Bio
24-year-old Ben DeTaeye joins the Explorers after finishing his collegiate baseball career with the Iowa Hawkeyes. In three seasons, the six-foot left-hander appeared in 51 games, making four starts. He finished his amateur career with a 4-6 record with a 4.77 ERA across 71.2 innings, where he struck out 100 batters and walked 50. During his senior season with the Hawkeyes, DeTaeye finished 0-5 with a 4.89 ERA across 35 innings, where he punched out a career-high 51 batters.
In his summer collegiate baseball career, DeTaeye shined. In 2023, with the Clinton LumberKings of the Prospect League, the Clive, Iowa native didn’t allow a single run in 14.1 innings of work. He struck out 15 batters, walked 8, and surrendered just four hits. The following summer with the Mat-Su Miners of the Alaskan League, DeTaeye was dominant again, finishing 2-0 with a 1.24 ERA in 29 innings across 10 appearances. He racked up 31 K’s and walked just 12 hitters, ending the summer with a WHIP of 0.931.
DeTaeye started his collegiate career at Iowa Central Community College as a two-way player. In his only full season in 2021, he made six appearances, pitching to a 2-1 record with a 2.08 ERA. He also hit .242 with two home runs, five doubles and 29 RBI. DeTaeye made one appearance as a freshman in the abbreviated 2020 season.
At West Des Moines Valley High School, DeTaeye was a multi-time All-State and All-Conference selection. In his junior season in 2018, he led his team to a conference championship and a state semifinal appearance.