PROJECTED STARTERS
1B – Peyton Williams
2B – Izaya Fullard
SS – Brendan Sher
3B – Sam Hojnar/Andy Nelson
C – Brett McCleary
DH – Tyler Snep
Breaking down the Infield
The infield comes back pretty intact with 3B Matthew Sosa being the lone departure in the starting lineup. Head Coach Rick Heller returns four starters on the infield, led by rSoph 1B Peyton Williams and Third Team All-Big Ten selection rSr 2B Izaya Fullard. D1Baseball called the right-side duo “one of the best in the nation”. Peyton Williams played through a couple of different injuries last season, and it hampered his ability to show consistent power. Despite that, he led the Hawkeyes with 15 doubles and posted a .470 on-base percentage. When healthy he is a threat to hit one out every time he steps to the plate.
“I think all of us are excited to see Peyton go out and be able to play and be 100% healthy. Right now, he’s moving extremely well and he’s swinging well…He’s worked extremely hard since June to get healed up and really get himself in great shape. He looks good and is primed to have a really good year.” – Rick Heller
Fullard came on strong in the second half of the season and finished the year with a near .300 batting average. Izaya was second on the team in total bases and all five of his home runs came in the second half of the season. He spent the summer with the Clinton Lumberkings and put together good numbers, including .338 avg/.409 OBP/27 H/4 HR over 21 games. Right now, Fullard is working through a hand injury and could miss the first week or two, but will be a one of the more valuable bats in the Iowa lineup once he is back. Fr Weston Fulk and Tacoma CC transfer Soph Will Mulflur also fill in behind Williams at first base. Fulk finished third in the state of Iowa for home runs as a senior at Ankeny last summer. Mulflur showed flashes of ability to drive the ball in the gap, while showing good plate discipline and drawing walks during the fall season.
rJr SS Brendan Sher could move over to 2B if Fullard can’t go right away, but will find himself at SS once everything is set in stone and he is a guy that I really think could have a breakout year. Sher has a great glove in the field, but will be looking to improve at the plate where he batted just .208 last season. He did better in the fall batting .310 with a home run.
“I’m still working on it, it’s always a craft. I feel a lot better about where I’m at right now…Hitting off our own pitchers isn’t something you can rely on because you know what they have, but as of seeing that ball out of the hand and stuff like that, I feel a lot better. I’m just really excited and have a different viewpoint on this year.” – Brendan Sher
Last year, the team had a number of notable leaders that had been around the team, including Ben Norman, Austin Martin, Zeb Adreon and multiple veteran pitchers. Now that they depart and 20+ new players join the team, Sher becomes one of those players that has been around the program for a while and is one of the veteran voices on the team.
“With all the new guys we were just trying to gel them together and create another team atmosphere like we had last year and I think we’ve done a really good job of bringing them in and becoming a family…If you would have asked me day one (of the fall), there is no shot I would have said that I would have gotten to know everybody that quick…It doesn’t even really feel like they are new guys anymore.” – Brendan Sher
Soph SS Michael Seegers could find himself at SS in the realignment if Sher moves over to 2B. He was out for a portion of the fall, but showed an improved bat when he played, both in the fall, and with the Bluefield Ridge Runners this summer. His speed is always a plus and he will be a solid replacement around the infield when he is called on. Fr Ben Wilmes has a great glove and can play both middle infield positions. While he may not see the field much as a freshman, he was a high-level high school player at Johnston and will be a good one down the road for the Hawkeyes.
With the departure of Matthew Sosa, there will be a new starter at 3B and there is a bit of competition at the hot corner between Heartland CC transfer rSoph Sam Hojnar and Soph Andy Nelson. Nelson was 8/20 (.400) with a few walks over a small sample size during the fall and his improvement has not gone unnoticed.
“Andy Nelson may be the most improved players on the team…We’re really excited to have Andy in the lineup every day, his speed is dynamic…I mean Andy’s a guy that can hit a three hopper to the left side and beat it out. He’s got that kind of speed and then he can also hit it out of the ballpark.” – Rick Heller
Hojnar has been nursing a back injury as of late and is practicing, but is questionable for week one. When he is healthy, he has the ability to hit from both sides of the plate. From time to time over the fall, he struggled to hit, but at Heartland in 2021 he batted .360, while hitting 14 doubles, four triples and nine home runs, so the potential is there in the bat. Fr Mitch Wood showed some glimmers in the fall, but sits in third at 3B right now.
Behind the plate, Iowa loses a leader in Austin Martin and while it is a tough loss, rSr Brett McCleary will step in as a catcher and a team captain.
“McCleary has really stepped up and he had a solid year last year as a backup and this year, he’s the number one guy. For a guy who’s worked for four and a half years to get to get that spot, it’s pretty awesome to see the development and improvement in Brett’s game.” – Rick Heller
McCleary batted .344 in a partial starter role at both DH and catcher, with 18 starts. His most notable moment last season was a walk-off home run in a pinch-hit role vs Northwestern. Over the summer, Brett batted .306 over 48 games with the Clinton Lumberkings with 52 hits, 33 RBIs and 5 home runs. He also led the team in the fall with three home runs. Expect Brett to become one of the leaders on the team and have a big season.
NIACC transfer rSoph Ben Tallman, Kirkwood transfer Soph Cade Moss and Fr Gehrig Christensen follow behind McCleary, but are still working on adjusting to catching the pitchers on the roster.
“I’m definitely getting more comfortable (with each of them). All of them can do it. All of them are talented players. They are just still adjusting to the quality of pitching on the receiving side…Their number one job is to make sure they’re the best receiver that they can possibly be and all of them are really improving.” – Rick Heller
RSoph Tyler Snep looks to be locked in at DH after an injury sidelined him most of last season and while Heller says he is as healthy as he has been in two years, catching is just not an option. Even though Snep will be locked into the DH role, he was impressive in just 15 games last season, batting .324 and posting a .490 on-base percentage. The Hawkeyes will need his bat in the lineup. Soph Keaton Anthony is a wild card and will be mentioned in every article. He has the ability to play first base, but can also be a DH if Tyler Snep needs a rest day.
“Keaton is a quality hitter. If something would happen to Snep he’s definitely a guy that would be fighting for that DH spot…sometimes I bring him in and play him at first base.” – Rick Heller
If Hojnar/Nelson can be a productive in the place of the departed Matthew Sosa, the Hawkeyes should have a really solid infield. Williams can be the team’s best power bat, while Fullard and McCleary are fully capable of hitting some home runs.
Up Next – Ben Norman, Zeb Adreon and Trenton Wallace depart from the outfield. Who is stepping in to fill out the starting lineup?
