A year ago, the Ankeny baseball team came up one victory shy of qualifying for the Class 4A state tournament.
Coach Joe Balvanz and the Hawks are hoping to clear that hurdle this season.
“The practices have been going great,” said Balvanz. “The players are working hard every day to improve their skill set and baseball IQ. This group has been dedicated in the offseason to build off last year’s effort that fell one game short of the state tournament.”
Ankeny returns several starters from a team that posted a 21-20 record and advanced to a substate final before falling to Dowling Catholic, 8-0, at Simpson College. The Hawks will open the season on Wednesday with a non-conference doubleheader at Pleasant Valley.
Junior shortstop Kinnick Vos is the team’s top returning player. He batted .351 with one home run and 24 RBIs as a sophomore, when he led the squad with 20 walks and was named to the CIML Conference third team as an infielder.
Among the other returnees are senior Jack Clevidence and juniors Zach Halverson and Evan Irlmeier. They each received all-conference honorable mention in 2023.
Clevidence, a third baseman and outfielder, batted .304 with 14 RBIs. He has committed to Evansville as a two-way player, but was limited to just three pitching appearances a year ago due to an injury–finishing 2-1 with a 6.12 ERA.
Irlmeier, an outfielder, batted .295 with three doubles and 20 RBIs. Halverson, a pitcher, went 1-3 with a 3.88 ERA while recording 26 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings.
Senior Nick Meyer and sophomore Will Davies will combine with Clevidence and Halverson to form the nucleus of the pitching staff. Meyer, a Simpson recruit, went 2-3 with a 6.06 ERA and two saves last season.
Davies, who will also see some action in the field, led the Hawks with 14 appearances and three saves as a freshman. He compiled a 2-3 mark with a 3.89 ERA.
“On the mound we are going to be deeper than last year, but replacing (Brock) Adamson and (Alex) Greiss is no easy task,” Balvanz said. “We have a very competitive group of arms that will need to sprint to two strikes, not be afraid to pitch to contact–especially at home–to keep their pitch counts down and go deep into games. As a staff, we feel really good with our arms at the lower levels. As the season progresses we may see a few of them at the varsity level.”
Seniors Henry Ha, Blake Morgan and Carson Riggs are also back along with junior Karsten Bernholtz. Bernholtz batted .272 with one homer, four doubles and 16 RBIs.
Ha has committed to play for Simpson.
“Ha has been a guy who’s been stuck behind (catcher Max) Watson,” Balvanz said. “He and Bernholtz will rotate behind the dish and at first base.”
Morgan, who batted .370 in 27 at-bats as a junior, will play for Southwest Virginia College. Riggs is headed to Iowa Lakes.
“We also have Jacob Mohrfeld back from a knee injury that caused him to miss his entire junior season,” Balvanz said. “I think this group has the potential to grow as the season progresses with the schedule they are set to play. The CIML prepares you for the postseason. I think this team has the arms and athleticism to win a substate.
“This team will need to be able to situationally hit, focus on their on-base percentage and walk-to-K rate at the plate,” he added.
