BEACONSFIELD, Iowa — A small-town Iowa kid has a chance to make it big by being named the Youth Athlete of the Year, which comes with a 3BRAND ad in Sports Illustrated and $25,000.

Ten-year-old Kolter Hartman is a 5th grader at Mount Ayr Community Schools. He lives in the town of Beaconsfield, which has a population of 11 people. But Hartman is in the quarterfinals of the national contest to be named the Youth Athlete of the Year.

Kolter plays baseball for the Iowa Prospects, a baseball academy in Grimes. He pitches, as well as plays shortstop and third base.

“I started baseball because my dad started taking me to a lot of (slow-pitch) softball games and I was playing catch with him and Jaixen Frost because he was up there playing too. So, and then I stuck with baseball.”

Jaixen Frost is a third baseman for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Frost also grew up only a few miles from Hartman, went to the same school, and was a role model for him growing up.

Hartman said that he has games almost every weekend in Grimes and around the Des Moines metro. With that, he also practices four days every week. On Mondays and Tuesdays, he goes to lessons in Creston — an hour and a half round-trip. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, he has practice with the Prospects in Grimes – a nearly three-hour round-trip.

Kolter’s dad, Travis Hartman, said that Kolter works hard day in and day out to get better each day. He also said it would be huge for a small-town kid to win an award of this magnitude.

“I think it’d be huge,” Travis said. “I mean, I don’t think baseball is as big a sport in Iowa compared to the southern states and coming from a town of literally 11 people and Mount Ayr Community Schools. I mean, I think it would be huge for our town, the school district, and the state, saying that a small kid from a small town can achieve his dreams.”

Kolter placed first in his initial group of 50 to advance to the quarterfinals, where he is now. Currently, there are four groups of 16 contestants remaining. The winner of each of the four groups will advance to the Final Four, where a winner will be chosen after that round of voting.

Kolter is currently placed third in his group and will need to be in first by the time voting closes at 9 p.m. on Thursday to advance to the Final Four. To vote for Kolter, this link will take you to the voting page. Each person is allowed one free vote per day. Or, votes can be purchased – one vote per $1 donated. Wednesday is double vote day – two votes per $1 donated.

Money that is donated for votes goes to support the “V Foundation” for cancer research.