The 2024 Iowa baseball team could be special

IOWA CITY — Expectations? Expectations!

The Iowa Hawkeyes have them this baseball season, and from people inside and outside the program.

You win 44 games a season ago, get to the NCAA tournament, come this close to making it to a super regional, have a lot of returning players, a stacked starting pitching rotation, including a guy who very well could be a first-round Major League Baseball draft pick. Yeah, that E-word.

“We just want to go out there and play and execute to the highest level we know we are capable of,” said Iowa pitcher Marcus Morgan. “I think it’s just exciting, the buzz and all that stuff. But I think just the internal feel we have on this team. We have a talented team, and we think we can make the run (to) what our goals are. Make a deep run, and I think that’s the most exciting part.”

Omaha was mentioned a few times Tuesday during the team’s media day. You know, that’s where they play the College World Series.

Iowa is ranked top 25 in the country preseason by just about everyone who burps out those kinds of things. It is widely considered a Big Ten Conference favorite.

Iowa plays Seton Hall, Ball State and Lehigh this coming weekend in Charleston, S.C. That’d be Friday afternoon, Saturday morning and Sunday morning, in that order.

“It’s something that we started to address way back in August,” said Hawkeyes Coach Rick Heller, who won his 1,000th-career game last season. “This year we felt like you’re not going to sneak up on anybody. I don’t think we were sneaking up on a lot of people anyway lately, but you’re the one with the target on the back now and people are coming after you. You’re getting a lot of attention, not only locally but nationwide. Predictions here, predictions there, expectations here and there.”

These Hawkeyes aren’t cute little underdogs this time around.

“That has actually given us the opportunity to talk about it and focus on it,” Heller said. “Develop a mindset where you’re going to go out like we expect, to be that team. There’s only one way to do it, regardless of whether you’re kind of the underdog or whether you are expected to win. There is only one way to play the game, and we’ve been pretty good at getting our guys to do that. Go out every single day and control what they can control. Play hard.”

Iowa’s starting pitching rotation begins with Brody Brecht, of course. The junior from Ankeny has some of the filthiest stuff in the nation, an upper-90s fastball, wipeout slider and improving changeup.

He gave up just 37 hits in 77 innings last season and struck out 109. The walks total was high (61), but you have to take into consideration he’d never concentrated solely on baseball, also being a wide receiver for the football team.

He’s full-time baseball now, which is allowing him to get closer to what is an incredibly high ceiling.

“Brody is in a completely different place than he’s been the past two years,” Heller said. “A year playing baseball has really paid dividends. He is a completely different guy right now in a lot of ways. His mentality and his maturity there. The shape that he’s in, he’s in great shape, great pitching shape.”

And a guy who could make an awful lot of money in the MLB Draft this coming summer if things go according to plan.

“It’s all projection, man,” Brecht said. “It’s early. I’m worried about Friday (and his start). All that stuff is in the future, months in advance. So I’m just trying to take it a day at a time.”

Then there’s Marcus Morgan, another guy with legit draft expectations. The junior from Iowa City West gave up just 38 hits in 65 1/3 innings last season, striking out 72.

He really turned a corner the back half of last season. He, too, has big stuff.

Sophomore southpaw Cade Obermueller, from Iowa City High, is the third starter. He eased his way into major college baseball last season as a bullpen arm, but also has a great arm.

“Us three, we push each other,” Obermueller said. “It’s a crazy thing. We all love each other, and it feels great. We just push each other.”

The bullpen might be a bit of a question mark right now, but there is potential. The starting lineup returns five guys: senior shortstop Michael Seegers, junior third baseman Raider Tello, senior outfielder Kyle Huckstorf, junior outfielder Sam Petersen and senior catcher Cade Moss, among others. Moss is injured and won’t be available early in the season.

Iowa has 18 returning letterwinners and 18 newcomers, nine transfers.

“Nothing is easy, and you have to earn everything,” Heller said. “It’s nice to be noticed, but that’s it. It doesn’t mean anything when we start on Friday.”

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