The Hawkeye baseball team announces the signing of 11 players.
By Blake Dowson
The Iowa baseball team has announced its 2016 recruiting class.
The class has nine prep players and two junior-college transfers, with eight players coming from the state of Iowa.
“We are excited about the talent coming in the 2016 class,” head coach Rick Heller said in a release. “This is position-player dominated class since last year was such a pitcher-heavy group. We were able to fill this year’s needs with some talented players.”
The two junior-college players both come from Iowa Western Community College, a junior college power in Council Bluffs.
Tyler Cropley comes to Iowa after a solid freshman year as a catcher and outfielder for the Reivers. In his freshman campaign, Cropley hit .271 with 19 RBIs in 45 games.
Matt Hoeg, a Waukee native, joins the Hawkeyes after hitting .311 as an infielder for Iowa Western.
“Matt is a solid all-around player who can defend at all the infield positions extremely well,” Heller said in the release. “He is an excellent hitter and plus runner.”
Kyle Crowl will come in as a freshman shortstop for the Hawkeyes, having been ranked as the No. 367 recruit nationally by Perfect Game. In his junior campaign at Council Bluffs Lincoln, Crowl hit .379 with 13 doubles.
Justin Jenkins is one of three out-of-state recruits for the Hawkeyes, a left-handed outfielder from Terre Haute, Indiana. As a junior last season, Jenkins hit .383 with 9 extra base hits.
“Justin is an excellent defensive center fielder who will bring good speed and savvy to our program,” Heller said in a release. “He is a leadoff-type hitter who runs the bases well.”
Grant Judkins comes in as a two-way prospect from Pella, ranked as the No. 226 player in the class by Perfect Game. Judkins hit .520 as a junior with 13 home runs and on the mound posted an 11-1 record with a 0.56 ERA.
Kole Kampenof (Fort Dodge) is one of two pure pitching recruits the Hawkeyes signed. The 6-1 lefty finished his junior year with a 4-0 record and a 0.42 ERA, striking out 57 and allowing just 20 hits over 33 innings.
Adam LaRock, from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, was another top-500 recruit for Iowa as a utility player. The switch-hitter had a .329 average last season with 6 home runs and 20 steals.
The Hawkeyes picked up a first-base recruit in Connor Lindaman of Davenport. The 6-5 Lindaman led his conference in doubles and RBIs as a junior, while hitting .386.
“Connor is a physical first basemen who will bring a power bat to our program,” Heller said. “He moves well for his size and will be solid defensively.”
Kace Massner comes to Iowa after being named to the Rawlings Top Prospect team seven times. The Burlington native has scored 51 runs and driven in 45 in his first two prep seasons.
Ben Norman, a Des Moines Roosevelt product, is ranked as the No. 2 outfielder prospect in Iowa. Norman hit .331 last season with 10 extra base hits.
Rounding out the 2016 class is pitching prospect Cole Pennock of Clinton. Pennock, a 6-7 lefty, is rated a five-star recruit by Iowa Preps. Pennock led Class 4A in victories his freshman year with 13 and is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery.
“Cole is a big lefty with a huge upside,” Heller said. “He has battled some injuries the last couple of years, but we believe he will develop into a big-time arm for us.”