Top questions for Iowa Baseball heading into the offseason

It feels like just a few weeks ago that the Iowa Baseball season got underway. But just like that, all will be quiet at Duane Banks Field until September rolls around and fall ball begins.

It was a season that seemingly had plenty of promise going into May, after the Hawkeyes got things rolling in the middle of the year, winning 28 of 34 games and taking a 2.5-game lead atop the Big Ten standings. However, everything came crashing down, with Iowa winning just two of their final 13 games of the season. At one point, they seemed like a lock to make it to an NCAA Tournament regional, but instead, they closed the year with a 9-3 loss in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals to UCLA.

After a disappointing end to the season, Iowa is looking to turn the page to next season. HawkeyeReport takes a look at the top questions surrounding the Hawkeyes heading into the offseason.

1. What happens with Aaron Savary? Will the coaching staff have to replace the entire starting rotation?

If it happens, it would be just the third time in 13 seasons that Rick Heller has had to replace his entire starting rotation. They managed things well on those two previous occasions, with the starting rotation posting 4.01 and 3.68 ERA’s. That being said, this one could be a tougher rebuild that will likely require some help from the transfer portal. It will come down to whether or not Aaron Savary heads to the pro level.

Cade Obermueller is a lock to go in the upcoming MLB Draft, while Reece Beuter has completed his college career after five seasons, including two at Iowa. That leaves Savary as the lone potential holdover for next season. After two seasons in the Hawkeyes bullpen, Aaron earned First Team All-Big Ten honors, posting a 4.37 ERA over 15 starts and 80.1 innings. Is that enough to earn draft consideration? It absolutely is, but that doesn’t mean Savary will get offered the money that he wants.

It’s also worth noting that Anthony Watts, who figured to be on the short list for next seasons starting rotation, has entered the transfer portal. The situation gets even more complicated if Aaron Savary is taken out of the picture, but I’d expect the coaching staff to go hunting for a starting pitcher and maybe even two of them, if possible.

2. Is Justin Hackett next in line to have a breakout season?

Look at the last few seasons, the Hawkeye pitching staff always seems to have a guy or two that steps up and has a breakout season. In 2022, it was Ben Beutel and Duncan Davitt. In 2023, Luke Llewellyn and Jack Whitlock were crucial parts of Iowa’s regional appearance. Then in 2024, it was Jack Young, and this past season, without a doubt, it was Aaron Savary and Reece Beuter. Could Justin Hackett be the next breakout arm on the Hawkeye pitching staff?

To an extent, this year was a breakout year for Justin Hackett. He posted a 1.45 ERA in 16 appearances, but didn’t get used on the weekends until late in the year. Building confidence in midweeks and a starting rotation that didn’t force the bullpen to throw a ton of innings were the main factors. Still, over 18.2 innings, Hackett allowed just three runs on nine hits, tallying 36 strikeouts to 13 walks. He threw 58.3% of his 357 pitches for strikes, but averaged 17.4 strikeouts per nine innings. His most notable outing was a 3.0 scoreless inning bullpen outing against Oregon State that included seven strikeouts.

3. Does the bullpen require the same level of retooling?

The bullpen made significant strides under first year pitching coach Sean Kenny, improving from a 6.79 ERA in ’24 to a 4.76 ERA this season. Although free bases started to turn up a bit late in the year, the bullpen still made improvements, going from 6.00 walks per nine innings in ’24 to 5.74 walks per nine this season. The group will go through some turnover, as the Hawkeyes are set to lose 125 of their 185 bullpen appearances, including Daniel Wright, Chas Wheatley, Ben DeTaeye and Anthony Watts.

With Justin Hackett likely figuring into the starting rotation, that leaves Brant Hogue and Tyler Guerin as the top returning bullpen arms. If Ganon Archer can stay healthy, he will be back in the mix, but he pitched in just seven games. The Hawkeyes are set to bring in four top 400 nationally ranked freshman pitchers, led by #223 LHP Carter Wilcox, but it’s always hard to expect a freshman to come in and carve out a sizable role.

4. Offense returns some pieces, but is there enough reliability AND firepower?

It was really a tale of two seasons for the Iowa offense. During their 28-6 run through the middle of the season, the Hawkeyes were on fire at the plate, batting .317, averaging 9.47 runs and 10.79 hits per game. However, down the stretch they went ice cold, batting just .229, averaging 3.62 runs and 7.54 hits per game over their final 13 games. There are a number of returning pieces, but is their enough reliability AND firepower to feel comfortable?

Iowa is set to return nine of 13 players that started at least 15 games this past season, but the losses are big ones, as the coaching staff must replace Ben Wilmes, Daniel Rogers, Reese Moore and Andy Nelson. Those four combined for 191 hits, 85 extra base hits and 149 RBI’s this past season.

Catcher will be an interesting position to watch, with Rogers and Moore gone, but the rest of the infield returns fully intact. Gable Mitchell will slot in at shortstop again after a career-best year, while there’s options everywhere else, with Frost, Swails, Schulte, Wulf and Guerin all back.

The outfield is where the questions are raised. Miles Risley is set to return after batting .299 and tying for the team lead in RBI’s (45), but the main starters in the corner outfield spots are gone. Kellen Strohmeyer was solid, appearing in 38 games, with 17 starts, while Jackson Beaman is back as another option.

It is worth noting that while the nine returning players with 15+ starts batted .301 over 1,161 at-bats, they had a 31.2% extra base hit rate, which is a bit below the team 35.6% extra base hit rate. There’s some power with the returning group of players, but can guys like Ben Swails (114 AB), Jaixen Frost (105 AB) and Kellen Strohmeyer (63 AB), who combined for a 35.7% extra base hit rate, do it over a larger share of at-bats?

5. What are three positions of need in the transfer portal?

Pitching Help – This is the clear area of need and it’s both starting pitching and bullpen help. It feels like the addition of a starter is a near must, while it would become an absolute must if Aaron Savary goes in the draft. Meanwhile, the bullpen is losing four of their top seven in appearances, while guys like Hackett and Guerin could find a spot in the starting rotation. Iowa has done a solid job of identifying pitching talent in the portal over the years and five of their top seven in appearances came to Iowa via the portal, as did Reece Beuter who was the Sunday starter.

Catcher – Despite the loss of Daniel Rogers and Reese Moore, the Hawkeyes aren’t devoid of catching on the roster, with Max Burt and Carter Geffre. However, even if the coaching staff feels good about either or both of them, Burt got just six plate appearances as a redshirt freshman and Geffre saw no action as a true freshman. It would make sense to see what options are out there and if it’s possible to land a starting catcher, that would immediately fill the lone hole on the infield.

Outfield – Miles Risley is back in centerfield, but Wilmes, Nelson and Hennings are gone. Kellen Strohmeyer did some good things later in the year when he got some chances and Jackson Beaman was hit seven home runs early in the year. Another name to keep an eye on is Colin Coonradt. He appeared in 16 games and got just 16 at-bats, but the coaching staff really likes him. It feels like this group would benefit from add someone with starting capability and then let Strohmeyer/Beaman/Coonradt battle for the final spot, as well as DH at-bats.