Once a former Iowa baseball player who dazzled fans with both his pitching and hitting abilities in the 1990s, Wes Obermueller brings a life of baseball journeys back to his former program.
Obermueller finished his Hawkeye career in 1999 and was immediately drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the second round of the MLB Draft. He made his major league debut in September of 2002 and spent the next five years pitching for the Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Florida Marlins.
Now, over 20 years removed from the Iowa baseball program, Obermueller has returned to coach his alma mater as the new director of player development.
Obermueller reached out to Iowa head coach Rick Heller multiple times over the past year in pursuit of dipping his toes in the coaching side of the game. While these conversations were nothing too serious, things picked up when a spot opened up on Heller’s staff heading into the 2025 season.
“He said he would really like to get back into it,” Heller said. “He’s always been into it. He’s always helped out in high schools, in lessons, and helped kids out, but he said he was really wanting to get back into it at a higher level.”
In the role, Obermueller’s responsibilities fall in the bullpen. During games, he is in charge of warming up players and making sure they’re ready when needed. He uses this as an opportunity to connect with the pitching staff, give athletes advice, and keep stress levels low.
Heller thought the addition of Obermueller would be an easy fit due to his collegiate and professional experiences in the sport. Before the hiring, Heller made sure the chemistry between Obermueller and new pitching coach Sean Kenny was solid, considering the two would be working together in similar facets.
The two were able to sit down, enjoy a handful of conversations, and make the hiring complete.
Another person Obermueller had to get approval from was his son, starting pitcher Cade Obermueller.
While never official, Wes has been a coach to Cade his entire baseball career. Cade said he sees his father as the guy who’s always “behind the scenes” to calm him down and share words of wisdom.
“[Cade] said, ‘You have been my coach my whole life. It’s not going to make any difference, and I would love it,’” Wes said.
The two keep a professional relationship on the field with Wes taking off his “dad hat” as soon as he steps into the facility. Previous years would have put stress on Wes while watching Cade perform. But the confidence and development Cade has shown this season have taken all of that away from Wes.
Beside the opportunity of being alongside his son, Obermueller has fallen in love with the rest of the players and coaches on the staff. He tried to keep a low profile early on, not wanting to wear out his welcome. But over time, he realized he could add onto the advice from Kenny to help the athletes in their respective careers.
Seeing what Heller has done with the program over the past decade inspired Obermueller to be a part of the process. Knowing his past baseball experiences can play a cog in the machine, Obermueller wants to see his former school grow to measures it has never seen.
“Coach Heller has a great track record here. He is just awesome wherever he goes,” Wes said. “When I played, we were hoping for 20 wins. Now, if we are under 30 wins, it’s kind of a disappointment.”