Zach Daniels is off to a terrific start for the Kennedy High School baseball team this season.

Daniels tossed a six-hit shutout Monday night as the third-ranked Cougars blanked Prairie, 6-0, on Junior Cougars Night at Bill Herkelman Field.

Daniels began the season with a masterful one-hit shutout against Mitch Keller and the Xavier Saints in the Metro Tournament. He followed that with a 1-0 shutout of then-No.2 Iowa City West and now he's added the Prairie Hawks to his trophy case.

"It feels good, knowing that our team is there to back me up, because that's mostly what's happened," said Daniels. "I've been throwing strikes and they've been making plays behind me.

"I really haven't done anything special."

Kennedy played error-free ball Monday night. And Daniels, the starting second baseman when he's not pitching, did a good job of fielding his position on the mound, at one point snaring a hot line drive and turning it into a double play.

"When the defense makes plays behind him, it makes it a lot easier for him," said Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer. "He's throwing it over the plate and they're hitting it. We're throwing it and we're catching it."

Daniels has been throwing his fastball, curveball and changeup for nstrikes. He's not overpowering, but he has a sneaky fastball that catches batters off-guard.

"He's got a little bit of pop," said Hoyer.

Daniels is also hitting the ball at better than a .450 clip in the No.2 spot in the order. He got off to a dreadful start at the plate last year as a sophomore before catching fire.

"Yeah, I was 0 for 30. Something like that," he said. "My teammates got me through it. They know I can hit the ball."

Most coaches use courtesy runners for their pitchers, but Hoyer lets Daniels run for himself. He's been on base nearly half the time, but the extra work has not affected his pitching.

"I like base-running," said Daniels. "He's confident in me on the bases and that I can hold up."

Kennedy (7-1, 4-1) was not ranked in the preseason poll, but it popped into the rankings in the No.3 spot Monday in Class 4A.

"It just shows the state what we're made of and what we can do and teams should watch out for us," said Daniels.

Hoyer said it's too early to put much stock in the rankings.

"You don't get a good read on teams until you're about 20 games in," he said. "We'll see where we're at in games 20 through 30 and how we're playing."

Kennedy and Prairie (4-4, 3-1) meet again Tuesday night at Prairie in a sophomore/varsity doubleheader at 5 p.m.

Prairie    000 000 0 - 0 6 4

Kennedy    101 130 x - 6 8 0

W - Daniels. L - Mougin.