University of Iowa head baseball coach Rick Heller announced two additions to his coaching staff on Tuesday. One of those additions was Remsen St. Mary’s alum Blaine Harpenau joining the program as its director of pitching development.
Harpenau most recently served on the Concordia University, Nebraska baseball staff as a graduate assistant coach for the 2025-26 season. He helped lead the Bulldogs to an NAIA national tournament appearance while working closely with the pitching staff.
Harpenau graduated from Southern Illinois University in 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in university studies. During his collegiate career, Harpenau pitched at Kirkwood Community College (2021–23), Arkansas State University (2024) and Southern Illinois (2025), making 55 career appearances on the mound. In 19 games at Arkansas State, he posted a 3.98 ERA with four saves, struck out 23 batters and held opponents to a .187 batting average, earning College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors in 2024. At Kirkwood, he made 21 appearances (18 starts), striking out 96 batters across 88 2/3 innings.
A native of Remsen, Iowa, Harpenau had a standout prep career at Remsen St. Mary’s, amassing over 500 strikeouts and 50 wins while twice being named a Class 1A all-state captain. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in sport administration from Concordia.
