On Monday, July 25, 2022, the Des Moines Peak Prospects’ season ended on a walkoff RBI in Clarinda. It was the first round of the playoffs, and the first time Des Moines had made the MINK postseason.

308 days later, the Peak Prospects return to the diamond for a divisional road game at Merchants Park in Carroll, Iowa.

But as is typical with summer collegiate baseball, this year’s team will look a lot different. There’s a new head coach, and only a small contingent of last year’s players will be back.

In addition, the team has moved its home venue from Memorial Park in Boone to McBride Field on the campus of Simpson College in Indianola, 25 minutes south of Des Moines.

PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR

In his freshman season at Ellsworth Community College (Iowa Falls), Tanner Short hit .363 with 12 home runs and 44 RBIs. Last year he registered one at-bat with the Peak Prospects as a late-season signee – expect him to be a regular in this season’s lineup.

Anthony Watts was a routine starter at Division I Creighton in his freshman season with an ERA of 5.15. After just one season of college ball, Watts should bring a wealth of experience to his inaugural MINK League season.

NEW HEAD COACH

Tyler Willis, an assistant at Simpson College, takes over the helm for the Peak Prospects in 2023. Previously in the summer leagues, Willis had a successful run coaching the Waterloo Bucks (IA).

Collegiately, Coach Willis played at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. He also assisted at Central College in Pella, about an hour east of Des Moines, prior to his time at Simpson.

NEW HOME FIELD

Located on the campus of Simpson College, McBride Field features a turf infield that was installed prior to Simpson’s 2023 season. A number of college baseball programs in Iowa have switched over to turf surfaces.

A private liberal arts school, Simpson College is located in the heart of Indianola, a town of around 15,700 people south of Des Moines. Nestled among the peaceful rolling farmlands of south-central Iowa, Indianola is home to the National Balloon Classic and the Des Moines Metro Opera, as well as Ahquabi State Park and the adjacent Annett Nature Center.

THE RETURNERS

Noah Cook enters his fifth season with the Peak Prospects. The Urbandale native and Southern Illinois Saluki brings Division I experience as well as a strong leadership presence to the program.

Bay Area native Diego Morales joined the Peak Prospects as a catcher midway through the season last year and gradually improved as a hitter. This year, the versatile Morales is listed as a utility player to start the season.

Reliever Mike Bonner (Coe College), a Des Moines native, returns to the mound this season.

Although they saw limited playing time as recently-graduated high school seniors last year, Parker Stewart (pitcher), Isaac Short (catcher), and Tanner Short (outfield/pitcher) all have one college season under their belts and will return to the Peak Prospects for the 2023 season.

FOLLOW THE PEAK PROSPECTS

To watch games in-person in Indianola, head over to McBride Field at 807 N E St, Indianola, IA 50125. Tickets can be purchased at the site of competition.

Visiting from out of town? Be sure to book with Hotel Pommier, the official hotel of the Des Moines Peak Prospects.

We offer live broadcasts for every game. We will stream all home and away games via audio on Mixlr, and all home games will be broadcast on our YouTube channel. In addition, most away games will be streamed by the host team via video. Links to all applicable streams will be posted on the schedule page.

You can keep up with the Peak Prospects all season along at this website and by following us on social media – be sure to check us out on Twitter and Facebook.