Utah Player and Pitcher of the Week: Smith, Chrisman, Goates and Johnston
March 12, 2024
Throughout the spring season, Prep Baseball Utah will announce a player and pitcher of the week, every Tuesday, from the previous week. Coaches are sent emails to recommend players for the awards weekly. The awards are based on what kind of statistical week the player had, and it will be subjective, based on my evaluation of the player. Also you do not have to have attended a PBR event to earn the award, but I will lean towards the player I know more thoroughly and also what kind of collegiate prospect that player is. So it isn't only stats, but that is where it starts, with the other criteria as separators in case of a close call. In the event of two performance's in the each category, that could go either way, as to which gets the nod, two awards for that category may be given..
Player of the Week (TWO)
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Hayden Smith C / Snow Canyon, UT / 2024Rankings StateRank: 23 / POS: 5
Week One Stats (Week One - March 4-10) G 4 AB 14 R 2 H 8 HR 2 RBI 6 2B 2 BB 1 SO 1 The former Prep Baseball West Coast Games alum and Glendale CC commit, has been scorching with the bat in 2023 and has carried it into 2024. All Smith did was collect 8 hits with 6 RBI’s, 2 2B’s and 2 HR’s on the weekend. In game one, Smith charged out of the gate with a 4-4, 2 HR performance and continued to collect hits and produce for the #2 ranked Warriors! Congrats! Congrats Hayden on week one Player of the Week honors! West Coast Games Video |
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Cy Chrisman 3B / Maple Mountain , UT / 2026Week One Stats (Week One - March 4-10) G 4 AB 15 R H 10 RBI 5 2B 2 Got a chance to see Chrisman play twice this past weekend and all the #4 ranked player in the 2026 class and Prep Baseball Future Games invite did, was chalk up enough hits that would take most players a third of a season to do in one weekend. The strapping 6-4 210 Lb physical 16 year old collected 10 hits in 15 AB’s vs solid pitching over the course of 4 games in 3 days. Chrisman with the highest exit velo in the class at 103.4, stroked base hit after base hit, while also driving in 5 runners and contributing 2 doubles along the way. If this past weekend is any indication of things to come, over the course of the next 3 years, my projections on this kid are gonna ring true! Utah State Games 10/30/23 This Past Weekend (Below)
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Pitcher of the Week (TWO)
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Kyson Goates RHP / Snow Canyon, UT / 2024
Week One Stats (Week One - March 4-10) PERFECT GAME! G 1 GS 1 CG 1 IP 5 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 0 SO 9 The Lassen CC commit turned in an outing for the ages on Thursday, as he did the almost unattainable! All Goates did was throw a 18-0 run rule 5 inning PERFECT GAME vs the Spanish Fork Dons in game one of the season for the #2 ranked team in the state! Goates was masterful as he faced all 15 hitters and sat them down in order with no runs, no hits, no errors and no dropped 3rd strikes. Congrats to Kyson on the Perfect Game as well as week one Pitcher of the Week honors! |
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Chase Johnston LHP / Maple Mountain , UT / 2025
Week One Stats (Week One - March 4-10) G 1 GS 1 IP 7 H 4 R 2 ER 2 BB 1 SO 8 One of the games that I was in attendance, and Johnston a BYU commit and the ace of the #6 ranked team in the state, has been the Golden Eagles ace since his freshman year. The former two-time Prep Baseball Future Games alum, threw a 7 inning stellar performance vs the #3 ranked team in the state, the Dixie Flyers. With a FB ranging from 85-90 mph, the future D1 lefty, had hitters off balance with his adding/subtracting to the FB and his controlled hammer CB for K’s. When he needed a strike, he was able to back door RHH’s and catch the corner for a called strike, and put hitters away with a spotted up FB low and away, as well as swing and misses at the top of the zone. He would then bury the CB just above the dirt for swinging K-3’s. It’s gonna be tough sailing for opposing hitters vs Johnston over the next two years and with continued projections to his stuff, we could be seeing a low 90’s lefty in short order. Congrats to Chase on this week's Pitcher of the Week honors!
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Committed: 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.