Rick Heller snagged two intriguing transfers to bolster the roster in one fell swoop

Rick Heller and Iowa baseball continue to cook in the transfer portal ahead of the 2027 season.

The Hawkeyes lost depth across the board, especially in the infield and the pitching staff, both major areas of concern for the program before next season. The squad has already added some talented players in both areas, including slugging 1B/OF Sawyer Stein, LHP Sam George, and IF Diego Frey, and now they are adding two more transfers to the mix.

Iowa picked up two more transfers to add to a growing roster

Heller and Iowa baseball have relied heavily on the transfer portal to round out the roster, especially with talented players from the Division II or JUCO level. As the summer progresses, the program remains aggressive in the transfer market and recently added two Iowa natives to the mix.

SS Myles Davis (Oklahoma)

2025 season stats (6 games): .375 BA, 1 HR, 6 RBI

Iowa brought shortstop Myles Davis back to the Hawkeye state after he initially committed to the program in the 2024 class. After flipping his commitment to the State College of Florida, he hit .378, slugged .573, and had six home runs and 37 RBI in 44 appearances as a freshman before transferring to Oklahoma.

He only appeared in six games for the Sooners, but he was effective in those six games, tallying six RBI and hitting .375 before entering the transfer portal. Perfect Game ranked the Marion, Iowa native as the No. 29 shortstop prospect and the No. 102 overall in the 2024 recruiting class. After multiple middle infielders for the Hawkeyes graduated, including starting shortstop Kooper Schulte, Davis has the opportunity to make an immediate impact for Heller's squad next season.

RHP Will Pierro (St. Thomas)

2025 stats (15 games, 33.1 innings): 7.56 ERA, 20 strikeouts, 20 walks

If lefty pitcher Will Pierro's name rings a bell, it is due to his standout high school career for Dubuque Wahlert High School in Dubuque, Iowa. Before committing to St. Thomas in Minnesota, Pierro was a dominant pitcher for Wahlert, posting a 1.34 ERA with 102 strikeouts in 78.1 innings his senior year. He did not have the same success in his first season with the Tommies and will try to recreate that magic with the Hawkeyes next season.

Pierro admitted he has no idea what his role will look like for the Hawkeyes, but he expects to be a reliever who receives a lot of late-game innings. After adding depth in the offseason, the starting rotation is essentially locked in, but the bullpen depth is completely up in the air. The bullpen unit had a combined 5.88 ERA last season, which must improve drastically if Iowa has any chances of making it out of the Big Ten Tournament into the NCAA Tournament. Pierro definitely has the talent, and with four years of remaining eligibility, he can grow in Iowa's system alongside new pitching coach Casey Day.

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