Jefferson Baseball

Xavier is host site for Metro tourney

Xavier is one of two host sites for the 48th annual Bob Vrbicek Metro Tournament, which kicks off the high school baseball season for the  Saints, the other six schools in the Cedar Rapids Metro and Mount Vernon.

Xavier Coach Bob Cataldo's team, which finished last season at  12-23-1, will host Marion at 7 p.m. on Monday, following the 5 p.m.  contest between Jefferson and Washington at Ken Charipar Field.

Prairie is the other host site. Coach Todd Rima's Hawks, the defending Class 4A state champions, face a tough opener against traditional power Kennedy at 7 p.m. following a 4:30 p.m. contest between Mount Vernon and Linn-Mar.

Semifinal and consolation round games are set for Tuesday. The championship and third-place games will be Wednesday at Veterans Memorial Stadium with the fifth and seventh-place games to be played at Xavier.

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Meyers has some good stories to tell

Forty years from now, Sam Meyers will be able to tell his grand-kids about the night he battled the great Spencer VanScoyoc and was able to leave the ballpark with a smile.

Meyers nearly hit a home run against the Cedar Rapids Jefferson star Monday night for the Xavier Saints in the second game of their doubleheader, settling for a long double off the left-field fence at the Jefferson field that missed being a home run by only a few feet.

Later in the game, Meyers struck out VanScoyoc with a high fastball for a rare whiff of one of the top high school players in the country.

VanScoyoc later got revenge against Meyers with a two-run homer that may or may not have landed by now, but Meyers might conveniently forget to tell his grand-kids about that part of the evening.

"Yeah," he said, smiling. "We'll keep that a secret."

Meyers and the Xavier Saints did not get any victories against VanScoyoc and the sixth-ranked J-Hawks, but they continued to show improvement in their 5-2 and 9-5 setbacks in a Mississippi Valley Conference twinbill.

VanScoyoc, a star pitcher and hitter, was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 19th round of the Major League draft last week and has a scholarship to Arizona State in his back pocket if he decides to attend college instead of turning pro.

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Roeder will play ball at Southeastern

Tyler Roeder of Cedar Rapids Jefferson plans to continue his baseball career at Southeastern Community College in West Burlington.

Roeder, a second baseman, hit .381 with one home run and 24 RBIs this past season as a junior.

Jefferson finished with a 29-8 record and won its first division title in the Mississippi Valley Conference in 10 years.

Caleb Stekl commits to Springfield

Cedar Rapids Jefferson senior Calel Stekl plans to continue his baseball career at the University of Illinois-Springfield.

Stekl helped Jefferson finish with a 29-8 record this season and win its first Mississippi Valley Conference title in 10 years. He hit only .181 for the J-Hawks, but is an excellent defensive catcher and a rock behind the plate.

Stekl drew a team-high 18 walks and had an on-base percentage of .312, making him a productive member of the batting order. He hit one home run and drove in 27 RBIs.