Ames baseball team had a season to remember in 2023

The Ames baseball team turned in a season for the ages in 2023.

The Little Cyclones were under everyone's radar entering the season after going 18-20 a year ago. They started off 2023 slow, but then caught fire midway through the season and never looked back until reaching the Class 4A state championship game.

"I am extremely proud of how the boys finished the season," Ames coach Nick Steenhagen said. "It was unforgettable, and I find myself just saying wow...we got second. I never would have thought we would have finished that high."

Ames finished the season at 31-14 and the Little Cyclones won the Iowa Alliance Conference North Division with a 22-3 conference record. The 31 wins are the most victories in a season in program history, topping the 30 wins the 1973 team had when it also placed second at the state tournament.

An explosive lineup played a huge role in the Little Cyclones' rise.

The veteran lineup scored 405 runs and hit .328 as a team with 107 doubles, 20 triples, 17 RBIs, 245 walks and 124 steals. Ames led 4A in runs, RBIs (339), hits (404), doubles, total bases (602), walks, on-base percentage (.467) and slugging percentage (.488) and ranked second in triples and times hit by a pitch (81), fourth in batting average, fifth in steals and sixth in homers.

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Senior shortstop Austin Gabrielson led the offensive surge with a .404 batting average, 23 doubles, two triples, two homers, 50 runs, 49 RBIs and 13 steals. He led 4A in doubles, RBIs, hits (67) and total bases (100) and ranked third in runs.

Junior Carter Geffre tied for the second-most walks in 4A with 35 and ranked second in OBP (.574). Geffre hit .377 with 12 doubles, one triple, three homers, 33 runs and 34 RBIs.

Senior outfielder Josh Motl posted a .394 average with 13 steals, 11 doubles, five triples, one homer, 42 runs and 46 RBIs. Motl's RBI total tied for the third-most in 4A.

Second baseman Braydon Beelner posted a .348 average with 12 steals, 10 doubles, three triples and two home runs during his senior campaign. Beelner scored 40 runs and drove in 42.

Sophomore outfielder Logan Bjerke tallied a .330 average from the No. 9 spot in the batting order. Bjerke finished with 12 doubles, one triple, 37 runs and 27 RBIs.

Graffton Linder hit .304 with five doubles, two triples, 38 runs and 29 RBIs during his junior year. Senior catcher Aidan Nigh tied for the fourth-most times hit by a pitch in 4A at 18 and he posted a .285 average with 14 doubles, two triples, six homers, 18 runs and 32 RBIs.

Senior utility player Bobby Uthe hit .245 with seven doubles, three homers and 28 runs and RBIs apiece. Sophomore third baseman Charles Tucker ranked fourth in 4A for walks with 34 and he hit .243 with six doubles, two triples, 27 runs and 18 RBIs.

Easton Mittelstaedt hit .303 with 10 runs and five RBIs in a reserve role during his senior year. Senior Judd Simpson gave Ames one of the best pinch runners in the entire state after scoring 43 runs and leading the team in steals with 25.

"We led (the state) in most offensive categories all season," Steenhagen said. "We hit twice a week since October and that work showed. Our biggest strength was our daily work habits. We made a conscious effort this year to have the same preparation and process day in and day out. We had the same routine every day."

Ames complemented its potent lineup with solid defense and pitching. The Little Cyclones allowed 238 runs on the season, enabling them to tie for the fourth-best run differential in 4A at +166.

The Little Cyclones had a team fielding percentage of 94.2%, which was a slight improvement from last year's 93.7% effort. The Ames pitching staff posted a 4.51 ERA, a nice drop from its 5.21 showing in 2022, and the Little Cyclones racked up 313 strikeouts against 174 walks in 291 2/3 innings.

Geffre emerged as one of the best pitchers in the entire state. He went a perfect 7-0 and tied for the 12th-best ERA in 4A at 1.18 in 53 1/3 innings.

Geffre recorded the sixth-most strikeouts in 4A at 77 and he only issued 10 walks all season.

Mittelstaedt stepped up to throw 54 1/3 inning for Ames this season. He went 6-1 with a 3.22 ERA, 52 strikeouts and 16 walks.

Beelner logged the third-most innings on the team at 51 1/3. He went 3-1 with a 2.86 ERA and 47 strikeouts against just eight walks.

Uthe went 4-1 with a 5.62 ERA in 28 2/3 innings. Senior Cadin Preston threw 22 2/3 innings and finished 2-3, Tucker was 3-0 in 20 innings of work, junior Bode Hatfield threw 19 innings and finished 3-1, Linder posted a 3.17 ERA in 17 2/3 innings and junior Josh Grey picked up one win in 15 innings.

Little Cyclones click at the perfect time

Ames put it all together when it mattered most.

The Little Cyclones started off just 2-8, but one of those victories was over eventual state champions Johnston. Then they won six in a row and later put together a 12-game winning streak that included a 14-0, 18-10 sweep of Mason City to clinch the conference title.

After splitting a doubleheader with Fort Dodge on June 12 the only two losses Ames had the rest of the season until the 4A title game came at Gilbert (6-5) on June 27 and at Dowling Catholic (8-5) on July 5 to close out the regular season.

"I don't know that I saw a turning point as much as a continuous upward trend and a deeper belief with each game that we could be really good," Steenhagen said. "There were a few highlight games, like our sweep of Mason City to win conference and the 12-game win streak, plus how we played against Dowling to end the year. Those were all signs that we meant business and deserved a shot at a state run."

Ames survived a scare from conference rival Waterloo East in the 4A Substate 1 quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory in 10 innings. But the Little Cyclones came back to dominate Fort Dodge by an 11-2 score in the semifinals then stun No. 1 Ankeny Centennial in the championship game with an impressive 5-1 triumph to qualify for the state tournament.

"The biggest (highlight) is definitely beating Ankeny Centennial to make it to state," Steenhagen said. "That was a huge milestone to knock off the top team in the state and with the history of Ames Baseball not being to state since 1995."

More: How Ames baseball upset No. 1 Ankeny Centennial to qualify for state for the first time since 1995

At the state tournament, Ames was the No. 7 seed. The Little Cyclones pulled off two more upsets, topping No. 2 seed Iowa City High in a 9-7 battle and edging No. 6 seed Cedar Falls by a 4-3 score in the semifinals.

In the championship game, Ames took on a Johnston team that was defending its 4A state title. The Little Cyclones gave the favored Dragons all they could handle before losing a 6-5 heartbreaker in eight innings to fall just shy of the school's second state championship.

"I am especially proud that we didn't just go state, play one game and come home," Steenhagen said. "We played for the title and almost won the whole thing."

Next season Ames has some huge shoes to fill with the loss of Gabrielson, Beelner, Motl, Nigh, Mittelstaedt, Uthe, Preston and Simpson. But with Geffre and other key players returning the Little Cyclones will have a shot at another conference title and trip to the tournament in 2024.

"While we graduated 11 seniors, including six who played every day, I think we have a very full roster with some young guys who got experience this year but also saw what it takes to get to state and how hard you have to work," Steenhagen said. "I look forward to the off-season to see what we can build and which guys step up. I have no doubt that whoever is in the lineup next season, they will get the job and compete for a conference title and beyond."

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Ames baseball team wins 31 games, reaches 4A title game in 2023