Kennedy High School - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

5 Metro players picked for all-star games

Five baseball players from Metro high schools have been selected to play in the 2015 IHSBCA All-Star Series that will be held Aug. 6-9 in Clinton.

Zach Daniels of Kennedy, Sammy Lizarraga of Kennedy, Lucas Larson of Jefferson, David Kuhn of Marion and Trey Beckman of Prairie will play for the Large Schools East Squad in the series, which is sponsored by the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association.

The team will play games against Large Schools West, Small Schools East and Small Schools West.

Marion High School Coach Steve Fish will serve as the head coach for Large Schools East.

The games will be played at Ashford University Field, the home of the Clinton LumberKings in the Midwest League.

Kennedy legend Bill Herkelman dies

Bill "Herk" Herkelman, the beloved Kennedy High School teacher and baseball coach, died Friday morning at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics after suffering a stroke on Thursday.

Herkelman was an iconic figure with the Kennedy baseball program for 36 years as a head coach and assistant coach and is a member of the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

The Kennedy High School field was named in his honor last year.

"He is the godfather of Kennedy baseball. That's probably all that needs to be said," Kennedy head coach Bret Hoyer said somberly Friday. "We'll try to carry on his legacy every year."

Herkelman compiled a 318-224 record as Kennedy's head coach from 1977 through 1992 with five Metro titles, two Mississippi Valley Conference titles and two trips to the state tournament.

He served as an assistant baseball coach at Kennedy from 1968 through 1976 before becoming the head coach. He returned to the coaching staff as one of Hoyer's assistants in 2005 and was in the dugout Wednesday night when the Cougars defeated Cedar Falls to make the Class 4A state tournament.

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Cougars rock Tigers in substate final

Believe it or not, there was actually a little suspense in Wednesday night's Class 4A substate final between Kennedy and Cedar Falls.

It lasted about all of 15 minutes.

The Cougars survived a first-inning case of the jitters to keep the visiting Tigers off the scoreboard.

From that point on, it was all Kennedy. The Cougars scored four runs in each of the first two innings, then added 10 in the third en route to an 18-1, four-inning win over a pitching-strapped Cedar Falls squad at Herkelman Field, earning a second straight trip to state.

Coach Bret Hoyer's team (29-11) got the No. 2 seed and will meet No. 7 seed Davenport North (19-14) in a state quarterfinal game at 5 p.m. next Wednesday at Principal Park in Des Moines. This will be the Cougars' 13th trip to state in Hoyer's 23 years as Kennedy head coach. They won a state title in 2010.

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IHSAA needs to fix 4A substates

When I'm the new king of the Iowa High School Athletic Association, the first thing we're going to do is fix the Class 4A substate baseball tournaments.

It's long overdue.

This business of awarding second-round byes has to end. And this business of spreading the substate tournaments over six days has to end as well to prevent teams from riding a stud pitcher all the way to the state tournament.

As it stands now, a No. 1 seed can win an opening-round game on Friday with its star pitcher, draw a second-round bye on Monday and come back with its star pitcher in the substate finals on Wednesday with plenty of rest.

Baseball is a team game and should showcase an entire pitching staff, not just one guy.

We also have to change the system so we don't put Cedar Rapids Prairie and Iowa City West, two of the best teams in our area, in the same substate. Both of those teams deserve a clean shot at making the state tournament, but that won't happen this year because they're likely to meet in the substate finals Wednesday night and one of them will be eliminated.

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Kennedy rolls on 2-hitter in substate

The Kennedy Cougars rolled by Waterloo East, 8-0, on a combined two-hitter in the opening round of the Class 4A substate baseball tournament at Kennedy Friday night.

Sammy Lizarraga blew the Trojans away during his four innings on the mound for Kennedy. The big right-hander struck out eight batters, walked one and did not allow any hits.

Blake Hargens struck out three batters during his one inning for the Cougars, then Zach Daniels fanned two more during his two innings. Hargens allowed one hit and Daniels also allowed one hit.

The three Kennedy pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts.

Kennedy, the No. 1 seed in the substate tournament, raised its record to 28-11. The Cougars earned a bye in the second round and will face Linn-Mar or Cedar Falls in the substate finals next Wednesday night at Kennedy. Cedar Falls visits Linn-Mar Monday night in the semifinals.

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Hansen tops all-Metro softball team

Cedar Rapids Jefferson catcher Maddie Hansen has been named the Athlete of the Year on the All-Metro Softball Team, as selected by Metro coaches.

Hansen, a senior, is hitting .504 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs to rank among the state leaders in all three departments. She plans to play next season at Kirkwood Community College.

Hansen has helped the third-ranked J-Hawks reach the Class 5A state tournament with a 35-7 record. Jefferson will face Linn-Mar in the opening round at 3:30 p.m. Monday in Fort Dodge.

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No. 6 Cougars split with Pleasant Valley

BETTENDORF - The sixth-ranked Kennedy Cougars finished the regular season with a 27-11 record Tuesday after splitting a doubleheader at Pleasant Valley.

Pleasant Valley won the first game, 6-4. Kennedy rebounded in the nightcap, 11-1.

Mitchell Gaffey drove in two runs for Kennedy in the 6-4 setback. Jacob Henry and Bryce Church had two RBIs.

Jackson Behn and Kyle Brewer collected two RBIs for the Cougars in the 11-1 victory. Gaffey and Sammy Lizarraga had two hits. Behn allowed only one run in four innings for the victory.

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Hargens stars as Cougars split with Rams

Blake Hargens tossed a two-hitter Monday night as the sixth-ranked Kennedy Cougars defeated Dubuque Senior, 8-1, in the first game of a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader at Kennedy.

Dubuque Senior won the nightcap, 8-6.

Hargens struck out five batters, walked three and allowed one unearned run.

Kyle Brewer went 3-for-3 with two RBIs for Kennedy in the opener. Hargens was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Matt Berst also went 2-for-3. Zach Daniels and Tyler Dralle had two RBIs. Daniels socked a home run.

Daniels went 3-for-4 in the nightcap. Mitchell Gaffey, Sammy Lizarraga and Dralle had two hits. Dralle drove in three runs.

The split left Kennedy at 26-10 overall and 17-9 in the conference. Dubuque Senior is 19-18 overall and 11-15 in the league.

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Lizarraga stars as Cougars sweep Saints

Sammy Lizarraga tossed a five-hit shutout Saturday afternoon as the eighth-ranked Kennedy Cougars topped Xavier, 4-0, in the first game of a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader at Herkelman Field.

Kennedy won the second game, 10-3.

Lizarraga struck out seven batters and walked two in the shutout. He threw 104 pitches, including 75 for strikes.

Zach Daniels went 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs for Kennedy. Bryce Church was 2-for-3 with two doubles.

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