A pair of Iowa college baseball programs received an early Christmas gift this year in the form of two standout Comet players.
On Dec. 20, seniors Jake Underbakke-Hennessy and Tytan Griffith affirmed commitments to play ball at the next level. Underbakke-Hennesy will join Northeast Iowa Community College while Griffith will join Mount Mercy University.
Both Underbakke-Hennessy and Griffith were integral parts of an exciting 2024 summer season in which the Comets won 15 games, a mark that hasn’t been eclipsed since the 2007 season.
On the mound, Griffith led the Comets in innings pitched with 40.1. He posted a 3.64 ERA and 1.56 WHIP to go along with a .234 opponents’ batting average allowed.
In nine starts last season, he struck out 36 batters, gave up only 36 hits and 27 walks while surrendering 21 earned runs.
Griffith was just as effective at the plate, recording a .276 batting average, a .338 on-base percentage, a .332 slugging percentage and a .710 on-base plus slugging percentage.
He drove in 23 runs, scored 17 himself, and generated 24 hits while walking more times than he struck out (15 to 14). Additionally, he stole 11 bases while only being caught once.
Playing the infield, Underbakke-Hennessy recorded 19 defensive assists and 20 putouts while committing only eight errors.
At the dish, Underbakke-Hennessy slashed .184/.311/.276, driving in seven runs and collecting 14 hits — three of which were doubles and two of which were triples.
He walked nine times and was hit by five pitches. He also stole one base in his only attempt.
Underbakke-Hennessy is part of NICC’s inaugural recruiting class of 31 athletes. The Cougar baseball team will not officially take the field until next fall.
Griffith will join a Mount Mercy team that won its first Heart of America conference championship in program history.
The team went 34-22 overall, including an impressive 18-4 mark playing at home inside the Robert W. Plaster Athletic Complex in Cedar Rapids.