Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The start of the state baseball tournament is just hours away.

Before state tournament action gets underway on Monday at Merchants Park in Carroll and Duane Banks Field in Iowa City we first take a look back at some of the best from what has already been a memorable season in the Your Prep Sports Area.

Best individual pitching performance: Hayden Vickroy against City High. Vickroy came up with the best game of his prep career against the second-ranked, state tournament-bound Little Hawks tossing a three-hit shutout in which he allowed just four base runners as Liberty High completed a doubleheader shutout of its cross-town rivals.

Best individual pitching performance part II: Josh Loren against Williamsburg. Loren had a strong junior season but the Clear Creek Amana lefty was never better than his two-hit shutout against the rival Raiders in which he struck out six and walked just one.

Best individual offensive performance: Brett White against Davenport Assumption. How is this for a stat line against the top-ranked teams in the state? White went 4-for-5 with a double, a triple, two home runs, four RBI and four runs scored in a 13-2 Spartan win.

Best individual offensive performance part II: Jack Funke against Dubuque Hempstead. There were plenty of potential performances that fit into this spot but the nod goes to Liberty High senior slugger Jack Funke who went deep twice and drove in three runs in a 6-5 loss to top-10 opponent Dubuque Hempstead.

Best individual all-around performance: Alex Knudtson against West High. What is better than tossing a one-hitter with seven strikeouts against your cross-town rival? Doing that while also going 2-for-3 with a triple and four RBI which is exactly what the City High junior two-way standout did in an 8-1 win over West High.

Best clutch performance: Luke Ramsey against Pleasant Valley. It’s hard to get more clutch than the Liberty High junior center fielder was in the Lightning’s substate final win over Pleasant Valley going 3-for-3 with three runs scored including the eventual winning run in the top of the seventh inning that followed his third hit of the game.

Biggest upset: Liberty High over Cedar Falls. It is not just the fact that Liberty High knocked off the eighth-ranked Tigers in the substate semifinals or that Cedar Falls had outscored Liberty High 18-3 in doubleheader sweep during the regular season. It was the manner in which Liberty High handled its business, scoring at least three runs in each of the first four innings on its way to a 14-1 five-inning win.

Best game: Liberty High against Pleasant Valley. Clinching the first state tournament berth in program history with a substate final win over the defending state champs is always worth of this spot but scoring the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning as the Lightning did in their 5-4 win over Pleasant Valley makes it a no-doubter pick for best game.

Best comeback: Regina against West Branch. Another easy selection Regina trailed 6-2 before scoring five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning following a 75-minute rain delay to top rival West Branch 7-6 in a game that lasted more than four hours.

Biggest hit: Danny Gavin against West Branch. It was his teammate Jack Tierney that had the game-winner in the 7-6 win over the Bears but it was the two-run double into the gap in right center fielder by Gavin that opened the flood gates during a five-run Regina seventh inning.

Most persistent player: Solon senior Logan Gruchow. Entering his senior season Gruchow had two varsity at bats but made the most of his opportunity this season hitting .267 while ranking second in the team in walks (27), fourth in runs (31) and fifth in RBI (26).

Most improved player: Regina junior Jack Tierney. Last season Tierney hit .205 with eight RBI and one extra-base hit in 73 at bats. It was a completely different story for Tierney this season who led the Regals with a .431 batting average and had five extra-base hits and 14 RBI while also posting a 3-4 record and 2.31 ERA in 36 1/3 innings pitched.

Breakthrough player of the year: West High junior Ryne Vander Leest. After getting his feet wet at the varsity level a year ago Vander Leest bumped his batting average nearly 100 points as a junior hitting a team-high .314 while leading the Trojans with 33 runs, 23 walks, a .542 on-base percentage and ranking third on the team with 21 RBI.

Most consistent player: Clear Creek Amana senior Sam Young. Whether it was on the mound, in the infield or at the plate you always knew what you were getting from Young who ranks among the steadiest players you will ever see. A five-year varsity starter, Young hit .369 and went 7-0 with a 2.38 ERA and issued just three walks in a team-high 47 innings pitched as a senior.

Breakout star: City High junior Alex Knudtson. After bursting onto the varsity scene with a strong sophomore season last year Knudtson thrived in an expanded role this summer. Knudtson went 3-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 37 innings on the mound and also hit .364 with 36 RBI.

Unsung hero: City High junior Austin Rindels. The definition of an unsung hero Rindels doesn’t do a lot that shows up in the box score but the junior has been a stalwart behind the plate for the Little Hawks after seizing the role as the starting catcher for City High.

Ironman award: West Branch senior Lucas Pierce. The senior was a warrior for the Bears this season, starting all 22 games while moving between pitcher, infield, outfield and designated hitter. Pierce didn’t just play he produced, hitting .246 with 12 RBI and noting a 2-4 record and 2.64 ERA with 51 strikeouts while ranking eighth in Class 2A with 53 innings pitched.

Comeback player of the year: Liberty High senior Ian Gates. A shoulder injury shelved Gates for a few weeks mid-season but since his return he has been one of the big factors in the late-season push for the Lightning. Gates has hit safely in 12-of-14 starts since returning to the lineup batting .370 during that stretch, pushing his season average to .330.

Most fun to watch: Liberty High senior Luke Meyers. Any player that can run like Meyers is always entertaining. In the outfield, at the plate (.350 BA, 30 runs) or on the bases (18 stolen bases) there is always the potential for excitement from the lightning fast Meyers who plays the game hard and has fun doing it.

Coach of the year: Once again there are several worthy candidates for this spot but the job that Brian Mitchell did at City High this season was second to none. Mitchell led the Little Hawks to a Mississippi Valley Conference divisional title, 31 wins and a 4A state tournament berth despite the loss of several keep players.

Rookie of the year: City High freshman Talon Young. Much like Knudtson a year ago Young made an immediate impact in the City High rotation in his first varsity season going 3-2 with a 2.51 ERA in 30 2/3 innings.

Newcomer of the year: West Branch sophomore Reese Trepanier. The sophomore shortstop settled in nicely in his first season at West Branch leading the Bears with a .328 batting average, 21 runs scored, 15 RBI and a .434 on-base percentage.

Silver slugger: Solon sophomore Brett White. Already a three-year varsity starter White showed once again this season what most already knew – he can flat out hit. The smooth-swinging White hit a career-high .482 with 23 extra-base hits and 45 RBI while posting a 1.444 OPS.

Gold glover: City High senior Gable Mitchell. If you continue reading Mitchell takes the top award on this list potentially leaving an opening for another player to grab gold glove honors but the reality is no area player makes the impact Mitchell does defensively. Among the top infielders and best defensively players in the state for several seasons Mitchell committed a career-low six errors as a senior while reaching balls few other prep players can.

Cy Young: City High senior Cade Obermueller. The Iowa recruit and MLB draft prospect was simply overpowering as a senior posting a 6-1 record, 1.20 ERA and striking out 98 in 46 2/3 innings. Opponents hit just .105 against the left-handed throwing Obermueller who struck out 27 and allowed five hits and two walks and no runs in 11 1/3 postseason innings.

Most valuable player: City High senior Gable Mitchell. A four-year varsity starter and Iowa recruit Mitchell had the best season of his career this summer. Mitchell hit .477 and led City High in runs (52), hits (53), total bases (73), home runs (2), stolen bases (25), on-base percentage (.605) and slugging percentage (.658) and also went 5-0 with a 1.00 ERA in 21 innings all while playing stellar defense at short stop.

Most valuable player part II: Clear Creek Amana senior Ben Swails. Point blank, few players in the state had a better season than Swails. The senior infielder hit .481 with 22 extra-base hits, nine home runs and 57 RBI. Swails drew 19 walks, stole 17 bases and posted a 1.449 OPS.

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