The fortunes of the Ankeny Centennial baseball team will revolve heavily around one of the state’s best two-way players.
Senior third baseman and pitcher Will Morris is one of seven returning starters from last year’s squad that posted a 24-14 record. As a junior, he was one of 16 players from around the state named to the 2025 Super Team by the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association.
Morris led the team with a .417 average, 16 doubles, 29 runs and 34 RBIs while also hitting two home runs. He paced the Jaguars with a .504 on-base percentage and a .609 slugging percentage.
Morris was also one of the team’s top pitchers. He posted a 6-1 mark with a 3.52 ERA and a team-high 58 strikeouts.
Morris, who has committed to play for Iowa Central Community College, was a unanimous pick to the CIML Conference first team. He was also selected to the Class 4A North Central all-district team.
Morris has been named one of the team captains along with Eli Starr, Nolan Powell and Connor Williams.
“We’ve had some real strong leadership from our captains so far this season as well as the seniors in general,” said Centennial coach Mark Hey. “The offseason workouts went really well, and the players seem motivated to improve each week.”
The Jaguars boast four other returning all-conference players in addition to Morris. Pitcher Trae Houser was named to the third team, while infielders Will Nesler and Cade Newman both earned all-conference honorable mention along with Brekken Miller, who was selected to a utility position.
Houser, a senior, compiled a 3-3 record with a 1.65 ERA while also batting .261 with five RBIs. He will play for Northeast Iowa Community College.
Nesler, a junior second baseman, batted .297 with five doubles, a triple and 17 RBIs. He led the team with 24 walks and 12 steals.
Newman, a junior, batted .283 with three doubles and 12 RBIs. He will play first base.
Miller, a sophomore catcher/pitcher, batted .143 with four RBIs. He made six appearances on the mound, compiling a 1.66 ERA with a team-high four saves.
The other returning starters are senior pitchers Colton Arndt and Starr. They will likely fill two of the spots in the starting rotation.
Arndt went 3-2 with a 3.14 ERA. The St. Thomas (Minn.) recruit limited opposing hitters to a .206 average.
Starr went 1-4 with a 4.29 ERA while batting .235 with two doubles and five RBIs. He has committed to Lake Land Community College (Ill.).
“I think we have some pitching depth,” Hey said.
Seniors Alex Cory and Powell are among numerous players battling for starting spots. Powell started 14 times as a junior and batted .214 with two doubles and six RBIs, while Cory batted .158 with a double and five RBIs in 11 starts.
Other contenders are seniors Jacob Battershell, Tyler Majeski and Dylan Surat as well as junior Jack Loutsch. They have all made their college choices.
Battershell will play for Southwestern Community College, Majeski is headed to Iowa Lakes Community College, Surat has committed to Grand View, and Loutsch is a DMACC (Boone) recruit.
“Position-wise, there are some battles with some players who didn’t get a lot of playing time last year,” Hey said. “In no particular order, Connor Williams, Owen Gasperi, Lucas Buesch, Garrett Stevens, Brady Stewart and Owen Lorenz are some others that might see a lot more time this year.”
The Jaguars will open the season on Monday by hosting a non-conference doubleheader against Des Moines Roosevelt. The Roughriders are coming off a 19-21 campaign in their final year under coach Randy Wee, a former Ankeny player who exited after the season.
