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3 Iowa Hawkeyes taken in MLB Draft
IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa redshirt sophomore Adam Mazur became the highest drafted Hawkeye in 32 years when he was selected in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres on Sunday night. He was the 53rd pick overall and the highest drafted player in the Big Ten.
The Woodbury, Minnesota, native is the highest drafted Iowa player since Tim Costo in 1990 when he was picked eighth overall by the Cleveland Indians. The last Hawkeye to be a second-round pick was Wes Obermueller in 1999 (58th pick) by the Kansas City Royals.
Mazur is the 24th player selected in the MLB Draft during head coach Rick Heller’s tenure in Iowa City.
The right-handed pitcher had a breakout season in his first as a Hawkeye, going 7-3 with a 3.07 ERA in 15 starts en route to earning Big Ten Pitcher of the Year honors. He allowed just 60 hits and 37 runs (32 earned) over 93 2/3 innings, while fanning 98, limiting hitters to a .178 average and walking just 30.
IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday in the seventh round of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft. Williams was the 218th pick overall.
The Johnston, Iowa, native is the second Hawkeye selected in this year’s MLB Draft, joining second round pick Adam Mazur, and he is the 25th player drafted during head coach Rick Heller’s tenure in Iowa City.
Toronto has selected three Iowa players – Nick Allgeyer, Trenton Wallace and Williams – since 2018.
Williams had a breakout 2022 season, hitting .335 with 55 runs, 41 RBIs and 32 extra base hits (17 doubles, 13 home runs and two triples). The first baseman started 54 games, hitting safely in 38 games and reaching safely in 49 contests and he had 20 multi-hit games.
During the season, Williams ranked seventh in the Big Ten in on-base percentage (.464), eighth in slugging (.622) and eighth in OPS (1.086).
IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa redshirt senior Dylan Nedved was selected by the San Diego Padres on Monday in the ninth round of the 2022 Major League Draft. Nedved was the 270th pick overall.
Nedved is the third Hawkeye selected in the top 10 rounds – a first in program history. The right-handed pitcher joins Adam Mazur in San Diego, while Peyton Williams was selected in the seventh round by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Head coach Rick Heller has now coached 26 MLB Draft picks during his tenure in Iowa City. The three picks this season are the most for the program since 2018 when five players were selected.
Nedved was a jack-of-all-trades pitcher for the Hawkeyes during the 2022 season, spending time as a starter, long reliever and closer. The Shawnee, Kansas, native went 6-2 with a 3.47 ERA with three saves in 19 appearances, including six starts. He finished with 75 strikeouts (to 28 walks) over 72 2/3 innings.
Dubuque Wahlert outfielder Tommy Specht was also selected in the 6th round by the Texas Rangers with the 169th overall pick.
