Iowa Fall Baseball Storylines and Questions

After earning a bid to their first NCAA Tournament regional since 2017, the Iowa Baseball team has their sights set on bigger things for the 2024 season. Host a regional? Make a super regional? Make it to Omaha?? There is plenty of excitement in and around the program and for good reason. The Hawkeyes return one of the best starting pitching duos in the country, as well as six starting position players. They also did plenty of work in the transfer portal to shore up portions of the lineup. The fall session will be our first look at the 2024 team and there is certainly plenty to watch. The Hawkeyes will play three games this fall, before wrapping things up with the annual Black & Gold World Series.

Sept 15: Scout Day / 2:00pm

Sept 21: vs Mississauga / 4:00pm

Sept 29: vs Madison College / 3:00pm

Oct 6: vs Indian Hills CC / 4:00pm

Oct 17-19: Black & Gold World Series / TBA

We take a look at the biggest storylines and questions surrounding Rick Heller’s squad as they turn their focus to the fall baseball season.

Top Storylines heading into Fall practice

Marcus Morgan and Brody Brecht return as one of the best starting pitching duos in the country

Could they be the best Friday/Saturday duo in the entire country? There is work to do over the offseason, but pitching coach Sean McGrath thinks that Brody and Marcus could be that good next season. Down the stretch last season, both of them showed what they are capable of. Marcus Morgan posted a 2.08 ERA and allowed just 0.46 hits per inning over the last two months of the season. Brody Brecht went 6.0+ innings in three of his last four starts, including 30 strikeouts to 13 walks. If both of them can continue to improve on hitting the zone consistently, the Hawkeyes could find themselves in a position to go for quite a few sweeps this coming season.

Hawkeyes return five of eight position player starters

The losses of Brennen Dorighi and Sam Hojnar are noticeable, but there is a lot to like about what the Hawkeyes return on the position player side of the roster. Raider Tello and Michael Seegers return on the left side of the infield, while Cade Moss returns behind the plate. In the outfield, Sam Petersen and Kyle Huckstorf are looking to become premier bats in the lineup. Each of those five players started 45+ games last season and that’s a lot of experience. The coaching staff has to find a way to replace 42 doubles and 29 home runs from the starting lineup, but there is a good core of players returning for an offense that ranked fourth in the Big Ten in batting average last year.

Coaching staff adds six pitchers via the transfer portal

Will Christophersen, Luke Llewellyn, Jared Simpson and Jacob Henderson made up four of the top five in appearances on the mound last season. They are all gone now. The coaching staff knows that a deep bullpen is the key to winning in the NCAA Tournament. This offseason they went out and added six pitchers from the transfer portal to retool the group. It remains to be seen how the additions work out, but Sean McGrath has a lot to work with this fall and winter.

Top Questions heading into Fall practice

1. Does anyone take the lead for the final spot in the rotation going into the winter?

Cade Obermueller spent the summer pitching in the Cape Cod League with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. He earned All-League honors after putting up a 2.11 ERA over 17.0 innings, including 30 strikeouts to just nine walks. Sean McGrath said that the best version of Cade is one that rivals Brody and Marcus. The Hawkeyes could potentially have three day one draft picks filling the starting rotation.

There are a couple of other names to watch for that final Sunday spot. Anthony Watts was a starter for Creighton as a true freshman last season and possess the tools needed to be a starter in the Big Ten. Justin Hackett is another talented young arm that the coaching staff grabbed from the transfer portal and the Iowa native certainly could push for the starting job as well. Finally, Zach Voelker returns for his junior season and will be looking to make a big jump as well. His five-pitch arsenal allows him to adapt to different game plans for different batters.

The best case scenario here is the three or even all four of these guys stand out in the fall and push for the final spot. The best pitcher will be the Sunday starting role and the others will fill in the critical spots in the bullpen. A lot of options and a lot to like.

2. Will there be any idea of the bullpen makeup at the end of the fall?

In all likelihood, the battle for roles and innings in the bullpen will continue far into the winter. That doesn’t mean that the fall won’t give us a chance to see everyone throw and get an idea of who may or may not be looking at a significant role.

Starting with the returning pitchers, Jack Whitlock figures to be one of, if not the most heavily used arm in the bullpen next season. It took him a bit to work his way into the group of trusted arms, but once he got his chance, he was fantastic. Whitlock ended the season with a 2.02 ERA over 35.2 innings, including 38 strikeouts to eight walks. After that, your guess is as good as mine. The Hawkeyes have plenty of pitching, but the with four of the top five arms gone and six transfers joining the staff, there is a lot to figure out.

Aaron Savary gained some trust from the coaching staff as a freshman. Can he make a jump and become a consistently reliable arm as a sophomore? Can Chas Wheatley finally become more than a midweek option? Does Zach Voelker figure things out and become a big contributor.

With the transfers, the feeling is that they will all be able to contribute in a significant way, but until they work with pitching coach Sean McGrath over the offseason, their exact role will not be defined. This fall will be a great chance to see what Justin Hackett, Reece Beuter, Sam Hart, Ganon Archer and Anthony Watts all bring to the table.

3. Who is in the battle for the final outfield spot?

This is arguably the biggest question heading into the fall. Who fills the final starting spot in the outfield? Brayden Frazier (29), Chase Moseley (11) and Brennen Dorighi (1) made up 41 of the 60 (68.3%) starts in right field last season, while Sam Petersen (49) and Kyle Huckstorf (57) were the everyday starters at the other two spots. With all three of those guys in right field having moved on, the coaching staff is looking for someone to step into the spot.

Let’s start with a pair of returning players. Ben Wilmes will do anything for this Hawkeye team. Infield, outfield, catcher, concession stand, tickets, whatever he has to do. He made 30 starts in the outfield last season and at the plate, he knows how to get on base. One error in 42 chances and a .426 on-base percentage makes him a real option. Redshirt sophomore Coy Sarsfield is another option. He had just 17 at-bats last year, but went and hit .297 with a .448 on-base percentage with the Burlington Bees in the Prospect League this summer. He also has elite speed that has both offensive and defensive uses.

What about the newcomers? A pair of pretty unknown transfers will throw their hat into the ring. Harper College transfer Michael Budorick batted .315 for the Chicago area JUCO with a near .500 on-base percentage. He is also a much needed left-handed bat. Also joining the Hawkeyes is College of San Mateo transfer Connor Hennings. He batted .359 for the Bulldogs last season with 16 extra base hits, but the coaching staff is hoping that there is jump in power numbers coming.

4. Do any returning players make a big jump?

This could mean a player that didn’t have a role last season becomes someone to watch due to their performance in the fall. This could also mean a returning starter that takes their talent to a new level. I think there could be a little bit of both this fall.

Per assistant coach Marty Sutherland, Michael Seegers and Cade Moss have been in the weight room all summer looking to add more power behind their bat. Those two combined for just 15 doubles and four home runs. Without Dorighi and Hojnar in the lineup to supply power (58 extra base hits), it would be beneficial if Seegers and Moss could add some of that to their game.

Then, it will be interesting to see if anyone else makes a noticeable jump this fall? Could Coy Sarsfield and Gable Mitchell become contributors in the starting lineup? Is there a surprise from elsewhere on the roster?

5. Which freshman (our two) look like they can crack their way into a role?

The path to some at-bats as a true freshman looks to be very similar to last season. Tough. Gable Mitchell was the only true freshman postion player to appear in a game and with much of the lineup returning, opportunities will be few and far between. As for the pitching staff, midweek games give some freshman a window of opportunity to showcase what they can do.

A year ago it was Aaron Savary who carved out a role for himself and appeared in six Big Ten games. He finished the season with a 3.22 ERA, including 25 strikeouts to 12 walks and now he figures to have a bigger role with the team this year. Who could be this season’s Savary and make a name for themselves in their first season?

Coach Marty Sutherland says that Drew Deremer and Elliot Cadieux-Lanoue are the two that will likely have the best shot to earn at least a partial role in their freshman season due to their ability to consistently throw strikes. Two other names to think about? Douglas Taylor and Rowan Donels. Both of them were constantly reaching out to the coaching staff asking for things to improve in high school and that could lead to them having a quick start once things get underway at Iowa.