Iowa baseball picks up transfer commit
With Peyton Williams and Keaton Anthony likely gone to the MLB Draft, Coach Rick Heller and his coaching staff have shopping around the transfer portal to find a power bat that can help fill the void left by the departures. Wofford transfer DH/1B/OF Brennen Dorighi told HawkeyeReport this morning that he has verbally committed to the Iowa program for the 2023 season. He is a graduate transfer and will have one year of eligibility with the Hawkeyes.
We caught up with Dorighi to talk about his decision to come to Iowa City.
“I think the opportunity to play for a school such as Iowa is a once in a lifetime opportunity…I can tell the Hawkeye fan base is nothing, but proud of the school and sports and I can’t wait to be a part of that culture.”
“The chance to have the resources and facilities at Iowa, along with the investment the coaches made in me throughout the recruiting process stands out the most,” said Dorighi when referencing what stood about Iowa compared to other schools that contacted him. “The staff’s character, along with the recent success of Iowa makes the school stand on a pedestal of its own.”
Dorighi is from Cherry Hills Village, Colorado and spent four years in the Wofford program, before entering the transfer portal at the conclusion of this past season. Out of high school, he was rated as the #2 catcher and #18 overall prospect in the state of Colorado for the class of 2018. He played in just 14 games over his first two seasons with the Terriers, but moved into a different role with team, as he played games at 1B, LF and DH.
During the 2021 season, Dorighi hit .297 with eight doubles and three home runs, as well as 26 RBIs. He started 30 games, including 26 at DH and four at 1B. This past season, Brennen started 51 of Wofford’s 56 games, including 41 starts at DH and ten in LF. He batted .339 on the season, while he saw a jump in his slugging percentage from .450 in 2021 to .552 in 2022. He hit for 12 doubles, nine home runs and one triple, while finishing second on the team with 53 RBIs. At one point during the season Dorighi had a 31 game on-base streak and had multiple RBIs in 14 games, which tied for the team lead. At the seasons end, he was named to the All-SoCon First Team by both the coaches and the media.
I asked Brennen what changed between 2021 and 2022 to help him make a big jump statistically and he pointed out two things. Confidence and mindset.
“I believe in getting as many reps as possible and through summer-ball and constant at bats, I was able to shape confidence in my abilities. Being able to believe in my swing and approach created a level of consistency my senior year that I hadn’t achieved in my college career.”
“Although 2022 was a strong year for me, my potential is far from tapped and I’m excited to get another shot to go out and prove myself.”
Dorighi will get a chance to work with the coaching staff and take advantage of arguably the best student run analytics staff in the country to help him reach his full potential.
“I want to become the most dangerous hitter I can be. Driving the ball to all fields, difficult to strike out and a presence in the box are all things I pride myself on and want to continue to harness throughout this summer. I want to be able to use my athleticism to my advantage on defense and prove I can be a plus defender at this level.”
His ability to play a corner outfield spot, as well as 1B and DH allows Coach Rick Heller and the staff to slot him in where they feel they need him the most. If Dorighi can make the most of his graduate senior season and make another jump statistically, this could turn out to be a really big transfer pull from the southern part of the country.