Blaine Heick has been a 3-sport athlete since his freshman year. He was a key player on the Little Hawk football team at linebacker and tight-end, being a 3-year varsity starter and achieving all-district defensive First Team during his Senior season. In the winter Heick can be found on the wrestling mat, qualifying for state last year as a Junior. When asked about his “Don’t Blink” moment of 2025 he claimed “Winning state baseball” was his favorite moment of 2025.

When asked about why this moment was special he said, “Getting it done for the seniors, specifically Jaxton Schroeder.”

During the 2025 baseball season, Blaine started 38 out of 41 games, had 38 total bases and was 11 for 15 on stolen bases. He played centerfield and had 43 putouts with 0 errors. Blaine has a goal of, “Winning another baseball title.” and he plans to, “fully focus on baseball as soon as wrestling is over.” 

Blaine is one of 3 returning starters and looks to step into the role of being a Senior leader.

 “I want to help bring up new players after last year’s senior class made up the majority of the varsity team.”

Cal Vitense is a senior infielder and pitcher for the City High Little Hawks. Vitense 26’ has plans to attend Blackhawk College to play baseball next year in Moline, Illinois. Cal is gearing up for a big senior season following a successful junior season. When asked what his “Don’t Blink” moment of 2025 was, Vitense just smiled and said, “Winning the 2025 State Championship in baseball”. This was the first state championship in school history, and the first brought home to Iowa City.

“I have been around the program for a long time, and we’ve been chasing this for a long time. It just feels great to finally reach our goal.” Vitense said. 

Looking forward to the 2026 season, Vitense has high goals for himself and the team, “I want to finish the school year strong, and go back-to-back and win another state championship.” 

Vitense will play a key role in the Little Hawks pitching rotation this season. Vitense is following a season with 15.1 innings pitched, with many coming from out of the bullpen. However, Vitense  will have to shift to the role of a starter this season and give the Little Hawks much needed innings on the bump.

Ben Klitgaard is a senior infielder/utility player for the City High Little Hawks. Klitgaard 26’ is currently undecided for his plans after high school and has been playing with City baseball since he was 7. When asking Ben what his “Don’t Blink” moment of 2025 was he replied with “Winning a state championship in baseball.” 

When Ben was asked what made this moment one of the most memorable of his time at City he said, “All our hard work finally paid off, and it is great to finally see everyone’s goals be met. It was truly a special and fulfilling thing.”

Looking ahead to the 2026 season, Klitgaard has high goals for himself and the team, to “win a conference championship on the way to winning back-to-back state titles.”

Last year Klitgaard played a total of 10 games for City High and had a .333 OBP. Klitgaard will start at third base this year for the Little Hawks and will be a be a key contributor to the teams success.