Kirkwood Baseball

Kirkwood drops opener at Johnson County

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - The Kirkwood baseball team began the season Friday afternoon with a 7-4 loss at Johnson County.

The Eagles scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning to pull within 4-3, but Johnson County responded with three unearned runs in the bottom of the eighth for a 7-3 advantage.

Kirkwood scored in the top of the ninth for the final tally.

The Eagles committed six errors in the ballgame, including two by all-star shortstop Korry Howell.

Starting pitcher Cameron Leff allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings. Cameron Cowan struck out eight batters in 3 2/3 innings in relief, but was the victim of the three unearned runs in the eighth.

Taylor Jackson and Kal Youngquist had two hits for Kirkwood. Izaya Fullard, Chili Moseley and Max McCay had RBIs.

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Howell leads KCC baseball into new year

When Korry Howell was selected in the 19th round of the Major League draft last June as a freshman, it looked like the Kirkwood baseball team would need a new shortstop for the 2018 campaign.

Fortunately for the Eagles, Howell had a different idea and Kirkwood Coach Todd Rima has never stopped smiling.

Howell declined to sign with the Kansas City Royals and will be starting for Kirkwood when it opens the season with a four-game series at Johnson County Community College this weekend.

The opener is set for Friday at 2 p.m., with a doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday.

"I think Korry wants to continue to develop and feels that college is important to him, his education is important to him," Rima said before leaving for the road trip to Kansas. "I think he also believes that he's a guy that with another year of development could go a lot higher in the draft. Now he's got an unbelievable option."

Howell can sign a pro contract after he's drafted again this June, or he could honor his commitment to the Iowa Hawkeyes and go play for Rick Heller in Iowa City next year as a junior.

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Usher commits to Kirkwood baseball

If Levi Usher plays college baseball, he'll stay in the neighborhood and play for the Kirkwood Eagles.

It could be a big "if," however.

Usher, a senior at Cedar Rapids Prairie, would be tempted to skip college and play pro baseball if he's selected high enough in the major league draft this June and likes the offer.

"I would be very tempted," he told the Metro Sports Report Sunday evening. "It's something my parents and I have talked about. I think I'm ready for it.

"We'll see how the spring goes and how I play."

Usher is a fleet center fielder who hit .468 with seven homers, 34 RBIs and 37 stolen bases for Prairie last season as a junior. He's ranked as the No. 2 high school prospect in Iowa by Perfect Game USA and the 82nd best high school player in the country.

If he goes high enough in the draft and is offered a lucrative signing bonus, he'll head straight to the minor leagues. If the draft does not turn out the way he wants, he'll head to Kirkwood and play for the Eagles in 2019.

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6 KCC baseball players heading to DI schools

Six members of the Kirkwood Community College baseball team signed national letters-of-intent with NCAA Division I schools Wednesday  during a ceremony at Johnson Hall.

Shortstop Korry Howell, who was drafted in the 19th round by the  Kansas City Royals this past June, signed with the Iowa Hawkeyes to lead the parade of Eagles to major colleges.

Howell hit .394 with six homers and 43 stolen bases for Kirkwood as a freshman. He returned to the Eagles this season despite being selected in the MLB draft.

Second baseman Cal Clark, a Cedar Rapids Prairie grad, signed with Houston Baptist University. Clark hit .294 with three homers last season for Kirkwood and committed only five errors in 47 games.

First baseman Spencer Wiskus, a sophomore from Iowa City West, and outfielder Ellison Hanna, a sophomore from the Bahamas, both signed letters with Indiana State. Wiskus, who is also a catcher, hit .279  with four homers at Kirkwood last season. Hanna hit five homers for the Eagles as a freshman.

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