IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa redshirt junior Trenton Wallace was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 11th round of the 2021 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday. He was the 332nd pick overall.
The left-handed pitcher from Rock Island, Illinois, is the 22nd player selected during the Rick Heller era. The Hawkeyes have had one player selected in the draft in seven of Heller’s eight seasons (in 2020, Grant Judkins signed with the Oakland Athletics as an undrafted free agent).
Wallace pitched his way into the draft after having a breakout 2021 season. He earned two All-America distinctions – by ABCA/Rawlings (Second Team) and Collegiate Baseball (Second Team) – after going 7-1 with a 2.34 ERA with 106 strikeouts in his first season in the weekend rotation.
He also became the first Hawkeye to earn Big Ten Pitcher of the Year honors, while also being named first-team all-region and first-team All-Big Ten. His 106 strikeouts over 13 starts are the second-most in a single-season in school history, trailing only Jim Magrane’s 110 strikeouts in 1999.
Wallace allowed 20 runs (19 earned) on 54 hits over 73 innings. He allowed two or fewer runs in 10 starts, had eight or more strikeouts in 10 starts and posted eight quality starts. Iowa won eight straight series openers from April 2 on and with Wallace on the mound, the Hawkeyes won all but two series openers in 2021.
Wallace joins former Hawkeye Nick Allgeyer in the Toronto organization. Allgeyer made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays on July 2.