Iowa Baseball Pitcher Brody Brecht is picking up momentum as the season is cracking down to the final stretch. The right hander is on a stretch of back to back Big Ten Pitcher of the Weeks’. Known for his big time fastball, which has been clocked at over 104 miles per hour in a game last season, that fastball sits comfortably in the upper nineties and a knockout slider to go with it, which sits in the mid to high eighties.
In his last two starts, Brecht has gone a total of 14.2 innings, three hits, one earned run, and 23 strikeouts.
Brody was most known for being a two-sport athlete coming into Iowa. A legend at Ankeny High School, he dominated on the baseball and football teams, winning a state title in football alongside former Iowa Hawkeye Arland Bruce IV, and finishing third overall at state baseball his senior year. He passed up the MLB Draft out of high school to come to Iowa and continue his two way run in the black and gold. Brecht developed but didn’t see much time in either sport as a freshman, he struggled with commanding his dominant fastball, and was outmatched in the receiver room, one that featured future NFL players in Charlie Jones and Tyrone Tracy Jr. as well as Keegan Johnson and Nico Ragaini. He was set up for a big sophomore season.
He came into an injury depleted receiver room and had a few opportunities to start, getting targets and catches in games vs. Iowa State, Nevada, Michigan, Ohio State, Northwestern, and Minnesota. When he truly took off was when baseball season came around, still fighting with command issues, he was the Hawk’s ace when he was on his game. He was seemingly unhittable when he could locate his pitches. Earning honors of first team All Big Ten, Perfect Game Midseason All American, and multiple websites Third Team All American at the end of the season.
It was in March of that year that he officially announced he would be focusing on baseball for the rest of his career. This season has been by far his best season of his career, as he is top ten in the country in strikeouts. Brecht has been shooting up the draft boards, especially after the last two weeks. If he declares, he could hear his named called early on draft night.
