Iowa Baseball lands Creighton transfer Anthony Watts
The Iowa Baseball coaching staff has made their intentions very clear in the transfer portal. They want to build a stout pitching staff around Brody Brecht and Marcus Morgan. The Hawkeyes have added five arms to the pitching staff by way of the portal. Creighton RHP Anthony Watts announced his transfer to Iowa over TCU, Washington State and Baylor. Watts spent one year with the Blue Jays and has three remaining years of eligibility.
“I visited Iowa yesterday (6/21) and it went really well,” said Watts. “Showed me around the campus and got to talk to Heller and Sutherland. I have been there quite a bit with playing in the state tournament and going there for showcases.”
An Iowa native, Watts graduated from Waukee Northwest High School. As a senior, Anthony finished with a 9-1 record, including a 1.20 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, .167 opponent average and 121 strikeouts in 62.0 innings. He was named Iowa Pitcher of the Year and was rated the #3 RHP in the state for the class of ’22 by Perfect Game.
As a true freshman for Creighton this past season, Watts appeared in 14 games with eight starts for the Jays. He finished with a 5.15 ERA over 43.2 innings, including 26 strikeouts to 25 walks.
“Playing at Creighton was a great learning experience for myself as a player,” said Watts. “Making 8 starts as a true freshman was a big adjustment from high school learning how to get guys out.”
“The biggest challenge is the mental part and being able to shake things off quickly. The hitters are better and they don’t chase as often. Being able to have a short term memory goes a long way in your ability to be successful in the college game.”
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Anthony throws a fastball/sinker that sits in the low 90’s, but reaches as high as 95 mph. He says his best pitch is his slider (85-86), but he also has a changeup (80-82). He plans to spend the offseason improving both of his offspeed pitches. According to D1Baseball advanced stats, opponents hit .272 on balls in plays against Watts, while 47.3% of balls in play went for ground balls.
As for where he will fit into the Iowa pitching staff, it will depend on the strides he makes during the offseason working with Coach Sean McGrath. The tape shows that there is plenty to like about Anthony’s pitching (why else would Iowa want him?). However, a 1.04 strikeout-to-walk ratio needs to see some improvement. If that happens he will have a shot to fill a number of roles on the staff.
“I want to come in and help the team out any way I can. They see a weekend spot wide open and think I have a shot to earn that role. However, there is a lot of high leverage innings to fill in the bullpen.”
The Hawkeyes have now added RHP Ganon Archer (Kirkwood), RHP Sam Hart (Indian Hills), LHP Brant Hogue (Oklahoma State), RHP Reece Beuter (Dallas Baptist) to go along with today’s addition of Anthony Watts.
