stood at .594. “Alden has got a really good bat and he plays really good de- fense,” Gaul said. “He’s a smart baseball player. He’s got a great baseball IQ.” Short could also see some in- nings on the mound, as could Sturgill, Eldred, Micah Leyva, Josh Grouwinkel, and Matt Zoz. Sturgill (28 2 ⁄ 3 innings), Zoz (21 innings), and Leyva (18 1 ⁄ 3 in- nings) combined to strike out 63 batters a season ago. “I’m excited to see some of these kids step into bigger roles this year,” Gaul said. “Micah Leyva got some good innings last year and I expect him to fill a huge role this year. Josh Grou- winkel, I know he didn’t pitch last year, but he could definitely see some significant innings on the mound. He’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done.” Consistently throwing strikes will always be key, but the de- fensive players behind the mound will be equally important. Gaul likes the versatility he has on the infield and knows there is plenty of speed and talent in the outfield with the likes of McGuire and returning left fielder Brayden Howard. Finding consistency at the plate will be of the utmost impor- tance as well, and that’s some- thing the Tigers struggled with in 2024. Among the returning starters, only Short hit over .300
a season ago, but Gaul has been pleased with the early pro- gress his kids have shown at the plate. He sees guys such as El- dred as capable of taking a gi- gantic leap forward. “Ean is one of our best all- around hitters,” Gaul said of his junior who hit at a .238 clip with one home run and 15 RBIs a season ago. “I’m excited to see what he can do this summer. He’s been really great both at the plate and defensively.” Bell will be back behind the plate to provide a calming in- fluence for the pitchers. What does all of this mean when it comes to wins and losses, particularly inside the Raccoon River Conference? Again, Gaul doesn’t have a great handle on what to expect from Gilbert’s league opponents, but he knows nothing will be easy. That includes the teams the Tigers will face out of confer- ence as well. “I would rather play teams that are toward the top half of the teams throughout the state ver- sus some of the lower-tier teams because they give you a true test and they allow you to push your guys,” Gaul said. “If you want to be the best, you have to compete against the best.” The RRC housed the best, at least when it came to 3A, a sea- son ago. North Polk won the league by two games over
runner-up Bondurant-Farrar and then proceeded to roll through the postseason en route to the state championship. The Co- mets, Bluejays, and Boone all won at least 20 games in 2024. Boone could be a danger to last season’s champion this summer, as the Toreadors return a slew of talent, including first- team all-state catcher Noah Davies and third-team all-state outfielder Luke Moore. North Polk will be led by sec- ond-team all-state performer Drew Owen, while Bondurant- Farrar will rely on second-team all-state pitcher Will Pottebaum. The Comets will have to find a way to replace do everything tal- ent Reece Wrage, who was the 3A Player of the Year and a member of the all-state Super Team in 2024. Gaul isn’t expecting a confer- ence championship in his first year at the helm, although that would be nice. He knows it might take some time to build his program before it reaches that position, but if the Tigers can im- prove upon last season’s sev- enth-place finish, that would be a good start. “I want to see the guys make improvements throughout the season,” he said. “At the end of the day, I know it’s about wins and losses, but making improve- ments from the last couple of years would be huge.”
2024 RRC STANDINGS
Team
RRC Over
North Polk*** Bondurant-Farrar
13-3 11-5
29-6 23-9
ADM Boone
9-7 8-7 8-7 8-8 7-9
16-15 20-15 16-14 15-15 12-22 9-21 8-19
Winterset
Ballard Carlisle Gilbert Carroll
5-10 1-14
***State Champion
2025 RETURNING LEADERS
Batting Average
Name, School
Ave. .457
Alden Short, Gilbert Noah Davies, Boone
.423 Bowen Tadlock, Winterset .405
Hits
Name, School
Hits
Drew Owen, North Polk Lucas Moore, Boone Noah Davies, Boone
44 42 41
Home Runs
Name, School
HR
Noah Davies, Boone Dylan England, Boone Kamden Jorgensen, Carlisle
7 5 4 4
Lucas Moore, Boone
RBI
Name, School
RBI
Dylan England, Boone Parker Ernst, Bond-Farrar Lucas Moore, Boone
30 29 27
Pitching Wins
Name, School Wins Will Pottebaum, Bond-Farrar 8 Hayden Mohwinkle, Carlisle 6 Reed Smith, Winterset 6 Cole Miller, Bond-Farrar 6 Ks Hayden Mohwinkle, Carlisle 66 Drew Owen, North Polk 65 Stone Sibenaller, Carroll 53 Pitching Strikeouts Name, School
24 GAME ON | SUMMER 2025
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator