Iowa Baseball Signs 7

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Seven players – six from the Hawkeye State – have signed National Letters of Intent to join the University of Iowa baseball program in the fall of 2022, it was announced Wednesday by head coach Rick Heller.

The class consists of Blake Guerin (1B, Shoreview, Minn.), Gable Mitchell (SS, Iowa City, Iowa), Reese Moore (C, Van Meter, Iowa), Cade Obermueller (LHP, Iowa City, Iowa), Drew Proskovec (LHP, Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Aaron Savary (RHP, Dubuque, Iowa) and Kellen Strohmeyer (Utility, Dubuque, Iowa).

“We are excited to announce our 2022 recruiting class,” said Heller. “Associate head coach/recruiting coordinator Marty Sutherland has done a fantastic job in organizing our recruiting efforts and pitching coach Robin Lund has helped our recruiting efforts as well.

“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.”

All seven recruits are top 500 rated players nationally by Perfect Game and four are inside the top 500 by Prep Baseball Report. All six of the Iowa preps were club baseball teammates under Tim Evans and Wes Obermueller at Iowa Select.

Two of the players – Mitchell and Obermueller — are legacy recruits. Brian Mitchell (1996-99) was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and the Bob Oldis, Jr., MVP recipient in 1997, while Obermueller (1997-99) still ranks fourth in school history in single-season strikeouts (91).  He was a second round 1999 Major League Baseball Draft by the Kansas City Royals.  He played five years in MLB for the Royals, Brewers and Marlins.

2022 Iowa Baseball Recruiting Class

Blake Guerin
6-6, 270, 1B, R/R
Shoreview, Minn.
Mounds View High School (Mark Downey)
Minnesota Blizzard (Adam Barta)

– 439th-ranked player nationally by Perfect Game
– No. 1 ranked player in Minnesota by Perfect Game
– 2021 Perfect Game National participant
– 2020 Prep Baseball Report Future Games participant
– 2016 National Home Run Derby finalist

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.”

Gable Mitchell
5-9, 172, SS, S/R
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City High School (Brian Mitchell)
Iowa Select (Tim Evans/Wes Obermueller)

– 373rd-ranked player nationally by Prep Baseball Report
– Top-500-rated recruit nationally by Perfect Game
– No. 3 ranked player in Iowa by Prep Baseball Report… No. 7 ranked player in Iowa by Perfect Game
– 2020 Prep Baseball Report Future Games Most Valuable Player in Midwest Region
– Hit .352 with six doubles, two triples and one home run as a junior… stole 32 bases, scored 41 runs and had 30 RBIs
– Third-team all-state and first-team all-district and all-conference as a sophomore and junior
– First-team all-conference wide receiver in football, leading the Little Hawks to the state semifinals as a senior
– Son of former Hawkeye infielder Brian Mitchell and grandson of former Iowa wrestling coach Dan Gable

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.”

Reese Moore
6-0, 205, C, L/R
Van Meter, Iowa
Van Meter High School (Eben Baumhover)
Iowa Select (Tim Evans/Wes Obermueller)

– 494th-ranked player nationally by Prep Baseball Report
– Top-500-rated recruit nationally by Perfect Game
– No. 3 ranked player in Iowa by Perfect Game… No. 6 ranked player in Iowa by Prep Baseball Report
– 2020 Prep Baseball Report Future Games participant
– 2019-20 Perfect Game National Indoor League MVP
– Transferred to Van Meter High School for his senior year
– Second-team all-state, first-team all-conference and first-team all-district as a junior after hitting .303 with eight doubles, four triples and five home runs… scored 46 runs, drove in 31 and had 11 steals while playing at Forest City High School.
– First-team all-conference and all-district and second-team all-state as a sophomore… second-team all-conference as a freshman and first-team all-conference as an eighth grader
– Multi-sport athlete – two-time state place winner in wrestling, placing third in 2020 and fourth in 2021… third-team all-state in football in 2020 and first-team all-district in 2019 and 2020

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.”

Cade Obermueller
5-11, 150, LHP, L/L
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City High School (Brian Mitchell)
Iowa Select (Tim Evans/Wes Obermueller)

– Ranked as the No. 10 player in Iowa by Prep Baseball Report
– First-team all-conference and third-team all-state as a junior
– Second-team all-conference as a sophomore
– Son of former Hawkeye and MLB pitcher Wes Obermueller

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.”

Drew Proskovec
6-2, 180, LHP, L/L
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids Xavier High School (Dan Halter)
Iowa Select (Tim Evans/Wes Obermueller)

– Rated as a top-500 recruit nationally by Perfect Game
– Ranked as the No. 44 ranked player in Iowa by Prep Baseball Report
– Went 3-6 with a 4.76 ERA as a junior… had 44 strikeouts over 39 2/3 innings

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 excellent make-up. We are happy that Drew has chosen to play at Iowa.”

Aaron Savary
6-3, 180, RHP, R/R
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque Wahlert High School (Kory Tuescher)
Iowa Select (Tim Evans/Wes Obermueller)

– Rated as the 379th-best player nationally by Prep Baseball Report
– Top-500-rated recruit nationally by Perfect Game
– Rated as the No. 4 player in Iowa by Perfect Game… ranked as the No. 5 player in Iowa by Prep Baseball Report
– Named a 2021 All-Iowa first-team pitcher by the Des Moines Register as a junior… first-team all-state (by coaches and media), first-team Telegraph Herald, first-team all-district and unanimous first-team all-conference as a junior after going 9-1 with a 1.27 ERA with one save… struck out 96 over 66 innings and allowed 35 hits and only 15 walks.
– 2021 Bob Feller Pitching Award recipient in Legion Baseball
– 2020 Prep Baseball Report participant
– Academic All-Conference selection

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.”

Kellen Strohmeyer
6-3, 195, Utility, L/R
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque Hempstead High School (Jeff Rapp)
Iowa Select (Tim Evans/Wes Obermueller)

– Ranked as the No. 377 player nationally by Prep Baseball Report
– Top-500-rated recruit nationally by Perfect Game
– Ranked as the No. 4 player in Iowa by Prep Baseball Report… ranked as the No. 6 player in Iowa by Perfect Game
– First-team all-state, all-district and all-conference selection as a junior after hitting .427 with 15 doubles, three triples and three home runs… scored 49 runs, drove in 32 and had 22 steals.
– Broke Dubuque Hempstead’s single-season hits record as a junior
– Also a three-year letterwinner in basketball
– National Honors Society member

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.”