The Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association has released its all-state and all-district teams for 2025.
MOC-Floyd Valley junior Brooks McCarty was first-team all-state as an outfielder in Class 3A. MOC-Floyd Valley junior Kaleb Koerselman was a third-team all-state outfielder and Dutch freshman Henry Heller was on the third team as a utility player.
In Class 2A, Unity Christian senior Braeden Bosma was second-team all-state as a catcher. West Lyon senior Tate Hawf was on the second team as an outfielder. Unity Christian junior Dylan Bosma was a third-team all-state shortstop. West Lyon sophomore Easton De Jong was on the third team as a utility player.
The Class 2A All-Northwest District first-team included West Lyon senior pitcher Ridge Kramer, Unity Christian senior pitcher Graden Van Essen, Braeden Bosma, Hawf, Unity Christian senior outfielder Brady Boogerd and West Lyon sophomore Easton De Jong, Okoboji senior Landon Duvall and Dylan Bosma as utility players.
The Class 2A all-district second-team featured: West Lyon junior pitcher Bryce Kock, West Lyon junior first baseman Cooper Schoening and Unity Christian junior outfielder Jonah De Jong. Blake Wiggins of West Sioux, Isaac Wenthe of Sheldon and Ryker Kooima of Western Christian were on the honorable mention list.
The Class 3A Northwest District first-team included: Sioux Center junior catcher Joseph Molina, MOC-Floyd Valley junior second baseman Cole Pottebaum, MOC-Floyd Valley senior shortstop Blake Aalbers, McCarty and Heller.
Sioux Center senior pitcher Hunter Van Zee, MOC-Floyd Valley senior catcher Braylon Van Gelder, Sioux Center senior third baseman Kyle Te Stroete, Koerselman and Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley junior utility player Colby Den Hartog were on the second team.
This football season N’West Iowa will have some representation at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level outside of the Midwest.
One player and one coach have migrated to the west coast. Kyson Van Vugt, who is from Sioux Center and attended Western Christian, transferred from the University of Iowa to Fresno State University. Van Vugt, who was a tight end at Western Christian, is now a 6-foot-7, 293-pound junior offensive tackle for the Bulldogs.
Pete Menage, a Central Lyon graduate, was a member of Jimmy Rodgers‘ staff at South Dakota State University and moved on with Rodgers when he accepted the job at Washington State University. Menage spent 2020 and 2021 at Northern Illinois, coaching safeties and linebackers. He was at Winona State in 2022, serving as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator. Menage, who played college ball at South Dakota State and was a student assistant there in 2018 and 2019, joined the Jackrabbits for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, coaching the safeties.
FBS level players from N’West Iowa this year also include Reese Vander Zee, Zach Lutmer and Landon Van Kekerix at Iowa, Kooper Ebel at Iowa State, Rex Van Wyhe at Kansas State, Carson Bruhn at Kansas and Jalyn Gramstad at Nebraska.
Vander Zee, Lutmer, and Van Wyhe each are Central Lyon/George-Little Rock products. Van Kekerix played for Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley, Ebel for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn and Bruhn for Sioux Center. Gramstad played at West Lyon.