Vote: Who Should Be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (7/26/2026)

Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for July 20-25

AOTW

Here are the candidates for High School On SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for July 20-25. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, Aug. 2. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:

Special Note: This week will include players from the state baseball tournament only, with next week featuring players from the recent state softball tournament.

Easton Ingle, North Polk baseball

The cleanup hitter went 3-for-6 with four RBI in a 7-6 victory over Western Dubuque at the state baseball tournament in Class 2A.

Jack Dilulio, Davenport Assumption baseball

Dilulio had three hits with a double, driving in four and scoring once to help the Knights upset No. 2 seed Carlisle in the Class 3A state tournament. In the finals, he added two hits and RBI, leading Assumption to gold.

Gavin Barber, Pleasant Valley baseball

In a quarterfinal round win over Johnston, Barber was 4-for-4 with a triple, driving in three runs and scoring once. He added two hits and an RBI vs. Sioux City East.

George Blake, Indianola baseball

Blake pitched a no-hitter as the Indians eliminated Southeast Polk in the Class 4A state tournament, 8-1. He struck out five and walked just two, adding an RBI and two runs scored at the plate. In the semis, Blake had two hits and scored twice.

Ryan Stedman, West Des Moines Valley baseball

Stedman pitched a two-hitter, striking out nine while adding an RBI to lead the Tigers past Waukee, 2-1, in the Class 4A state tournament.

Quinn Flanagan, Dubuque Wahlert Catholic baseball

Flanagan struck out nine and pitched a complete-game four-hitter, walking just one batter vs. North Polk. 

Kason Clayborne, Sioux City East baseball

Clayborne went 5-for-6 with two runs scored in a heartbreaking loss in the Class 4A state semifinals to Pleasant Valley. He had a hit and scored a run in the quarterfinals.

West Cole, Mason City Newman Catholic baseball

Cole, the centerfielder for the Knights, was 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored in the Class 1A quarterfinals. In the finals, he had two runs scored and an RBI.

Dalton Klein, Remsen St. Mary’s baseball

Klein pitched a complete-game, five-hitter, striking out 10 with one walk in a tough 1-0 loss to North Linn in the Class 1A quarterfinals.

Liam Thompson, North Linn baseball

Thompson matched Klein, going the distance while striking out 10, walking one and allowing just five hits. He also had one of those hits off Klein.

Adler Van Essen, Unity Christian baseball

Van Essen was 3-for-5 with three RBI, three runs scored and a walk in the Class 2A quarterfinals, adding an RBI in the semifinals.

Colby Gast, Durant baseball

Gast went the distance in the Class 2A quarterfinals, striking out nine while allowing just five hits and issuing one walk. He also had a hit and scored a run in the 2-1 win. In the semifinals, he was 3-for-5 with five RBI, adding one more hit in the title game.

Jackson Green, Cascade baseball

Green had his own nine-strikeout performance in a 2-1 win over Dyersville Beckman Catholic in the Class 2A quarterfinals. He added a hit and drove in a run while contributing a hit, a run and an RBI in the semis.

William Mescher, Pleasantville baseball

The designated hitter blasted a home run in a 10-0 win in five over Ridge View in the Class 2A quarterfinals, going 1-for-1 with two RBI, two runs and a walk. In the semis, he had two hits and scored a run, adding two RBI and a hit in the final.

Blake Ewing, Moravia baseball

Ewing pitched two scoreless innings in relief, striking out four in the Class 1A semifinals vs. North Linn. He had a hit, a run scored, an RBI and a walk. Ewing added two more hits in the finals.

About Our Athlete of the Week Voting

High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.