Maddux Frese sets the table in Cedar Rapids Prairie’s sweep of Cedar Rapids Jefferson

CEDAR RAPIDS — Maddux Frese is stepping into the leadoff spot of Cedar Rapids Prairie’s batting order.

He’s replacing all-stater Bronx Lewis, who was a prototypical catalyst for the Hawks offense. Frese is comfortable filling the role and shoes.

“I’ve been hitting leadoff for all my travel teams and when I was younger I always hit leadoff,” Frese said. “It’s kind of natural for me.”

Frese kickstarted the Prairie offense Friday, reaching base in his first seven at-bats in the Class 4A ninth-ranked Hawks’ 6-3 and 14-6 Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader sweep at Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

Frese went 3-for-3 with a walk, run, RBI and stolen base in the opener. He followed wth a 2-for-4 and a walk performance, scoring three times in the nightcap.

“He’s huge,” Prairie Coach James Nelson said. “We have him and (Cal) Sullivan in the 1-2 spot and they’re the ones that set the table for us on offense.”

“When they get you going, it’s a big push for what we’re going to be able to do in a game. They’ve been that way the whole year.”

Frese’s approach is simple. He tries to set the table for his teammates to feast. Sullivan leads the team with 24 RBIs, while Noah Day and Brandon Vlcko have 17 apiece.

“I’m just trying to get on base,” Frese said. “I know I have some big power hitters behind me, like Cal, Brandon and Noah. They can hit me in.”

The impact was immediate against the J-Hawks. Frese led off the opener with a double. The next at-bat he coasted home on a Sullivan double. Two batters, two swings and a 1-0 lead.

The duo had back-to-back singles in the first inning of Game 2 and consecutive doubles again two innings later.

“I had an approach to go over second base and that’s what I usually try to do,” Frese said. “The first at-bat I smoked a double to the wall. It was kind of over second base and that showed what I’ve been trying to do.”

Take a look at Frese’s production from last year. Frese needed just 25 games to surpass his statistics for all of last season, hitting more than .100 points higher with an on-base percentage that increased from .342 to .429.

Frese has 23 hits and 23 runs this season after tallying 17 and 21, respectively, all of 2021. His 17 RBIs is two more than a year ago. Frese has seven doubles and two triples, which are more than last season. His 13 singles and one home run matched his sophomore output.

“I’ve been trying to go the other way with my hitting,” Frese said. “I used to struggle with the outside pitch. A lot of my hits this year have been to the opposite field. It has really helped me.”

Some of the improvement can be attributed to another year of maturity. Nelson said he is stronger and older. He added that he needs reminding that Frese is still a junior, playing in his third season as a varsity contributor.

“His skill set is phenomenal and he’s been playing with us for a long time now,” Nelson said. “He came up and started playing as a freshman.

“The kid is a baseball player. He knows the game and leads us in that way. He’s grown a lot. He’s a heck of a player.”

Prairie (19-6) scored in each of the first three innings of Game 1. The Hawks added two more in the fifth. Landon Ruby had two hits and was one of six Hawks to have an RBI in the first game.

The Hawks erupted for eight runs in the opening frame of the second game, sending 12 batters to the plate. Every Prairie starter had at least one hit. Sullivan led the way, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs. Vlcko had three hits and drove in a run. Reid Burkle added two RBIs for the Hawks.

Prairie capped a big week, going 6-0 with sweeps of the J-Hawks, Pleasant Valley and 3A No. 4 Dubuque Wahlert.

“It was a great week,” Frese said. “We had some pretty big wins against really good teams.”

Zac Henderson powered Jefferson (8-16). He went 2-for-2 and scored once in the opener. Henderson added three hits, an RBI and two runs in the nightcap.

Abram Johnson had two hits and two RBIs and Logan Boll tallied three hits and drove in a run for the J-Hawks.