CEDAR FALLS - Jeff Conrad may have been a victim of his own success.

Armed with a powerful bat and strong throwing arm, the Cedar Falls baseball standout couldn't have set the bar much higher than he did during his breakthrough freshman campaign. Filling a void in an injury-depleted outfield, Conrad homered in his first varsity game and finished his rookie year on the All-Metro team with a .359 batting average, three home runs and 23 RBIs.

"I kind of knew that I had the ability, but I was a little nervous," Conrad recalled, addressing the moment he heard that he was going to join the varsity team. "I was just trying to give it my all and when good things came, I kept working hard."

After that summer of 2007, Conrad admittedly struggled through his sophomore season and got off to a slow start again this year.

"Coming in as a sophomore, everybody knew about him," Tigers' coach Jack Sole said.

"People just kind of pitched around him (throwing more off-speed pitches as opposed to fastballs) and Jeff was swinging at pitchers' pitches instead of hitters' pitches - which a very young hitter will do."

While he and his coaches had lofty expectations entering this season, Conrad continued to struggle to produce the way he did as a freshman.

Midway through June, that all changed. The junior closed the month with a week in which he hit 7-for-13 with two home runs, seven runs scored, eight RBIs, two doubles and a stolen base.

"Throughout the first quarter of the season, his average was about as low as you can get," Sole said. "And then the other three quarters of the season, he's done a great job.

"It's helped that we have guys hitting around him that are decent hitters, too. Jeff is seeing some better pitches along with being more selective with his attack at the plate and the way he approaches at-bats."

Conrad has seen his batting average increase by more than 100 points. He leads the Tigers with a .520 slugging percentage, four home runs and 22 RBIs. His improved patience at the plate has produced a .421 on-base percentage and a team-high 17 walks.

"It didn't just come to me," Conrad said. "I've worked a lot in the (batting) cage, and all the coaches were helping me out. They've been a big help with my swing and getting my timing down."

Throughout the ups and downs on the diamond, Conrad's talent has never wavered. He began to draw interest from colleges - including the University of Northern Iowa - after his freshman season and was looking forward to the possibility of playing for the Panthers. That dream was shattered when the school dropped its baseball program.

"I could definitely see myself playing at UNI," Conrad said. "Once I heard that baseball was getting dropped, I was a little disappointed and kind of upset, but there's nothing I could really do about it."

Sole still believes his star player will find success at the next level.

"There's no question that Jeff has the ability to play Division I baseball," the Tigers' coach said. "He's definitely got the tools, we just need to recognize the game a little more and he needs a lot more reps."

Defensively, Conrad is a versatile player who's spent time at right field, shortstop and pitcher. A three-year letterwinner, his leadership is also evident.

"His personality is incredible," Sole said. "He's one of the best people I've been around. … He's had to learn to understand that there's a lot of pressure on him as a good hitter and that he has to carry himself in certain ways, and he's learning to do that.

"People look up to him as a leader, and the younger kids in the program love to watch him work."

For now, Conrad's main concern is leading a 6-24 team with seven losses by three or fewer runs into a postseason turnaround. The Tigers will begin substate action July 17 against fifth-rated Waterloo West. The metro rivals split this season's head-to-head series.