Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | Hawk Talk Monthly — May 2018 | Fight For Iowa
IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa junior Zach Daniels became the fourth Hawkeye off the board when he was selected in the 19th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Atlanta Braves.
The right-handed reliever from Robins, Iowa, was taken with the 562nd pick. He is the 19th player selected under Iowa head coach Rick Heller.
Daniels was Iowa’s top reliever as a junior, going 6-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 25 appearances. He logged 45 2/3 innings, allowing 16 runs (13 earned) on 32 hits and fanning 49. He limited opposing hitters to a .200 average.
As a freshman, Daniels was a two-way player for the Hawkeyes, starting 29 games at second base. He transitioned solely to the mound as a sophomore, where he went 7-3 with a 3.22 ERA. Daniels was 14-6 with a 2.68 ERA in 65 career appearances with 119 strikeouts in 114 innings.
Daniels’ 65 career appearances are the fifth-most all-time and his 11 career saves rank eighth in the Iowa record books.
Iowa has had four players drafted in each of the past two MLB Drafts (2017, 2018).
