After a record-setting 33-4 season and an undefeated conference run in 2024, the No. 7 state-ranked Ironmen enter 2025 hungry for more.

That taste of success, head coach Mr. Ryan Short said, has the senior class “really motivated,” setting their sights on a third straight regional title and a deep postseason run.

But last season left them with another taste—one they’d rather forget. A 3-0 loss to Bradley-Bourbonnais in the sectional semifinals still lingers.

For the last 10 months, Short said, “every veteran” has had “a sour taste in their mouths,” the “taste of losing a sectional semifinal game to a team we thought we could beat.” 

But as the Ironmen step onto the field in 2025, that disappointment has turned into determination.

Veteran core

Despite graduating 16 seniors, including ace Ethan Eberle (Louisville), the Ironmen return seven athletes from last season, led by senior pitchers Luke Klunke and Jonah Roper and Kyle Beaty and Brady Burkhart on offense.

Short called Klunke and Roper’s leadership crucial this season, as the duo steps into the spotlight as the Ironmen’s most experienced vets.

“Jonah and Luke really stepped up last year,” Short said. “Their leadership is going to be unbelievably important this year as we try to form a new pitching staff.”

Klunke posted a 5-0 record over 30.1 innings last season, recording a team-best 0.462 ERA while allowing just 16 hits and two earned runs.

Roper, a First-team All-Conference selection, finished 2024 with a 7-0 record, striking out 70 over 39.1 innings with a 1.264 ERA. 

But the Ironmen will have to wait for him to return—Roper is still recovering from Tommy John surgery and is expected back in April.

At the plate, multi-sport standout Kyle Beaty brings experience, patience and speed. 

Beaty, Short said, is “an all-around All-State kid, a great leader who wants what’s best for others and puts his teammates ahead of himself.”

And he’s proven he knows how to win–quarterbacking the Ironmen football team to Final Four and Elite Eight finishes in the last two seasons and helping clinch two regional titles on the baseball diamond.

Last season, Beaty earned First-team All-Conference honors, finishing with a .329 batting average; 20 walks, good for second on the team; and 13 steals (a team fourth-best). 

Burhart also made meaningful contributions last season, seeing time in 34 contests. As a junior, Burhart posted a .374 one-base percentage while driving-in eight.  

Seniors Gavin Borne, Ben Schweigert and junior Drew Stevens return for the Iron this season, adding depth to the roster. 

Borne made the most of his limited at-bats last season, hitting .455 with five stolen bases in just 12 plate appearances while Schweigert proved to be a reliable presence at the plate, posting a .357 on-base percentage. 

Stevens, a Valparaiso verbal-commit with elite bat speed, showed his potential as a sophomore, driving in seven runs with three doubles in 24 plate appearances. 

A look: the junior class

While the senior class provides experience, the Ironmen’s junior class injects high-end talent—including four Division I recruits.

Three of them—pitcher Gavin Swartz, middle infielder Gavin Michaels and catcher Max Heineman—are transfers from crosstown rival U-High.

Adjusting to a new program can be a challenge, but Short believes the transition has been seamless.

“Somebody walking into our practice today who’s never seen us before wouldn’t be able to tell those three guys weren’t here last year,” Short said. “They look like Ironmen. They talk like Ironmen. They’re Ironmen.”

The trio, who have played together since they were nine-years-old, arrive at Community with a shared goal: “To win a state title,” Heineman said.

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Brady Phelps

Swartz, an Indiana University verbal, is expected to anchor the pitching staff. With a fastball touching 90 mph, the right-hander dominated top-Midwest competition over the summer, limiting opponents to just over one run per game while pitching for Rhino K’s Academy.

On the mound, Beckett Weber, Jacob Engel and Landyn Corbin are expected to add crucial pitching depth. All three can reach 80 mph with their fastballs and spent the summer refining their craft. 

With a mix of veteran leadership and junior talent, Short called the 2025 roster “the most versatile or interchangeable group” he’s had in his 20 years leading the program. “There are multiple guys who can play infield and outfield.”

Short’s mentality 

Before the Ironmen even stepped onto the field, Short made sure his team knew the standard.

On day one of practice, he had all 25 members of the roster face the banners in Normal Community’s gym—a reminder of the expectations for this season.

This year, Short is focused on building “a band of brothers,” forging strong relationships through “doing hard things together.”

The message was clear: If the Iron want to make it to June, it starts with work in March.

A gauntlet of a schedule

After an 18-0 run in Big 12 Conference play last year, the Ironmen have a target on their backs.

“I wouldn’t have bet on us to win all 18 last year, and I wouldn’t bet on anybody to win all 18 this year,” Short said. “The top half of the Big 12 is a really competitive baseball conference. Whoever wins it has to go through the gauntlet.”

Before conference play begins, the Ironmen will be tested, opening with a brutal three-day stretch against Morton, Pekin and No. 2-ranked Edwardsville.

Edwardsville, Short said, “live in the Final Four. Until somebody knocks them off, they’re the best program in the state.”

In week two, Community will head south for its annual spring break trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama, where they’ll face top-ranked teams, including No. 18 Central and No. 34 Athens.

After the road trip, the Ironmen will open conference play against Peoria Notre Dame, a 2A Elite Eight team last season.

Beyond Big 12 play, Short has circled several key matchups against teams the Ironmen could see in the postseason, including Moline, Rock Island and United Township.

And then there’s Bradley-Bourbonnais—the team that ended Community’s season last year. Come April, the Ironmen will have a shot at redemption.

Another marquee matchup is the annual intercity showdown against U-High. The game always draws a packed crowd, but this year, the Ironmen’s three transfers will face their former teammates.

Despite the added storyline, Swartz downplayed the rivalry.

“They’re just another game on the schedule,” he said.

Locked in on the goal

With a loaded roster, a tough schedule and a lingering sense of unfinished business, the Ironmen enter 2025 with one goal—going further than last season.

The journey began with an 11-7 road win over Morton and after March 19’s game versus Pekin was postponed, will continue when the Iron face No. 2-ranked Edwardsville.