By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa senior catcher Tyler Cropley is an example of reloading at its finest.

The Iowa baseball team had to fill a key hole at catcher after Jimmy Frankos and Daniel Aaron Moriel both used up their eligibility in 2016, and Cropley was there to fill it.

After spending two years improving his skills in junior college, Cropley was ready to excel on a much bigger stage and Iowa coach Rick Heller knew it.

Heller raved about Cropley at Iowa’s media day event in 2017, saying that he brought a new dimension with his uncommon speed for a catcher and with his versatility.

Heller also thought Cropley could be a solid hitter, but that is where the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Cropley has far exceeded his head coach’s expectations.

Cropley leads Iowa with a .351 batting average heading into Wednesday’s game against Michigan in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha, Neb. He also leads the team with 50 RBI, 20 doubles and a .460 on-base percentage.

Combine those numbers with Cropley’s top-notch defense and it’s easy to see why he is a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, which goes to the nation’s top collegiate catcher.

“We recruited primarily because we needed a real good catcher and he brought that right away,” Heller said. “He can throw. He can block. And he can receive. He’s really improved even in those areas. But he has improved so much with his swing. His swing has continued to get better and better and his confidence is there.

“He hits fast balls. He can hit the breaking ball.”

Cropley has made the most of his limited time at Iowa. In just two seasons, the former Sioux City Bishop Heelan standout has developed into one of the top catchers in program history.

From his ability to stop wild pitches to his ability to hit for power and for average, Cropley is the total package as a catcher. He also excels as a base runner, thanks to his speed and quickness.

And he makes life easier for the Iowa pitchers, especially the freshmen, who rely on Cropley’s experience and knowledge to work through jams.

“Just having him out there helps you relax,” freshman pitcher Jack Dreyer said earlier in the season.

Cropley showed Heller that he was ready for the big stage by hitting .403 as a sophomore at Iowa Western Community College.

Cropley then made the transition to Division I baseball look easy, earning second-team All-Big Ten accolades last season.

He has combined to start 110 games over the past two season, including all 51 games this season.

Heller trusts Cropley enough to have let him start a few games in left field, but Cropley is at his best while behind the plate for Iowa.

He is an energizer and a stabilizer at the same time. He knows what to say to the pitchers and when to say it.

And he performs, one game after another Cropley embraces the grind and he often delivers as demonstrated by his two-run walk-off home run that defeated Michigan earlier this season.

Cropley was overshadowed last season by his former junior college teammate Jake Adams, who led the nation with 29 home runs in his only season as a Hawkeye.

But from the moment he walked on campus, Cropley has been a key piece to what is known as Hellerball.

A native of McCook Lake, S.D., Cropley isn’t your typical catcher in terms of size or playing style. He brings more speed to the position than girth.

But don’t let his size fool you because Cropley can hit for power, too. He is currently ranked second on the team with nine home runs.

Cropley made second-team all-Big Ten last season and gave Iowa instant credibility at a key position.

So if the definition of reloading is to carry on without suffering a drop in production, Iowa certainly has reloaded in the case of Tyler Cropley.

He has been the perfect fit at the perfect time for a program that has risen steadily under Heller.

Iowa has won at least 30 games in each of Heller’s five seasons as head coach and has played in the Big Ten Tournament title game in each of the past two seasons, winning the title last season for the first time.

Iowa enters the conference tournament riding a five-game winning streak and with a chance to make the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five seasons under Heller.

Heller would be the first to credit players like Cropley for making it happen because coaching only goes so far.

At some point, talent and competitiveness prevail and Cropley has plenty of both.

Heller knew that when he recruited Cropley and now the rest of the Big Ten knows it.

 

  Tyler Cropley by the numbers

.351 batting average

50 RBI

43 runs scored

20 doubles

9 home runs