—Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Returning letterwinners for the FORT DODGE baseball team are, front row (left to right): Kolton Schiltz, Bo Marsh and Jaxson Dencklau. Second: Rylan Kingrey, Caiden Fraher, Royce Pederson and Brayden Reimers; Third: Will McElroy, Davis Underberg, Jase Nekvinda and Landen Grandors. Back: Mason Frevert, Tanner Peterson, Cal Pederson and Tru McBride.

The Fort Dodge baseball team isn’t shying away from an uptick in expectations this season.

With the majority of their lineup returning and a number of other talented players ready for action, the Dodgers hope they’re on the brink of a breakout campaign heading into Tuesday’s opener against Hampton-Dumont/CAL at Rogers Park.

“We definitely want to raise the bar as we go and make a push at some lofty goals we have for ourselves,” said Utley, who is 223-236 overall heading into his 13th year at the helm. “It’s a great group. These guys get along extremely well and work hard. They love the game.

“They get it. They’re all-in. That’s what they chose for their slogan. As usual, it will just come down to how well we navigate the schedule and how consistent we are with both our execution and our effort day in and day out.”

First team all-Iowa Alliance Conference players Rylan Kingrey and Tanner Peterson return for their senior and sophomore campaigns, respectively. Sophomore Kolton Schiltz is also back after garnering second-team honors, along with senior Royce Pederson and sophomore Bo Marsh (honorable mention).

Junior Jaxson Dencklau and sophomore Tru McBride saw the field in every contest a year ago as well. Fort Dodge was 19-22 overall and 9-7 in the IAC North last summer.

INFIELD

Marsh is back behind the plate after taking on the lion’s share of the catching duties as just a freshman in 2024. Junior Caiden Fraher is also in the mix.

Pederson will be flanked by sophomore Will McElroy and McBride at first base. The rest of the infield — with Peterson, sophomore Cal Pederson, freshman Reggie Pederson and Dencklau — will depend on who is pitching.

“We have a lot of guys there who have either played a solid amount of varsity innings already or have really high ceilings in this sport,” Utley said. “We also have to remind ourselves, though, that they’re still young men getting used to this level of ball. I’m excited for the future, but we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves.

“There will be some growing pains, of course. I like what all of these guys bring to the table, though.”

OUTFIELD

Kingrey has been a four-year mainstay for FDSH and will again be the everyday centerfielder. The Northeast Iowa Community College recruit will be joined by Schiltz and McBride, with senior Jase Nekvinda and sophomore Davis Underberg also seeing action.

“Rylan and Royce have been our leaders, either vocally or by example,” Utley said. “Our big sophomore class has really responded well to them. Our other seniors — Jase, Landen Grandors and Brayden Reimers — have done a nice job as well. With two weeks of practices and some scrimmaging under our belts, the chemistry has been really strong.

“The one challenge will be embracing roles and having to wait until your number is called. Our depth is a positive, but that means sometimes kids will have to wait their turn and compete for playing time. It’s a long season and we’ll see a lot of different situations and opponents. We need to be versatile.”

PITCHING

The Dodgers return 83 percent of their innings pitched from 2024, led by Tanner Peterson (6-5), McElroy (4-3), McBride (2-2), Nekvinda (2-3) and Grandors (2-4).

Royce Pederson, a left-hander who dealt with injury issues a year ago, is “healthy and ready to be our ace,” Utley said.

“Royce and Tanner are both going to be really good for us,” Utley said. “Tru could emerge as one of our main guys. He has the stuff to do it. Landen throws a ton of strikes and brings that senior’s mentality to the table. Will is another guy who is just a bulldog for us.

“Rylan closed for us last season, and we’re hoping to use him in the same way. And Jase is someone who has dealt with a lot of injuries, but could really emerge as a solid senior presence.”

Cal Pederson, Reimers, Dencklau, Underberg and sophomore Mason Frevert are other options on the mound. Reggie Pederson is a newcomer as just a freshman, but Utley is bullish on his future as well.

Sophomore Jayce Skow is the wild card. Skow was sidelined last summer after arm surgery, but the all-district linebacker and state wrestling qualifier “is close,” Utley said.

“We’ll work him back slowly — probably JV at first,” Utley said. “He’s done a lot on his own to try and get back as close to as full strength as possible for this season. He hasn’t been in a live game for over a year, so we’re not going to push too much, but I do think he could be an impact pitcher before all is said and done.”

CONFERENCE AND STAFF

Ames is the two-time defending IAC Northern Division champion. The Little Cyclones went 15-1 in league play a year ago.

Fort Dodge and Waterloo East tied for second place, followed by Mason City and Marshalltown.

“Ames is the team to beat until someone knocks them off,” Utley said. “Mason City is always strong. Waterloo East has two really solid pitchers and a solid shortstop coming back. And I know Marshalltown has some good young talent.

“We’d like to make a run at a conference championship. These guys want to push themselves and take that standard up a notch. They embrace it.”

Des Moines Roosevelt (27-15) and Ottumwa (30-11) were the top squads on the IAC South side in 2024. The Dodgers face the Roughriders and Bulldogs, along with non-conference opponents like West Des Moines Dowling, Waukee and Sioux City East.

The Warriors, Bulldogs and Black Raiders are all in Class 4A’s preseason Top-10.

Fort Dodge takes on H-D/C for a JV/varsity doubleheader at Rogers Park on Tuesday, weather permitting, beginning at 5 p.m. The Dodgers then welcome Dowling to McNeil Field for a varsity twinbill on Wednesday, with first pitch slated for 5 p.m.

Utley will be assisted by Connor McLeod and Nolan Johnson (pitching), while Rick Pederson is a varsity assistant and the JV1 leader. Jerry Chada is the JV2 head coach.

2025 FORT DODGE BASEBALL

Roster

Seniors — Royce Pederson, Rylan Kingrey, Landen Grandors, Jase Nekvinda, Brayden Reimers.

Juniors — Jaxson Dencklau, Caiden Fraher.

Sophomores — Tanner Peterson, Kolton Schiltz, Bo Marsh, Will McElroy, Cal Pederson, Jayce Skow, Tru McBride, Mason Frevert, Davis Underberg,

Freshmen — Reggie Pederson, Cael Adams, Coltin Fevold, Bennett Nekvinda.

Schedule

May 20 — *Hampton-Dumont/CAL (at Rogers Park); 21 — West Des Moines Dowling; 27 — at Des Moines North; 30 — Waukee.

June 2 — Mason City; 4 — at Marshalltown; 6 — *Sioux City East and Sioux City West; 9 — Ames; 11 — at Des Moines Roosevelt; 12 — Waterloo East; 13 — *Sioux City North at Rogers Park; 16 — Des Moines East; 17 — *Humboldt; 19 — at Ottumwa; 23 — at Mason City; 25 — Des Moines Lincoln; 26 — Marshalltown; 30 — at Ames.

July 1 — *at Storm Lake; 2 — at Waterloo East; 7 — Clinton; 8 — *at Webster City.

(*Denotes single varsity games)