Former Husker pitcher announces run for Iowa House

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Former Nebraska baseball pitcher J.D. Scholten has announced another run for political office.

Scholten officially declared Wednesday that he will run for the Iowa House in District 1, which covers the Sioux City area.

Iowa's statehouse districts were recently redrawn. Chris Hall, who currently represents District 13 and would represent the newly redrawn District 1, announced earlier this month that he will not be seeking re-election.

"Growing up in Sioux City, graduating high school, attending college, playing professional baseball for the Explorers, and now living here as an adult, this is my home through and through," Scholten said in a press release Wedneday. "Sioux City has given me so much, I want to give back to the city I love."

Scholten ran as a Democrat for the U.S. House of Representatives in Iowa's fourth district in both 2018 and 2020, losing to Republican Steve King in 2018 and Republican Randy Feenstra in 2020.

After starting his collegiate baseball career at Morningside in Sioux City, Scholten transferred to Nebraska, playing on the Huskers' 2001 and 2002 College World Series teams. Scholten led Nebraska in ERA as a senior. After college, Scholten played professional baseball in seven different countries before retiring from the sport and working as a paralegal.