Aiden Frey got his chance to do a backflip.
The Roland-Story junior was getting ready between games during a doubleheader against Nevada on June 15 at the Nevada Baseball Field in Nevada. The Norsemen had just pulled off an impressive 16-1 victory over the Cubs in the opening game.
“I’m a little sore,” said Frey, “(but) I’m getting ready.”
Roland-Story gave him the opportunity to do his backflip after winning the nightcap with an even more dominant performance than it had in the opener, cruising to a 17-1 triumph.
The backflip is not the only tradition Frey has. He does jumping jacks in center field, he puts on two pairs of socks on one foot — which foot he puts the socks on depends on which of the team’s jerseys he is wearing — and he ties his shoes a certain way and puts on his belt in a particular manner as well.
Following an 11-5 loss to Saydel as part of a doubleheader on June 8 in Story City, Frey and his teammates brought back a UFC title belt replica they had used in the past to put in the dugout.
“I’m superstitious,” said Frey. “I’m crazy about that stuff.”
With the way Roland-Story is playing, Frey may have to put his pregame and postgame rituals into overdrive.
The loss to Saydel has been the only setback for Roland-Story through 22 games. The Norsemen improved to 21-1 overall and 9-1 in the Heart of Iowa Conference following their sweep of the Cubs.
“They’ve hit the ground running,” said Roland-Story coach Chris Hill. “We have a lot of guys contributing on the mound, at the plate and in the field. It’s great to have the depth we have, and they’ve been able to put it together.”
The Norsemen entered their doubleheader against Nevada ranked No. 2 in Class 2A by the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association. They have defeated 3A No. 4 Saydel (14-2) and swept 1A No. 2 Martensdale St. Marys (9-8, 9-4).
Norsemen have the most potent offense in 2A
On offense, Roland-Story had scored 224 runs, and the team was hitting .292 with 42 doubles, four triples 11 home runs, a .478 on-base percentage and .442 slugging average. The Norsemen lead 2A in runs scored, RBIs (167) and walks (141) by a wide margin, and they rank second in total hits (161), doubles, homers.
Roland-Story is also lethal on the base paths with a 2A-best 133 steals.
The Norsemen accomplished those impressive numbers with a balanced lineup. Georgius (.452) and Frey (.409) are both hitting over .400, shortstop Jake Knoll .321, pitcher/first baseman Cael Faber .308, pitcher/left fielder Colin Willis .300. Infielder Braden Wallace is hitting .277 and Gavin Jeter .256.
Georgius leads the team with five home runs and 32 RBIs. Knoll has two homers and 31 RBIs, Frey 39 runs and 35 steals, Willis 23 runs, 22 RBIs and 17 steals, Wallace 14 runs, 19 RBIs and 15 steals, Triggs 21 runs and two homers, Jeter 20 runs and Faber 26 runs and 15 RBIs.
“We all took the offseason very seriously,” said Georgius. “We all bought in on an approach. We hit it to right field and the gap. When we hit it (there) we get Gatorades.”
On defense, Roland-Story has a .940 fielding percentage with a 2A-best 416 putouts. Frey mans center field, Triggs right field and Willis and freshman Hunter Hill left field. The Norsemen infield has Faber, Gavin Griffith or Reese Blaisdell at first base, Knoll at second, Wallace at shortstop, Gavin Jeter or Georgius at third and junior Derek Acevedo at catcher.
Depth keys Roland-Story’s success on the mound
The Norsemen pitching staff has allowed just 84 runs this season. They have a staff ERA of 2.99, which is way ahead of last year’s 3.96 when they went 22-10.
Willis and Blaisdell are both 4-0 with respective ERAs of 2.02 and 2.73. Willis has 44 strikeouts and only nine walks in 27 2/3 innings and Blaisdell 46 and 15 in 25 2/3.
Griffith is 3-0 with a 2.28 ERA, 27 strikeouts and six walks in 15 1/3 innings. Wyatt Ramus is 3-0 with a 4.06 ERA, Faber 3-1 with a 2.85 ERA, and Georgius 2-0 and freshman Ryan Kepley are both 2-0.
Roland-Story leads 2A in strikeouts (200) and saves (five). Baisdell has three saves and Kepley two.
“We play a ton of games, obviously, so when you have five guys on the mound that can always do well, it helps a lot,” said Willis. “Faber, me, Gavin, Reece, Wyatt, Kepley … Chance comes in and does well — we all just try to not do too much on the mound. Just always get strikes and always give our team a chance.”
Not satisfied
Roland-Story is now past the halfway point in the 2026 season. The Norsemen look like a 2A title contender, but they still have a lot to prove.
Roland-Story is in a battle with Saydel for the HOIC title. Saydel (10-1) held a half-game lead atop the conference standings as of Tuesday morning.
Outside of the conference, the Norsemen still face 2A No. 7 Grundy Center on June 25, they have the Waterloo Stadium Tournament on June 27 and doubleheaders against 3A rival Gilbert and 1A No. 4 Newman Catholic on June 29 and 30, respectively.
Roland-Story wants to top the 30 wins it achieved during the 2021 season. More importantly, the Norsemen feel they can reach the state tournament for the first time since 2015.
“We talked to Coach Hill before this (doubleheader against Nevada), and we had a good talk about buying in and not letting in any negativity,” Frey said. “I think we’re one of those teams that stays locked in and we can’t wait to keep pushing how far we can go.”
If Roland-Story does make it to Merchants Park in Carroll at the end of July, Frey will need to bring a lot of extra socks, and he may need to figure out how to pull off a double backflip.
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: How Roland-Story became one of the top baseball teams in Class 2A
Reporting by Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune | USA TODAY Network
