Wofford transfer Brennen Dorighi already making big impact for Iowa baseball team
Colorado native voted team captain after just one semester in the program
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Brennen Dorighi has yet to play in a regular-season game for the Iowa baseball team, but he already has made his presence felt in a big way.
Dorighi has only been with the Hawkeyes since August after having transferred from Wofford College, and yet, his new teammates and coaches still made him one of five team captains.
“Brennen was voted one of the captains after just one semester here, but that’s the type of kid he is,” Iowa head coach Rick Heller said Wednesday at the team’s annual media day event. “We’re so lucky to have a guy like him, especially coming in to fill Peyton Williams’ shoes.”
Peyton Williams was an All-Big Ten first baseball for Iowa who bypassed his junior and seniors season to enter the 2022 amateur baseball draft where he was selected in the seventh round by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Williams was the fourth-highest drafted position player since Rick Heller took over the Hawkeyes in 2014.
So, he leaves behind a huge hole to fill, but Heller thinks Dorighi is up to the task.
“He’s a mature, smart baseball guy that played at a program out at Wofford where their coaches do an excellent job,” Heller said. “Good program and we have similar philosophies on the offensive side with strikes on discipline and how we go about our business.
“So, Brennen fit right in and was actually able to help us with some stuff that they do. And he’s just been a great teammate and works hard. A good player, a really good player.”
Dorighi combined to start 81 games over the past two seasons at Wofford and was selected first-team All-Southern Conference last season by the coaches and media.
He played in 56 games with 51 starts last season, including 41 at designated hitter and 10 in left field. He batted .339 with 65 hits, nine home runs, 39 runs and 53 RBIs.
Dorighi, who is from Cherry Hills, Colorado, is expected to play first base for Iowa, but could also be a designated hitter, or play in the outfield.
Asked at media day what led him to Iowa as a graduate transfer, Dorighi said:
“I think it was just a mixture of culture, how they showed me that throughout the recruiting process in June and then also the coaches, they were able to reach out to me a couple times and really just get to know me on a personal level and I thought was could potentially be a good fit for this year.”
Dorighi is used to playing in warmer weather with Wofford located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and he took that into consideration when looking for a new school.
But the good still far outweighed the bad when he learned more about the Iowa program under Heller, who has led Iowa to nine consecutive winning seasons.
“For sure, that was definitely in consideration,” Dorighi said of the weather. “But I think it just checked too many boxes for me not to come out here. I could overlook the weather with that.”
Iowa’s success and consistency under Heller was a big selling point for Dorighi.
Since Heller took over in 2014, only three Big Ten teams – Iowa, Indiana and Michigan – have qualfied for the Big Ten Tournament each season it has been played.
“I think being in the top five in the Big Ten the last couple years and just the winning culture makes me want to come here even more,” Dorighi said.
Dorighi still has a lot to learn about Big Ten baseball, but adjusting to his new teammates, coaches and surroundings has gone smoothly to this point.
“So far, it’s been awesome,” Dorighi said. “The guys are great, the coaching staff and resources, all that stuff, is unmatched. I don’t know much about Big Ten baseball, but I’m ready to find out.”