Washington Baseball

Quick courtship puts Henry in charge at Wash

Brent Henry went home Monday night as one of the assistant coaches for the Cedar Rapids Washington baseball team.

When he returned the next day, he was the new head coach.

Henry, 31, has succeded Byron Schlotterback as Washington's interim head coach, but he'll have the job all season and perhaps beyond.

Schlotterback has taken a leave of absence from Cedar Rapids Community Schools for unexplained reasons after three years as Washington's head coach. He also has been the director of vocal music at Jefferson High School.

Washington reacted quickly and promoted Henry, a Cornell College grad who has been an assistant coach at the collegiate and high school levels for five years apiece. Washington High School principal Ralph Plagman, activities director Paul James, assistant principal Mike Johnson and assistant principal Rick Williams met earlier this week and decided Henry was the right man for the job.

"Paul James and Dr. Plagman approached me on Tuesday and asked me," Henry said after practice Thursday. "They said Byron is taking a personal leave of absence, we've got an opening for an interim coach, is that something you'd be interested in?

"They asked and I said, 'Absolutely.' It was instantaneous. I didn't have to think about that one bit."

Henry was one of Schlotterback's assistant coaches for two years at Anamosa High School and three years at Washington. Practice began Monday, and on Tuesday he was the new man in charge.

"So I learned on the second day of practice that things were going to change a little bit," he said with a smile. "But the guys handled it really well. We talked on Tuesday. The goals don't change. Our expectations are still to compete every day, to compete for a league championship. From their standpoint, it's no different."

This has been an eventful school year for Henry. Last October he married Leah Tweedy, a teacher at Cedar Rapids Prairie, and on Tuesday he said "yes" when Dr. Plagman and James popped the question.

Henry played baseball at Cornell (an outfielder/DH) and received a twin degree in economics and sports management. He served as an assistant coach with the Rams from 2003-2005 and again this past season. He also was an assistant for one year at Wartburg College while pursuing his teaching degree at the University of Northern Iowa.

Henry wanted to become a head coach some day, but naturally did not think it would happen like this. He feels prepared after serving as an assistant coach at Washington from 2008-10.

"Certainly there are more responsibilities, but those are responsibilities I'm looking forward to having," he said. "This is a position that I want."

Henry does not plan major changes in Washington baseball, but will tweak a few things.

"I'm sure I'll have my own touches," he said. "I think the guys are finding out that practices are running a little differently right now.

"Some things will be different, some things won't change at all," he said. "I want to be aggressive. That will be the same thing.

"We'll look to hit early in the count, we'll look to take the extra base and we'll put a lot of pressure on the base paths. So those things will absolutely stay the same."

Henry praised the players for the way they've handled the coaching change so far.

"We can either respond negatively or we can respond positively," he said. "So right now I'm just looking to make sure that everybody responds positively to the situation."

Henry, originally from Aurora, Colo., is a business teacher at Linn-Mar High School.

Phil Richmond and Saxon Dolan, two recent Washington baseball players, are two of Henry's assistant coaches. Richmond is currently playing at Kirkwood. Dolan, a 2010 Washington grad, attends Grand View College and was a member of the football team there last fall.

Henry hopes to add Kaleb Heffner to the coaching staff. Heffner, from North Liberty, attends the University of Mobile (Ala.) and has been a pitcher for the baseball team there.

Schlotterback apparently out as Wash baseball coach

There were strong indications Wednesday that Byron Schlotterback is no longer the varsity baseball coach at Cedar Rapids Washington High School.

According to two parents of Washington baseball players, Washington Principal Ralph Plagman informed the team on Tuesday that assistant coach Brent Henry has been named the interim head coach in Schlotterback's absence.

Two other sources told the Metro Sports Report that Schlotterback is no longer the head coach. All four sources said they do not know what led to this situation or whether Schlotterback will return as head coach at some point.

Paul James, the activities director at Washington, declined comment. He referred all questions to a spokesperson for the Cedar Rapids Community School district, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.

Schlotterback did not answer his cell phone and did not return a message seeking comment.

On Tuesday, it was learned that Washington pitcher Dakota Freese has been suspended for the first seven games of the season for a violation of school rules.

Schlotterback conducted Washington's first practice of the season on Monday, according to sources, but did not attend practice on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Although Schlotterback coaches at Washington, he teaches at Jefferson High School as the director of the choir department.

Metro baseball tournament pairings set

Area baseball fans will be treated to a triple-header at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, May 25 on the final day of the 2011 Bob Vrbicek Metro Baseball Tournament.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels will play Clinton at 12:05 p.m. that day in a Midwest League game, followed by the third-place game of the high school tournament at 5 p.m. and the championship game at 7 p.m.

Kennedy, the defending Class 4A state champion, will face Jefferson in the opening round of the Metro tournament on Monday, May 23 at Kennedy at 7 p.m.

The other first-round pairings are Marion vs. Washington, Linn-Mar vs. Xavier, and Mount Vernon vs. Prairie. Kennedy is hosting the tournament, with Xavier serving as co-host.

OPENING ROUND
Monday, May 23
 At Kennedy
5 p.m. - Mount Vernon vs. Prairie
7 p.m. - Jefferson vs. Kennedy
 At Xavier
5 p.m. - Marion vs. Washington
7 p.m. - Linn-Mar vs. Xavier

SEMIFINALS
Tuesday, May 24
Consolation Round
 At Xavier
5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Championship Round
 At Kennedy
5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

FINALS
Wednesday, May 25
Consolation Round
 At Kennedy
5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Championship Round
 At Veterans Memorial Stadium
5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Freese shows off his stuff at PG showcase

Dakota Freese struck out five batters in two innings and flashed a 90 mph fastball, then Austin Christensen whiffed five hitters in two frames and displayed an 87 mph heater.

It appeared Sunday that the Metro area's two best high school pitchers are poised to have strong years this season.

Freese and Christensen performed in the Perfect Game showcase at Veterans Memorial Stadium on a chilly day and showed why they're considered two of the top players in the state.

Freese, a 6-foot-4 righthander from Cedar Rapids Washington, is ranked third among all seniors in Iowa by Perfect Game. Christensen, a 6-foot-4 lefthander, is ranked seventh in the state.

Freese can hit a little (.301 last year), but he's mostly a pitcher who went 6-3 with a 2.69 ERA in 2010. Christensen, on the other hand, is a pitcher/outfielder/first baseman who helped Kennedy win the Class 4A state title last season with his arm and his bat. He went 9-4 with a 1.94 ERA and hit a robust .492 with eight home runs and 44 RBIs.

There are other talented baseball players in the Metro area, but Christensen and Freese are the headliners as the 2011 prep season approaches in May.

Christensen has signed with the University of Nebraska and Freese has committed to LSU-Eunice, a junior college in Louisiana, but both of them will be keeping an eye on the major league draft this June.

Freese, who is ranked 396th in the country by Perfect Game, would love to turn pro this summer if he's drafted high enough and the offer is good enough.

"Yes, I'd definitely go," he said Sunday. "Going pro and the major leagues are my dream."

Christensen, ranked 500th, is probably headed to Nebraska, but he's curious to see what happens in the draft as well.

"I'm definitely leaving the possibility open," he said. "My whole life I've always wanted to be a professional baseball player. If I keep improving a lot this spring and I get a good offer, I'd definitely put a lot of thought into it."

That's why Freese and Christensen played in the Spring Top Prospect showcase this weekend. Both of them wanted to improve their profile on the Perfect Game website for pro scouts.

"I'm trying to get my ranking up," Freese said. "I want to let everybody know I'm still here and I'm getting better.

"I felt really good today," he said. "I had all my stuff working, and it all worked out."

Freese said he's been working on his cutter and changeup, which he throws with a fastball and curve. He also said he worked hard during the offseason on his strength and conditioning, adding 15 pounds of muscle to his lanky frame.

Freese said his velocity has improved since the end of the 2010 campaign.

"Lately I've been hitting 91, very consistently," he said. "Last year I'd hit 91 every once in a while, so this is a big step. I know I've hit 92 on days I've felt really good."

Christensen threw mostly in the low-80s and mid-80s last season, but improved in late July. "Toward the state tournament I started pushing to the upper-80s. I had some adrenaline going and everything," he said. "It's good to get that consistently now."

Christensen hit 87 Sunday on a chilly day in April, which means a 90 mph heater could be in the works this season.

"I really hope so," he said. "I hope once the weather gets good and my arm starts feeling a little stronger, I hope I can get up in the 90s. I'd feel really good about that.

"I've been working really hard, and I like where everything is leading me to right now," he said.

The Nebraska coaches have not told Christensen what position he'll play with the Cornhuskers.

"Not an official word yet," he said. "The head coach still likes me at pitcher, but some of the assistants have told me maybe some first base and outfield, too. I'm just going to go in and probably play all three and just see whatever they need me to do."

Chad Christensen, Austin's older brother, is the starting shortstop at Nebraska this season as a sophomore and they could be college teammates next year.

Kennedy won the state title last season with a fairly young club. The top six batters from the championship game lineup are back, along with many of the top pitchers as the Cougars aim for consecutive titles.

"I think it puts a lot of pressure on us," Christensen said. "A lot of people have been talking about our senior class for four or five years now.

"This is the year we were really supposed to make a run at it, so everybody is going to give us their 'A' game and we're going to have to really look forward to that," he said. "It will be fun, though."

Christensen struck out 86 batters in 75 2/3 innings last season, while Freese fanned 91 in 57 1/3. They'll probably get the ball on Opening Day in the Metro Tournament on May 23, but Kennedy and Washington don't meet in the first round.

The Cougars and Warriors will clash in single games on Thursday, June 23 at Kennedy and on Friday, June 24 at Washington, so they could face each other in a Mississippi Valley Conference game. Baseball fans might want to circle those dates on the calendar.