Iowa baseball’s historic 2023 season did not lack obstacles

IOWA CITY — Four days later, the eighth inning of last Saturday’s game remains “painful” for Rick Heller.

Iowa baseball had a 4-2 lead before giving up five runs in the eighth and losing.

Instead of being one win away from the Super Regionals, Iowa would have needed another three via the consolation bracket — a feat that did not happen.

“All of us believe that had we found a way to hold onto that game, we would be the ones playing this weekend,” said Heller, Iowa’s head baseball coach said on The Gazette’s Hawk Off the Press podcast. “It’s certainly going to haunt me for a good, good while.”

That one eighth inning aside, Iowa had a historic season.

The 44 wins matched the Duane Banks-managed 1981 team for the most in program history.

Iowa also was one win away from a Big Ten title, and the NCAA Regionals appearance was Iowa’s first since 2017.

The 2023 Hawkeyes’ accomplishments especially stand out when considering the obstacles they had to overcome.

Two of Heller’s assistant coaches — pitching coach Sean McGrath and volunteer assistant Mitchell Boe — were in their first season at Iowa in 2023.

The Hawkeyes had a Big Ten-best 4.19 ERA this year — a different sight from what Heller might see at “a lot of other programs” facing similar circumstances.

“You see them lose the pitching coach, and they’re 10 games below .500 for two years until they figure things out,” Heller said.

As the Hawkeyes seemed to be finding their footing in late April and early May — they had won seven of their previous eight games — they faced some more adversity.

An ongoing sports gambling investigation resulted in suspensions of five players, including star Keaton Anthony. The sophomore had been hitting .389 with nine home runs and 38 RBI through 43 games.

Anthony, Heller said, is “one of the best hitters in the entire country and arguably the best hitter in the Big Ten.”

“It’d be similar if Caitlin Clark hadn’t played the last 10 games of the season or Spencer Lee,” Heller said, referencing the star players on Iowa women’s basketball and men’s wrestling. “That’s the type of player Keaton Anthony was in the baseball realm.”

Despite missing the five players, the Hawkeyes went 10-3 in the rest of Big Ten regular-season and tournament play en route to the Terre Haute regional.

“Had things gone perfectly, I think maybe we would still be playing, but you can’t worry about that now,” Heller said. “All you can do now is be proud of how much this group did accomplish and all that they did overcome.”

Tune into the latest Hawk Off the Press podcast to hear the full conversation with Heller. It’s available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Stitcher.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com