Hawkeyes’ Jaylen Ziegler on his summer baseball experience in Clinton

Jaylen Ziegler is a fifth year baseball player at the University of Iowa. After playing his first two college seasons at Des Moines Area Community College, Ziegler transferred to Iowa in 2025 and made his debut in 2026. This summer, he returned to the Clinton LumberKings collegiate summer baseball team for the second year in a row.

Ryan Paris: First off, how’s the season been so far? I know it’s just about wrapping up at this point, but has it been fun?

Jaylen Ziegler: Oh yeah. It’s been a lot of fun. I was here last year in Clinton, and that just made it an easy decision to come back here. Playing ball with the boys, the community, and everything that revolves around Clinton and this summer ball team is just so much fun. It’s been a great time.

Ryan: I know you were also in the Northwoods League the year before. What made you want to come back to Clinton for a second year as opposed to going somewhere else?

Jaylen: I’d say how special I felt here last year. They truly treat you like a minor league ball player here. All the fans love you, the community’s always supporting. Whether we’re 0-20 or 20-0, you know we’re gonna have a big turnout each game and you know that the Clinton community’s gonna rally behind us. I also have a bunch of former JUCO players that come here to Clinton every year, so being able to be here with them again and get a little more baseball experience with them, that’s definitely another deciding factor that pushed me to come back.

Ryan: And are you staying with a host family?

Jaylen: Yeah, same one as last year.

Ryan: What’s that like, being able to see them for a second summer in a row?

Jaylen: Oh, it’s awesome. They were also a big part of coming back because of how open they were last year and how much they made me truly feel like a son here, not just like a random person in their house. They’ve always said whatever’s in the house is up for grabs, like make yourself at home. It’s been awesome to get to come back here and have another year of spending time with them because they’re great people, so I’ve loved it.

Ryan: That’s awesome. How has your perspective shifted year to year? I know when you go into summer baseball initially, it’s your first exposure. You’re now a veteran in terms of summer baseball status.

Jaylen: Definitely earlier on, freshman year was moreso about getting a few reps. It didn’t matter as much because I knew I was going back to my JUCO right after that, and it was moreso continuing to find myself. Sophomore year I was in the Northwoods League, and going into that summer it was more like, “I gotta go show out for myself. I gotta go show what I’m capable of. I wanna continue to play baseball, especially at a higher level.” Then coming here last year, I just came off an injury where I didn’t play at Iowa. That was about getting back into the feel of the game, trying to love the game again and just being able to play again. Then coming back this year is a big development year especially for the mental space that I’ve been in. I got some things I could work on from my coaches after our season this past year, so coming in here and trying to work on those has been my main mindset.

Ryan: You spent a few years at Des Moines Area Community College prior to going to Iowa. How did they prepare you to make that jump to D1?

Jaylen: Coach Mishler over at DMACC is a great example of what being a true coach is. Obviously on the baseball side of it, he really helped me develop. Coming into DMACC, I wasn’t necessarily a great baseball player, just a good athlete. But when I got there, he helped me develop the whole mindset of the game and continue to become a better baseball player. Even off of that, like the personal side of it, he definitely teaches you how to approach the D1 campus and how that’s gonna look when you get there. He’s really good with helping us get ready for it.

Ryan: And then what made you feel like you were ready to move up to Iowa?

Jaylen: Just the confidence that I had from all my teammates and my coaches and family. All of them supporting me, telling me that I’m gonna be special, and just continuing to believe in myself and know that if I put my mind to it, I can get it done. So definitely confidence helped me with that jump.

Ryan: Iowa gets a lot of players from the community college ranks. Is that something where they send scouts to look at you and talk to you, or are you applying and sending them tape?

Jaylen: Moreso the scouts and coaches coming out to watch you. There’s big showcases that we have in the fall, Creekside and Puma. Those are ones where coaches are coming out and looking at you, and then they’re reaching out to your coaches and seeing how things are going for you. Coach Mishler was really good at reaching out to other coaches and trying to get his guys to the next level. So I definitely give all the credit to him when it came to going to Iowa.

Ryan: I know [Iowa teammates Ty Mikkelsen and Tate Slagle] both said they came into the summer with specific things that they were trying to work on. Did you have anything that you came into this summer specifically trying to improve?

Jaylen: Yeah. One of the things was my strikeout-to-walk ratio. I was striking out more than I was walking when I was at Iowa, so coming into this summer it was just trying to be more selective and have better swing decisions. That, as well as trying to lay down a few more bunts here and there, which I’ve been trying to do as well. Also continuing to throw every day and strengthen my arm have been the three big things I came into the summer doing.

Ryan: How hands-on have the coaches been? Like, what does coaching look like in Clinton?

Jaylen: Oh, it’s awesome. We have younger coaches this year, and they’ve been big on the idea that they’ve been in our shoes. They know that we know what we’re supposed to do, so they haven’t been on us when it comes to the little things. But they’re so open to us going up to them and asking them things that they think we should improve on. They’re gonna be honest with you and they’re gonna let you know what they think you should do, but at the same time, they’re not pushing that narrative, they’re not trying to change you. They let you play freely and let you play how you’re used to playing, which I’ve really liked.

Ryan: Is there any piece of advice you’ve gotten from them this summer that’s stuck with you?

Jaylen: I’d say just be yourself, and when you’re on that field, play for your team but also play for yourself. And don’t play timid has been a big one.

Ryan: Any favorite memories from this season so far?

Jaylen: The golf outing is probably one of my favorite memories because it was fun to see all the boys out there having fun playing with their host families or with the other boys on our team. Being able to go out there and all have fun away from the field is definitely a good thing, so I really liked that.

Ryan: Is that like a team sanctioned event?

Jaylen: We’re not required to go to it, but a lot of the boys here love golfing, so a lot of them are always there. Before the event starts we help out with taking people’s bags to their carts if they need it or letting them know where they need to go. And then after all that, everyone plays and has fun.

Ryan: Since Gable [Mitchell] and Kooper [Schulte] both got drafted, have you had any conversations with them since then?

Jaylen: I texted both of them congratulating them, letting them know that I’m proud of them and the journey that they’re continuing to stay on. I’m definitely excited for them.

Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

For more Hawkeyes coverage, follow @HawkeyeHQ on Twitter and Facebook. You can find Hawkeye Headquarters at HawkeyeHQ.com all season.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.