Former Iowa High School Baseball Standout Dies In Drowning Incident

A former Iowa high school baseball standout has died after wading into the Cedar River and drowning late Monday afternoon.

In a report by KGAN CBS 2 Iowa, former Major League Baseball pitcher and Cedar Rapids native, Dakota Freese, died. Freese was 33 years old and just days away from his birthday.

Twice selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, Freese had most recently pitched in 2023 for the Lexington Legends, a professional team in the Atlantic League, a Partner League of Major League Baseball. The Chicago White Sox selected him in the 2011 Major League Baseball amateur draft in the 34th round after playing for Cedar Rapids Washington High School.

While playing for Des Moines Area Community College, Freese was again selected, this time in the 12th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball amateur draft by the Oakland Athletics. Across seven seasons, he won 15 games at various minor and independent leagues, recording 436 strikeouts and three complete games.

Dakota Freese Played Alongside Future MLB Pitcher AJ Puk At Cedar Rapids Washington

Playing with future major league AJ Puk, Freese went 11-2 with 106 strikeouts in just under 78 innings as a sophomore with the Warriors in 2009. Puk was an eighth-grade that season for Cedar Rapids Washington and would eventually be selected in the first round by the Oakland Athletics in 2016.

During his junior season, Freese became a two-way standout for the Warriors, going 6-3 on the mound with 91 strikeouts in 57-plus innings while hitting .301 with three home runs, five doubles and a triple. He drove in 17 and scored 14 runs.

Freese was limited to four starts as a senior, going 2-2 with 40 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched. He collected seven hits, scored six runs and drove in six in 16 games at the plate.

Former Cedar Rapids Washington Standout Was Fishing When He Entered Water

Freese had been fishing according to witnesses when items he had with him fell into the river. He went to the shore and entered into the water in an effort to get the items back. Freese was unable to do that and was pulled under while attempting to return to the area where the itesm had fallen.

Boat crews from the Cedar Rapids Fire Department and members of the Johnson County Metro Dive Team found Freese a few hours later close to where he was last seen by witnesses.

No further details of the incident have been released by authorities.

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