Hawkeyes earn first NCAA bid since 1990

IOWA CITY - They sat as a group, eyes fixed on a big screen at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa's baseball players reacted as every bracket was announced Monday morning and even let out a collective groan when one quadrant didn't include them.

Then the moment became historic. Applause, fist bumps and hollers followed Iowa's announcement as a No. 2 seed in the Springfield (Mo.) regional. The Hawkeyes (39-16) face No. 3 seed Oregon (37-23) at noon Friday (ESPN3), while top-seeded Missouri State (45-10) battles fourth-seeded Canisius (34-28) afterward at Hammons Field.

'Crazy, it's surreal to see our name up there,” Iowa pitcher Nick Hibbing said. 'We've been expecting it all year, and it's nice to see the hard work paying off there and see our name pop up.”

'I'm really happy for our team,” Iowa Coach Rick Heller said. 'They definitely deserve this. We've been pushing for this for a long time. To finally see where we're going is a big relief. I'm anxious to go down there and get started.”

The NCAA tournament bid is just the fourth in Iowa history and the first since 1990. Iowa qualified for the 1972 College World Series but did not register a win when it appeared in the 1975 and 1990 regionals.

'Twenty-five years,” pitcher/first baseman Tyler Peyton said. 'To be a part of this is special. Hopefully the run can keep itself going.”

There was little drama about whether the Hawkeyes would earn the NCAA bid. Iowa finished second in the Big Ten by five full games over third-place trio Maryland, Michigan and Michigan State. The league picked up a record five NCAA tournaments, and Illinois was given a top seed. Indiana joined Maryland and Michigan as the other NCAA qualifiers.

Iowa's destination was a bit of a surprise, however, considering Missouri State was deemed the eighth national seed. The Hawkeyes, who had beaten Missouri State 6-5 earlier this season, was a clear No. 2 seed and expected to play a non-national seed. But the proximity from Iowa City to Springfield - less than 400 miles - is an advantage for the players and their fans.

'The location is awesome going to Missouri State, especially a team that we've already played,” Hibbing said. 'It's a little more comforting knowing that. We've got some tough teams in there, but it will be nice to have it a little closer so that all of our family can get there. It's a good regional, but the teams will be tough. So we've got to be ready.”

Oregon earned the second-to-last tournament at-large spot, according to ESPNU. The Ducks' RPI was 66, while Iowa's has slid to 29 after a 2-4 season finish. Michigan State, perhaps the best team left out of the tournament, swept Oregon in a three-game series in Eugene last month. But Oregon won nine of its final 10 games, including beating national top seed UCLA twice to close the season.

Missouri State has won 16 consecutive games, including the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles. Canisius claimed the MAAC championship to earn an automatic NCAA bid.

While the regional has its challenges, Monday was about celebrating an accomplishment few thought was possible. Heller, who now has taken three teams to the NCAA tournament, has turned around Iowa's fortunes in just two years. He called the day 'super special” for his players and the program.

'They made the commitment, they put the work in and believed that it could be done,” he said, 'when a lot of people didn't and it hadn't been done for a long time and without that tradition of winning and getting there consistently or every once in a while even. It seems pretty monumental when you throw that out there as a goal. For these guys to take it and run with it and believe, it makes me super proud of their efforts.”

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