IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa junior Anthony Watts was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday in the 14th Round of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. Watts was the 420th pick overall.

Watts is the 37th player drafted under head coach Rick Heller.

The Clive, Iowa, native had a 4-4 record with a 4.72 ERA in 24 apperances in 2025. He struck out 45 in 40 innings of work.

Watts, a Creighton transfer in 2023, had a career 8-8 record over 59 appearances and 11 starts. He struck out 129 batters over 129 innings.

The Hawkeyes closed the 2025 season with a 33-22-1 overall record. Iowa finished third in the Big Ten regular season standings and made their 10th straight Big Ten Tournament appearance.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa junior Aaron Savary was selected by the Cleveland Guardians on Monday in the 13th Round of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. Savary was the 402nd pick overall.

Savary is the 36nd player drafted under head coach Rick Heller.

The Dubuque, Iowa, native had a 7-2 record with a 4.37 ERA in 15 starts in 2025. He struck out 82 in 80 1/3 innings of work.

Savary had a career 12-3 record over 45 appearances. He struck out 147 batters over 141 1/3 innings.

The Hawkeyes closed the 2025 season with a 33-22-1 overall record. Iowa finished third in the Big Ten regular season standings and made their 10th straight Big Ten Tournament appearance.

Iowa junior corner Deshaun Lee says an improved Hawkeye receiving corps is providing the secondary a difficult test. The Hawkeyes are into their second month of summer workouts as they get ready for the upcoming season.

Iowa had two key losses at safety from last season but Lee says good depth has helped provide competition.

Lee has started 15 games in the past two seasons and feels that experience is paying off.

Lee says in his first two seasons he focused too much on making big plays and it led to mistakes.

The Hawkeyes open at home on August 30th against the University of Albany.

Iowa sophomore guard Isaia Howard says he did not hesitate to follow coach Ben McCollum to Iowa City. The native of Plattsburg, Missouri, was one of six Drake players who are now on the Hawkeye roster after being part of a Drake team that posted a school record 31 wins and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Howard appeared in 30 games as a freshman and averaged just under five points per game.

Howard says under McCollum he learned the importance of defense and toughness.

Howard says the transition to Iowa has been a smooth one, both off and on the court.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa graduate student Daniel Wright was selected by the White Sox on Monday in the 10th Round of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. Wright was the 286th pick overall.

Wright is the 35th player drafted under head coach Rick Heller.

The Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, native had a 2-2 record with a 3.41 ERA in 18 appearances in 2025. He struck out 20 in 29 innings of work.

A transfer from Houston, Wright had a career 6-5 record over 49 appearances. He struck out 60 batters over 80 innings.

The Hawkeyes closed the 2025 season with a 33-22-1 overall record. Iowa finished third in the Big Ten regular season standings and made their 10th straight Big Ten Tournament appearance.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa junior Cade Obermueller was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday in the second Round of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. Obermueller was the 63rd pick overall.

Obermueller became the 34th player drafted under head coach Rick Heller when he was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 19th round in 2024.

The Iowa City, Iowa, native earned third-team All-America honors after going 5-3 with a 3.02 ERA in 15 starts in 2025. He posted five quality starts and fanned 117 batters over 83.1 innings. His 117 punchouts ranks second all-time in program history for strikeouts in a season.

Obermueller has appeared in 43 career games for the Hawkeyes with an 11-7 record and a 3.60 ERA. He started 30 games for Iowa and struck out 226 batters in 165 innings of work.

Obermueller is the son of former Hawkeye and current Director of Player Development, Wes Obermueller, who was selected in the second round by the Kansas City Royals.

The Hawkeyes closed the 2025 season with a 33-22-1 overall record. Iowa finished third in the Big Ten regular season standings and made their 10th straight Big Ten Tournament appearance.

1A

• Region 1: Wayne – 2 vs Sigourney – 1 
• Region 8: Newman Catholic – 3 vs Martensdale-St. Marys – 2
• Region 8: Ankeny Christian – 5 vs BCLUW – 0

2A

• Region 4: East Marshall 5 Ogden – 1 
• Region 1: Van Meter – 3 vs Interstate-35 – 0 

3A

• Region 8: Centerville – 2 vs Atlantic – 1
• Region 4: Missouri Valley – 11 vs Unity Christian – 5 

4A

• Region 2: Creston – 3 vs Lewis Central – 2
• Region 2: Dallas Center-Grimes – 8 vs Glenwood – 0 
• Region 4: Sergeant Bluff-Luton – 4 vs Le Mars – 2

5A

• Region 4: WDM Valley – 11 vs Abraham Lincoln – 2
• Region 4: Waukee – 3 vs Sioux City East – 1
• Region 1: Waukee Northwest – 13 vs Thomas Jefferson – 0

1A District Finals 

District 12: Ankeny Christian – 6 vs Baxter – 0

District 13: Martensdale-St. Marys – 7 vs Earlham – 2 

District 14: Lenox – 9 vs Mount Ayr – 7 

District 15: Coon Rapids-Bayard – 5 vs Newell-Fonda – 0

District 16: Logan-Magnolia – 2 vs Woodbine – 0 

2A District Finals 

District 10: Cardinal – 6 vs Interstate-35 – 0

District 11: Pleasantville – 9 vs Grand View Christian – 3

District 13: Van Meter – 6 vs Roland-Story – 5 

District 15: Underwood – 8 vs Treynor – 1 

District 16: Tri-Center – 8 vs Ogden – 4 

3A Substate First Round

Substate 8: Knoxville – 7 vs Des Moines Christian – 3

Three out of four of the game-defining moments went against Atlantic as the Trojans’ season came to an end with a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to the Centerville Redettes on Saturday. In a close ball game, the margin was razor thin, and only a few key plays made the difference. After the Redettes led off the game with a homer, everything stayed until the fifth. However, an error and a chance play gave Centerville a 2-0 lead. Payton McLaren came through for the Trojans on both sides of the ball. Striking out six, she kept the game close defensively. At the plate, she connected with a solo shot to pull Atlantic within one in the final inning. However, it would not be enough as Kaylee Davis was just as good and shut the door on a Trojan regional semi-final comeback.

The first defining moment came in the very first at-bat of the game. Payden Hoffman was behind in the count to McLaren but patiently waited for her pitch and drew the count full. Then she found it. Hoffman pulled one high and deep down the line that sailed over the foul pole, staying fair by a few feet at most to give the Redettes a 1-0 lead. Atlantic had a chance to respond in the next inning when Lila Widerstein got 60 feet away via a double and a stolen base. Zoey Kirchoff sent a line drive over the wall, but it was well foul. Ultimately, she was not able to bring Wiederstein in.

From this moment on, the game became a pitcher’s duel. McLaren was outstanding, throwing all seven innings, including a stretch where she struck out five in a row. However, Davis was able to match McLaren every step of the way. Although the Trojans didn’t strike out much, Davis induced relatively soft contact early. As the game progressed, the contact got louder, but the defensive positioning of Centerville ensured most of the hit balls were right in their path.

With two outs in the fifth, Atlantic seemed destined to keep the game 1-0. However, the next two defining moments would quickly follow each other. Kenley Schilling hit one hard to short, which ricocheted off a glove to keep the inning alive. With Hoffman up to the dish, the Atlantic outfield moved back towards the warning track. However, what came off her bat was not a bomb but a bloop. In a magnificent effort, Maddison McLaren came racing in from left field, dove, and snowconed the ball. However, it trickled out when her glove hit the ground, allowing Schilling to score from first, giving the Redettes a 2-0 lead.

In the final inning, down by two, Payton McLaren came through at the plate. Getting a hold of one, she sent one over the wall in left-center to cut the deficit to one with only one out. However, Davis would quickly recover, picking up her second strikeout of the game and inducing a comebacker to send Centerville to the Regional Final. Head coach Terry Hinzmann was pleased with his team’s effort especially with Payton McLaren’s ability to rebound after giving up the leadoff homer run.

Although the offense never truly got going, he felt like his team did all they could against tough competition.

For McKenna Sonntag it was her last game in a Trojan uniform and Hinzman couldn’t have been prouder with her determination, dedication, and impact on this team.

Moving forward Hinzmann is hopeful that the returners will be able to take the next step, However, it all starts now.

Although the Trojans were unable to reach the Regional Final, it was still a remarkable season, finishing with a 27-14 record. The team will lose just one senior, returning almost everyone on an already solid team. Coupled with the individual improvements, the future is bright for Trojan Softball.