Brody Brecht’s first pitch from Iowa in Saturday’s game against Purdue was a blow.
The scoreboard then flashed with the speed of the field.
100.
So you tend to sit a little forward in your seat, pay a little more attention when Brecht throws.
You can’t see a lot of pitchers in university baseball with such speed, certainly not from a freshman who has attracted a lot of attention since he arrived on campus.
When you can throw with such heat, people will watch.
When you pick up accessories at Kinnick Stadium this fall to match such talent, you will really attract interest.
Brecht is a two-sport athlete, balancing between baseball and football.
And even when the traffic light is flashing 100there is that feeling that the best is yet to come.
So it was fun to watch his development this season on the baseball field.
We haven’t seen it in football yet – Brecht missed summer training last year while finishing his middle baseball career, and then a thumb injury hit him at the start of autumn camp so the rest of the autumn was around playing catch-up.
But we saw it in his performances from the bench for the Hawkeyes. He has a 1-3 with an average run of 2.45. He knocked out 42 in 22 innings, allowing just 12 hits, all but one of those singles.
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Still, there are figures that show he is still ongoing. He gave up 21 walks and is led by Hawkeyes with eight wild pitches.
“When I’m in the (strike) zone, I’m very confident, especially when I establish my fast ball,” Brecht said in an interview last month. “The biggest part for me was just finding my pace, my rhythm, whether it was cheering or stretching. I’m just trying to find consistency. “
That lack of consistency that Brecht had sometimes this season could be seen in his one change of work against the Boilermakers. He hit a certain hitter CJ Valdez to open the inning – a called third hit followed at 99 mph – and then hit Cam Thompson.
But Brecht gave a double to Troy Viola on a misplaced fly ball, and then two wild pitches allowed Viola to score. Brecht walked Paul Toetz and then had a throwing error in a pick-up attempt before Ryan Howe took him out in a hurry and finished the inning.
Brecht threw 25 throws, with 13 for kicks.
“People can hit the veil, so you have to be in the impact zone,” Brecht said last month. “In high school, you get a lot more chasing out of the zone. Students can read it much better. ”
Brecht’s commitment to the two-sport plan impressed his coaches.
“This was his goal, this was his dream,” wide receiver coach Kelton Copeland said early spring training sessions. “He knew it was going to be hard – he obviously didn’t know how hard it was going to be until he found himself in a situation now.”
That commitment will continue through the summer. Brecht could go to the Cape Cod League, one of the best summer leagues for university baseball players. But he will stay in Iowa City, go through summer training sessions with the national football team, while playing baseball for the Clinton LumberKings in the Prospect League. Clinton is just a 90-mile drive from Iowa City, and strict league number rules mean he doesn’t have to be with the LumberKings every day.
Copeland was thrilled with Brecht’s ability and said he could see the weather on the receiver this fall.
Regardless of the venue, Brecht will attract attention.
The best, it seems, is ahead.