University of Iowa Athletics
2024
- Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List.
- Perfect Game Preseason All-America Selection.
- Named to the College Baseball Foundation Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List.
- Big Ten Pitcher of the Week (4/22, 4/29).
- Team captain.
- First-team All-Big Ten.
- American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-Midwest Region Selection.
- 15 starts on the mound.
- Went 4-3 with a 3.33 ERA over 78 1/3 innings.
- Led the pitching staff with a career-high 128 strikeouts, a program season-high.
- Ranked fourth in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (14.71) and seventh in total strikeouts.
- Eight outings with double-digit strikeouts.
- Held opponents to a .165 batting average.
- Pitched a season-high eight innings while striking out 13 against Northwestern on May 4th.
- Ranked fifth in the nation in hits allowed per game (5.29)
- Iowa’s career strikeout leader (281).
- Selected 38th overall by the Colorado Rockies in the Competitive Balance-A round of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft. He is the highest draft pick under head coach Rick Heller at Iowa.
2023
- Baseball America Preseason Third-Team All-America Selection.
- First-Team All-Big Ten.
- ABCA First-Team All-Midwest Selection.
- NCBWA Third-Team All-America Selection.
- Perfect Game Third-Team All-America Selection.
- Perfect Game Midseason First-Team All-American.
- Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List.
- Academic All-Big Ten.
- Two-time Big Ten Pitcher of the Week (2/21 & 5/22).
- D1Baseball Pitcher of the Week (2/20).
- Appeared in 17 games, including 16 starts on the mound.
- Held a 5-2 record with a 3.74 ERA.
- Struck out 109 batters in 77 innings.
- Held opponents to .143 batting average.
- Career high 13 strikeouts against Maryland on March 31st.
- Career high seven innings pitched in a win at Indiana, allowing just two hits and striking out seven.
- Three outings with double digit strikeouts (10 vs Quinnipiac, 10 vs Western Michigan, 13 vs Maryland)
- Threw 5 perfect innings with 10 strikeouts against Quinnipiac on February 18th.
- Started against Indiana State at the NCAA Regional, firing seven innings and allowing two earned runs on two hits, while striking out eight on June 3rd.
- The Hawkeyes were 12-4 in games that Brecht started.
- Ranked #1 in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings (4.32).
- Led the Big Ten in strikeouts per nine innings (12.74).
- Led the Big Ten in limiting opponent batting average (.143).
- Finished third in the Big Ten in ERA (3.74).
Hawk Item
- Former dual-sport athlete
- Scholarship wide receiver on the Iowa football team
- Was rated as the No. 77 prospect available for the 2021 MLB Draft
2022 Honors
- Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American
- Perfect Game Second-Team Freshman All-American
- Big Ten All-Freshman team selection
- Went 1-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 17 appearances, including one start
- Had 44 strikeouts to 25 walks over 22 2/3 innings
- Allowed one earned run in his last 10 relief outings, spanning 13 1/3 innings with 28 strikeouts
- Made his first career start against Michigan (5/29) in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals
- Tossed two shutout innings in the win over Bradley (4/19)
- Struck out three in 1 1/3 innings of relief at Milwaukee (4/12)
- Struck out all six batters in two innings at Bradley (4/6)
- Had four strikeouts over two innings against Central Michigan (3/26)
- Pitched a 1-2-3 seventh against Cornell College, hitting 101, 101 and 100 on his first three “official” pitches at Duane Banks Field in a combined shutout
- Notched his first career victory, tossing four innings of scoreless, hitless relief against Ball State (2/19)
- Fanned seven batters
- Rated as the top incoming recruit in the Big Ten and the No. 9 recruit nationally by Perfect Game
- Ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Big Ten for the 2024 MLB Draft by Perfect Game
- Ranked as the No. 4 impact freshman in the Big Ten by D1Baseball.com
High School
- Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year
- Rated as the No. 3 player in the state of Iowa
- First-team Elite All-State selection as a senior
- Three-time all-state honoree, earning first-team honors as a junior and senior and third-team as sophomore
- Des Moines Register all-Iowa Elite Team and first-team Class 4A selection as a senior
- Four-time all-conference honoree, including three first-team honors
- Three-time first-team all-district
- Went 10-0 with a 0.57 ERA as a senior with 126 strikeouts
- Limited hitters to a .099 batting average and had a .77 WHIP
- Tossed a no-hitter as a senior and had a school-record 17 strikeouts against Ames
- Went 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA as a junior with 69 strikeouts, a .143 batting average against and a 1.25 WHIP
- Was 6-3 with a 2.46 ERA as a sophomore with 70 strikeouts, a .182 batting average against and a 1.66 WHIP
- Hit .316 as a freshman with 21 RBIs and three home runs
- Holds school records for single-season ERA (0.57) and winning percentage (1.000)
- Led team to a conference title and a third-place finish at state as a senior
- Also a Des Moines Register Elite All-State selection as a junior and senior where he also earned first-team all-district and all-state honors as a wide receiver
- Led team to a state title as a senior with an 11-1 record
- Holds school records for career receptions (124), receiving yards (2,269 and touchdown receptions (29)
- Earned Academic Achievement Award in three sports and CIML All-Academic recognition
- Member of the DMACC Dean’s List in 2021
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes
- High school coach was Joe Balvanz
Personal
- Born Sept. 27, 2002, in Des Moines, Iowa
- Son of Aaron and Kelcy Brecht
- Has a younger sister, Adyson
- Majoring in business
