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High School  | General  | 6/5/2024

Iowa High School Notebook

Tyler Kotila     
May 28th: Kennedy v. Western Dubuque 


 

Grant Mather (2024, Cedar Rapids, Iowa) shined on both sides of the ball in my look. He may not have had his “best” stuff on the bump, but still found ways to get it done and limit the opposition’s chances, on top of clubbing another home run, adding to his already loud spring. The Southeastern commit has a bigger and physical 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame with a durable build. He toed the rubber from the right side with some pace and tempo to the operation. He had a longer arm slot through his three-quarters to lower three-quarters release. Mather worked 82-86 mph on the fastball throughout the outing. The pitch had a good angle and some arm-side run & sink to it, spinning up above 2,200 RPMs at its peak on the day. He paired it with a slider that worked 72-75 mph, showing a 10-4 shape to it, with good depth. He spun the breaker up above 2,400 RPMs a couple of times, by my count. He also showed a changeup in the 78-81 mph range with a spin down into the 1,400s with good arm-side depth and fade to it. He also handled the barrel well from the left side, as mentioned. He had some lift present in the swing with a ton of strength to impact it. He added 3 hits on the day, including a double and the home run, drawing a couple of walks as well. He’s direct with the hands, showing good turns and some ability to lift the ball well. Really solid showing at the plate from Mather – easy to see why he’s anchoring the middle of the order for Kennedy.
 

Nolan Grawe (2024, Cedar Rapids, Iowa) has been solid in my looks on the circuit with PG Iowa Select 2025 Scout. With Kennedy in this look, he added a trio of hits, including a home run. He had a sac fly, belting one deep backside, scoring a run, and had another quality swing working pull-side that hung up in the wind. All-in-all, he reached base in 6 of 8 trips to the plate. Grawe is a 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame with a ton of length throughout. Long levers that allow him to get extended and create some whip. He has an aggressive leg lift trigger, loading up and striding aggressively into contact. He had some loud swings and was able to lift. The South Dakota State commit was able to work on the barrel often and produce some good results at the dish for Kennedy. 

Owen Anderson (2024, Cedar Rapids, Iowa) put together a couple of quality swings in my look, finding some barrels and tattooing a line-drive home run that got out over the fence in right-center — in a hurry. Anderson’s got a compact and strong 5-foot-9, 180-pound frame with some strength in the barrel. He had some loud impacts, with thump off the barrel. He’s a right-handed bat with a higher set hand load and slightly open stance, with a pretty minimal leg lift trigger, getting the weight shifting forward into contact quickly. He stays in-sync and is able to get the barrel on the ball well, working gap-to-gap for best results. Added a couple of hits on the day, including the homer. He gets the hands inside the ball and stays through it pretty well. The Central College commit got it done for Kennedy, helping produce some offense. 
 

Ty Donels (2026, Cedar Rapids, Iowa) put together some really impressive swings working out of the leadoff spot for Kennedy. Donels, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame, has some athleticism and twitch. Clean mover in the batters’ box with a wide base, swinging it from the right side, with great bat speed. He impacted the ball well and finished the day with 3 doubles, 2 HBPs, and a walk, failing to reach base just twice on the day. He impacted well on the extra-base hits, finding ways to work on the barrel. He’s short to the ball with quick hands, and some whip through the zone to do damage and impact it pretty well. He’s got a fluid barrel with good accuracy to work through the zone on-plane with pitches. Plenty to like from Donels in this look.



Jacob Doyle (2025, Cedar Rapids, Iowa) put together some quality swings in my look. Doyle was the team’s DH in both games of the doubleheader, swinging it quite well from the left side. He has a taller 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame with strength and physicality throughout the frame. He keeps a wider base, with the weight favoring the backside, higher-set hands, and a pretty simple stroke. He uses a minimal leg lift to get the foot down and turn hard through contact. He’s quick to turn and get the barrel to the zone. Pieced together a handful of hits, working pull-side for the best results, also pumping a double working backside. He’s got a hands-driven swing with a feel to get on the barrel, working through the zone with good strength to impact. 
 

Brett Harris (2026, Peosta, Iowa) is one of the more highly-touted backstops and players in the ‘26 class in the Midwest. He’s the 5th-best player in Iowa for the 2026 class and is inside the Top 500 nationally. Harris has a 6-foot, 200-pound frame with good strength to impact the ball. He keeps a wider base, swinging it from the left side. He has good turns through the zone, with a fluid stroke, taking the hands to the baseball and being able to get extended. He can hammer pitches middle to outer third, with plenty of strength on the barrel. Put together some quality swings, even if the results did not always work in his favor in this look. The Ole Miss commit had a couple of hits and a loud-out working pull-side. Behind the dish, Harris has a ton of strength in the arm. Out of the crouch, he likes to work from the right-knee down setup with good bounce and forward move through the motion. The arm strength keeps throws in the air and around the tag zone. Harris is someone to keep an eye on moving forward.

Collin Coyle (2025, Farley, Iowa) showed some traits to like in the batters’ box for the Western Dubuque squad in my look. He had 4 hits in total and a loud lineout right at the shortstop. Coyle’s got an athletic 6-foot, 180-pound frame. He patrolled the outfield for WDHS and swung it from the right side. It’s a wider setup with a spread base, higher hands, and a quick path to contact. Quieter lower half with a simple toe-tap into contact. He creates a good whip through the zone and is able to get extended through contact and drive the ball to all fields. He’s shorter to it and longer through it. Coyle put together some really impressive swings in my look; the uncommitted prospect is a ‘25 to keep eyes on moving forward.  

Jake Goodman (2024, Dubuque, Iowa) is a taller 6-foot-3, 165-pound frame with a longer, lean, and athletic build. He’s a shortstop and leadoff hitter for WDHS and looked the part at the plate. The results may not have been in his favor, but he showed some good swings. He has a wider and spread base, with high-set hands and a coiled load. He uses a minimal leg lift, shifting the weight back and then driving through the zone with a loose stroke. Good feel for the barrel and showed the ability to get extended through contact well. The Kirkwood commit also toed the rubber for WDHS. He worked up to 81 mph on the fastball with arm-side life to it. Also showed a 10-4 shaped slider in the 67-72 mph range with some depth to it and feel to land. Had a mid-70s cutter on display as well. Controlled operation with an athletic move down the slope. 

May 31st: Prairie v. Cedar Falls
 

Fletcher Yates (2025, Cedar Falls, Iowa) was really impressive in his outing. He showed some serious arm talent on the mound with projectable traits. This all comes after a really loud spring during the PG Spring League. Yates is 6-foot-6, 215 pounds with a bigger, physical frame, with plenty to like about the build. Long levers throughout. He works from the wind-up with a side-step into the leg lift just above the belt. Deliberate operation. He threw from a higher three-quarters arm slot with a longer and loose arm slot — the ball comes out well. The fastball worked up to 89 mph a handful of times and held around the upper-80s throughout the outing. The fastball spun in the 2,200s and got up into the 2,300s at times. The pitch has arm-side life to it as well. He looked to elevate for whiffs and command well north/south. Also showed a breaking ball in the 73-76 mph range with a good 11-5 shape to it. The pitch was high-tilt and he had feel to land it for strikes. The breaker spun in the 2,500s consistently up above 2,600 RPMs plenty of times as well. Yates looked the part on the mound and is an uncommitted ‘25 prospect to keep eyes on moving forward. 
 

Collin Coonradt (2024, Cedar Falls, Iowa) has always impressed in my looks. He was a regular to produce at the top of the lineup on his PG Iowa Select 2025 squad and holds a similar role with the Cedar Falls Tigers. Coonradt has a 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame with a good feel for the barrel and really impressive traits in the batters’ box. Coonradt has a physical frame with plenty of strength for a real projectable build. He keeps a wider & spread base, with slightly open feet, higher-set hands, and some coil in the load. He lifts the leg and strides into it really well. It’s a shorter and direct path with a feel to work on the barrel. He can lift the ball with ease and showed that in my look adding a couple of doubles, nearly leaving the yard on a ball that would have been a HR if the centerfielder did not rob it. The Hawkeyes commit has been consistent in my looks on the circuit, and found more barrels in this look. 
 

Logan Wagemester (2024, Walford, Iowa) turned in a really impressive outing for Prairie HS. The Wartburg commit was impressive, pitching the entire game, getting into the seventh inning until departing the game. Wagemester has a 6-foot-1, 174-pound frame. He’s a quicker mover on the mound, working from the right side with a sidestep into his leg lift up at the belt with a slight coil to it. He worked from a higher three-quarters arm slot, more over-the-top at times. He pulls down hard and has a longer arm action through the back. Wagemester worked 80-84 mph and reached back for 85 mph on the fastball. He spun it up to 2,199 RPMs with carry to it and some angle from the higher slot. He flipped a breaking ball in the 68-71 mph that had 12-6 depth to it. The pitch had a downer bite to it and good snap, with spin above 2,400 RPMs. He was able to get some swings and misses below the zone. Flashed a mid-70s changeup, though it was mostly a fastball/breaking ball attack. He worked around the opposing lineup with weaker contact, being efficient throughout. Solid outing from the Wartburg commit. 
 

Jordan Woodhouse (2025, Cedar Rapids, Iowa) took the ball in Game 2 for Prairie and delivered a truly masterful performance. Woodhouse pitches from the right side with a longer 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame that has good length, athleticism, and plenty of room to keep filling out the frame and adding to it. He’s an uber-clean mover down the slope with a clean release. Woodhouse has a knee-to-belt leg lift with a higher three-quarters release. He ha a longer arm slot, coming through it well. His fastball worked 82-85 mph, and he grabbed one at 86 mph in the 7th inning to cap off a shutout. The heater has an angle in the lower half of the zone, and some burst out of the hand. He can spot up the heater really well, commanding the zone and attacking hitters. The heater spins up above 2,100 RPMs and he threw it for strikes 64% of the time in this outing with a 33% whiff rate. His breaking ball has taken some serious strides since last fall. The pitch works 71-75 mph with spin-up in the 1,900s. The pitch has really good shape and there’s a ton of feel to land it for strikes and snap it off as needed. He added and subtracted to it with more 12-6 snap or bigger 11-5 shape. The pitch carried a 25% whiff rate and he threw it for strikes 61% of the time in this outing. He also has a really impressive changeup to round things out, seldom showed it in this outing, but he did not need to. The pitch works 75-77 mph with spin down into the 1,200s, turning it over well with a good fade to it. The pitch had a couple of whiffs. Woodhouse threw 63% strikes on the outing in a dominant complete-game shut-out. Even more noteworthy, it took him only 86 pitches to get it done. He finished with 7.0 innings pitched, allowing just 2 hits, walking 1, hitting 1, and punching out 6 opposing hitters. After the third inning, he was perfect for four innings. Woodhouse is an uncommitted 2025 prospect that coaches should have on their radar.
 

Maddux Mueller (2026, Amana, Iowa) is another prospect who’s really taken strides on the circuit and it has really shown in his performance early in the Iowa HS season. Mueller has a taller and lean frame with length and athleticism to the build. He’s a clean mover in the batters’ box and has had some really quality at-bats this spring at the top of the Prairie lineup. Mueller swings it well from the left side, with an open stance and higher hands with coil to the load. He lifts the leg and works into it with an inward stride. It’s a low-tension swing with a really simple and fluid stroke working through the zone. Mueller has bat speed and really impressive bat-to-ball skills. He’s seeing it well this spring and worked on the barrel often in my look. Mueller also has tools to like on the dirt — he can play short or second with clean throws across through the chest at first that are accurate. Plenty to like with Mueller, who’s taken plenty of steps forward. 

Owen Marxen (2027, Cedar Rapids, Iowa) took some quality at-bats for Prairie in this look. Marxen, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame with some athleticism, is excelling in his freshman campaign. He swings it from the left side with an even and slightly spread base; the hands set higher and deeper in the stance. He lifts the leg and turns hard through contact. He rotates through it well with some feel for the barrel to get the barrel on it and connect. Put together some good swings, adding a trio of hits to his credit on the day. Shorter to it and longer through, being able to get on plane with pitches to do damage. 
 

Maddox Strassburg (2025, Cedar Falls, Iowa) put together some really impressive swings for Cedar Falls. Strassburg is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame. There’s some strength in the build with a physical lower half. He swings it from the left side, with a wider and spread base, with higher-set hands, and some whip through the zone. There’s good barrel accuracy and some strength to impact. He worked on the barrel often for Cedar Falls in this look, adding 3 hits. He kicked off the day with a double, working backside into the gap for a ground-rule double. He also ended game 1 with a win for Cedar Falls with an RBI walk-off single, lining one the other way shaded toward left center. Strassburg put together some quality swings altogether — some loud impacts with good results. He also looked the part at third base, showing good strength across with throws through the target that were accurate. He was a high-IQ player at the hot corner for Cedar Falls and is someone to keep eyes on as an uncommitted 2025 prospect.