Photo Courtesy of Mid-Prairie Baseball Social Media

Last summer was a successful one for the Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk baseball team, recording the program’s sixth trip to the state tournament all-time and their first win there since 2007. While the numbers the Golden Hawk offense posted during their run were impressive, it was small ball and contact that served as one of their biggest keys to success.

The Golden Hawks laid down 37 sacrifice bunts in the most recent season, second most of any team in all of Class 2A. Dylan Henry and Collin Miller put down seven sacrifice bunts on the year, third most in 2A. They were joined in the top 10 in the state in the stat by teammates Cain Brown, Brock Harland, and Brady Weber.

They were also a patient bunch, drawing 142 walks on the season, ninth most in Iowa in 2A. Harland was the team leader in base on balls, earning 28 free passes on the year, third most in Class 2A.

Mid-Prairie also put the ball in play, a lot. They had just 136 strikeouts as a team, ninth fewest in Class 2A. Mid-Prairie ended the season in the Class 2A state semifinals with a 19-11 overall record.