Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – City High and its senior third baseman turned outfield Drew Carlson were both already off to strong starts this season before last month’s doubleheader at Dubuque Senior.

The defending 4A semifinalist Little Hawks were a top-10 ranked team and Carlson was off to the best season of his prep career heading into the June 19 doubleheader in Dubuque.

After a 1-2 loss to the Rams in the opener Carlson came up with the performance of his career in a 21-0 City High win in the nightcap, going 4-for-4 with two home runs and nine RBI.

That all-time effort at the plate from Carlson gave City High a doubleheader sweep and started a hot streak for Carlson and the Little Hawks that hasn’t cooled a bit over the last two weeks.

Led by a red-hot Carlson 4A fourth-ranked City High won nine straight games to close the month of June pushing its season record to 26-12.

“It gives you a lot of momentum,” Carlson said of the two-homer, nine-RBI game.  “It helped me but I think getting that win as a team really helped us as much as anything.”
Carlson was off to a strong start in his second season as a starter.

The breakthrough effort at Dubuque Senior was the spark for Carlson who has turned into a major threat in the middle of the City High order.

Carlson ranks second on the team hitting .377 and leads the Little Hawks in home runs (5), RBI (40) and hits (43) and ranks second on the team in runs (28).

“Against Dubuque Senior the ball looked like a beach ball,” Carlson said. “You don’t want to get too confident or anything so I just keep trying to do what I do and try to do my job every time I’m at the plate.”

Carlson hit .271 with seven doubles and 14 RBI last season as a starter on a City High squad that advanced to the 4A semifinals.

This season Carlson took a different approach at the plate in an attempt to cut down on his strikeouts after fanning 20 times in 70 at bats a year ago.

It has worked, with Carlson not only striking out less, but developing some pop that has helped him produce 11 extra-base hits.

“Last year my swing didn’t feel great and I was swinging and missing a lot,” Carlson said. “I tried to have a more contact-based approach, hitting line drives, shooting gaps and doing my job at the plate.”

Carlson started the season at third base but has flourished in a move to the corner outfield spots.

The senior is hitting .419 with four home runs and 18 RBI during the Little Hawk’s current nine-game winning streak.

“The coaches wanted my bat in the lineup so I am willing to play any position,” Carlson said. “Left field, right field, center field, third, second anywhere. First. I didn’t play great at third at the start of the season defensively but they tried me in the outfield and I’ve had some success.”

Carlson is also 4-0 on the mound this season posting a 2.14 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings.

“I feel like we’ve kind of cut down all our distractions and started bringing all of our energy into every pitch, every at bat,” Carlson said. “We are putting pressure on the other teams and I think coming together as a team.”

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