Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — May 2017
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Two University of Iowa pitchers — junior Nick Gallagher and senior Ryan Erickson — were selected Wednesday on the final day of the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Gallagher was the 492nd pick in the 16th round by the Cleveland Indians, while Erickson was selected with the 897th pick in the 30th round by the Chicago White Sox. Iowa also had an incoming recruit — Parkland junior college pitcher Brady Schanuel — taken in the 20th round (593rd pick) by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Iowa has had at least one player selected in every draft since the 2007 season. Fifteen players have been selected in four seasons under UI head coach Rick Heller. It is the most selections in a four-year stretch in school history.
Gallagher, a right-handed pitcher from Iowa City, Iowa, was a second-team All-Big Ten selection as a junior after taking over as the Hawkeyes’ Friday night starter in 2017. He posted an 8-2 record with a 3.48 ERA over 16 appearances (15 starts), where he had 87 strikeouts over 95 2/3 innings.
In Big Ten play, Gallagher tied for the league lead in wins, going 5-0 with a 2.37 ERA — the fifth-best ERA in the conference. He had 45 strikeouts over 49 1/3 innings and tallied a quality start in five of his eight league starts.
Erickson went 4-3 with a 3.00 ERA in 16 appearances (12 starts) with one save during his senior season. The Mason City, Iowa, native joined the starting rotation one month into the season and became the team’s Saturday starter.
The southpaw was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament after tossing a career-high 7 2/3 innings in a win over No. 21 Nebraska. He also recorded a win in Iowa’s NCAA Regional victory over top-seeded and 15th-ranked Houston.
