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Iowa Baseball Lands Houston RHP Dan Wright

Gillberg
Iowa Baseball Lands Houston RHP Dan Wright

The pipeline from Houston to Iowa City continues after the addition of former Cougars pitching coach Sean Kenny to the Hawkeyes coaching staff. The Houston right-handed pitcher told HawkeyeReport on Friday night that he committed to Iowa from the transfer portal. He is a graduate transfer and will have one year of eligibility. It’s a homecoming for Wright, as he’s originally from Sergeant Bluff, Iowa.

“The main thing that stands out is the environment that Coach Heller has created in the program. It can be difficult to tell the true state of the union as an outsider, but I feel comfortable coming into this program talking with the coaches and players I know on the team,” Wright said at HawkeyeReport. “One of my best friends in the world is Brant Hogue, who just finished his first year in the program. We were rivals in high school and eventually roommates at Iowa Western. When I entered the portal he spoke highly of the program and it was hard to pass up a new team with him.

Wright spent the last two seasons with the Houston Cougars program, appearing in 31 games with 11 starts and 51.0 total innings. Last season, he appeared in ten games with nine starts, serving as the Cougars’ primary midweek starter. Daniel posted a 3.86 ERA in 21.0 innings, including 15 strikeouts and 13 walks. Opponents hit just .200 against him and averaged 0.71 hits per inning.

The biggest improvement from 2023 to 2024? In 2023, opponents hit .389 against him and averaged 1.63 hits per inning. Both numbers improved drastically this year.

“Last season I threw both 4-seamers and sinkers, but mostly sinkers. Both slots were consistently in the 90-92 range, but I took them up to 95. I’m also throwing sliders and changeups with another slot in the works currently.

“My best pitch is probably my sinker because I can throw it really stiff and force a lot of ground balls and weak contact that way.”

A native of Iowa, Wright attended Sergeant Bluff-Luton High School. He was a three-sport player for the Warriors, playing football, basketball, and baseball. As a quarterback for Sergeant Bluff, Wright completed 69.7 percent of his passes for 2,997 yards and 32 touchdowns as a senior. On the basketball court, he was nominated for the McDonald’s All-American Game. On the field, Wright posted a 0.95 ERA over eight starts for the Warriors, including 54 strikeouts and 14 walks in 44.0 innings. Daniel originally committed to play football at the University of Sioux Falls, but opted to defer to Wisconsin.

“Coming out of high school, I didn’t really know what sport I wanted to play. I received offers for basketball, American football and was recruited to play baseball. I ultimately chose football because Wisconsin gave me the opportunity I had dreamed of my whole life, to play quarterback in the Big Ten. »

“I enjoyed my time at Wisconsin immensely, but I got to a point where I had grown an extra inch and a half and added muscle and I was suddenly 6’9″ and 255 pounds. I guess normal people would consider changing positions, but I started to consider changing sports because I thought I could throw a lot harder with this new frame and I missed playing baseball.

Wright spent his freshman year in the Wisconsin Badgers football program, before transferring to Iowa Western CC, where he began his college baseball career. He appeared in 14 games with three starts, posting a 2.55 ERA over 24.2 innings. Wright totaled 31 strikeouts to five walks and his opponents averaged just 0.77 hits per inning. After one season with the Reivers, he entered the transfer portal and joined the Houston baseball program.

Q: Talk about your recruiting on the portal. How did Iowa become a potential candidate?

WRIGHT: I only entered the portal a couple of weeks ago, so my recruitment was very brief. The idea of ​​playing closer to home at Iowa was in the back of my mind early on, so when they called me right away, I knew it would be a good fit. I haven’t visited Iowa because I’ve been to the facilities before. I went to camp when I was younger and I was raised a Hawkeye, so I’m pretty familiar with Iowa City.

Q: What offers did you receive after entering the portal? Are there any other schools that you seriously considered?

WRIGHT: After going through the portal, I heard from a handful of schools from coast to coast and it was exciting to hear what each school had to say. I considered a few other schools because I have a lot of respect for their coaching staffs, but ultimately I wanted to be closer to home and that made Iowa the obvious choice.

Q: What position do the coaches see you occupying within the pitching staff? What role do they see you occupying?

WRIGHT: I think the coaching staff believes I can fill a starting role next spring, but I’ve played all sorts of roles throughout my career. I’ll be comfortable pitching wherever I’m asked, but every pitcher’s goal is to earn a starting role and I’m no different.

Q: What is your relationship like with Sean Kenny? Why was this someone you wanted to follow to Iowa?

WRIGHT: I think Coach Kenny and I hit it off right from the start in Houston. He arrived in July of last summer, during my second year in Houston, and he immediately helped me a lot. Coach Kenny is an excellent communicator and always makes the effort to check in with everyone that everything is okay. I feel comfortable coming with him to Iowa because last year I made good progress as a pitcher, and in a new environment I think he can help me do a bigger step next season.

Q: What are you trying to focus on the most this season in terms of improvement?

WRIGHT: I would say the main thing I focus on is pitch design. I’ve heard great things about the managers and analytical staff at the Iowa baseball program. I’m very excited to be able to work with them soon with Coach Kenny and refine my arsenal.

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