Iowa Baseball Season Preview: Infield

The HawkeyeReport Iowa Baseball season preview series kicks off with a look around the infield. After fresh faces filled the openings on the right side a year ago, this season will see new faces will appear on the opposite side, with Raider Tello and Michael Seegers departing after starting all 54 games. Despite returning only 97 of 270 starts (35.9%) from last season, Coach Rick Heller remains confident in the potential of the group. We take a look at the entire infield, including the returning starters, the transfer additions and who has emerged as a starter at third base.

Catcher: GrSr Daniel Rogers and rSoph Reese Moore

Similar to last season, the coaching staff plans to go with a rotation behind the plate, rather than relying on a single player to catch 50+ games. It’s been an ongoing battle between Loras College transfer Daniel Rogers and redshirt sophomore Reese Moore. Although it may be a battle to see who earns more starts at catcher, it’s not a battle for a spot in the lineup. Rick Heller says that Rogers and Moore are two bats that, barring injury, will be in the lineup every single day, either at catcher or designated hitter. As of right now, on a normal four-game week, Heller says the plan is for Daniel Rogers to catch Friday-Saturday, with Reese Moore taking Sunday. Who catches the midweek is not yet decided and could change throughout the season.

“Right now, Rogers has proven to be the most consistent receiver and thrower,” said Heller. “Reese has gotten better at things. He needed to keep working on his receiving and his throwing and he’s gotten better, so I feel really good that we’ve got two great options. I’m just really excited at how Rogers has improved everything.”

Despite not catching much at Loras College, due to how the DuHawks coaching staff wanted to structure their batting order, Rogers has caught on quickly to the standards that Iowa sets for their catchers. Offensively, he was one of, if not the most, successful hitters in Loras Baseball history.

“The biggest question with both Daniel and Reese, we’re going to need them to hit lefties, because they’re going to have to be in the lineup (everyday),” said Heller. “Daniel has made some major changes to his swing to be able to stay back more, stay behind the ball, and drive it more.”

As a senior at Loras last season, Rogers slashed .444/.538/.747, totaling a single season program record 72 hits, 19 doubles, eight home runs and 38 RBI’s. He struck out just 22 times in just 197 plate appearances (11.2%). Daniel finished his career for the DuHawks a program record 239 hits, while his .444 average as a senior was the second-highest single season total in program history.

“He’s a guy with such good hand-eye coordination, so when he swings a pitch outside the zone that you’re not going to do damage with, he doesn’t miss or foul it off. He ends up with a weak groundball…it’s been a big overhaul for Daniel to try to minimize the pitches he swings at and just swing at the ones he does damage with.”

“Daniel had to make the commitment that he was going to take this on and make these major changes, not even for this year with us, but if he wants to play pro ball and he’s taken it on and never wavered…there will be some learning curve, but you hope, after the first few weeks (of the season), he settles in and can really drive the ball for us. If he and Reese can do that, I feel really good about the middle of our lineup.”

First Base: Jr Caleb Wulf or Jr Blake Guerin

Two seasons ago, the coaching staff brought in Wofford transfer Brennen Dorighi as a one-year, plug and play first baseman and he delivered, earning All-Big Ten honors. Last season, the expectation was for Blake Guerin to step up as sophomore, but he only made 19 starts and the coaching staff turned to Utah transfer Davis Cop to make 22 of the last 25 starts at first base. Now, Cop moves on and there will be a new starter at first base for the fourth consecutive season.

“Best case scenario, Blake Guerin, being one of our best power hitters (wins the job). He got ran out there a lot last year, and it just didn’t happen offensively,” said Heller.

A highly-rated player out of high school, in two years with the Hawkeyes, Guerin is slashing .215/.333/.383, with just 14 extra base hits over 126 plate appearances. In 19 starts last season, Blake batted just .184 and had a 29.2% strikeout rate. The physical presence and power potential in Guerin’s bat is unmistakable, but he just hasn’t been able to put it together to earn the starting job. Last summer with the Madison Mallards, Blake batted .317 in 34 games, totaling seven doubles, six home runs and a .435 on-base percentage, while he lowered his strikeout rate to 21.6% over 153 plate appearances. That production would be good enough for double digit doubles and home runs over the course of a 55-game season, but the coaching staff isn’t set on giving him the starting spot, with plenty of competition looking to earn the job.

“Blake is the guy you want out there. He’s 6-foot-6, 270 pounds, a huge target and a very agile, big guy to play defense, but he’s got to do something offensively.”

The guy that’s pushing him hardest and may even be the leader to be the opening day starter is Southeastern CC transfer Caleb Wulf. A second team all-region selection as a freshman and a sophomore, Wulf slashed .369/.438/.478 over his two seasons with the Blackhawks, totaling 37 doubles, four home runs and 130 RBI’s. His 101 hits as a true freshman were the most in a single season in school history and ranked fourth-most in the country for NJCAA II. Although the jump in the level of competition will be considerable, Wulf struck out just 43 times in 579 plate appearances for an incredible 7.4% strikeout rate.

“For Caleb (at the plate), it’s all inclusive. It’s getting on base, it’s clutch with runners in scoring position, it’s getting a bunt down, hit and run, not striking out, getting on-base and he can hit lefties really well,” said Heller. “He’s just a really solid, all-around hitter and the only thing you wish is that he ran better, because if he was a plus runner with his skill set, that’s a perfect world…He’s one of the few guys you can look at and say he is an all-around hitter.”

The other name to know is Wake Tech CC transfer Andrew Holub. An NJCAA Third Team All-American for the Eagles, Holub batted .433, with a .490 on-base percentage, including 21 doubles, ten home runs, 56 RBI’s and 27 stolen bases. He’s a little behind in the battle for the first base job, as he missed most of the fall with an injury and is currently dinged up with a leg injury. When healthy, Holub could provide another physical presence in the lineup.

“Not going to hurt you at a position, but he’s not going to win the job defensively,” said Heller. “He comes in as a mature guy who can hit and hit good pitching. He brings to this lineup, a physical presence that can hit for power, has really good bat to ball skills and he lives in the cage. Just loves to hit and is a good hitter.”

Second Base: Jr Gable Mitchell

Coming into the season last year, one of the big debates on the infield was, how do you replace the hole left by Sam Hojnar at second base. His decision to transfer to Maryland opened the door for Gable Mitchell to become the everyday starter as a sophomore, but there were questions about if he was ready to be a Big Ten level hitter.

Gable started all 54 games at second base, slashing .293/.390/.444, totaling 14 doubles, four home runs and 43 RBI’s. After a slow first half, Mitchell totaled 31 hits over his final 27 games, batting .341, with 14 of his 20 extra base hits coming in the second half. He also had a very solid 13.4% strikeout rate, finishing with more walks/hit by pitches (34) than strikeouts (31).

“He’s really improved as a hitter. Last year, he kind of broke out the second half of the season. He’s taken that and it’s even better now,” Heller says. “His pitch selection is better and there’s some power in there. That’s not his game, but he’s going to hit some home runs. He’s going to hit some doubles and hopefully it’s more than last year and more consistent.”

The first things that come to mind when thinking of Gable Mitchell is his defense, his leadership qualities, his work ethic and his relation to Dan Gable. If he takes another step forward at the plate, his offense will deserve plenty of recognition as well. His second half numbers last season were on track for 65 hits, 16 doubles and 8 home runs over a 55-game season. That would make him a really big threat whether he’s at the top or the bottom of the batting order.

Golden Gable 🥇@GableMitchell13 x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/skBffyNONk

— Iowa Baseball (@UIBaseball) May 18, 2024

Shortstop: Jr Kooper Schulte

For the first time since 2021, the Hawkeyes will have a new shortstop. After three seasons, and 168 games as the starter, Michael Seegers departs. Although Seegers wasn’t a double-digit doubles type hitter, he got on base, was always in the lineup and was an elite defender. That last part, the defense, is something that Rick Heller really values throughout his team, but specifically at shortstop.

Southeastern CC transfer Kooper Schulte, just like Seegers, hangs his hat on the defensive end and will slide right in as an elite glove at shortstop. Not necessarily known for his offensive prowess, Schulte made significant strides at the plate last season, slashing .317/.467/.519 for the Blackhawks, finishing with 14 doubles, eight home runs and 45 RBI’s over 61 games. The coaching staff has really worked with him to makes some changes with his swing, so he can make use of his strength a bit more.

“He has really worked hard on making some pretty big changes, adjustments with his posture and his swing that I think are going to give him a chance to be a really solid hitter for us,” said Heller. “Marty (Sutherland) and Mitch (Boe) have really worked hard with Kooper to put himself in a better posture, so he can utilize his strength more and Kooper has bought in.”

As a bottom half of the lineup bat, Schulte will not be relied on as a table setter but will have the ability to flip the lineup over and help give the top of the order chances with runners on base. His ceiling as a hitter is higher than that of Michael Seegers, but as long as he can provide similar production, along with his defense, Kooper can be a low risk, high reward player in the lineup. If he proves to be a guy that can hit for a solid average, with doubles power and get on base, it will be great depth to have in the lower portion of the order. Rick Heller believes it’s possible that Schulte becomes that type of guy.

“He’s shown that he can drive the ball, and he’s a clutch guy too, which is great, especially at the bottom of the order. It’ll give him the ability to kind of relax and fall into a role…He can play really play the game, move runners, but also, I feel like whenever he comes up, there’s a chance he’s going to hit a double and I didn’t feel that way when he first got here.”

Third Base: rFr Jaixen Frost

Arguably the most intriguing spot on the infield, Rick Heller says that redshirt freshman Jaixen Frost is in line to be the starter at third base. A highly decorated prep baseball player at Mount Ayr in Kellerton, IA, Frost was a three-time all-state selection, but did not appear in a single game as a true freshman last season.

“He had to work really hard coming from a small school (Mount Ayr), so it was a bit of a shock to him with the pitching that he was seeing in the scrimmages as a freshman,” said Heller. “One of our most improved, if not the most improved guy on the team, Jaixen went out last summer and fought through some things like a lot of freshmen do. He came back a different guy, and he’s played great.”

“We told Jaixen, just take all of the stuff that we worked on, get away from us and just go figure it out. Just go play (over the summer) and figure it out.”

Frost spent last summer playing in the Northwoods League with the St Cloud Rox and really played well late in the season. Over his final 18 games, Jaixen batted .392, with a .466 on-base percentage, totaling 20 hits and 11 RBI’s. He also had just a 13.8% strikeout rate over that stretch and stole 21 bases in 47 total games. At Mount Ayr High School, Frost was a three-time all-state selection and holds the school record for career batting average (.615) and single season batting average (.634).

“He took all the stuff we worked on, and he was doing it without me having to correct him (in the fall),” said Heller. “His throwing has been really consistent, his glove work has been great, and then on the offensive side, there were some ups and downs this fall, but it’s been really steady and consistent this spring. He’s been one of our best hitters in the simulated games indoors and live sets outdoors.”

It’s a big leap to go from two-year starter, All-Big Ten third baseman Raider Tello to Jaixen Frost who has yet to register an at-bat in an Iowa uniform. However, Frost has really worked to adjust to collegiate level pitching and has earned the starting spot in the eyes of the coaching staff. It is worth noting that, in the event of an injury, or offensive struggles from Frost (or others), Rick Heller mentioned that Andy Nelson could always slide back into the infield to fill a position.

Designated Hitter: rSoph Reese Moore and GrSr Daniel Rogers

Thrust into the rotation at catcher last season after Cade Moss went down with a broken hamate bone, Reese Moore became one of the pleasant surprises of the season for the Hawkeyes. His path to meaningful at-bats appeared to be blocked last season with a similar situation as this year’s at the catcher and DH position.

Moss went down with an injury and an opportunity was available for Reese. He ended up starting 49 games, including 19 starts at catcher. Moore slashed .287/.424/.474, finishing with 49 hits, 15 doubles, five home runs and a team-high 43 walks/hit by pitches. With a year under his belt, Reese will be looking to get closer to a .300 batting average and cut down on his 22.0% strikeout rate.

“Watching Reese, he’s carrying himself more confidently and I think his plan (at the plate) is better. He’s worked hard on trying to drive the ball better to the opposite field, which will help him against lefties.”

Reese was expected to get at-bats last season in some capacity, whether it was spot duty at catcher or as the designated hitter, but ended up stumbling into being an everyday guy in the lineup. Now, after putting up above average hitting numbers as a redshirt freshman, he’s turned himself into a cornerstone piece of the Hawkeyes lineup. In terms of taking the next step as a hitter, cutting down the strikeouts and increasing his average will be the big keys. If he can do that, he will likely find a spot in the batting order that will give him plenty of chances to drive in runs.

Normally, there would be other names in the running for at-bats at DH, including guys like Andrew Holub, Blake Guerin, Jackson Beaman and Connor Hennings. However, if all goes according to plan, Rick Heller doesn’t plan to spread out his at-bats at DH.

“Daniel Rogers has had a fantastic early season and could be our three-hole hitter and then Reese, if he’s not the three, he’s our four-hole,” said Heller. “When one of them is catching, the other one’s going to be the DH, so that really limits getting other guys in (the lineup).”

C Reese Moore (‘25 elig) put together a couple of good swings on the day, here’s a couple of them. Short stroke with fast hands and an accurate barrel. Can match planes and do damage. Has come a long way behind the dish as well. @UIBaseball @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/62BusHS5xE

— PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) October 12, 2024

Final Outlook

It’s hard to see Raider Tello, Michael Seegers and Davis Cop (169 combined starts) depart, and not assume there is going to be a steep drop-off in production. However, the middle infield duo of Gable Mitchell and Kooper Schulte will be elite defensively, while their combined offensive production could be above average if both of them take another step forward with the bat. Meanwhile, I feel pretty comfortable saying that Daniel Rogers and Reese Moore will be a solid combo splitting time at catcher and designated hitter.

The questions come at the corner infield spots. Who wins the job at first base, and can they provide consistent production? At third base, the Hawkeyes go from 653 career collegiate at-bats to zero with Jaixen Frost. What type of impact can Frost have as a redshirt freshman, and can he stay in the lineup? There is reason to be optimistic that this group can become steady and consistent, both offensively and defensively. However, without a proven, steady contributor like a Raider Tello or Davis Cop, the infield will start the season with hopeful optimism rather than tangible excitement.

Up Next, we move to the outfield to preview a group led by veterans Andy Nelson and Ben Wilmes, while a transfer from Kirkwood CC is set to take over in centerfield.