Iowa baseball’s postseason return ‘part of the plan’

IOWA CITY - Iowa baseball's second-place Big Ten finish this year was the school's best since 1990.

Its 19-5 league record was better than any Big Ten program had achieved from 2009 through 2013. The only problem for the Hawkeyes was Illinois finishing 21-1 in league play, the best Big Ten winning percentage since Ohio State's 6-0 mark in 1966.

'If Illinois hadn't had the year of years, we're probably looking at a Big Ten championship,” said Iowa Coach Rick Heller, whose squad never faced the Fighting Illini.

But the runner-up finish didn't prevent the Hawkeyes (39-16) from earning its first NCAA berth in 25 years. In fact, it was a banner year for the Big Ten, which sent a league-record five teams to the NCAA tournament. Iowa gained a second seed in the Springfield (Mo.) regional and will face third-seeded Oregon (37-23) at 1 p.m. Friday (ESPN3) at Hammons Field.

The Hawkeyes did not play Oregon this year, but they faced top-seeded Missouri State in mid-Feburary and won 6-5 in Grand Prairie, Texas. The Bears (45-10) meet MAAC champion Canisius (34-28) after the Iowa-Oregon game. The losers compete in an elimination game at 1 p.m. Saturday, while the first-game winners play at 5 p.m.

Iowa pitcher Nick Hibbing said beating Missouri State gives the team confidence entering the regional.

'The fact we faced their No. 1 (Jon Harris) and beat him, so we know can do it,” Hibbing said. 'They're the No. 1 team in there, and they've worked hard all year and so have we. Everybody has earned their spot and right now the regular season is out the window. It's a new chapter, a new slate.”

Oregon is Iowa's immediate threat, and the Ducks have played their best baseball to end the season. Oregon won nine of its last 10, including a pair against No. 1 national seed UCLA. The Ducks are postseason-tested, playing in their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament. Junior Mitchell Tolman (.329 batting average) moved from second base to third base midway through the season and owns school records for RBIs, multi-RBI games and doubles. Junior first baseman Scott Heineman was named the Pac-12's player of the week after going 6 of 11 with two home runs in the Ducks' series against UCLA. Tolman is the only Oregon batter hitting above .300.

Oregon's top starting pitchers are Cole Irvin (2-4, 4.01 ERA) and David Peterson (4-6, 4.39). They've combined for 29 of the Ducks' 60 starts. Garrett Cleavinger (1.59 ERA) and Stephen Nogosek (2.05) both posted 6-2 marks in a combined 73 relief-only appearances. Cleavinger also has nine saves.

'Oregon, no easy draw there,” Heller said. 'One of the hottest teams out there. George Horton is one of the best coaches in America, a great coaching staff. They're going to be as prepared as anybody will ever be for us. That's not going to be an easy one.”

Iowa plans to open with its regular weekend rotation. Junior Tyler Peyton (6-4, 3.18 ERA) should start against Oregon. As a first baseman, Peyton also is the team's leading hitter (.352 average). In the second game, first-team all-Big Ten pitcher Blake Hickman (9-2, 2.90 ERA) should get the nod, followed by Calvin Mathews (5-3, 2.67 ERA) should the Hawkeyes reach a third game. Iowa's bullpen is solid with Hibbing (3-1, 1.74 ERA, seven saves), who hasn't allowed a walk since Feb. 13, and Jamie Vandermaten (2-0, 1.16 ERA, four saves). The Hawkeyes rank 18th in team ERA (3.00), which easily will set a new school record (3.63 in 1971).

Mathews and Hibbing were second-team all-Big Ten picks, as was center fielder Eric Toole (.309 average). Toole is the school's record holder for career singles. Shortstop Nick Roscetti was a third-team all-league pick, as was Peyton.

Hibbing doesn't see pressure or postseason inexperience affecting the team this weekend.

'We've been having eyes on us and media attention all year because of the turnaround that we've had,” Hibbing said. 'So we're really looking forward to making that next step and this was part of our plan. It was part of our goals that we wrote out at the start of the year.”

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