up an impressive eighth-grade season with a strong freshman campaign in which he hit a career-high .356 and led Solon in RBI, extra-base hits and total bases.

In his second full-time varsity season White had 18 doubles and two home runs and led Solon with 56 RBI and 78 total bases.

Lucas Pierce

Senior, West Branch

A two-way star for the Bears last summer, Pierce led the way in the batters box and on the mound on his way to earning River Valley Conference South Division honors.

Pierce went 2-1 with one save and posted a 1.06 ERA while allowing just 21 hits and striking out 54 in 33 innings.

Offensively Pierce hit a team-high .382 and led West Branch in hits (29), doubles (9), RBI (18), on-base percentage (.453) and slugging percentage (.539).

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