Predicting the champions for Iowa high school baseball state tournament 2024

Fire up the grills and take the tarps off the fields. It's time for the Iowa high school state baseball tournament.

Johnston, Western Dubuque, Beckman Catholic and Remsen St. Mary's took home the hardware last year. Johnston and Remsen St. Mary's are back in the state tournament field this year.

Will we see repeat champions? Or could there be some new faces that hoist a banner in 2024? Let's dive into our championship predictions.

More: Iowa high school baseball state tournament 2024: See IHSAA brackets for all four classes

Class 4A: Johnston

You'd be hard-pressed to pick anyone other than the Dragons.

Johnston has won back-to-back state titles and three of the last four. In the last five seasons, the Dragons have reached at least the state final and have finished at least second in six of the last seven years.

The Dragons have seven players with 20 or more RBIs. Among their six players who have started 30 or more games, all but one have .300 or better batting averages. Their pitching staff's top three all hold ERAs of 3.55 or better. This is a team with no holes and a ton of quality depth, a result of years of program building that has everyone trying to emulate the Dragons' prowess.

Yet, this is still baseball, so anything can happen. Dallas Center-Grimes and Taitn Gray will be a force, along with Kennedy to the East.

Contenders: Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Dallas Center-Grimes

Class 3A: Wahlert Catholic

This is the 10th time the Golden Eagles have reached the state tournament, but they have never won a state title. The closest they came was in 2021 as a runner-up.

This team is 33-9 and can break that drought. Their core nine batters all have 14 or more RBIs, including six tallying 20 or more. Five have a .300 batting average or better. Their pitchers with five starts or more have held opposing batters to a .235 batting average or lower.

Similar to Johnston, the Golden Eagles don't necessarily have a standout star but rather a collection of solid talent that should bring consistent play to the state tournament.

However, Class 3A may be the most competitive division, so look for a handful of teams to be contenders for this crown.

Contenders: Marion and North Polk

Class 2A: Underwood

When Underwood's pitchers get to dealing, look out.

The Eagles' top three starters, who have started all but four games, have yet to lose when taking the mound. Seniors Jack Vonfossan and Mason Boothby are the leaders. Vonfossan has a 0.60 ERA and has given up just 29 hits in 191 batters faced, while Boothby holds a 0.52 ERA and averages 6.1 strikeouts per contest. Sophomore Garrett Luett is the elite arm of this crew, striking out 81 batters for a 7.3 strikeouts/game average. He also holds a 0.55 ERA.

Those three are also some of the team's best hitters, all batting above .350 at the plate.

Should those guys continue their successful ways, Underwood will be hard to take down.

Contenders: Chariton and Sumner-Fredericksburg

Class 1A: Lynnville-Sully

The Hawks have a dynamic duo − one on the mound, one at the plate.

Senior Corder Noun Harder, a Morningside baseball commit, is having an outstanding season at the plate. He has recorded a .570 batting average and seven home runs in 79 at-bats. His batting average is the third-best in the state. He's also the team leader in stolen bases at 26. On the mound, senior Lucas Sieck has started 14 games, holding a 1.30 ERA and 10-1 record.

This 1A class is a deep one, with five of the eight teams losing five or fewer games this year. We're counting on the experience and abilities of the Lynnville-Sully seniors to pull this one off.

Contenders: Akron-Westfield, Newman Catholic and Remsen St. Mary's

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com . Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Predicting the champions for Iowa high school baseball state tournament 2024