The 2018 Iowa Lakes baseball program looks to build upon a 6-win improvement from the year prior heading into year three for Head Coach Joey Pavlovich. The Lakers return 5 players from last year's starting lineup including the entire starting outfield. Notably, all conference performers BJ Johnson (Tallahassee, Florida) and Tavan Shahidi (Ames, Iowa) will be looked at to lead the Laker offense. Pavlovich had this to say about the Laker lineup, "We have a great mix of speed and power this year and I think we made the lineup upgrades to be a complete offense." A few key additions include first baseman Jayden Adrians (Green Bay, Wisconsin) and third baseman Chipper Holland (Tampa, Florida).
The pitching staff, coming off a disappointing 2017 campaign, will be led by new comers Carl Renz (Pewaukee, Wisconsin) and Evan Sankey (Appleton, Wisconsin). Returners, Zach Meyer (Omaha, Nebraska) and Beau Britton (Colorado Springs, Colorado) will be counted on to provide leadership and knowledge to a young staff. The rotation is expected to be filled out by Renz, Sankey, Meyer, and Tyler Shafer (Nevada, Iowa) with key bullpen guys including Britton and transfer Dillon Van Oosbree (Emmetsburg, Iowa). Coach Pavlovich had this say about this year's staff, "I am very excited the varying types of pitchers in this group. We are staff that will throw strikes and can attack hitters in a number of different ways. I have never, as collective group, had this many guys that can command their secondary pitches this well. Carl Renz and Evan Sankey are as good as anyone in our league. I'm excited to watch them compete."
The Lakers start the 2018 season with their first 28 games on the road, including their first 16 at Division 1 Junior College opponents. Iowa Lakes begins league play at Ellsworth, followed by a trip to Boone, Iowa to play DMACC before their home opener against Kirkwood. The Lakers will play 20 home games at Hess-Limberg Field, all in either April or May.
Iowa Lakes will open their season February 17th and 18th in Pratt, Kansas against Pratt Community College.