Iowa Hawkeyes pitching rotation being boosted by Cade Obermueller

CEDAR RAPIDS — Iowa Coach Rick Heller said before this college baseball season began that his Hawkeyes would be in solid shape if Cade Obermueller was their Sunday starting pitcher.

He’s already been promoted from that.

The sophomore southpaw from Iowa City High is scheduled to throw Iowa’s Big Ten Conference game Saturday afternoon against Minnesota at Banks Field. The three-game series begins Friday afternoon at 4:05.

Saturday’s game is at 2:02 p.m. Sunday’s first pitch is 1:05.

“(Cade) has been really consistent,” Heller said. “Just consistency with the strike zone with all of his pitches. He’s in much better control of himself on the mound. He is controlling the running game and fielding his position better. All the little things that Cade needed to get better at this past year, he has. He has worked extremely hard for that.”

Obermueller threw mostly out of the bullpen last season. He made 15 appearances, two starts, compiling a 4.91 earned run average and striking out 36 batters in 22 innings.

He was awarded a spot in the rotation to begin this season, as the aforementioned third (or Sunday) starter behind ace Brody Brecht and Marcus Morgan. Obermueller has been good, going 1-1 with a 2.89 ERA in six starts.

His peripherals have been really good, too, as he’s holding opposing hitters to a .165 batting average (15 hits in 28 innings). The walk totals are high (20), but he has 35 strikeouts.

Morgan has struggled early in the season, which necessitated the switch in rotation between he and Obermueller, who was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on March 11 after pitching into the sixth inning with a no-hitter against Jacksonville State.

“I just think that I believe in all my stuff,” Obermueller said. “My command has gotten better and better. I just think that me just throwing the ball and trusting my stuff is the biggest thing. I think that’s why I’m having success. Trusting my stuff.”

His stuff includes a fastball that reaches mid-90s from a sidearm-ish motion.

Obermueller is an Iowa legacy, as his father, Wes, pitched for the Hawkeyes. Wes Obemueller pitched 80 games in the major leagues for the Royals, Brewers and Marlins.

“I call him every day. He’s like my coach. He’s my personal coach,” Cade said. “He helps me with the mental game, the pitching side of it. He’s really process oriented, so that’s really helped me. I lean on him about everything.”

“Everything I do is what he has taught me.”

Iowa is 13-10 overall going into this weekend, having a scheduled non-conference game Tuesday at Illinois State canceled by bad weather. The Hawkeyes have won five of six, including taking the final two games of their Big Ten-opening series at Purdue.

Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten in team batting average and runs scored. Sam Petersen (.393), Andy Nelson (.387) and Raider Tello (.380) all rank in the top dozen in the league in hitting.

But the Hawkeyes have a team ERA of 5.84, and the bullpen, in particular, has had issues. Control has been a problem staff-wise, as Iowa pitchers lead the Big Ten with 262 strikeouts in 197 1/3 innings, though are next to last in walks with 142.

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