There’s a lot of hype surrounding Joey Oakie and the Ankeny Centennial baseball team.
Oakie, an Iowa recruit, is one of the top high school pitchers in the country and a probable first- or second-round pick in the upcoming MLB amateur draft, which is slated for July 14-16. It’s possible, however, that Oakie could turn professional before the season ends.
“As a coach, you hope that as many athletes as possible will get the opportunity that Joey is going to have,” said Centennial coach Mark Hey. “Joey is not just a great player but also a tremendous human being and a teammate that everyone loves. I’m very excited for him and his future.”
As a junior, Oakie compiled a 7-3 record with a 1.13 ERA and a school-record 91 strikeouts while leading the Jaguars to a 30-8 mark and a share of the CIML Conference title. He possesses a 98 mph fastball, but is also a talented hitter–he batted .341 with one home run and 20 RBIs last season.
Oakie was named to the 2023 All-State Super Team and was selected captain of the Class 4A all-state team. He was unanimously tabbed to the all-conference first team for the second straight year and was also a repeat pick to the Class 4A North Central all-district first team.
Last fall, Oakie was named to the 20-man roster for the 2023 18U National Team that traveled to Taiwan to compete in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup.
“We are glad to have him for whatever time he is here, and I hope that the draft turns out exactly the way Joey wants it to,” Hey said.
If he sticks around, Oakie will try to lead Centennial to the state tournament for the first time in school history. Last year, the Jaguars got off to a 25-2 start before dropping six of their last 11 games, including a 5-1 loss to eventual Class 4A runner-up Ames in a substate final.
Four other starters are back from that team, but one of them–senior shortstop Lucas Bruhl–won’t be able to play. The NIACC baseball recruit injured his hamstring during the state wrestling tournament and will miss the season.
Bruhl’s brother, Isaac, is back for the Jaguars along with seniors Emerson Alberhasky and Sean Stewart. Like Oakie, Alberhasky and Stewart are both outstanding two-way players.
Alberhasky, who also plays third base, batted .340 with one homer, three triples and 27 RBIs. On the mound, he went 5-0 with a 2.37 ERA.
Alberhasky was named to a utility position on the all-district first team and the all-conference second team. He will play for Wartburg.
“He has good velocity with an upper 80s fastball and good offspeed,” Hey said of Alberhasky.
Isaac Bruhl, a junior infielder, batted .340 with three triples and 23 RBIs. He joined his brother on the all-conference third team.
“Isaac is an elite defensive infielder,” Hey said. “He’s a tremendous athlete who has also become a very efficient switch hitter.”
Stewart, an outfielder, batted .286 while posting a 2-1 record with a 2.95 ERA. An Iowa Central commit, he earned all-conference honorable mention.
Five other seniors have also committed to junior colleges. They are Pratim Amin (College of Lake County, Ill.), Preston Glatt (Garden City, Kan.), Leyton Kolln (Northeast, Neb.), Tripp Rawlings (Ellsworth) and Carter Smalley (Southwestern).
Rawlings and Smalley will both see a lot of action on the mound. Glatt is also a pitcher, but he’ll be used primarily at first base due to some arm issues.
Amin is a powerful hitter who will see playing time in the outfield and at the DH spot. Kolln is a catcher with good defensive skills and an explosive bat.
Seniors Brayden Adams and Cole Pieper are also battling for playing time along with juniors Kohen Bollwinkel and Eli Rice. Sophomores Colton Arndt, Johnathan Carrasco, Trae Houser, Will Morris and Eli Starr could also make an impact for the Jaguars.
“The practices are going really well,” said Hey, whose team is No. 1 in the Class 4A preseason rankings from the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association. “The weather has made us alter our plans for a few days, but we’ve had tremendous senior leadership and the practices have been pretty intense. The players really come to practice each day and put in full effort to improve.”
Centennial will open the season on Thursday by hosting Gilbert. The Jaguars will then play another non-conference game on Friday against Des Moines Roosevelt at Rippey.
“I think that we have some extremely talented athletes returning that we hope will gel together with the juniors and very talented sophomore class to form a competitive team that can play with anyone in the state on any night,” Hey said. “I think this team has excellent depth in both pitching and with the position players. Players will need to understand their roles and be ready to compete every night. We play in the extremely tough CIML, where every conference game you will face state tournament type pitching and hitting.
“Consistency each night will be the key to the team that finishes first in the CIML,” he added.
