JOURNAL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Kingsley-Pierson's Boston Doeschot

KINGSLEY, Iowa — Boston Doeschot is pretty sure he knows why he and his Kingsley-Pierson High School baseball teammates have been so successful this summer.

It's what they accomplished over the winter.

"I was in the weight room and worked this off-season a lot more than I have in previous years," said Doeschot, the Journal's Athlete of the Week. "That really helped me make a jump."

Battle tested

Ranked second in Iowa Class 1A, Kingsley-Pierson is lined up to host postseason games for as long as they keeps winning up until the state tournament. 

The Panthers, who reached the semifinals last season, are eyeing a second consecutive trip to Merchants Park in Carroll, and third trip appearance in four years.

Knowing what it takes to get there, Kingsley-Pierson has been checking off preseason goals all campaign, and the Panthers crossed a couple off by winning the Western Valley Conference regular season with a 10-0 league mark and a conference tournament title last week.

"Winning the conference and and the conference tournament is always great. We set some high goals for this group at the beginning of the year, we knew we had a talented group," said Kingsley-Pierson head coach, and Boston's father, Taylor Doeschot. "And all of them got bigger, faster, stronger over the offseason and further developed their mental game. So we knew any goal was achievable.

"So to execute the way we have been (up until now) like we have been, it's been great. But we have four weeks of baseball left."

As the postseason looms, K-P sports an overall record of 22-1, a mark that's far from padded as the Panthers have won 12 games against teams that currently have a .500 record or better.

The most recent win, an 18-5 victory at Treynor on Monday night -- one where Boston went 2-for-4 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch while being one of seven Panthers to end the game with more than one RBI. The senior was also the winning pitcher after going 3 ⅔ innings with four strikeouts and allowing four runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks.

Coming into his own

Statistically, Boston Doeschot has made a gigantic leap this summer. His .529 batting average ranks 17th in the state among all classes (minimum of 30-at bats), and his 31 RBIs is tied for second in Class 1A.

"I just feel like it's about about having confidence at the plate," Boston Doeschot said. "Just getting up there and knowing you can do it."

While the second baseman likes hitting more than pitching, he's also gotten it done on the mound, throwing 26 ⅔ innings with 47 strikeouts and a 1.05 ERA. Senior Evan Neumann leads the deep Panthers staff with a 6-0 record and a 0.77 ERA.

Coach Doeschot said he could sense big things ahead for his son in his senior season.

"He grew into his body and hit the weights really hard," Taylor Doeschot said. "He stayed in shape by playing multiple sports, but still put in a lot of baseball work in the offseason. He played almost year-round, and that really helped him develop that confidence in his ability. 

"Because his mental approach his better, his plate approach is better. He knows what he's looking to do. His pregame routine is better. He's just improved in every aspect. You put all that together and you can see the results."

Boston's senior year also included scoring the second-most points and grabbing the second-most rebounds on the basketball team and being one of the top three pass-catchers on the football team.

His off-season work has made him into a more complete hitter at the plate. While his batting average up from a still-impressive .388 as a junior and .338 as a sophomore.

The power hitting has increased right along with his average, hitting seven doubles and four triples and home runs each this season.

"Play hard, have fun and play with confidence is what my dad says before every game," he said.

Lifetime of memories

Doeschot smiles when asked about the time he and his classmates have already put in together, learning the game together on diamonds with fences far closer to home than the ones they play on now.

"A lot of us started playing together in like third grade," Boston said. "Hopefully, we can end the way we want it to this year and close the book with a state championship."

Classmates such as Neumann, Conner Beelner, Beau Bubke, Tyler Orzechowski and Jake Utesch have been major contributors to the success of the Panthers along with Boston.

Neumann was a third-team all-state selection in 1A last season and Beelner was among the team's most productive hitters in 2022, leading the team in batting average (.528).

"Just being around the boys this season -- and their energy -- has been fun," coach Doeschot said. "I just really relish all the time I have with them."

And while the parent-child, coach-player relationship can spill over into life outside the game, K-P has been short on struggles during Boston Doeschot's career as the Panthers have gone 121-18 since the start of his eighth-grade season, one in which he learned the ropes by getting just eight at-bats but turned them into four hits.

With more goals yet to accomplish at K-P and in the midst of a career-defining season, Doeschot is still exploring possibilities to play at the next level.

"I'm planning on playing, just don't know where yet," he said.