Life in the Valley

Throughout the college sports year, one thing that seemingly comes to life no matter the season is that the Iowa Hawkeyes are on the brink. They sometimes are very good in football, but not quite good enough to break through at a CFP level. Iowa men’s basketball has had some very good teams and some great players over the years, but a national title has eluded them. Even women’s basketball this past season got all the way to the final before being turned away by LSU.

And then there’s Iowa (42-14, 15-8 Big 10) baseball. Rick Heller, who coached at Indiana State for 4 years earlier in his career, has lifted Iowa to a Big 10 contender and posted seasons of 41, 39, and 36 wins during his tenure. A 36-19 mark this year includes a run to the Big 10 Tournament title game, where the Hawkeyes were turned back by Maryland. That long road to the Big 10 final started way back on February 17 with a 6-2 win over … Indiana State. Some 54 games later, the Hawkeyes are in Terre Haute as the #2 seed in this weekend’s Regional. Iowa will take on North Carolina in its regional opener in Friday’s second game, after top-seed Indiana State takes on 4-seed Wright State.

Iowa baseball is looking for the same promised land the aforementioned Hawkeye programs are seeking. And if you look at what this Hawkeyes team brings to the table, there may be no time like the present for Iowa.

A look at the Hawkeyes’ numbers this season back up that point. Not many teams carry a team batting average 91 points higher than their opponents. But there’s Iowa, hitting .298 while their pitchers allow opponents to hit just .207. Iowa’s 66 total team homers might look modest in this era of college baseball, until you see that the Hawkeyes have only allowed 35 dingers all season. Iowa carries a .902 team OPS, while its opponents have managed a meager .657. The gulf between what Iowa produces and what it allows are staggering. But is it enough to get the Hawkeyes out of Terre Haute as Regional champs and on to the Super Regionals?

Let’s take a closer look at the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Offense: Iowa’s near .300 team batting average comes on the back of five regulars hitting at least at that clip, led by Keaton Anthony, a first-team All-Big 10 pick at DH who’s hitting .389 on the season with a team-high 1.206 OPS in 43 games. He slugs more than .700 thanks to 22 doubles and 9 homers and carries an insane .505 on-base percentage. However, Anthony hasn’t played since early May. Here’s an article from KIWA Radio explaining a bit of Iowa’s situation. Sophomore OF Sam Petersen also earned first-team honors in the Big 10, batting .331 with 11 homers and 47 RBIs. Not to be missed is Brennen Dorighi, a 2nd-team All-Big 10 selection who is the only Hawkeye to start all 56 of their games this season. Dorighi is hitting .340, good for 2nd on the team, with a 1.076 OPS. He leads Iowa with 13 homers and 61 RBIs. Iowa also stole 98 bases this season, led by Petersen’s 20. The Hawkeyes were caught just 15 times all year. Brayden Frazier has only started 27 games, but appeared in 45 and has hit .321 with 10 doubles and a .911 OPS.

Pitching: Iowa’s bluster and weaponry on offense might only be topped by its outstanding pitching staff. The Hawkeyes bring a deep corps of arms to Terre Haute, allowing just 4.3 runs per game. The core Iowa starters, Brody Brecht, Marcus Morgan, and Ty Langenberg have combined to strike out 248 batters in 201 1/3 innings, though they have walked 134. All have ERAs between 3.86 and 4.06, though none tend to go very deep in games. In fact, Iowa hasn’t registered a complete game all season. But Iowa has a talented enough bullpen that the lack of starter innings isn’t an issue. Luke Llewellyn and Will Christophersen have appeared in 26 and 27 games, respectively, all out of the bullpen, striking out 98 in 58 1/3 innings. Sixteen of Jack Whitlock’s 17 appearances have come in relief, and he’s pitched to a 0.68 WHIP. Iowa’s team ERA of 4.04 is 11th in all of Division 1.

Defense: Iowa carries a .981 team fielding percentage into regionals, tied for 8th-best in the country. Catcher Cade Moss has handled 474 chances this season and made just 1 error. Dorighi is second on the team with 382 chances, and he’s made just 2 errors for a .995 fielding percentage. Iowa has just 38 bobbles and wobbles through 56 games. As a result, Iowa pitchers have allowed just 24 unearned runs all season.

Iowa is a dangerous 2-seed with a point to prove. Next, we’ll look at North Carolina – perhaps the strongest 3-seed in the field.

Happy baseball!