Manny Olutunde has become catalyst for Cedar Rapids Jefferson offense

CEDAR RAPIDS — Manny Olutunde has found his niche as a catalyst for Cedar Rapids Jefferson's batting lineup.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson Coach Kyle Rodenkirk recognized it early and moved him to the leadoff spot.

'He gets us going, that's for sure,' Rodenkirk said. 'When he gets on base then good things happen.

'We swipe some bags, we hit-and-run or whatever.'

Olutunde scored every time he reached base, including three times in the opener, and helped the fourth-ranked J-Hawks sweep No. 7 Dubuque Senior, 4-2 and 7-3, in a Mississippi Valley Conference Valley Division doubleheader Friday night at Lower Kingston.

Olutunde, a senior, is much more modest about his impact. He was asked if Rodenkirk was correct about his offensive role.

'He says the right thing most of the time,' Olutunde said with a laugh. 'I'm just doing everything for the team.'

His approach is team first, which was shown by a late sacrifice bunt despite hitting above .414 and an on-base percentage near .500. Rodenkirk said he would like to have 20 of him on the team.

'He's probably one of the most coachable kids we have on this team,' Rodenkirk said. 'He couldn't be nicer. He's almost too nice at times. He's always out there smiling.'

Rodenkirk has witnessed his progress the last three seasons. He said this is his most productive year, leading the J-Hawks in hits and runs. Olutunde, who plans to continue his baseball career at Ellsworth Community College, has leveled his swing to hit more line drives, but hasn't altered his approach at the plate.

'To tell you the truth, I haven't changed anything,' Olutunde said. 'I'm still going to right field. I pull some balls there and then.

'I'm hitting with a little more power this year, which is pretty nice, but I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing.'

Olutunde helped the J-Hawks soar to early leads in each game. He opened the first game with a base hit, stole second and then scored on an errant pickoff throw. He added a two-out double in the third and scored with Spencer Van Scoyoc on Tyler Roeder's double, giving Jefferson a 3-0 lead.

Jared Eivins' fielder's choice in the fifth scored Olutunde for a 4-1 lead, and that was plenty for Van Scoyoc.

The Toronto Blue Jays' 19th-round draft pick and Arizona State signee fanned 11 batters and scattered six hits. Van Scoyoc notched his first victory of the season.

'He labored a bit early on and then got in a rhythm,' Rodenkirk said. 'He kind of showed his true colors there. I'm happy he had a solid performance to jump start into the second half.'

The J-Hawks (17-7, 11-5 MVC) jumped to a 5-0 lead in the nightcap. Brayden Frazier belted a two-run double in the first and scored on a Caleb Stekl single.

Connor Van Scoyoc and Olutunde had consecutive doubles and both scored in the second inning.

Jefferson sealed the sweep with solo home runs by Eivins and Stekl in the sixth inning. Senior fell to 18-8 overall and 13-4 after entering the twin bill atop the MVC Valley.

'This was big,' Rodenkirk said. 'It was good to take two from them.

'It was just a good team win overall. We had a lot of key players in those two wins.

'We're starting to click a little bit more. We'll try to continue this into late July.'

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