Iowa City High baseball's Aidan Wetmore has always had a chip on his shoulder

It was a junior season filled with a mixture of emotions, from frustration to determination, for Iowa City High catcher Aidan Wetmore.

Wetmore saw the field 19 times during a 43-game stretch in 2023. That included just three starts in his first season on the varsity squad.

“It was tough just sitting on the bench," Wetmore said. "It’s probably the first year that I hadn’t really done anything."

With two catchers ahead of him on the depth chart, Wetmore’s playing time was limited. But instead of pouting, he used the chip on his shoulder as motivation.

His underdog mentality dates back to his younger playing days. A Peoria, Illinois native, Wetmore moved to Iowa City in third grade and joined the Little Hawks baseball club, a youth feeder program for Iowa City High.

Wetmore recalls the moment he found out he wasn't chosen for the primary team in club ball. His dad and then-coach revealed that he was instead picked for the secondary team.

“We had two solid teams that were both high at that level, but it still didn’t feel good, it didn’t feel right," Wetmore said. "It really motivated me to work harder.

“I have close connections now with those kids that were in the B team and A team. Those are the juniors that I get to mentor now that have seen me play and watch me develop.”

Now, Wetmore is the only senior catcher on the roster. The lack of experience in such a critical position was initially a top concern for the team. Two departing seniors from last season meant the spot behind the plate was left wide open.

Wetmore was ready to embrace that role.

It wasn’t the spring, nor the summer, but the fall when Wetmore laid the foundation for his senior season.

Attention to detail was a focus during his offseason routine, which included time with volunteer coach Bob Hall and the other members of the catching group. The extra work served as an opportunity to refine his mechanics.

“I think he was very open-minded to receiving feedback, to make adjustments, to get better in those situations,” Hall said. “For him particularly, it was inside pitches on a right-handed batter. That was one thing that he knew he needed to work on to be better for the varsity level knowing that he was in line to take up a lot of the reps the following year.”

The two-hour practices, the long workouts and his on-the-field play paid off when Wetmore became a regular behind home plate at the start of the season. As of June 9, he’s started 13 games for the Little Hawks (16-4), the No. 5 team in Class 4A.

“We have a really deep pitching staff but if you don’t have a good catcher, it just limits your team and he’s really kind of filled that void,” said City High coach Brian Mitchell.

A deep pitching staff can sometimes be difficult to handle. So many competitive players with only one getting the ball at any given time. It's a catcher's duty to build a relationship with each of them so that when their number is called, they are calm and composed on the bump.

Wetmore has found ways to build a rapport with City High’s entire pitching group.

“In the field, especially when things are going bad, he’s kind of the backbone of it all,” said senior pitcher Johannes Boevers. “I feel like he can kind of communicate and understand…what I’m pitching and what I’m doing good and what I’m doing bad and he’s able to translate that into what pitches he calls."

Dependable. Resilient.

Those are two words that Mitchell used to describe Wetmore's game.

“I would just say what Aidan does is that he's just quiet in going about his business,” Mitchell said. “He’s not high maintenance, I would say that. He just quietly does what he’s supposed to do.”

Wetmore understands the importance of his role on a City High team that’s chasing its first state title in program history.

“We’re the game managers, you know? It’s a huge role to fill. You control a lot of aspects of the game,” Wetmore said. “If you’re not on that day, you make the pitcher look bad, you make your whole team look bad. That’s how you can lose games by having a catcher that’s off that day.”

Pitch after pitch, inning after inning and game after game, Wetmore is gaining confidence. From improbable to undeniable, he's elevated his game to new heights with more to show on the diamond.

"I feel so confident catching right now...I'm blocking balls I never thought I'd get to, I just feel really good back there," Wetmore said. "I think I do (still have a chip on my shoulder), I think I still have some stuff left to prove."

Marc Ray is the high school sports reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached atMARay@gannett.com, and on X, formerly Twitter, at@themarcszn.