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Wilton junior Jared Townsend committed to the University of Iowa baseball program with an announcement over the weekend. The All-State pitcher will join a long list of Beavers who have played col- lege baseball. Townsend will be the rst Division 1 player Wilton has had since Alec Crawford (Minnesota). Photo by Ryan Stonebraker.
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Sports Editor
WILTON - Wilton junior Jared Townsend made his college plans known over the weekend, announcing on Twitter Sunday morning that he has committed to the University of Iowa to play baseball. The 2019 Wilton graduate and left-handed pitcher will bring a lot of starting experience to the Hawkeye program. Townsend knew he wanted to be a Hawkeye.
“This is the place I have always wanted to go. They made me an offer and I was happy with it,” said Townsend.
“I really like the Iowa coaching staff of Heller, Sutherland and Druschel and what they are doing with the program. I went to a couple camps during the winter and ever since then I have been talking to them. Growing up 30 miles from Iowa City I have always wanted to be a Hawkeye,” he said.
Townsend was a second team, class 2A All-State selection last year. He was also an Iowa Newspaper Association third team All- State selection last year as a sophomore, and has a repertoire of pitches that kept River Valley Conference schools o balance all of last season. He was 3-1 in six starts and 24 innings. He had a high ERA, but 43 strikeouts to 4 walks and opposing batters bat- ted less than .150 against him.
Townsend also excelled at the plate last year, leading Wilton in hits with 47. He had a .606 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .521 to go with a .452 batting average. He drove in 32 runs and was caught stealing once in his 12 attempts. In the eld, he was a .974 elder. At Iowa, the plan is for him to be a pitcher only, however, hitting might be a possibility based on his hitting performance over his junior and senior seasons.
Townsend helped lead the Beavers pitching sta to a 2.17 ERA as a team which was good to lead the RVC South and was better than all but Monticello (2.05) last season. As a pitching sta , Wilton had 298 strikeouts, 68 more than second place Iowa City Regina. The Beavers, Regals and Durant were 1-3 in strikeout totals last year. Cascade was the rst RVC North school in the strikeout race with 177, fourth best in the RVC overall.
Townsend becomes the latest Wilton baseball player to play college baseball and rst Division 1 player since Alec Crawford went to the University of Minnesota.
“I am happy and honored to join a great group of athletes on this list. Especially Wes Freie because when I was younger I wanted to follow in his footsteps and play at Iowa,” said Townsend.
“For me, baseball is my passion and it is a very strong sport in Wilton. It has always been a goal and a dream of mine to play college baseball and no better place for me than the U of Iowa,” he said.
Wilton will start the season at West Branch on Tuesday, May 22. The Beavers begin the 2018 season with three road dates and ve games before playing nine of their next eleven playing dates at home. The Beavers will play ve straight home games from May 30-June 7 with Williamsburg, Northeast, Iowa City Regina, Van Meter and Camanche on the schedule. The Van Meter game is listed as a home game, but will be played on the University of Iowa eld. The Beavers will travel to Durant on June 11.
WILTON - Wilton junior Jared Townsend made his college plans known over the weekend, announcing on Twitter Sunday morning that he has committed to the University of Iowa to play baseball. The 2019 Wilton graduate and left-handed pitcher will bring a lot of starting experience to the Hawkeye program. Townsend knew he wanted to be a Hawkeye.
“This is the place I have always wanted to go. They made me an offer and I was happy with it,” said Townsend.
“I really like the Iowa coaching staff of Heller, Sutherland and Druschel and what they are doing with the program. I went to a couple camps during the winter and ever since then I have been talking to them. Growing up 30 miles from Iowa City I have always wanted to be a Hawkeye,” he said.
Townsend was a second team, class 2A All-State selection last year. He was also an Iowa Newspaper Association third team All- State selection last year as a sophomore, and has a repertoire of pitches that kept River Valley Conference schools o balance all of last season. He was 3-1 in six starts and 24 innings. He had a high ERA, but 43 strikeouts to 4 walks and opposing batters bat- ted less than .150 against him.
Townsend also excelled at the plate last year, leading Wilton in hits with 47. He had a .606 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .521 to go with a .452 batting average. He drove in 32 runs and was caught stealing once in his 12 attempts. In the eld, he was a .974 elder. At Iowa, the plan is for him to be a pitcher only, however, hitting might be a possibility based on his hitting performance over his junior and senior seasons.
Townsend helped lead the Beavers pitching sta to a 2.17 ERA as a team which was good to lead the RVC South and was better than all but Monticello (2.05) last season. As a pitching sta , Wilton had 298 strikeouts, 68 more than second place Iowa City Regina. The Beavers, Regals and Durant were 1-3 in strikeout totals last year. Cascade was the rst RVC North school in the strikeout race with 177, fourth best in the RVC overall.
Townsend becomes the latest Wilton baseball player to play college baseball and rst Division 1 player since Alec Crawford went to the University of Minnesota.
“I am happy and honored to join a great group of athletes on this list. Especially Wes Freie because when I was younger I wanted to follow in his footsteps and play at Iowa,” said Townsend.
“For me, baseball is my passion and it is a very strong sport in Wilton. It has always been a goal and a dream of mine to play college baseball and no better place for me than the U of Iowa,” he said.
Wilton will start the season at West Branch on Tuesday, May 22. The Beavers begin the 2018 season with three road dates and ve games before playing nine of their next eleven playing dates at home. The Beavers will play ve straight home games from May 30-June 7 with Williamsburg, Northeast, Iowa City Regina, Van Meter and Camanche on the schedule. The Van Meter game is listed as a home game, but will be played on the University of Iowa eld. The Beavers will travel to Durant on June 11.
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