Iowa Hawkeyes baseball team makes the NCAA tournament

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Iowa Hawkeyes are an NCAA baseball tournament team, as expected.

And at initial glance, they’re a team that’s got a legitimate chance to make a run, too.

Iowa is part of a four-team regional at Terre Haute, Ind., that includes top-seeded host Indiana State, third-seeded North Carolina and fourth-seeded Wright State. The Hawkeyes are the regional’s No. 2 seed and will play a first-round game against UNC Friday night at 6 (ACC Network).

The winners of each of the 16 four-team regionals advance to super regionals next week. Each regional and super regional are double elimination.

Iowa (42-14) lost to Maryland in Sunday’s Big Ten Conference Tournament championship game, 4-0, but has posted the second-most wins in school history. The record is 44 in 1981.

This is the school’s sixth NCAA tournament appearance, its third in 10 years under head coach Rick Heller. The Hawkeyes join Maryland and Indiana as regional qualifiers from the Big Ten.

Iowa has thrived without top hitter Keaton Anthony, part of a handful of players suspended from playing pending a criminal investigation into sports gambling by Hawkeyes student-athletes in multiple sports. First baseman Brennen Dorighi is Iowa’s top hitter with a .340 batting average and team-best 61 RBIs.

Iowa’s starting pitching trio of Brody Brecht (3.86 earned run average), Marcus Morgan (3.88) and Ty Langenberg (4.06) combines with a strong bullpen to give the team what would appear to be an opportunity to win this regional.

Heller coached at Indiana State prior to coming to Iowa, replaced by current coach Mitch Hannahs. The Sycamores are 42-15, overcoming a 2-8 start to the season to win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

Iowa beat ISU in Florida in the opening game of the season for both teams, 6-2, in 11 innings. Indiana State played several games against Big Ten opponents during the season, beating Illinois twice, losing twice to Michigan State and going 1-0 against both Indiana and Purdue.

The team’s ERA of 3.80 ranks fifth in the country, and its field percentage of .984 is No. 1.

Like Iowa, North Carolina (35-22) is an at-large NCAA qualifier. This is the sixth consecutive NCAA appearance for the Tar Heels, and their 20th in the last 23 years.

UNC finished an even 14-14 in the ACC, hits .285 as a team and has a team earned run average of 4.73. Third baseman Mac Horvath has 22 home runs.

Wright State (39-21) won the Horizon League Tournament championship, hits .278 as a team and has a 4.85 team ERA. The Raiders beat Ohio State of the Big Ten twice this season.

The Indiana State-Wright State begins at noon (CT) Friday, with Iowa and North Carolina following at 6 p.m. Saturday’s and Sunday’s schedule will be determined after first-round games.

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