Kirkwood Baseball

Usher picks Louisville; Jackson to Illinois

Two more baseball players from Kirkwood Community College will be headed to NCAA Division I schools after they play for the Eagles in 2019.

Levi Usher, a Cedar Rapids Prairie grad who is currently a freshman at Kirkwood, has accepted an offer from the University of Louisville.

Taylor Jackson, who helped Kirkwood reach the NJCAA Division II World Series last season, plans to continue his college baseball career at the University of Illinois.

Usher, an outfielder, hit .468 with seven home runs, 34 RBIs and 37 stolen bases at Prairie as a junior in 2017. He hit .381 with two homers and 37 RBIs as a senior after recovering from a broken leg.

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Ketelsen will pitch for Hawkeyes

Adam Ketelsen has changed his mind about pitching for Central Michigan University next season.

The former Kirkwood star will be playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes instead.

"After getting a release from Central Michigan University, I couldn't be more excited to announce that I've decided to further my academic and baseball career at the University of Iowa," Ketelsen announced on his Twitter account Wednesday.

"Thank-you to all my friends, family and coaches that made this possible," he wrote. "Go Hawks!"

Ketelsen, a left-hander from Mount Vernon, compiled an 8-2 record and 2.92 ERA at Kirkwood this season, with 88 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings. He helped the Eagles reach the Junior College World Series for the first time since 1999.

Hunter Lee, another top pitcher for Kirkwood this year, also has joined the Hawkeyes.

Rima stepping aside as Prairie coach

Todd Rima confirmed Monday that he'll be stepping aside as the head baseball coach at Cedar Rapids Prairie after this season.

Rima is also the head baseball coach at Kirkwood Community College. Between the two jobs, he's been coaching more than 100 games per year  along with countless practices and college recruiting.

"Looking forward to time with my family!," he told the Metro Sports Report Monday afternoon.

Rima and his wife, Molly, have three children. Jalen Rima plays football at the University of Northern Iowa and they have two young daughters, Bailey and Payton.

Rima has compiled a 129-34 record in four years at Prairie for a winning mark of 79.1 percent. He led the Hawks to the Class 4A state title in 2016 during his second year at Prairie.

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Red Top's Kerr keeps 'working his way in'

All Kirby Kerr has ever needed on the baseball diamond is an opportunity.

And each time he gets a chance, positive results tend to follow.

After a successful freshman season at Kirkwood Community College, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound outfielder/pitcher was looking to join a team for the summer.

Former Kirkwood teammate Cal Clark, who will play next season at Houston Baptist, put him in touch with Red Top Manager Adam Sadler and he was quickly added to the Iowa Valley League team's roster

"Cal Clark gave me an in," Kerr said. "I just kept bugging him about it. He texted (Sadler) and he was more than willing to put me on the team."

Kerr has become the regular left fielder for the Toppers and also has picked up a save as a pitcher. He is appreciative of the chance to play for Red Top, both on Sundays and in the Wednesday Night League.

"On Wednesdays, it's just one game and it doesn't count toward the league record," Kerr said. "It's the same type of baseball, same guys usually. We see some different pitchers, but that's about it.

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