Rick Heller reportedly searching for new pitching coach
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa baseball coach Rick Heller is reportedly searching for a new pitching coach, and judging from what happened this season, that probably shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Kendall Rogers, who is the managing editor for @D1Baseball, broke the news on Sunday that Iowa pitching coach Sean McGrath is leaving the Iowa staff after just two seasons.
I was also told this past Friday that the Iowa pitching job was already being advertised just one day after the season had ended.
However, I have since learned from a very reliable source that the ad is fake and has been posted on the Internet for a couple weeks.
McGrath appears to be the first piece to fall in the wake of what proved to be a frustrating and disappointing season for the Iowa baseball team, which started the season as the only Big Ten team ranked in the top 25 nationally.
Rick Heller said in a text message on Sunday that he might have some information by the middle of this coming week.
Iowa lost both games in the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 5 seed, but the pitching was actually pretty good, especially the 7 1/3 innings that Brody Brecht threw in a 3-2 loss to Michigan in 10 innings this past Wednesday.

There were certainly some positive developments with the pitchers this season, including Brecht making first-team All-Big Ten and pitching well down the stretch.
Sophomore Cade Obermueller also had his moments as a starter.
But it’s fair to say that the bad outweighed the good with the pitchers, and somebody apparently has to take the blame.
The Iowa pitchers, from Brecht on down, all struggled with their control and with allowing far too many walks and free bases.
Iowa combined to walk 315 batters over 451 2/3 innings this season.
Iowa’s three starting pitchers – Brecht, Obermueller and Marcus Morgan – combined for 136 walks over 179.3 innings.
Five pitchers on the staff had more walks than innings pitched, while Morgan just missed being in that group as he had 53 walks over 54 1/3 innings.
And though no one person is to blame for all the pitching woes, McGrath is the pitching coach and with that title comes accountability.
Brecht, Obermueller and Morgan all began the season as potential high draft picks, but all three had their peaks and valleys, even Brecht who struggled with his control during the first half of the season.
Brecht has almost certainly pitched his last game for the Hawkeyes as he projects as a potential first-round pick in the 2024 draft.
Obermueller and Morgan also have been listed among the top 150 draft prospects at times during the season.
So, it’s hard to know right now how the Iowa pitching staff will look on paper for next season.
The only near certainty at this time is that Iowa will have a new pitching coach.
Injuries were partly to blame for Iowa failing to meet high expectations this season.
However, the Iowa pitchers’ inability to throw strikes was arguably the biggest problem this season.