Founded in 2018, the Des Moines Peak Prospects have had a storied journey through the summer collegiate ranks during their first five seasons.

A two-year-member of the Pioneer League, the team was originally named the Peak of Ames. They played their inaugural season at the former home of Iowa State baseball (the Cyclones disbanded their baseball team in the early 2000’s). They changed names to Des Moines Peak Performance in 2019 and played their home games in Granger.

After the Peak Prospects joined the MINK League in the fall of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the league canceling what would have been the first MINK season for Des Moines in 2020.

So in its third season, the newly-named Des Moines Peak Prospects gathered over 50 college baseball athletes. They played a summer of intra-squad matches at Principle Park, home of Minor League Baseball’s Iowa Cubs (AAA, Chicago Cubs), who did not field a team during the cancelled MiLB season.

In 2021, the team moved its home field 52 minutes northwest to Memorial Park, home of the Boone High School Toreadors. In 2022, the Peak Prospects remained in Boone during their fifth season and made the league playoffs, falling in the first round 4-3 to the Clarinda A’s.

Entering their sixth season, the Des Moines Peak Prospects now call Indianola home, just 25 minutes south of downtown Des Moines. The team plays its home games at McBride Field on the campus of Division III school Simpson College. Tyler Willis, an assistant at Simpson, takes over the helm of the Peak Prospects this year after a successful two summer league seasons coaching with the Waterloo Bucks.

ABOUT MCBRIDE 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.

ACCOMODATIONS

If you’re visiting Indianola from out of town, be sure to book a stay at Hotel Pommier, the official hotel of the Des Moines Peak Prospects.

THE MINK LEAGUE

From the MINK League:

The M.I.N.K. Baseball League is a Summer Collegiate Baseball League that operates [nine] teams throughout the midwest.

The M.I.N.K. not only derives its name from the Class D Missouri-Iowa-Nebraska-Kansas League but is the modern evolution of the league which dissolved its MLB affiliations following the 1913 season.

The M.I.N.K. League continues to provide a venue for college players who wish to develop their skills to enter the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft to play baseball in an environment of increased competition.

All M.I.N.K League athletes are unpaid in order to maintain their NCAA eligibility. Each team is operated in a similar manner to a professional minor league team, providing players an opportunity to play under the same conditions using wooden bats, minor league specification baseballs, experiencing overnight road trips, and playing nightly before fans in a stadium.

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.

All of the Peak Prospects’ opponents are located in Iowa and Missouri and are reasonable road trips from Des Moines. Visit the schedule for more information on locations.

However, if you can’t make the game, we do 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 YouTube. 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. Links to our socials and YouTube channel are at the top of this page.