Iowa adds Big Ten transfer

Coach Heller and his staff added one more transfer to fill out of the 2022 Iowa Baseball roster and it came from the Big Ten, in the form of Michigan State P Will Christophersen. Christophersen is a native Iowan out of Pleasant Valley High School in Bettendorf and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Christophersen is a class of 2018 prospect and was rated by Perfect Game as the #7 right-hand pitching prospect, as well as the #9 overall prospect in the state of Iowa. He was also the #221 ranked right-hand pitcher in the class.

Will redshirted in his first year with the Spartans and then made seven relief appearances in 2020 before the Covid shutdown. This season, Christophersen led the Spartans in ERA at 2.45 over 29.1 innings pitched. He notched 39 strikeouts and 17 walks in 15 total appearances and was the most consistent relief option on the Michigan State staff. Over his last 11 appearances, Will allowed just one earned run over 19.2 innings pitched, while striking out 28 and allowing just 15 hits.

As I mentioned above, this transfer addition likely fills the roster for 2022, as they sit at 45 total players. Drew Irvine’s recent signing with the Pirates opened up the additional roster spot.

Christophersen adds Big Ten experience and becomes a proven option in the bullpen alongside Dylan Nedved. Guys like Tyson James, Jackson Payne, Jacob Henderson and Ty Langenberg all showed flashes, but have not yet shown they are consistent bullpen arms, so the addition of Christophersen makes the group a bit more secure. Also look for transfers Casey Day and Luke Llewellyn, as well as true freshman Chas Wheatley to get a decent role.