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2023 Iowa Baseball

AuroraHawk

HR Heisman
Dec 18, 2004
7,511
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@KyleHuesmann - Would be curious to get your "take" based upon what you may have been privy this year. What does the starting lineup look like next year?

My very "rough" take:

C - Huge battle with Snep, Tallman, Moss and Christensen. Hard to predict who will rise to the top and be the main catcher.
1B - Williams is nearly a lock to go pro. Westen Fulk is listed on the roster as a 1Bman; Incoming Freshman Blake Guerin is a 1Bman. Wouldn't be surprised if Iowa scours the portal. I am aware of a situation where a current 1Bman (batting 4th in the lineup) at a good D1 baseball program would give Iowa a very long look and I'm fairly certain that his name will be in the portal very soon. I'd bet that Iowa will give him a look.
2B - Fullard is out of eligibility. Does Ben Wilmes land here? Heller seems to like what he brings to the table. Wilmes isn't, IMO, a "regular" B1G 3Bman. He's a middle infielder. However, if Michael Seegers is set at SS; Wilmes at 2B may be the logical move. Sam Hojnar is another candidate who not only saw playing time but achieved some success.
SS - Michael Seegers seems to be fairly locked in at this point.
3B - Sher is graduating and @KyleHuesmann 's tweet last night suggests that Sher is done playing ball at Iowa - even though he is a RJr. Would like to see Heller get a decent bat at 3B for next year. Need some pop out of this position. Sam Peterson is listed on roster as "IF." Maybe he can play 3B if there is a different candidate for LF.
OF - Keaton Anthony, Kyle Hucksdorf and Sam Petersen would seem to be the leading candidates for RF, CF and LF.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday starters: Ty Langenberg would seem to be set as one of the three. After that, with Mazur going pro and Schultz and Nedved being done, it is hard to tell. I'd like to think that Brody Brecht and Marcus Morgan can "up" their games and fill those roles but, to be frank, they have a lot of work to do. Neither can find the strike zone. If he sticks around for one more year, Duncan Davitt will likely be given a long look. This may very well be another area where Heller explores the CC ranks and the transfer portal.

Potential batting order:
SS - Seegers
RF - Anthony
1B - ???
DH - Guerin
C - Snep
LF - Petersen
3B - ???
2B - Wilmes
CF - Hucksdorf

Nice foundation upon which to build but there are definitely some key areas that need to be addressed.
 
I'll keep this fairly short because I will have an article covering this after the MLB Draft, along with an article going over the newcomers (freshman/transfers)

C- Moss and Tallman is an interesting debate for sure. Cade really came on late. I believe Christensen was out for the year with an injury. Never was told that by anyone, but I saw him with something on his arm/wrist a couple of times. Ty Snep will not catch, and I wouldn't be shocked if he is not on the team next year. His back injury is just too much and that is why he was out again this year. Rumbling are that he may need surgery, which would effectively end his career and also would be the reason why he has been trying to go without.

1B- I need to dig into the Williams to the MLB stuff. I am on the fence in that debate as of now, but i am very high on Blake Guerin. Hoping to see him in the prospect league this summer when he comes up to Clinton with the Alton River Dragons.

2B- Ben Wilmes is certainly an option here, as is Sam Hojnar. Wilmes played at 3B, but as mentioned he is a middle infielder and a very good one.

SS- Michael Seegers has this locked down barring an injury.

3B- Sam Hojnar can play here and the name that is being missed here is Andy Nelson. Was out with a hamstring injury for most of the year, but got some starts here before it became Sher/Wilmes.

OF- Petersen, Huckstorf, Anthony is a pretty easy one, but don't count out Kirkwood transfer Chase Moseley. He had some insane numbers this season for them and as we all know that is a great program.

Others- Mangano and Mulflur are another couple of names to watch in the fall to see how they do.

Starting Rotation- If Langenberg can build off of this season, he can absolutely be the Friday starter next season. After that it gets sketchy, as you lose Nedved/Mazur/Schultz. Duncan Davitt went through senior night festivities, so I would guess he is gone as well. The easy answer would be Marcus and Brody, but I would not rule out going to the portal here to get an arm just in case they do not pan out for the starting rotation.

Bullpen- The big losses are Nedved and Beutel. Will Christophersen will be back and I could see him slotting into the back end, as well as Llewellyn if he can cut down on walks. Wheatley and DeTaeye were seldom used, but for the most part had good outings. Simpson, Henderson and Day figure in there as well.
 
He’s the one I’m worried about, but he only has one full year under his belt, so hopefully he wants one more.
I was thinking that he might be a portal candidate. I’m sure that some team in home state Georgia would salivate over him batting third.
 
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I consider Iowa's use of the portal a success this year. Would love to see them go get some arms again.
 
Iowa should have some pretty good pull with Starting Pitchers in the transfer portal. I would like to think they are able to get a quality arm or two there considering what they have been able to do with pitchers lately. Frankly it is a good conference to pitch in for a lower level guy looking to move up.
 
I would think with Lund as pitching coach they can definitely attract some high level pitchers. Plus, I would hope to see improvement with the pitchers Iowa has with another year of Lund's coaching under their belt.
 
FWIW … does this kid transfer if NC State makes the tournament?



Florida native widely rumored to be headed to Tallahassee.
 
Was hoping he was one of the transfers you hinted at ; )
Nope. Not him. But, Ive been texting some this morning with the player’s Dad. He will likely enter the portal by Monday. There is definite interest in Iowa. And … the Dad is expecting other suitors … from both ACC and SEC.

Will post more specifics when I have “green light.”
 
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This idea maybe a little out there but wonder if he might consider going Juco route so that he will be eligible for the 2023 MLB draft.
The “Bryce Harper” model. Not “out there.” He should give it serious thought.
 
Appreciate the update. Was wondering if there were any Hawks in the NWL. Part of me thinks Williams in the Cape lends to him returning for ‘23 but there’s no certainty. My uneducated guess has him as a 8-10 round pick.
Found a nice little write up on Williams

Peyton Williams, 1B, Iowa

Bats/Throws: Left / Left

Height/Weight: 6-5 / 250

Year/Draft Age: Third Year Sophomore / 21.10

Date(s) Seen: 04/22/22

Batting Line: 1-3, 2 BB



Williams is easily recognizable on the diamond due to his massive frame and imposing presence at the plate. The size and speed limit Williams to first base but I liked his glove/footwork around the bag and I think he could be serviceable there. His value will obviously be tied to his bat and Williams showed some things to like in the box. He has plus bat speed and huge raw power. Williams doesn’t need to sell out for that power as the swing is controlled with good balance at the point of contact. The swing path is pretty flat so even though he can make extremely hard contact, he doesn’t currently have as much home run potential as you’d expect. Williams worked a lot of deep counts in this game and showed an advanced understanding of the strike zone. He’s been able to get on base at a high rate and limit the strikeouts throughout his college career. College first basemen without huge in-game power have a tendency to slide on draft day. There is some day two draft potential, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he ended up being selected in the 11-13 round area on day three of the draft.

Might as well add this to, they had a write up on Mazur:

Adam Mazur, RHP, Iowa

Height/Weight: 6-2 / 180

Year/Draft Age: Third Year Sophomore / 21.02

Date(s) Seen: 04/22/22

Pitching Line: 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, 1 2B, 1 3B



This was probably my most highly anticipated pitching performance of the spring. Mazur was a relatively unknown arm before a fantastic showing on the Cape last summer. He’s been a bit up and down this spring, especially in the control/command department, but he’s been absolutely dominant when at his best. In a tough matchup against Rutgers, Mazur showed off his absolute best stuff for eight magnificent innings.



Mazur has a slender build with wiry strength and long limbs. His sloped shoulders don’t provide an overly projectable frame but there are likely some strength gains on the horizon. The body reminds me a bit of Clay Buchholz, a 42nd overall pick by the Red Sox in 2005 that went on to pitch thirteen years in the big leagues. Mazur is an impressive athlete and that shows up in the delivery which was simple and repeatable during my look. He doesn’t get a ton of extension in his delivery with a higher release point but the actions are smooth and the arm works cleanly. Mazur has electric arm speed from a high ¾ slot and that arm talent is a major reason why he’s able to generate impressive velocity from his slight frame.



On Friday, Mazur limited Rutgers to just a single run over eight innings of work. He gave up some hard contact early on during the contest with a well-struck single in the first inning and two extra base hits in the second that led to the Scarlet Knights’ only run of the day. After the 2nd, Mazur allowed only three more baserunners, all of which were recorded on singles. Mazur operated in the 93-95 range with his fastball for most of the afternoon, touching 96 MPH periodically. He held that velocity for six innings before dipping to 92-94 MPH in the seventh and eighth. The fastball was commanded well with good life and spin rates into the 2,300s early on. The pitch shows some late tailing action which makes it hard for hitters to square. It doesn’t have bat-missing shape but he throws it hard enough and mixes in enough secondary pitches to give it whiff potential. Mazur’s most lethal pitch of the afternoon was his slider. Thrown hard in the 83-86 MPH range, Mazur’s plus slider features late two-plane break and is tunneled effectively off the fastball with similar arm speed. Mazur’s feel for the slider improved as the game went on and it became his putaway pitch during the later innings. He also worked in a curveball, more so in the early innings, which was an effective pitch in the upper 70s/low 80s. The curveball had 11-5 shape with good depth at times. The quality of the pitch ranged from the “get-me-over” variety to an above-average weapon. It was his fourth most used pitch on the day which speaks to how strong his arsenal can be at its peak. The changeup was yet another solid offering for Mazur in the low 80s. He threw a plus changeup in the first inning but it mostly graded out as an above-average pitch. The changeup completed the full four-pitch mix and Mazur showed the ability to use any of his weapons in any count throughout his eight innings of dominance. Mazur finished the day with eleven strikeouts, eight of which were of the swinging variety. He generated called strikes and whiffs on all four pitches, getting stronger as the game progressed.



Mazur has clearly hit a groove after some instability early on. Since the Rutgers start, Mazur has pitched 26.2 innings and has allowed only two earned runs. He’s on a streak of six starts without allowing more than two walks or two earned runs. If Mazur can continue to limit free passes and hold his stuff deep into starts as he’s done recently, he has a good shot at hearing his name called before the end of the second round. Mazur is ranked #47 on our most recent draft board.
 
I'm really excited to see what Cade Moss can do if he ends up being the full time guy. He was very opportunistic offensively. Would like to see his numbers for a full year.
 
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Appreciate the update. Was wondering if there were any Hawks in the NWL. Part of me thinks Williams in the Cape lends to him returning for ‘23 but there’s no certainty. My uneducated guess has him as a 8-10 round pick.
This was my initial thought too but I am not well versed on the intricacies of the MLB draft.
 
This was my initial thought too but I am not well versed on the intricacies of the MLB draft.
The MLB draft isn't until July 17 - 19. It used to be like the second week of June. So we'd have answers sooner. Really sucks for college programs. Obviously we know that Mazur will be gone.
 
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Interesting Anthony is staying local this summer. Taking a class load and expecting to be drafted after next year?

He could be the 1B next year. But I’m all for another big bat taking that spot & pushing him to RF or DH.
 
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OK. Can now confirm that Freshman Tulane 1Bman - Brady Marget - has entered the portal.


I know that Coach Sutherland scouted him when he was listed by PG as the best 1B prospect in Wisconsin coming out of high school. He played on the same team as Brady Counsell. Iowa didn't offer him primarily because he would have been blocked by Williams.

I watched a fair amount of Tulane games this year. The kid has a sweet left handed stroke. Plays solid defense as well. He's received positive feedback from independent evaluators regarding his chances to ultimately play at the next level.

I can also confirm that Iowa is "on notice" of Marget entering the portal and will be reaching out to him.

A certain ACC school (don't feel like I can name the specific school) will likely express interest as well. If (and I stress IF) he were to receive offers from both schools, it would be a difficult decision for him.

I think that we can expect that Brady Counsell's name will be in the portal. He is reportedly quite unhappy with what is going on at Minnesota. However, the positional need for what Counsell brings to the table isn't as glaring.

But . . . Marget and Counsell would be very interested in reuniting (assuming Counsell wants to leave Minnesota). They are close friends.
 
% he ends up at iowa?

I can't and won't put a number on it. Given his performance this year, I doubt that Iowa and the other ACC team will be his only suitors. He truly enjoyed his year at Tulane and wouldn't be looking to leave if the head coach hadn't gotten fired before the end of the season. I can only write that he will be "very interested" in transferring to Iowa but he will definitely weigh whatever options fall his way.

I know a little bit more but don't feel as though it is right for me to share.

I'm hopeful. Would love to see him lacing up the spikes as a Hawkeye.
 
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