Campus Newcomers with Coach Marty Sutherland: Freshman Edition
The second half of the campus newcomers preview is focused on the incoming freshman class. The Hawkeyes bring in 11 players, including six pitchers and five position players. The class ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 68th in the country by Perfect Game ahead of notable schools like Nebraska, Michigan State, Southern Mississippi, Washington and Arizona. Broken down by state, the players come from Iowa (6), Nebraska (2), Missouri (1), Texas (1) and Quebec (1). Seven of the 11 incoming freshmen are ranked top ten in their respective state and ten of the 11 players ranked in the top five at their position.
I recently got the chance to speak with Assistant Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Marty Sutherland, to learn more about the incoming class. Below is the breakdown of each player, including statistics, accolades, pitch arsenals, finalists during the recruiting process and comments from Coach Sutherland.
RHP Drew Deremer – Millard West (Omaha, NE)
Out of Millard West in Omaha, right-handed pitcher Drew Deremer committed to Iowa over Omaha, South Dakota State, UT Martin and Illinois State. His Millard West team made three straight championships, including a state title his junior year. Deremer was a Second Team Nebraska Super State selection as a junior and a First Team selection as a senior.
“You’re getting a kid that’s used to winning. His dad played college baseball, had an uncle play college baseball, so it runs in the family. I think the biggest thing about Drew is he’s always won…every time we watched him, it was like, they’re in the game. He’s winning regardless of who he was pitching against.”
As a senior for the Wildcats, Deremer finished with a 7-0 record and a 1.48 ERA over 42.2 innings. He racked up 44 strikeouts to 13 walks and allowed just 0.82 hits per inning. Along with his Super State selection, Drew was a Class A All-State selection.
His pitch arsenal is a large one for someone coming out of high school. He throws a 4-seam fastball (92), 2-seam fastball (90), a slider (80), a curveball (79) and a changeup (76). There is a lot to work with, which allows Drew and pitching coach Sean McGrath to find the best mix for him to get outs.
“Just because you throw four or five pitches, doesn’t mean it makes to who you are as a pitcher. Our job as coaches is to figure out exactly what makes the most sense together. Sean, and Robin before him have had a ton of success developing pitches. I think Sean will be able to do a lot of great things with him to sharpen up everything.”
LHP Elliot Cadieux-Lanoue – (Saint-Pie, QC, CAN)
Out of Quebec, left-handed pitcher Elliot Cadieux-Lanoue was a member of the 2021 Canada Futures Team, as well as the 18u Canada Junior National Team. He played his travel baseball with 17u Diamondbacks Elite Showcase Team out of Michigan.
“If you look at some of the pitching we need, we’re going to need some left-handers to kind of step up and have big roles. I think there’s only four or five of them in total, so he’s certainly a guy that coming in has played high-level competition and has traveled a bunch. I think his ability to adapt to school will happen pretty quickly.”
This summer with Diamondbacks Elite, Cadieux-Lanoue appeared in 11 games with seven starts and posted a 1.15 ERA over 36.2 innings. He racked up an impressive 80 strikeouts (2.19 per INN) to 18 walks, while opponents averaged just 0.44 hits per inning. He currently uses a three-pitch mix, including a fastball in the low 90s, up to 93-94, as well as a changeup in the low 80s and a 10-4 curveball in the mid 70s. Elliot says he is also working on adding a cutter and a sweeper slider to his arsenal.
“We thought in the spring that he may have been a potential draft risk, but I think the velo stayed in that 89-91 range and there were some two’s and three’s in the late fall and early parts of the spring. If that would have held, he may have been a tough guy to get to campus, but I think there’s some low hanging fruit that we’re going to get to quickly.”
RHP Douglas Taylor – Newman Catholic (Mason City, IA)
Out of Newman Catholic in Mason City, Doug Taylor was a very successful high school athlete. As a junior, he was named Conference Player of the Year and was an all-state selection for both baseball and basketball. He is the all-time leading scorer in basketball for Newman Catholic and was named to the Iowa All-State Super Team this past season for baseball.
“Was playing as an eighth grader, winning state titles and was a pitcher, so he’s just been playing at the highest level he possibly could be for a while,” said Sutherland. “Good at everything and just a really grounded kid that’s always trying to get better.”
As a senior for the Knights, Taylor finished with a 9-1 record and a 0.63 ERA over 55.1 innings. He was third in the state with 118 strikeouts and walked just seven batters. Opponents batted .094 against him and mustered just 0.33 hits per inning. His pitch arsenal includes a 2-seam fastball (88-92), a slider (79-81) and a changeup (80-83).
“He was a kid that was constantly reaching out to Robin and Sean about trying to improve his performance, improve when he was working with whoever he was working with up there. Always asking for help and direction, so really just a burning desire to be great, which will serve you well when you’re making the next step into college.”
INF Jaixen Frost – Mount Ayr (Mount Ayr, IA)
Out of Mount Ayr, Jaixen Frost committed to Iowa over Kirkwood, Iowa Central and several D2 schools. He was a do-it-all athlete for the Raiders, as he was named Pride of Iowa Conference Player of the Year in baseball, football and basketball as a junior. As a baseball player, Frost was a three-time 1A all-state selection.
“I don’t know if you can find a more decorated kid to come out of anywhere. Player of the year in football, player of the year in basketball, player of the year in baseball. He’s a high-level performer in everything he’s ever done and everybody will say he played a small school, but you still have to be pretty good at things if that’s the level you’re playing at.”
Over 37 games a junior and senior, Frost batted .581, including ten doubles, four triples and 13 home runs. He drew 57 walks/hbp to just eight strikeouts (4.9% rate). Mount Ayr was 26-12 his final two years, but fell two wins short of the state tournament this past season.
“He’s a strong kind. 6’1, 6’2 and it’s already physical, so from that standpoint, I think he’ll be able to show up and fit in really quickly.”
“He didn’t play a ton of travel stuff and he certainly did not see high-level pitching throughout high school, so I think it’s just his adaptability to the speed of the game…He’s been great at everything he’s ever done, so I expect nothing to be different with how quickly he’ll catch on with things.”
C Max Burt – Newman Catholic (Mason City, IA)
Out of Newman Catholic, catcher Max Burt talked to big name schools like Oregon, Oregon State, Florida State and Arizona during the recruiting process, but ultimately committed to Iowa back in 2020. He was a four-time All-State baseball selection and earned a spot on the All-State Super Team as a senior. Burt was a three-sport athlete for the Knights and is a player that could be a leader for the Hawkeyes down the road.
“He’s a quarterback, a catcher, a point guard. He has all the qualities that you would expect from somebody who’s been kind of the floor leader, game leader of any sport. He certainly is about his teammates, the team and he puts the right things first.”
As a junior for a Knights team that made the state semifinal, Max batted .465 with ten doubles, six home runs and 48 RBIs. This past season as a senior, he upped his game even more and batted .505 with 13 doubles, 11 home runs and a .680 on-base percentage. He owned a 32.2% walk/hbp rate to a 3.8% strikeout rate over his final two years.
“There’s power in there. How well he can adapt behind the plate, we’ll se how that goes, but he’s got some positional versatility too. He can play some first, probably can play some second. He’s a good athlete.”
“From a leadership standpoint, he comes in pretty tooled up, so that’s exciting.”
RHP Rowan Donels – Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, IA)
Out of Cedar Rapids Kennedy, right-handed pitcher Rowan Donels committed to Iowa over Dallas Baptist. As a senior for the Cougars, Donels was named a First Team 4A All-State selection at first base, but will be will be a pitcher for the Hawkeyes.
“He’s similar to Doug (Taylor). Really trying to be a student of the game and understanding the concepts of movement. He’s always wanting to get information on that stuff, which allows you to hit the ground running there.”
“He’s a big kid, 6’5. He walks in and you’re like, okay, that’s the way they should look. He looks the part.”
This past season, Donels posted a 2.48 ERA over 48.0 innings on the mound. He struck out 75 and put 32 on via walk/hbp. Opponents batted just .180 against him and averaged 0.81 hits per inning. Rowan has a 4-seam fastball that reaches into the mid 90s (T94), a slider in the mid 80s and a changeup in the low 80s.
“It’s can he throw strikes? Can he shorten the times that he’s outside the zone?…it’s just refining his body awareness and his ability to repeat mechanically. Him and Sean, I think they know that, similar to (Ganon) Archer, there’s some low hanging fruit with the movement stuff that we can unlock some things really quickly. How quickly can we gain some consistency with the movement and getting the ball in the zone.”
OF Ryan Brosius – Whalert Catholic (Dubuque, IA)
Out of Whalert Catholic in Dubuque, outfielder Ryan Brosius is another in-state addition for the Hawkeyes. He was a First Team 3A All-State selection this past season and helped the Golden Eagles to a state tournament appearance at Duane Banks Field. Brosius was also a 3A Track State Champion in the 100m as a sophomore and finished third in the 200m as a junior.
“He can really run. He’s a plus runner and he’ll be one of the best runners we have, right up there with (Andy) Nelson, (Ben) Swails and (Sam) Petersen.”
“He was moved around quite a bit defensively. He played a lot of infield for Whalert just because that was the need, but I do think he ends up in the outfield here and I think that’s his vision as well.”
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As a senior, Brosius batted .341 over 40 games for the Eagles, including ten doubles, two home runs and a .452 on-base percentage. He drew 27 walks/hbp to 18 strikeouts (11.1% rate) and stole a state-leading 52 bases.
“There’s probably some things to refine as a hitter with his swing, but he’s going to be able to do some things we can’t teach with the pressure he can put on the defense. That’s a really big factor.”
UTL Joe Connolly – Skutt Catholic (Omaha, NE)
Out of Skutt Catholic in Omaha, Nebraska, utility player Joe Connolly committed to Iowa over Utah and Kansas. He was a back-to-back Nebraska Class B First-Team All-State selection for the Seahawks. Connolly spent the summer playing with the Skutt Catholic Post 374 19u Legion Team.
“He can really run. Him and Brosius are both plus runners. He’ll probably start out doing some infield stuff, but I think he could find himself doing some outfield stuff as well.”
“I think from an athletic standpoint, it’s exciting to have guys like him and just see how well he can adapt to wahever defensive spot makes sense.”
As a junior, Joe batted .434 with a .504 on-base percentage, including 15 walks to just nine strikeouts over 114 plate appearances. As a senior, he batted .395 with a .495 on-base percentage, including just two strikeouts in 103 plate appearances. Connolly struck out just 11 times over 217 plate appearances (5.1%) his last two years. Then during the summer legion season, he was one of the state leaders with eight triples.
“He’s got enough strength that he doesn’t have to just be a plus runner. I think he can develop into a guy that has a chance to hit some extra base hits. He’s got enough bat speed…excited about his overall athletic ability.”
INF Ty Plummer – WDM Valley (West Des Moines, IA)
Out of West Des Moines Valley, infielder Ty Plummer committed to Iowa over Grand Canyon, Baylor, Wichita State and some mid-majors schools. As a junior, Plummer was a First Team All-CIML selection, but leveled up to First Team 4A All-State as a senior this season.
“His dad is the AD at Grandview, but was a longtime pitching coach for Grandview with Lou Yacinich, so Ty has grown up around baseball his whole life.”
“Just a throwback baseball rat type of kid. Just loves to play. Really really high IQ, all of those things are in a really good place, which puts you in a good place to be able to adapt to college quickly.”
Valley advanced to the substate championship game against Johnston and Ty Plummer was a big reason for their successful year. He finished fifth in the conference with a .402 average, including a .512 on-base percentage. Ty missed some time with a thumb injury, but still led the team in hits, runs, RBIs and stolen bases.
“He hurt his thumb for a period of times, so I know he had to sit out for a little bit. Probably would have even had a better year numbers wise, if he didn’t sit out some games. Really excited about getting a baseball kid in here as far as just the IQ and the understand of the game. I think that’s going to serve him well.”
RHP Tanner Paschke – Fort Zumwalt North (O’Fallon, MO)
Out of the St Louis area, right-handed pitcher Tanner Paschke out of Fort Zumwalt North committed to Iowa back in February of 2022. He was a First Team All-Gateway Conference for the Panthers in 2022, but missed his senior season due to an elbow injury.
“He had internal bracing, so it’s a seven month Tommy John recovery time, as opposed to the normal 11-12 months. He’ll probably miss the whole fall.”
“It will be similar to Brant (Hogue) probably. In January/February being close to full speed. You wish you had a chance to work with him for those three, four months, but that’s the way it goes and he’ll hit the ground running when he’s ready to go.”
As a junior, Paschke made nine starts and posted a 2.80 ERA over 45.0 innings. He racked up 74 strikeouts to 27 walks, while opponents batted just .167 against him. He had a 1.22 WHIP and allowed just 0.62 hits per inning. His pitch arsenal includes a 4-seam fastball (88-90), a slider (78-80) and a changeup (78-80).
“When we were thinking about when we got Tanner on board was just a high level breaking ball. He spins it over 3000, so he’s up there with Marcus and Cade, as far as just their ability to spin it.”
“It was probably in that 90-91 range prior to his senior summers, but certainly it’ll depend on how the rehab all goes.”
RHP Carrson Canady – Strake Jesuit Prep (Missouri City, TX)
Out of Missouri City, Texas, right-handed pitcher Carrson Canady was the latest addition in the Iowa class of 2023. He committed to the Hawkeyes over a host of JUCO and DII schools. The coaching staff is hoping they can get a recruiting steal out of a southern state.
“He’s got a connection to Bo Porter, he runs a facility and a travel team in Texas and Carrson was working out at that facility. Bo was the one that turned us on to him and was just saying that (Carrson) he just wants a shot at a place that he knows he’s going to develop.”
Canady stands at 6-foot-2, 160 pounds, but still gets his 4-seam fastball into the 87-90 range. He also has a 2-seam fastball (86-88), a changeup (75-79) and a curveball (71-75).
“The thought here is, how quickly can he physically develop? He’s doing some things really well right now, but with the physicalility and the development there, where does it go, which is exciting.”
