2024 baseball returners (Position Players edition)

[Rose bowl or bust]

Here's the roster as of today.
*Bolded players will return, anyone draft eligible will not be in bold.
* Returning starter are underlined.
Obviously we don't know anything about transfers, as baseball seems to have quite a bit of movement from year to year.

C:
Reese Moore - Fr - No stats - redshirted?
Cade Moss - Jr - Obviouse #1 catcher - stats aren't draft worthy from what I can tell
Ben Tallman - RsJr - CAN HE RETURN???
Gehrig Christenson - RsFr - CAN HE RETURN???

Moore better be ready, or Heller better go out and find a few guys ready to play some innings here.

INF:
Blake Guerin - Fr - looks like a player
Gable Mitchell - Fr - got a lot of defensive innings
Ben Wilmes - So - Served as DH for large portion of year
Sam Hojnar - RsJr - starter @ 2nd
Michael Seegers - Jr. - starter @ SS
Raider Tello - RsSo - starter @ 3rd
Ben Swallis - Fr - INF/OF - no stats - redshirt?
Will Mulfur - Jr - UTILITY guy - very few stats
Kellen Stroymeyer - Fr - UTILITY guy - no stats - redshirt?

3 possible returners, but even so, we've got some young guys who look like they can play. Guerin should fill in nicely @ 1st for Dorighi.

OF:
Brayden Frazier - RsJr
Kyle Huckstorf - RsJr
Sam Peterson - So
Chase Moseley - RsJr - only 15 games played
Coy Sarsfield - RsFr - played in 17 games

Could have all 3 returning starters. Neither Frazier nor Huckstorf have amazing numbers. Need some depth here or possibly someone to step in and take a spot.

 

[ssckelley]

Anthony should be listed. Big question mark on him returning obviously

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

Anthony should be listed. Big question mark on him returning obviously

I think Iowa should operate under the assumption that he's played his last ball at Iowa, and they need to hit the portal to replace his bat.

Iowa's offense was admirable in his absence, but once you get to the big games in the tournament, the inconsistencies becomes much more noticeable.

Iowa just needs that dangerous hitter to be a complete team.

 

[ssckelley]

I think Iowa should operate under the assumption that he's played his last ball at Iowa, and they need to hit the portal to replace his bat.

Iowa's offense was admirable in his absence, but once you get to the big games in the tournament, the inconsistencies becomes much more noticeable.

Iowa just needs that dangerous hitter to be a complete team.

I don't disagree but he technically has eligibility left as of now. RB did list him with the pitchers.

Very low chance he returns next season.

 

[Rose bowl or bust]

I think there was an extremely low chance he returned even he hadn’t gotten caught up in the gambling crap. His stock won’t be higher next season with no bargaining power.

 

[AuroraHawk]

This may signal the NCAA isn’t being sympathetic to those who gambled:

 

[ssckelley]

This may signal the NCAA isn’t being sympathetic to those who gambled:

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This sucks, he had a lot of potential

 

[AuroraHawk]

This sucks, he had a lot of potential

Prior to him being held out of competition, I anticipated that he would have been Moss' back-up next year.

 

[karnack1955]

FR Guerin is a very big kid 6'6 285 lbs. he will be very good at 1st base. his SR year in HS he hit 9 HR's in 20 games, will be interesting to see what he will do in 55 plus games.

also was a Perfect Game #439, also batted 333 as a SR. #1 player in Minnesota.

 

[GolfHacker1]

Cape Cod League
Keaton Anthony (Cotiut)
Brody Brecht (Chatham)
Marcus Morgan (Bourne)
Cade Obermueller (Hyannis)
Sam Peterrsen (Bourne)
Zach Voelker (Hyannis)

Appalachian League
Blake Guerin (Bluefield)
Reese Moore (Pulaski)
Kellen Strohmeyer (Pulaski)

MLB Draft League
Will Christophersen (Team TBA)
Nick Gottilla (State College)
Kyle Huckstorf (State College)

Northwoods League
Gable Mitchell (LaCrosse)
Andy Nelson (Lakeshore)
Aaron Savary (Waterloo)
Caleb Strack (Mankato)
Ben Wilmes (Waterloo)

Prospect League
Will Mulflur (Burlington)
Drew Proskovec (Clinton)
Coy Sarsfield (Burlington)
Jack Young (Clinton)
Ben DeTaeye (Clinton)

California Collegiate
Jacob Henderson (Arroyo Seco)
Raider Tello (Arroyo Seco)

West Coast League
Chas Wheatley (Edmonton)

Coastal Plains
Jack Whitlock (Lexington)

Great Lakes
Max Tramontana (Hamilton)

Pioneer League
Ben Swails (Fremont)

 

[GolfHacker1]

Sam Hojnar in transfer portal. Should be confirmed soon. It’s official.

 

[AuroraHawk]

Sam Hojnar in transfer portal. Should be confirmed soon. It’s official.

Ooof. I have a "mental" list of those who I thought might consider making a move. Sam Hojnar was not on that list. And, yes, I understand that it is way-too-early but I'd think that Wilmes likely will be given a long look to be Hojnar's replacement.

EDIT: 2020 - Southern Illinois; 2021 - Heartland Community College; 2022 and 2023 - Iowa. Graduate transfer? Perhaps it was "a tell" that he went through Senior Day proceedings.

 

[ICWestfan]

Ooof. I have a "mental" list of those who I thought might consider making a move. Sam Hojnar was not on that list. And, yes, I understand that it is way-too-early but I'd think that Wilmes likely will be given a long look to be Hojnar's replacement.

EDIT: 2020 - Southern Illinois; 2021 - Heartland Community College; 2022 and 2023 - Iowa. Graduate transfer? Perhaps it was "a tell" that he went through Senior Day proceedings.

Wilmes at 2nd or Gable Mitchell?

 

[ssckelley]

Sam Hojnar in transfer portal. Should be confirmed soon. It’s official.

I felt Hojnar was really coming on as a hitter.

Oh well, not irreplaceable

 

[AuroraHawk]

Wilmes at 2nd or Gable Mitchell?

Lots of stories after Anthony was held out about analytics and Wilmes’ OBP. Heller seems to like Wilmes a lot. Personally, I think they need more pop out of RF than what Wilmes can deliver. Much more of an infielder than an outfielder. I’m also not convinced that he should be a DH.

 

[karnack1955]

Anthony played RF when not a DH. as for Wilmes I could see him sliding into a starting role at 2nd base. with Seegars and Wilmes manning the middle of the infield. they should be solid. plus a nice 1 and 2 hitters in the order.

both have speed to make things rough on the pitcher once they get on base. Wilmes was pretty good at drawing walks and Seegars avg'd over .320 the question is who bats 3rd, 4th and 5th to make up the middle of the order.

Idea's are welcome. with or without Anthony in the lineup.

 

[AuroraHawk]

Sam Hojnar in transfer portal. Should be confirmed soon. It’s official.

@GolfHacker1 - Do you have any insight as to what may have motivated Hojnar to move on? And, if so, are you at liberty to share?

EDIT: I also read that Andy Nelson (another infielder originally from Illinois) entered the portal as well.

 

[karnack1955]

Andy went thru a couple hammy injuries this past season. which limited his playing time.

when will the roster be updated?

 

[GolfHacker1]

@GolfHacker1 - Do you have any insight as to what may have motivated Hojnar to move on? And, if so, are you at liberty to share?

EDIT: I also read that Andy Nelson (another infielder originally from Illinois) entered the portal as well.

Just rumors at this point.

 

[AuroraHawk]

Just rumors at this point.

Kyle Huesmann's report on the situation referred to it as a "surprise" transfer.

Looks like Heller landed a transfer from Dallas Baptist today - pitcher - native to Cedar Falls.

 

[karnack1955]

Kyle Huesmann's report on the situation referred to it as a "surprise" transfer.

Looks like Heller landed a transfer from Dallas Baptist today - pitcher - native to Cedar Falls.

Heller need position players not pitchers since he didn't use the ones he had. he is losing position players not pitchers.

 

[GolfHacker1]

Kyle Huesmann's report on the situation referred to it as a "surprise" transfer.

Looks like Heller landed a transfer from Dallas Baptist today - pitcher - native to Cedar Falls.

Everything is a surprise until it's official I guess. This posted, Kyle is on top of baseball happenings, no doubt about it. There are some rumors floating around, and when I hear back, if I hear back, I'll share.

Yes, the Dallas Baptist pitcher has some Iowa ties. I think he's originally from Iowa.

I haven't had a lot of time recently to follow closely, and I haven't spoken to anyone since Terre Haute.

 

[chonk]

Everything is a surprise until it's official I guess. This posted, Kyle is on top of baseball happenings, no doubt about it. There are some rumors floating around, and when I hear back, if I hear back, I'll share.

Yes, the Dallas Baptist pitcher has some Iowa ties. I think he's originally from Iowa.

I haven't had a lot of time recently to follow closely, and I haven't spoken to anyone since Terre Haute.

I expect Hojnar will be back with us. Not a done deal but it’s a coordinated effort.

 

[karnack1955]

Hojnar would be a good hitter in the 2nd spot. let Seegar's be the leadoff hitter. if he returns.

 

[GolfHacker1]

I expect Hojnar will be back with us. Not a done deal but it’s a coordinated effort.

That's what has been reported by KH.

 

[karnack1955]

not every hitter needs to be a power hitter, what I like about Wilmes he can be a very good vatter for avg to get on base and then use his speed on the bases. he reminds of the player in that movie where the coach told him to give him 20 push ups for every ball that he hit into the air.

that is why you try to get runners on base so they can distract the pitcher.

if Anthony come back I would like to see him batting 4th power and avg makes him a very dangerous 4th hitter.

the 3rd hitter is a semi-power and avg hitter. the 5th batter should be someone that hits with power and makes contact with the ball Fly balls do lead to moving a base runner advance and or score.

 

[AuroraHawk]

That's what has been reported by KH.

Interesting.

My friend's son plays for Tulane. After Tulane fired their head coach last year before the season was over, he decided that he would enter the transfer portal at season's end (as did many of his teammates). They promoted an assistant coach to be the new head coach. The assistant coach was integral in initially recruiting my friend's son to Tulane in the first place. He ultimately decided to withdraw his name from the portal because he felt comfortable with what Tulane was doing.

Hopefully, whatever issue led Hojnar to enter the portal is resolved and he elects to be a Hawkeye for another year. Solid defense and a potentially important left handed bat in the everyday lineup.

I'm definitely in the "defense up the middle is really important" camp. Moss behind the plate, Seegers at SS, Hojnar at 2B and Huckstorf in CF is a really freaking solid defensive foundation on which to build. Tello, Peterson and Frazier also play strong defensively.

 

[GolfHacker1]

Interesting.

My friend's son plays for Tulane. After Tulane fired their head coach last year before the season was over, he decided that he would enter the transfer portal at season's end (as did many of his teammates). They promoted an assistant coach to be the new head coach. The assistant coach was integral in initially recruiting my friend's son to Tulane in the first place. He ultimately decided to withdraw his name from the portal because he felt comfortable with what Tulane was doing.

Hopefully, whatever issue led Hojnar to enter the portal is resolved and he elects to be a Hawkeye for another year. Solid defense and a potentially important left handed bat in the everyday lineup.

I'm definitely in the "defense up the middle is really important" camp. Moss behind the plate, Seegers at SS, Hojnar at 2B and Huckstorf in CF is a really freaking solid defensive foundation on which to build. Tello, Peterson and Frazier also play strong defensively.

It's now been reported he's transferring to Maryland.

 

[AuroraHawk]

It's now been reported he's transferring to Maryland.

Uff da.

 

[GolfHacker1]

Uff da.

Yeah, KH had spoken to someone on the staff and indicated it was a mutual agreement until they got the roster settled, and he might be back. Today I guess there was some reporting in a Maryland paper stating he was transferring.

 

[ssckelley]

This doesn't sound encouraging.

 

[AuroraHawk]

This doesn't sound encouraging.

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Being withheld from competition for the last 18 games of the year and then being cut by his Cape Cod League team after only 4 games (only 10 ABs) has to be a proverbial "punch in the gut" to someone who is probably not only itching to play some baseball but to showcase his skills to MLB scouts in advance of this year's MLB draft.

Here's hoping that there isn't anything else underlying that tweet.

 

[karnack1955]

when will they release the 23-24 roster? so we can see who left and came back and the new players both in coming transfers and HS kids.

 

[AuroraHawk]

Sam Hojnar in transfer portal. Should be confirmed soon. It’s official.

Some background. Take it for what it is worth: https://hawkfanatic.com/2023/06/21/iowas-attempt-to-raise-nil-money-for-sam-hojnar-falls-short/

 

[chonk]

The money would have gotten raised I believe but Sam got an offer he had to decide on.

 

[AuroraHawk]

The money would have gotten raised I believe but Sam got an offer he had to decide on.

I'm a long suffering fan of the small-market/low TV revenue Pirates. This feels like deja vu.

 

[GolfHacker1]

Some background. Take it for what it is worth: https://hawkfanatic.com/2023/06/21/iowas-attempt-to-raise-nil-money-for-sam-hojnar-falls-short/

It's mostly accurate. There is a NIL being organized, and I've reached out to @IowaHawkeyeBaseball to see where this stands, and to offer some time and resources.

 

[AuroraHawk]

It's mostly accurate. There is a NIL being organized, and I've reached out to @IowaHawkeyeBaseball to see where this stands, and to offer some time and resources.

Among those who frequently post about Iowa baseball, it seems as though you are likely the person who is most "plugged into" what is going on with the program. If you would be so kind as to share what you learn about NIL for the baseball players, it would be most appreciated. I don't know how much I can help from a personal resources standpoint (trying to get my last one through college) but I would certainly be willing to help as much as feasible and would definitely offer my time to assist the program.

Thanks in advance.

 

[GolfHacker1]

Among those who frequently post about Iowa baseball, it seems as though you are likely the person who is most "plugged into" what is going on with the program. If you would be so kind as to share what you learn about NIL for the baseball players, it would be most appreciated. I don't know how much I can help from a personal resources standpoint (trying to get my last one through college) but I would certainly be willing to help as much as feasible and would definitely offer my time to assist the program.

Thanks in advance.

Absolutely. The first step is finding out what is already planned so there is no duplication, or stepping on anyone's toes. That's in process, and that's going to be driven by @IOwaHawkeyeBaseball. After I make contact, unless there is something I'm uncomfortable with, I'm going to offer some time and some resources. I'd assume they'll gladly accept my offer, and my name can largely be kept out of it. But one never knows, sometimes egos are hard to work with. I'll know soon enough, and you will know when I know. I'm not a huge donor, and I'm like you, I have a business to run, and my retirement, etc., to address.

 

[AuroraHawk]

I'm not a huge donor, and I'm like you, I have a business to run, and my retirement, etc., to address.

Amen.