Prairie Baseball

Winter, Utley honored by IIAC

Two former Metro athletes have been honored by the Iowa Conference this week.

Xavier grad Kristen Winter, now a junior at Luther College, has been named the IIAC softball player of the week.

Prairie grad D.J. Utley, now a junior at Wartburg, has been honored by the conference in baseball.

Winter, a second baseman, hit .500 and slugged 1.100 while leading the Norse to the Iowa Conference tournament title. She had three hits and three RBIs, including a walk-off home run, in Luther's 5-4, 8-inning win over Buena Vista Friday. She had two hits, including a two-run homer, in a 15-11 Norse championship game win over Coe Sunday.

Utley, a first baseman, hit .571 (8-of-14) with three doubles, a home run, seven RBIs and three runs scored. In the regular-season finale against Central, he tied a career-high with five RBIs and finished a triple shy of the cycle. Utley also started the finale on the mound, throwing two innings.

Schebler wins Branch Rickey award

The Los Angeles Dodgers have named Scott Schebler the Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year in their organization.

Schebler, a Cedar Rapids Prairie graduate, hit .296 with 27 home runs and 91 RBIs for Rancho Cucamonga in the Class A California League.

Schebler, 22, ranked second in the league in home runs, second in slugging percentage (.581), third in triples (13), fourth in runs scored (95) and seventh in RBIs. He also stole 16 bases.

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Beckman commits to Nebraska baseball team

Trey Beckman of Cedar Rapids Prairie has decided to join the parade of Metro baseball players to the University of Nebraska.

Beckman, a left-handed outfielder, hit .337 with one homer and 28 RBIs for Prairie this season as a sophomore. He is scheduled to be the starting quarterback for the Prairie football team this fall as a junior.

Beckman impressed the Nebraska coaches at a hitting camp last winter. That led to the Cornhuskers scouting him at Perfect Game showcases, tournaments and games. "They started following me and I guess they liked what they saw," he said Thursday.

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Mougin, Hammer named IHSBCA all-staters

Five Metro players were named to the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association all-state teams Wednesday.

Linn-Mar senior pitcher Austin Stroschein and Prairie senior shortstop Ty Mougin were named to the Class 4A first team.

Prairie senior pitcher Brennan Hammer, Linn-Mar senior first baseman Jimmy Roth and Linn-Mar sophomore third baseman Brandt Ollinger were named to the Class 4A second team.

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