Champion Rewind Series - Iowa Baseball

Iowa, LA (KPLC) - The Iowa Yellowjackets are still riding high after beating the Lakeshore Titans 4-0 in the Non-Select Division II LHSAA Championship.

Tyler Dartez, who pitched a shutout in the championship game discussed his mindset going into the game and what he did to accomplish the ultimate goal-- a State Championship.

“I was just trying to get my first strike down the middle for every batter I mean that was my first thing to start off and let my defense work which helped a lot,” Iowa pitcher Tyler Dartez said.

Iowa head coach Daniel Hennigan knew just how special Dartez’s performance was, he says their preparation put Dartez in a position to win.

“He did great, we knew Lakeshore could hit we thought he was a solid matchup going into it we had our game plan our scouting reports and somewhere around that third inning or so fourth inning we actually had a little conversation we even walked it back saying we’re going to get even simpler even more basic and we’re going to throw a fastball away until they force us to do something different,” Coach Hennigan said.

The last time Iowa won the state championship was back in 2007, something Hennigan knows all about.

“I’ve been around Iowa for a long time so kind of grew up my brother was on the 2007 team kind of idolizing that group of guys you know they’re the standard so to speak I love the fact that this group added their own flavor their own brand to the championship level of play,” Hennigan said.

Hennigan gave praise to his team, despite their youth and overall inexperience they banded together and found a way to win.

“It was such a team approach we didn’t have any one or two guys that were exceptional it was 1 through 13 that gave us a chance,” Hennigan said.

Teams of championship pedigree usually have something that separates them from the rest.

“Our bonding skills and just the way we play the game is very different from other teams,” Dartez said.

The Yellowjackets are remaining laser focused in the off-season as they prepare to defend their title next spring.

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