Iowa's best high school baseball players: Meet the state's top catchers
By Barry Poe | Photo by Eric Burt
With the high school baseball season underway, SBLive is looking at the best players in Iowa. In our second installment, we feature catchers across all classifications. The state is loaded with talented catchers and many of these excel at other positions as well. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list as there are hundreds of outstanding catchers statewide.
Max Burt, Mason City Newman, Jr.
The University of Iowa commit is coming off a stellar sophomore season in which he batted .465 with 19 extra base hits in 31 games. A first-team all-state selection last season, Burt also pitched 24 innings, sporting a 1.75 ERA.
Tucker Gibbar, New London, Sr.
The Iowa Press Sportswriters named Gibbar a third-team all-stater after he batted .427 with 31 RBIs and 12 extra base hits. The Southeastern CC commit collected 35 hits in 82 at-bats with a .610 slugging percentage and also notched one pitching win.
Dawson Townsend, Davis County, Sr.
The versatile third-team all-state pick a year ago batted .327 in 107 plate appearances and also posted a 4-2 pitching record in eight starts on the mound.
Keegan Schmitt, Independence, Sr.
Schmitt boasted a hefty .436 batting average with four home runs and 38 RBI last summer. The Mount Mercy University commit was named to the Class 3A all-state first team by the Iowa Baseball Coaches Association.
Jack Walsh, Dubuque Wahlert, Jr.
As a sophomore, Walsh earned third-team all-state accolades from the IPSWA. He hit .381 and picked up three pitching wins for a squad that won 32 games and lost in the Class 3A state championship game to Marion.
Brandon Vicko, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Sr.
The Iowa Baseball Coaches Association honored Vicko as a second-team all-stater last season. Vicko batted .374 and knocked in 28 runs for a team that reached the Class 4A state semifinals.
Gibson Olson, Sioux Central, Sr.
Olson led the Rebels with a .418 batting average and slugged .658 with 11 doubles, two homers and 30 RBIs. Olson was a third-team all-state Class 2A pick by Iowa coaches.
Ethan Zieglowsky, Washington, Sr.
Zieglowsky was honored by the Iowa Baseball Coaches as a Class 3A all-stater last season. Along with a .394 average, he had 10 extra base hits and drove in 21 while also notching two pitching wins. One of the top bowlers in the state, Zieglowsky will attend William Penn University and bowl for the Statesmen.
Bryce Click, Sergeant Bluff-Luton, Sr.
Click was also on the IBBCA Class 3A all-state third team last season. The Northwestern College recruit had a .347 batting average with 11 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 38 RBIs. The versatile performer shared the team lead with six pitching wins.
Max McGill, Woodbury Central, Jr.
McGill made all-district as a sophomore after hitting .379 with five homers and 29 RBIs. He threw out 10 base runners in 21 attempts.
Britton Bond, Lewis Central, Sr.
The Northwest Missouri State University signee was an all-district performer for the Titans last season. He hit .268 with four home runs and 26 RBIs as a junior.
Jaxson Schumacher, Treynor, Jr.
He was named to the Iowa Baseball Coaches Association Class 2A first team as a sophomore. He finished second in Class 2A with a whopping .548 batting average and 11th statewide, which included a .696 slugging percentage and 28 RBIs.
Jaxon Johnson, Tri-Center, Sr.
One of eight regulars on Tri-Center's state tournament qualifying team to hit over .400. An all-district pick, Johnson batted .453, slugging four homers and driving in 27. In two games this season, he has walked six times and is officially 2-for-3 at the plate.
Buddy Hill, Kee, Jr.
An all-district performer as a sophomore, the versatile Hill hit an even .300 with 32 RBIS while throwing out 9 of 12 runners attempting to steal. He was 4-0 on the mound for last season’s Class 1A state runners-up.
Jake Moel, BGM, Sr.
He collected 27 hits in 52 at-bats last season, earning all-district accolades. Moel sported an impressive .519 batting average while driving in a team-high 15 runs. He was also 1-1 on the mound for the Bears.
Boston York, HLV, Soph.
He played very much unlike a freshman last season, leading the Warriors with a .532 batting average. York had a .726 slugging percentage, collecting 10 doubles and driving in 33.
Colby Rich, CAM, Sr.
The Iowa Print Sportswriters Association named Rich a second-team all-state utility pick. He batted a robust .520 and was second in the state with 65 RBIs to go along with 10 home runs. Rich compiled a 6-0 pitching record with 38 strikeouts.
Ryan Campbell, North Scott, Sr.
A second-team Class 4A all-state pick by the Iowa Baseball Coaches Association, Campbell led the Lancers with a .428 average with 17 doubles, three homers and 46 RBIs. North Scott finished 26-14, losing a tight 2-1 substate final to Dubuque Hemptead.
Jaxon Bunkers, Remsen St. Mary’s, Jr.
Bunkers missed all but one game last season because of a back injury, which also cost him his junior football season at quarterback. However, he’s one of the top players on a perennial Class 1A contender. He hit .327 as a freshman for a 20-1 squad that reached a state tournament semifinal.
Kadden Frommelt, Marion, Jr.
He landed on the Iowa Baseball Coaches Association all-state Class 3A team as a sophomore. Led the state champions with seven home runs while batting .393 with 48 RBIs and a .723 slugging percentage.
Trever Baumler, Dowling, Soph.
The 10th grader currently leads the state with five home runs and is tied for second with 14 RBIs. In six games, Baumler has 12 hits in 19 trips to the plate, a .632 average and 1.579 slugging mark.
Caden Sammler, Waukee Northwest, Jr.
Performing for a brand-new prep baseball program, Sammler has come out hot in the opening six games for the Wolves. The junior is hitting .438 with three doubles and five RBIs.
Ben Gilliland, Van Meter, Jr.
He hit .333 as a sophomore for the Iowa Class 1A state champions. This year, Gilliland has five hits in nine at-bats and the Bulldogs are off to a 4-0 start.
Owen Huehnergarth, Dyersville Beckman, Sr.
He was a second-team All-WMAC and IHSBCA all-district, he batted .333 with a .436 on base percentage, 37 hits and 46 RBIs. As a junior, he also gunned down 18 of 27 runners attempting to steal.
Brody Hoffmann, Cedar Rapids Xavier, Jr.
The Knights’ backstop is off to a good start to his junior season. He has 8 hits in 17 at-bats (.471) in seven games for the third-ranked team in Class 3A.
