Iowa baseball team embracing inner underdog mentality

IOWA CITY — The Iowa baseball team seems to like the role of the underdog.

The Hawkeyes mentioned it early in the year, starting when they lost starting pitcher C.J. Eldred and some of their relief staff to injury. It continued throughout the season as Iowa battled through tough series losses and seemed to culminate with a run through the Big Ten tournament as the No. 5 seed.

Considering Iowa is a northern team, there's certainly the stigma it can't compete as well with the southern schools.

On Friday, against top regional seed Houston, the Hawkeyes once again have a chance to use the underdog mentality as motivation.

'Being the fourth seed in the regional, no one is expecting anything of us,' junior pitcher Nick Gallagher said. 'We know we can compete with any team in the country.'

With the way the Iowa has been playing over the last few weeks, it certainly isn't an absurd statement to make. Playing .800 ball over the last 10 games, it's coming into the double-elimination tournament hot.

Maybe more importantly, the Hawkeyes are coming up big when they absolutely have to. A sign of a mature team, they don't rattle easily and keep things very loose. There hasn't been crazy expectations hovering over any of Coach Rick Heller's teams and it's allowed them to just go out and play.

They'll need to do that in the NCAA regional this weekend. More than likely, the Cougars will open the tournament with sophomore ace Trey Cumbie, who is coming off a truly excellent season. His ERA of 1.88 is 19th-best in the college ranks and opponents are hitting just .226 against him this year. That'll be a tall task for an Iowa lineup that has relied on the long ball and didn't hit well at all during the Big Ten tournament.

If the Hawkeyes happen to fall in their opener game, they'll play the loser of second-seeded Texas A&M and third-seeded Baylor. The bracket will advance from there until every team but one has two losses, meaning things could get interesting for the Hawkeyes.

'I know they're all quality teams,' Heller said. 'And I know we're going to see a real quality arm from Houston on Friday.'

The excitement, though, is palpable. The Hawkeyes knew they had to win the Big Ten tournament in order to get the automatic bid and make the field. They've been in do-or-die mode for five games now, which honestly could be an advantage.

The last time the Hawkeyes got into the tournament was in 2015, when they went 1-2. There's a hope they can get a little further this time around and a Super Regional appearance — while a long shot — isn't just a dream.

This is a team that's rising and the next hurdle Heller and his team have to cross is getting the rest of the country to take them seriously in an NCAA tournament. Regardless, however, this has been an excellent year for the baseball program and is just another step in the direction of becoming a perennial Big Ten power.

For right now, though, they'll take the underdog role.

'Honestly, I love that role,' outfielder Robert Neustrom said. 'People come out, they don't expect anything from you and you come out and punch them in the mouth and then everyone knows who you are.'

l Comments: jordan.hansen@thegazette.com