Iowa baseball signs seven players
The NCAA’s fall signing period began today and pen hit the paper today for all seven Iowa Baseball commits in the Class of 22. Below is a comprehensive list of all the signees, as well as information that has previously been shared, but now all in one place.
Coach Heller stayed in the state to grab six of the players, while pulling a very talented prospect from the Minneapolis, MN area. This class also includes a player who was previously committed to the University of North Carolina, but changed course to stay in-state.
In all, the class has six players that ranked inside the top 15 in their respective state, as well as four landing in the top 150 in the country at their position.
“This is a talented group that has a good mix of pitchers and position players. We love the make-up of this class and feel that these guys will develop into great college and professional players. There are a lot of “winners” in this group. This is a great class, but we will need to add a few more players this spring to account for possible MLB Draft selections on our current roster.”
C Reese Moore (Van Meter, IA)
Moore is rated as the #1 catching prospect in the state of Iowa for the Class of 22 and the #3 overall prospect in the state. He is also rated the #53 overall catching prospect in the country according to Perfect Game.
Heller on Moore:
“Reese has had an outstanding high school career at the plate. He possesses power and a disciplined approach, leading the state in walks last year. Reese is a tough, hard-nosed catcher who we feel will be a great leader for us. Reese is also an excellent football player and wrestler. We are looking forward to having Reese on campus next year.”
1B Blake Guerin (Shoreview, MN)
Guerin is rated the #1 first baseman prospect in the state of Minnesota for the Class of 22 and the #1 overall prospect in the state. He is the #12 overall first base prospect in the entire country according to Perfect Game. Blake is a guy that Iowa fans should be really excited about landing.
Guerin, in my opinion, is the star of the recruiting class and his name has been a hot one around the recent Perfect Game showcases, most notably wowing with his batting practice session at Tropicana Field back in July.
Heller on Guerin:
“Blake is a big, physical right-handed hitter who plays first base. He possesses outstanding power and should be a force in the middle of the lineup someday. Blake has great make-up and will be an outstanding teammate. We look forward to seeing Blake in Black and Gold.”
UTL Kellen Strohmeyer (Dubuque, IA)
Strohmeyer is rated the #1 shortstop prospect in the state of Iowa for the Class of 22 and the #6 overall prospect in the state. He is rated as the #168 shortstop prospect in the country. Strohmeyer had previously been committed to North Carolina, but de-committed on July 17th and then committed to the Hawkeyes on August 18th. He also held offers from Louisville and Notre Dame.
“I’ve always been an Iowa fan growing up so campus felt like home to me, so it means a lot to be able to help the program out and hopefully achieve all of our goals such as Big Ten champions and the biggest goal of all which would be to make it to Omaha,” said Strohmeyer after his commitment to the Hawkeyes.
Heller on Strohmeyer:
“Kellen is an athletic infielder who has tremendous speed. He had an outstanding year at the plate last summer as his team made it to the state tournament. Kellen brings versatility to our program with his ability to play several positions. He also plays basketball. We are excited that Kellen has chosen to be a Hawkeye.”
SS Gable Mitchell (Iowa City, IA)
Iowa legacy recruit Gable Mitchell is the son of Brian Mitchell, a former Iowa baseball player and the grandson of former Iowa head wrestling coach Dan Gable.
Perfect Game rates Mitchell as the #2 SS and #7 overall prospect in Iowa for the 2022 class. He also is rated the #145 overall SS prospect in the country. He was the only player to start all 42 games last season for Iowa City High baseball and was a four-sport athlete for the Little Hawks.
Gable Mitchell talked about the influence of his grandfather saying, “The biggest thing my grandpa (Dan) has taught me with sports is that there is never a time where you can be completely satisfied with where you are at…There is always something you can be doing better.”
His father Brian shared his praise of Coach Heller talking about the winning culture and focus on development that Heller has built since his arrival. Anytime the Gable family line sends a player to the University of Iowa you can expect them to give their all for four seasons and you can expect the same thing with Gable Mitchell.
Heller on Mitchell:
“Gable is an excellent defensive infielder and a leadoff type switch hitter at the plate. He is athletic, strong, tough and plays the game the right way. Gable is a driven worker with outstanding leadership potential. He is also a very good football player and wrestler. We are excited Gable will be a Hawkeye.”
RHP Aaron Savary (Dubuque, IA)
Savary rates very well in the Perfect Game ratings, coming in as the #2 right-handed pitcher and #4 overall prospect in the state of Iowa for 2022. He also lands himself at #197 in the country for right-handed pitchers. He was a First Team All-MVC selection this past season for Dubuque Whalert.
Heller on Savary:
“Aaron had an outstanding junior season leading his team to the state championship game. He has a low 90’s fastball, great breaking ball and changeup. We love the way Aaron competes, his toughness and his work ethic. We feel he will be an excellent leader for us. He also played basketball in high school and we can’t wait to get Aaron on campus. Aaron’s dad played professional baseball.”
LHP Drew Proskovec (Cedar Rapids, IA)
Proskovec is not rated by Perfect Game, but Prep Baseball Report shared a little bit on him in their scouting report.
“His fastball tops out at 86 mph, but he can keep it consistently around 85-86 with above average control of the zone according to the report. He also throws an above average curveball (74-75 mph) with a 2/8 shape and a change up (78-80 mph).”
Heller on Proskovec:
“Drew is a left-handed pitcher with a whippy arm, who we feel best years are ahead of him. He is a hard worker and has sexcellent make-up. We are happy that Drew has chosen to play at Iowa.”
LHP Cade Obermueller (Iowa City, IA)
Perfect Game scouted Obermueller as an outfielder, but Cade has been a starting pitcher for the Little Hawks the last two seasons. PG rates him as the #3 OF prospect and the #14 overall prospect in the state of Iowa for the class of 2022. He also lands at #231 in the national OF rankings.
Heller on Obermueller:
“Cade is a wiry, left-handed pitcher with a live fastball and a swing-and-miss breaking ball. He is a tough competitor with great make up and quality leadership qualities. We are super excited that Cade has decided to be a Hawkeye. Cade’s father, Wes, played at Iowa and was a Major League pitcher for the Brewers, Royals, and Marlins.”