Prep Baseball Report

Utah Diamond Notes: Week One


Jeff Scholzen
Utah Scouting Director

In Person Scouting + Social Media Coverage

Position Players (15 Players)

Austin Park SS / OF / Juab, UT / 2025

Committed: BYU

Week One: March 4-10

IP 6.1 H 3 R 0 ER 0 BB 1 SO 12

The BYU commit and two-time Prep Baseball Future Games alum, committed as a SS, but the 3 sport athlete, who will be hanging up the pigskin next fall, to focus on the diamond headed into his senior year. Park has a variety of tools, and playing the MIF, or in the summer roaming the OF, the arm plays at any position, and the arm was on display last weekend on the mound, as Park threw 6.1 inns of shutout ball with 12 K outs vs the defending 5A state champion, Timpanogos Timberwolves. 

Preseason All-State (2/24/24)

Andrew Wilson C / Desert Hills, UT / 2025

Uncommitted

Mays Madsen OF / Lehi , UT / 2025

Uncommitted

Cy Chrisman 3B / Maple Mountain , UT / 2026

Uncommitted

Player of the Week: Week One (March 4-10)

G 4 AB 15 R 2 H 10 RBI 5 2B 2

Gehrig Marble 1B / Bear River , UT / 2024

Committed: Salt Lake CC

Logan Leavitt 3B / Dixie, UT / 2024

Committed: Glendale CC

Naulivou Lauaki Jr. RHP / Springville, UT / 2024

Committed: U of Oregon

Pitchers

Chase Johnston LHP / 1B / Maple Mountain , UT / 2025

Committed: BYU

 Pitcher of the Week: Week One (March 4-10)

GS 1 IP 7 H 4 R 2 ER 2 BB 1 8

Talan Kelly 3B / RHP / Snow Canyon, UT / 2024

Committed: Utah Tech U

Makaio Swensen RHP / OF / Snow Canyon, UT / 2024

Committed: Salt Lake CC

Jake Andreas RHP / 3B / Dixie, UT / 2025

Uncommitted

Holden Potter SS / RHP / Bear River, UT / 2025

Uncommitted

Crew Christensen RHP / SS / Desert Hills, UT / 2025

Uncommitted

Braxton Yates LHP / OF / Dixie , UT / 2024

Committed: CSI

Hayden Smith C / 3B / Snow Canyon, UT / 2024

Committed: Glendale CC

Smith is a Prep Baseball West Coast Games alum, and had a good sophomore year, followed up by a dominate at times junior year with the bat, and has taken that success and carried it into 2024 with a bang. Smith the 3rd year starter behind the plate for all 3 state title appearances for the Warriors, Smith not only had 8 hits in the 4 game weekend, to propel the 4-0 Warriors to the Kona Ice Klassic Title, but got things going the first night in a 18-0 blow out, where Smith went 4-4 with 2 HR's, and more importantly caught Kyson Goates a Lassen CC commits 5 inning PERFECT GAME! 

 

RECENT NEWS

 

SCOUTING DIRECTOR (BIO)

Scholzen comes to Prep Baseball after serving 9 years as the "Four Corners" Scouting Supervisor with the Milwaukee Brewers (2011-2020). Prior to his run with the Brewers, Scholzen worked for the Los Angeles Angels for 11 years (1999-2010), serving in the same capacity as the "Four Corners" Scouting Supervisor (UT, WY, So-ID, Las Vegas, AZ, CO, NM and El Paso). Scholzen received a 2002 World Series ring for his contributions as a scout with the Angels. 

With the Angels, Scholzen created an Angels Scout Team, in which he coached the following MLB players: Kris Bryant, Kevin Gausman, Greg Bird, Tyler Wagner, Aaron Blair, Joey Rickard, Donn Roach, Johnny Field, Taylor Cole, Andy Burns and Paul Sewald to name a few.

During his run with the the Angels, Scholzen also served as the hitting coach for the Angels rookie ball affiliate in the Pioneer League, the Orem Owlz, helping guide the Owlz to the 2005 and 2007 Pioneer League titles, which earned Jeff two more championship rings.

In Scholzen's 20 year scouting career, he was credited with the signing of 6 MLB players starting with: Brandon Wood, SS, Angels 2003, 1st Rd ~ Efren Navarro, 1B, Angels 2007, 50th Rd ~ Donn Roach, RHP, Angels 2010, 3rd Rd ~ Tyler Wagner, RHP, Brewers 2012, 4th Rd ~ Payton Henry, C, Brewers 2016, 6th Rd ~ Ryan Aguilar, 1B/OF - Brewers 2017, 31st Rd ~ Scholzen also had an additional 3 players added to various clubs 40 man MLB rosters over the years. Currently 2019 (14th Rd) draft pick, RHP-Paxton Schultz from Utah Valley U, is currently in AAA with the Toronto Blue Jays, and former 40 man Brewes rostered RHP (Utah Tech) just recently returned from Korea and signed with the NL Champion Arizona Diamondbacks and will most likely start the year in AAA and once stretched out after an injury plagued 2023, File will move up to AAA!

Prior to becoming a professional scout, Scholzen served as the head coach at Southern Utah University between 1993-1997. At the time, Scholzen was the youngest Division I head coach in the country, when he was first hired at 24 years old. The Southern Utah baseball program was dropped after the 2012 season. While coaching at Southern Utah, Scholzen served as the hitting coach for the Alaska Goldpanners in 1995, as they won the Alaska League Championship. Scholzen also recruited and coached World Series RHP-Ryan Jensen of the San Francisco Giants, who would earn a top 5 finish for NL Rookie of the Year in 2022. Scholzen and Jensen had the unique opportunity, to be on opposing sides of the ledger, when Scholzen's Angels and Jensen's Giants squared off in the 2002 MLB Fall Classic.

Scholzen also had the pleasure of coaching Jensen's roommate and back up catcher, Kyle Turner who has worked in professional/major league baseball for 24 years. Kyle currently is in his 14th season with the big league Kansas City Royals and serves as the clubs Head Athletic Trainer. Turner was instramental, while a young player for Scholzen at Southern Utah, in introducing Scholzen to his first wife, the late Heidi Dalton Scholzen, who passed away in December of 2014. A native of Utah, Scholzen played at Hurricane HS and was twice named 1st team All-State and an AAU HM All-American, before moving on to Utah Valley CC and Eastern Oregon University, earning All-Conference honors on three separate occasions. Scholzen played in the Angels’ organization in 1991.

Scholzen was married to his late wife Heidi for 20 years and their union produced four children - McKyla 27, Miranda 24, McKenzie 22 and the couples only son, Grant Scholzen 19, who is a freshman 2B at D1 WCC school, the U of the Pacific (Pacific Tigers) on scholarship. After Heidi's passing in 2014, Scholzen married Cami Macias Scholzen, a widow herself and the same age as Heidi and the couple now have been married 8 years. Between both families, Jeff has 3 grandchildren and 5 step grandchildren (8 total) and the Scholzen's reside in Hurricane, UT in the bottom left SW corner of the state near the most iconic and scenic national parks in the country.