Iowa adds transfer at catcher

Coach Heller added another piece to the 2022 roster puzzle, in the form of a transfer catcher. Former North Dakota State and North Iowa Area CC player Ben Tallman announced his commitment to the Hawkeyes via twitter Monday evening.

Tallman is out of the class of 2018 and was rated the #1 catcher out of Montana, while ranking as the #366 catching prospect in the country. He started his career at North Dakota State in 2019, starting 16 games, while posting a .151 batting average over 53 at bats.

He took the 2020 season off to take some classes at Montana State, which ended up being a decent decision with the Covid pandemic ending the season early. He transferred to NIACC for the 2021 season, playing in 37 games over the course of the season. He posted a .261 batting average over 115 at bats, including seven doubles and five home runs. Tallman drew 15 walks, so his on-base percentage rose to .365.

Tallman will be a Covid Sophomore next season, meaning he has three years of eligibility with the Hawkeyes.

The addition of a catcher is a little interesting given the fact that the Hawkeyes have Brett McCleary (Sr), Tyler Snep (rsSoph) and Gehrig Christensen (Fr), who Coach Heller says could compete for some innings next year. Hopefully, this does not mean the back injury for Tyler Snep is more severe than what has been announced so far.

Will be interesting to see if the Hawkeyes decide to add any other transfers to sure up some of the other potential concerns on the roster. Outfield, starting pitching and bullpen could all be potential spots that a transfer would help.