Utley engineering a great season for Prairie

CEDAR RAPIDS - His competitive baseball career is just about over, but D.J. Utley has gone out with a bang. And a few bombs.

The Cedar Rapids Prairie senior set a school record this season with 14 home runs, topping the previous mark of 13, held by Los Angeles Dodgers minor leaguer Scott Schebler. The Hawks, meanwhile, have won a record 24 games going into their Class 4A substate first-rounder at home Friday night against Waterloo West.

Prairie has won 15 of 17.

Here's the really interesting thing. Utley has decided to study engineering at Iowa State and give up baseball, despite putting up numbers this summer that are college worthy.

"I didn't have any offers last year," he explained. "So I put my college plans together."

Prairie Coach Matt Thede hasn't even been successful trying to steer his outfielder toward his alma mater (Wartburg). That doesn't diminish what the coach thinks about what Utley has accomplished.

"Yes and no," Thede said, when asked how much of a surprise Utley's season has been. "In the eyes of some, yes, it is surprising. But, no, from my standpoint. He just got off to such a slow start last year. But by the end of the season, he was hitting everything. I think he raised his average about 100 points the final third of the season."

"Confidence," Utley said. "My hitting last season was pretty inconsistent. But I really worked on, we really worked on, our games in the offseason. I'm just seeing the ball well right now."

Enough to raise his batting average almost 200 points from last season (.282 to .459) and go from zero to 14 in the homer department. Utley leads Prairie with 50 RBIs and has struck out just 15 times in 135 at-bats.

That's called going out on top.

"It is awesome that some great players went through Prairie, like Scott Schebler, and that I accomplished something that they couldn't," Utley said. "Even though they always walked Schebler."

Other 4A substate first-round games Friday include Cedar Rapids Jefferson at Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Cedar Rapids Washington at Iowa City West, Dubuque Senior at Cedar Rapids Xavier, Cedar Falls at Linn-Mar and Muscatine at Iowa City High.

Marion hosts a Class 3A district semifinal doubleheader, playing Center Point-Urbana at 7. The opener is Vinton-Shellsburg against LaPorte City Union. Substate semifinals in 4A and district finals in 3A are Monday night.