Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The baseball season came to an end last week with four teams celebrating state titles on championship Friday.

Among the four teams to hoist championship trophies last week was City High which claimed the first state title in program history with a 4-1 win over Bettendorf in the Class 4A state title game.

The title for the Little Hawks put an exclamation point on what was another impressive season for Your Prep Sports area teams.

Liberty High set a single-season record for wins, claimed its first Mississippi Valley Conference title and advanced to the 4A state title for the third time in four seasons, Clear Creek Amana fell to eventual 3A champion Pella in a substate title game and Regina went 22-6 to post its highest win total in seven seasons.

Before closing the book on the 2025 baseball season Your Prep Sports takes a moment to look back at some of the best performances, players, moments and games and also hands out some postseason awards following another memorable season.

Best individual pitching performance: Will Litton against Wilton. Among the best pitching performance across the entire state this season, Litton nearly gave his teammates the night off in a seven-inning no-hitter of a Wilton team that won 17 games. The sophomore right-hander struck out 15 and needed just 94 pitches to complete the no-hitter, allowing three base runners on two walks and a hit batter in a 1-0 Regina win.

Best individual pitching performance part 2: Brady Zimmerman against Cedar Rapids Prairie. Zimmerman was a model of efficiency this season but was at his all-time best in a one-hit shutout of 4A semifinalist Cedar Rapids Prairie. The senior lefty walked two and struck out five in a 100-pitch complete game that resulted in a 5-0 win over the Hawks in Cedar Rapids.

Best individual offensive performance: Garrett Sotzen against West Liberty. In a season filled with impressive performances the West Branch sophomore catcher/pitcher was at his best in a 9-4 loss to West Liberty. Sotzen went 3-for-3 with a pair of solo home runs and scored three runs.

Best individual offensive performance part 2: Carson Kidwell against Grinnell. The breakout game in a breakthrough season for the Solon junior catcher was a 4-for-4 effort that ignited the Solon offense in a 11-7 road win at Grinnell. Kidwell doubled, walked, scored a run and drove in four in the win.

Best individual all-around performance: Mason Waterbury against Cedar Falls. Already widely considered among the top pitchers in the state Waterbury emerged as a true two-way standout this season and was never better on the mound and in the batters box than he was in a 7-0 win over the Tigers. The senior left-hander struck out 11 in a complete game one-hit shutout and also went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and three RBI at the plate.

Best clutch performance: Robert Meade against Cedar Rapids Xavier. When you’ve got a nickname like ‘Big Game Bob’ you have to come up clutch in the big moments. That’s exactly what Meade did on the road at Cedar Rapids Xavier in a Class 3A substate semifinal. The senior right-hander allowed seven hits and struck out seven in a complete game shutout as the Clippers advanced to the substate title game with a 3-0 win.

Best game: City High against Indianola. The substate final between top-10 ranked teams at Banks Field had all the ingredients for an instant classic. Jaxton Schroeder spun a three-hit shutout with nine strikeouts and Talon Young had a two-out RBI single for the game’s only run in a 1-0 win that sent the Little Hawks back to state for the third consecutive season.

Best comeback: Regina against Mid-Prairie. The Regals fell into a 9-0 hole in the top of the first inning and trailed 10-2 after two but scored nine unanswered runs, including four in the bottom of the sixth, to rally for an 11-10 win. The Regals used four pitchers in the win, getting 4 1/3 innings from eighth-grader Bennett Recker, to complete the sweep of a doubleheader.

Biggest hit: Drew Nye against Waukee. Nye had a key hit in all three City High wins at the 4A state tournament but none were bigger than the two-run home run by Nye in the second inning of a 5-3 quarterfinal win over Waukee. The senior outfielder cut an early 3-0 Waukee lead to one with his first homer of the season, a towering shot over the left field fence.

Most reliable player: West High senior Declan Bunn. Few players in the state have been as reliable as Bunn who was a stalwart in the lineup and behind the plate the past two seasons. Bunn started 82 consecutive games the past two seasons, including 69 at catcher, and started all 39 games this season with 31 behind the plate. Not only did Bunn consistently show up in the lineup, he produced and at a high level leading West High in batting average (.373), runs (39), doubles (8), walks (25), stolen bases (21), on-base percentage (.523), slugging percentage (.441) and OPS (.963) while hitting safely in 29 of 39 games this season.

Bounce back player of the year: City High senior Dom Salibi. A .422 hitter as a sophomore in 2023, Salibi saw his production dip due to a mid-season injury a year ago. This season Salibi returned more to his regular form as he batted .311 with 12 extra-base hits, four home runs and a team-high 33 RBI.

Most fun player to watch: Liberty High senior Dallas Miller. Attitude. Effort. Excitement. Production. Whatever you like to see in a player Miller had it all this season and nearly all of it came with a smile on his face. The senior outfield was an exciting play waiting to happen with three triples, an in-side-the-park homer and a team-high 22 stolen bases while producing at an impressive level that included a team-high .357 batting average, 32 runs scored and 26 RBI.

Under the radar standout: West High junior Eli Nolte. The junior third baseman quietly put together an impressive debut season batting .323 with five extra-base hits and 24 runs scored. Nolte ranked second on the team in hits (42), RBI (26) and stolen bases (17) in his first season of extended action.

Most improved player: Regina sophomore Jack Gavin. With the strides Gavin took this season in the field and at the plate he could easily fall into a number of categories on this list. A .232 hitter with three extra-base hits and 11 RBI a year ago Gavin quickly emerged as one of the top hitters in 2A this season batting .423 with a home run, 29 RBI and an OPS of 1.085.

Breakthrough player of the year: Clear Creek Amana senior Reece Cochran. After a strong junior season in which he hit .299 with 31 RBI and went 3-3 with a 3.08 ERA in 38 2/3 innings Cochran simply pushed his game, at the plate and on the mound, to a different level this summer. Cochran went 5-3 with a 2.93 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings as the ace of the Clipper pitching staff but was even better offensively batting .434 with 14 extra-base hits including three home runs, 33 RBI and 32 runs scored.

Most consistent player: West High senior Kyle Cherry. No one in the area was a bigger workhorse over the past three seasons than Cherry who led the Trojans in innings pitched for the third consecutive seasons. The senior left-hander capped an impressive four-year career by going 5-3 with a 3.33 ERA and 48 strikeouts in a team-leading 42 innings this season. Over the past four seasons Cherry racked up 15 wins and 153 strikeouts while making 32 starts and tossing 166 1/3 innings.

Breakout star: Liberty High senior Brayden Mayer. Mayer followed up a solid junior season in which he batted .254 with 19 RBI with a true breakthrough as he emerged as one of the most productive players in Class 4A. Mayer batted .330 with a 4A-leading 40 walks and 28 runs scored and led Liberty High in extra-base hits (19), doubles (12), triples (4), home runs (3), RBI (39), on-base percentage (.516), slugging percentage (.589) and OPS (1.105).

Unsung hero: Clear Creek Amana senior Luke Higdon. On a Clipper roster loaded with talent it is easy to overlook what Higdon did in his final prep season but make no mistake the two-way play of Higdon played a huge role in the Clippers’ success. After hitting .295 in a reserve role and posting a 5.78 ERA in 26 2/3 innings last season Higdon stepped up as a senior hitting .341 with 24 runs scored and 20 RBI and went 4-0 with a 2.89 ERA in 26 2/3 innings pitched.

Emerging star: Regina sophomore Will Litton. A two-way standout, Litton emerged as one of the top up-and-coming small school players in the state with a monster sophomore season in which he batted .407 with 10 extra-base hits and 18 RBI and also going 5-1 with a 1.37 ERA and 1.20 WHIP while striking out 54 in 41 innings pitched.

Emerging star part 2: West Branch sophomore Garrett Sotzen. Sotzen flashed impressive two-way potential this summer during a breakthrough season in which he starred in the batters box, behind the plate and on the mound. Sotzen hit .362 with seven extra-base hits, two home runs, 16 runs and 13 RBI and also went 2-3 with a 4.89 ERA and 1.65 WHIP striking out 37 in a team-high 44 1/3 innings pitched.

Ironman award: City High senior Talon Young. One of the top pitchers in Class 4A the past two seasons Young logged 160 innings over the past three years. An arm injury limited Young to 6 1/3 innings this season but it wouldn’t keep the senior out of the lineup. Despite a ligament injury that requires post-season surgery Young made 26 starts at catcher and hit .307 with 16 RBI helping City High claim the first state title in program history.

Coach of the year: Brian Mitchell. An already decorated career for Mitchell got the missing piece this season as City High won the first state title in program history. The state title was the perfect cap to another impressive season for the Mitchell-led Little Hawks as City High won 30 games for the fourth consecutive season while making a third consecutive state tournament trip and fourth in the past five seasons.

Coach of the year part 2: Uby Martinez. In his third season leading the program Martinez led Liberty High to its most successful season in school history. The Lightning set a single season record with 32 wins, claimed the first Mississippi Valley Conference divisional title in program history and advanced to the 4A state tournament for the third time in the past four seasons.

Rookie of the year: Solon freshman Tate Miller. Miller sparkled in an incredible debut season in which the freshman right-hander led Solon pitchers in every major statistical category. In his first varsity action Miller went 7-0 with a .77 ERA and .74 WHIP while striking out 34 and holding opponents to a .120 batting average in a team-high 45 2/3 innings.

Newcomer of the year: City High junior Adam Bowman. What a debut season for Bowman who quickly emerged as one of the most effective pitchers in Class 4A. The junior right-hander went 7-1 with a save in 17 appearances this season posting a .99 ERA and .99 WHIP while holding opponents to a 2.05 batting average while striking out 51 in 49 1/3 innings pitched.

Newcomer of the year part 2: Liberty High sophomore Pryor Reiners. Reiners burst onto the scene this season hitting .351 with seven doubles, 22 runs scored, 26 RBI and a .842 OPS in his first season of varsity action.

Silver slugger: Clear Creek Amana senior Ty Fuller. One of the top pure hitters in the state Fuller put the finishing touches on a stellar career with his best season yet. The senior shortstop ranked sixth in Class 3A with a career-best .460 batting average while hammering 15 extra-base hits. A career .408 hitter, Fuller led Clear Creek Amana in hits (52), runs (51), on-base-percentage (.566) and OPS (1.186).

Cy Young: City High senior Jaxton Schroeder. Among the most dominant pitchers in the state Schroeder was impressive all season posting a 5-3 record and 1.87 ERA with 74 strikeouts in a career-high 60 innings. However, the 6-foot-5 left-hander was at his best in the biggest moments. Schroeder tossed a three-hit shutout in a 1-0 substate final win over Indianola and allowed just one run on four hits in a 4-1 win over Bettendorf in the Class 4A state title game.

Gold glover: City High senior Owen Hicks. The slick-fielding City High shortstop garners this honor for the second consecutive season after helping the Little Hawks to one of the best seasons in program history capped by the first state title. City High is built on pitching and defense and Hicks did both showing range and a strong arm at short as well as posting a 1.29 ERA in 16 1/3 innings on the mound.

Relief pitcher of the year: Regina senior Tate Lynch. Lynch found a role as the stopper in the Regina bullpen and flourished in relief posting a 1-1 record and three saves with a .84 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings all in relief.

Most valuable player: City High senior Drake Obermueller. The list for this spot is long with so many area players putting together impressive seasons, including several of Obermueller’s City High teammates. However, the season that Obermueller put together was a huge reason the Little Hawks won their first ever state title. Obermueller led City High in runs (38), hits (53), extra-base hits (21), doubles (16), triples (4), on-base percentage (.484), slugging percentage (.597) and OPS (1.081). From his leadoff spot Obermueller also had a homer, drove in 24 runs, walked 14 times and stole 14 bases. On the mound the right-hander was 7-0 with a 1.84 ERA, .79 WHIP and .135 batting average against while striking out 43 in 38 innings.

Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by donating