IOWA CITY — University of Iowa head baseball coach Rick Heller on Tuesday announced the addition of two former Major League Baseball players and Iowa alumni to his coaching staff. Tyler Cropley will join the Hawkeyes as a student assistant and Wes Obermueller joins as Director of Player Development.

Cropley played for the Hawkeyes from 2017-18, hitting a team-best .342 with 20 doubles, nine home runs, 50 RBIs and 43 runs scored as a senior. He was a second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and was a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award.

Cropley was selected in the eighth round of the 2018 draft by the Washington Nationals. The Sioux City native made his MLB debut on August 19, 2023, for the Kansas City Royals. He appeared in two games for the Royals.

Obermueller played for Iowa from 1997-1999 before being selected by the Kansas City Royals in the second round of the MLB Draft. Obermueller started his career at Iowa as a shortstop and then a right fielder before making his debut on the mound as a junior. He locked down a spot in the starting rotation in 1999.

The Cedar Rapids native made his major league debut in 2002 and played parts of five seasons in the big leagues (Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Florida Marlins). He also pitched in the Nippon Professional Baseball League and the KBO League.