LEADING OFF
• The Hawkeyes finished the season with a 44-16 overall record. The 44 wins are tied for the most wins in a single season in program history.
• Iowa finished 15-8 in Big Ten play, finished third in the regular season standings, and advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship game.
• Iowa made its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2017, winning two games at the Terre Haute Regional.
• This season is the first time Iowa baseball beat the eventual national champion since sweeping Michigan in a doubleheader in 1953.
• Brody Brecht finished with 109 strikeouts, the second-most in program history.
• Brody Brecht led the country with 4.32 hits allowed per nine innings. Marcus Morgan ranked third with 5.23 hits per nine.
• Kyle Huckstorf, Michael Seegers, Ty Langenberg, and Sam Petersen were Big Ten All-Tournament Team selections.
• Iowa ranked in the top-13 nationally in six categories. The Hawkeyes were second in hits allowed per nine innings (6.74), fifth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.9), eighth in win loss percentage (.733), 11th in earned run average (4.19), 12th in shutouts (6), and 13th in fielding percentage (.981).
• Iowa set single season records in three categories. Iowa pitchers set the single season record for strikeouts with 630. Iowa batters set program records for walks (326) and hit by pitches (105).
• Iowa had 11 Academic All-Big Ten selections.
4 HAWKEYES MOVE ON TO MLB
The Hawkeyes had two players selected in the 2022 Major League Draft and also had two players sign as undrafted free agents.
• Jared Simpson became Iowa’s third highest drafted pitcher under Rick Heller when he was selected with the 225th pick in the eighth round by the Washington Nationals.
• Ty Langenberg was chosen in the 11th round (327th pick) by the Minnesota Twins.
• Will Christophersen signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Angels.
• Keaton Anthony signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies.
THE NORM — 3-0
The Hawkeyes posted their 30th victory of the 2023 season in the 16-0 victory over Upper Iowa. It was the eighth time in the Rick Heller era that the program has won 30 or more games.
• Iowa has had 30 or more wins in each of the “non-COVID” seasons under Heller (2020 and 2021 were altered because of the pandemic).
B1G HONORS
• DH Keaton Anthony, P Brody Brecht and OF Sam Petersen earned first-team All-Big Ten honors.
• P Marcus Morgan and 1B Brennen Dorighi earned second-team honors
• C Cade Moss was named to the third team.
ALL-AMERICANS
• Pitcher Brody Brecht was named a third team All-American by the NCBWA and Perfect Game.
• This is the third straight year a Hawkeye starting pitcher has earned All-America distinction (Adam Mazur and Trenton Wallace).
• Brecht was named a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game a year ago.
• OF Keaton Anthony was named a Collegiate Baseball Third-Team AllAmerican.
• Anthony was named a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball a season ago.
• Brecht and Anthony are the 12th and 13th player to earn All-America honors under head coach Rick Heller and the 26th and 27th Hawkeyes all-time.
BANKS MAGIC
• The Hawkeyes are 143-43 at home since the start of the 2015 season.
• Iowa won 22 games at Duane Banks Field in 2023 tied for the most in school history with the 1977 team.
• Iowa has 17 walk-off victories at Duane Banks Field since the start of 2015.
BALL MAGNETS
The Hawkeyes were hit 105 times this season the 17th most in the NCAA.
• Sam Petersen led the team getting plunked 18 times followed by Keaton Anthony with 15 HBPs.
ON THE OFFENSIVE
• The Hawkeyes scored 489 runs in 60 games. averaging 8.15 runs per contest. Iowa had 20 games with 10 or more runs.
• Iowa was 27-11 when scoring first and 43-4 when out-hitting its opponent.
• The team was 39-2 when scoring six or more runs.
• The team is 26-1 when scoring nine or more runs.
• In 2022 the Hawkeyes scored 358 runs in 55 games, averaging 6.5 runs per contest. Iowa had 12 games with 10 or more runs and 24 games with 10 or more hits.
AIN’T LIFE GRAND
The Hawkeyes hit nine grand slams on the year.
• Kyle Huckstorf (Indiana State, 2/17)
• Sam Hojnar (Southern, 3/3)
• Chase Moseley (Southern, 3/3)
• Sam Petersen (St. Thomas, 3/15)
• Keaton Anthony (Maryland, 3/31)
• Sam Petersen (Upper Iowa, 4/25)
• Keaton Anthony (Penn State, 4/29)
• Brennen Dorighi (Ohio State, 5/4)
• Brayden Frazier (Michigan, 5/23)
30 WINS X 8
Since head coach Rick Heller’s first season in 2014, the Hawkeyes have reached the 30-win plateau in every “non-COVID affected” season. The program’s six consecutive year stretch was the longest since posting seven straight 30-win seasons from 1979-85.
2014: 30-23
2015: 41-18 (2nd-most wins all-time)
2016: 30-26
2017: 39-22 (5th-most wins all-time)
2018: 33-20
2019: 31-24
2020: 10-5 (*pandemic shortened)
2021: 28-16 (*Big Ten-only schedule)
2022: 36-19 (8th-most wins all-time)
2023: 44-16
MIDSEASON HONORS FOR ANTHONY AND SEEGERS
Michael Seegers was named to the midseason Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award Watch List and redshirt sophomore Keaton Anthony was named to the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award Watch List.
• When named Seegers had started 35 games posting a 0.965 fielding percentage. He had tallied only five errors in 137 chances. The Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, native held a .272 batting average with 37 hits.
• At the release of the list Anthony was leading the Hawkeyes with a .370 batting average. He leads the NCAA in doubles (20) and doubles per game (0.56). He has hit seven home runs and plated 30 RBIs. The Hoschton, Georgia, native has a 4.95 ERA in nine appearances with six starts. He has a 2-0 record with 20 innings pitched and has struck out 14.
MIDSEASON HONORS FOR BRECHT
Sophomore Brody Brecht was named to the Golden Spikes award midseason watch list and a midseason first-team All-American by Perfect Game.
• At the midway point Brecht ranked 13th in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings (5.08), 11th in strikeouts (59) and third in strikeouts-per-nine innings (15.77).
SOUTH ALABAMA INVITE CHAMPS
The Hawkeyes went 3-0 at the South Alabama Invitational to claim the title.
• Iowa defeated Southern, 20-8, on Friday afternoon in the opening game of the tournament.
• Iowa beat host South Alabama winning 6-2 on Saturday night.
• Iowa then defeated Pepperdine who was also 2-0 on the weekend on Sunday, 10-1, to win the tournament.
MIDDLE INFIELD HEATING UP
Michael Seegers and Sam Hojnar had huge weekends for the Hawkeyes at the South Alabama Invitational.
• Seegers hit .600 and slugged 1.200 as the Hawkeyes leadoff man. He hit two home runs and a triple tallying six RBIs.
• Hojnar hit .385 with two home runs and eight RBIs.
SIMPSON & VOELKER
Iowa middle relievers Jared Simpson and Zach Voelker combined to throw 86.1 innings, striking out 96 while walking only 44.
• Voelker was 4-1 with a 6.18 ERA
• Simpson was 4-3 with a 6.54 ERA
CHRISTO
Iowa pitcher Will Christophersen allowed just one hit in his first nine appearances.
• Christophersen threw 33 innings and struck out 59.
• Christophersen was 5-1 and was 1-for-1 in save situations.
IOWA DOWNS NO. 1
The Hawkeyes defeated No. 1 LSU 12-4 at the Karbach Round Rock Classic
• The win vs. No. 1 LSU is believed to be the first win ever for the Hawkeyes against the No. 1 team in the country.
• The last matchup for the Hawkeyes against the top ranked team in the country is believed to be in 1972 when they faced Arizona State in the College World Series (ASU, 2-1).
• The last win for the Hawkeyes against a top 10 team came last season at No. 8 Rutgers (4/23/22).
• Head coach Rick Heller has defeated at least one ranked foe in each season as Iowa’s head coach.
ALL-ROUND ROCK TEAM
Keaton Anthony, Brennen Dorighi, and Zach Voelker were all named to the Karbach Round Rock Classic All-Tournament Team.
• Anthony hit .429 with five runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and three RBIs.
• Dorighi hit .333 with three doubles, five RBIs, and a home run.
• Voelker earned the win on Sunday against Kansas State throwing 5.2 innings of relief allowing one run and striking out five.
HUCK OPENS SEASON WITH A BANG
Redshirt junior Kyle Huckstorf played the role of hero in the bottom of the 11th inning connecting on a walk off grand slam as the Hawkeyes defeated Indiana State, 6-2, in their season opener.
• The last walk off home run for the Hawkeyes was Brett McCleary vs. Northwestern (4/26/21).
PITCHING STAFF SHINES OPENING WEEKEND
The Iowa pitching staff combined for a 0.96 ERA over opening weekend, the fourth lowest in the nation.
• The staff allowed 5.14 hits per nine innings, ranking 12th nationally, and had a 0.89 WHIP, the 15th lowest in the nation.
WINNING BASEBALL
• The Hawkeyes have posted ten consecutive winning seasons under head coach Rick Heller. For perspective, the program had just two winning seasons from 1997-2013 and five from 1990-2013.
• Since Heller took over the program in 2014, only three schools — Iowa, Indiana and Michigan — have qualified for the Big Ten Tournament each season it has been contested. (There was no tournament in 2020 or 2021 because of COVID.)
BRODY’S BIG DEBUT
Sophomore RHP Brody Brecht was perfect in his season debut not allowing a baserunner through five innings of work as the University of Iowa baseball team defeated Quinnipiac, 7-1. Brecht struck out 10-of-15 Bobcat batters while hitting 100 MPH on the radar gun.
• This was Brecht’s second career start. His first came in the 2022 Big Ten Tournament against Michigan (5/29/22).
• Brecht struck out a career-high 10 batters in a career-high five innings pitched.
PRESEASON HONORS
• A pair of Hawkeye sophomores received preseason All-America honors. RHP Brody Brecht was named third team All-America by Baseball America and two-way player Keaton Anthony was named second team All-America by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
• Junior pitcher Ty Langenberg was named Big Ten Preseason Pitcher of the Year by both Perfect Game and D1Baseball.
• Langenberg and Anthony were named to the preseason All-Big Ten team by Perfect Game.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
• Iowa’s 39-man roster features one graduate transfer, one senior, 17 juniors, nine sophomores, two redshirt freshman and nine freshmen.
• The Hawkeyes have 17 newcomers (eight transfers), including Division I transfers in Zach Voelker (Long Beach State), and Brennen Dorighi (Wofford).
• The Hawkeye roster is made up of student-athletes from 11 states and Canada — Iowa (23), California (2), Georgia (2), Illinois (2), Minnesota (2), Wisconsin (2), Arizona (1), Missouri (1), Montana (1), Ohio (1), Washington (1), Canada (1).
• Iowa has two sets of college teammates and four sets of high school teammates — Kyle Huckstorf and Ben DeTaeye (Iowa Western CC); Luke Llewellyn and Cade Moss (Kirkwood CC); Gable Mitchell and Cade Obermueller (Iowa City High); Luke Llewellyn, Ty Langenberg and Gehrig Christensen (Urbandale); Cade Moss and Ben Wilmes (Johnston); Jack Young and Will Christophersen (Pleasant Valley).
IMPACT TRANSFERS
The Hawkeyes added two Division I transfers to their 2023 roster.
• Redshirt sophomore RHP Zach Voelker joins the Hawkeyes after a stint at Long Beach State where he had a 4-4 record in 14 appearances (seven starts) with a 6.05 ERA and 32 strikeouts.
• Voelker was a Cape Cod League All-Star in 2022 playing for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. He went 2-2 with a 1.97 ERA in 11 games (three starts) with 23 strikeouts.
• Graduate student Brennen Dorighi joins Iowa after hitting .339 with 65 hits, nine home runs, 39 runs, and 53 RBIs at Wofford on his way to being named a first-team All-Southern Conference selection.
• Dorighi started 81 games in his four years for the Terriers hitting .318 with 101 hits, 13 home runs, and 85 RBIs.
MCGRATH AND BOE JOIN STAFF
The Hawkeyes welcomed two new coaches to the staff after Robin Lund and David Pearson left to take roles with the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively.
• Sean McGrath joined the Hawkeyes after three seasons coaching in the Mariners’ minor league system. In 2022, he served as the pitching coach for the Seattle Mariners Double-A affiliate — the Arkansas Travelers.
• Under McGrath, The Travers put together an ERA of 4.27, ranking second in the Texas League. The staff led the league in three categories: totaling 11 shutouts, a 1.30 WHIP and a .229 batting average against.
• Mitch Boe — who played for the Hawkeyes from 2016-2019 — joined the staff after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach for Valparaiso. Boe served as the team’s infield and baserunning instructor while also coaching third base.
• The Naperville, Illinois, native appeared in 193 career games, tied for the ninth-most all-time at Iowa. In 2019 the team captain was named Iowa’s recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Boe tallied 144 hits, 28 doubles, 72 RBIs and 21 stolen bases during his Hawkeye career.
MR. DOUBLE
In 2022 Redshirt freshman Keaton Anthony finished fourth in the Big Ten with 22 doubles, which ranked 34th nationally. The doubles total are the second-most in a single season in program history, trailing only John Knapp’s 24 doubles in 1986.
• Anthony hit his first double of the 2023 season vs. Quinnipiac (2/19)
• Anthony has 22 doubles this season bringing his career total to 44.
RANKED OPPONENTS; RANKED WINS
Iowa is 2-2 against ranked opponents this year having defeated #1 LSU at the Round Rock Classic on February 25 before going 1-2 at Texas Tech on March 10-12.
• The Hawkeyes have now defeated a top 10 team in back-to-back seasons having defeated No. 8 Rutgers in 2022.
• Head coach Rick Heller has defeated at least one ranked foe in each season as Iowa’s head coach.
HEAT ALERT
Freshman RHP Brody Brecht had a blazing debut in his first career appearance at Duane Banks Field in 2022. The Ankeny, Iowa, native hit triple digits on his first three pitches, going 101, 101 and 100 in a 1-2-3 inning against Cornell College on March 2.
• Brecht hit 100 or higher on the radar gun 37 times in 2022 (in games where Trackman data was available).
• Brecht has hit 100 or higher on the radar gun 31 times in 2023 (in games where Trackman data was available).
• In 2022 Brecht had 25 strikeouts and allowed just one earned run (on five hits) over his final 10 relief appearances, spanning 13 2/3 innings, giving him 44 Ks over 22 2/3 innings this season. He went 1-4 with a 3.18 ERA in 17 appearances and he gave up just one extra base hit.
TEAM CAPTAINS
Graduate student Brennen Dorighi, redshirt senior Jared Simpson, redshirt junior Brayden Frazier, and juniors Ty Langenberg and Michael Seegers were voted team captains for the 2023 season.
DON’T COUNT ‘EM OUT
The Hawkeyes have overcame deficits to win 92 games since the start of the 2017 season and posted 16 walk-offs. 35 of those victories have come with Iowa trailing or being tied entering or through seven innings. 21 have come in the final at-bat.
#HELLERBALL
• Head coach Rick Heller recorded his 1000th career win on May 6, 2023. The Iowa native won his 950th career game on April 17, 2022, against Minnesota. He recorded his 900th career win against Grand View in a 15-2 victory on March 3, 2020, at Duane Banks Field.
• The Hawkeyes have won 30 or more games in each of Heller’s eight full seasons as the helm of the program. It’s a first for the team since winning 30 or more in seven straight seasons from 1979-85.
• Heller has led the Hawkeyes to three NCAA Regional appearances; the program had three regional appearances in its history prior to his arrival.
• Heller is third in school history in career wins with 320 at Iowa, including the first (44), second (41), fifth (39) and eighth-most (36) wins in a single-season in school history.
• Heller led Iowa to its first Big Ten Tournament title in 2017 — the first conference title since 1990 — and he guided the Hawkeyes to the Big Ten Tournament title game in consecutive seasons. Iowa advanced to the league tournament in six straight years for the first time in program history.
• Heller has coached at least one first-team All-Big Ten selection in eight of his 10 (full seasons), and has 29 Major League Baseball Draft picks in nine seasons (31 players have gone on to play professional baseball).
• Heller had three players drafted in the top 10 rounds of the 2022 MLB Draft — a first in program history. That included Adam Mazur, who was the 53rd pick overall (San Diego) — the highest pick by a Hawkeye since 1990.
• Iowa had a school-record six All-Big Ten selections in 2015 and five in 2017. The Hawkeyes have had 36 All-Big Ten honorees in nine seasons under Heller.
• Heller has coached one Big Ten Player of the Year (Jake Adams), two Big Ten Pitcher of the Years (Trenton Wallace, Adam Mazur) and one Big Ten Freshman of the Year (Keaton Anthony) during his time as a Hawkeye.
• Iowa has posted winning streaks of nine games (in 2015 and 2023) and eight games (in 2017) — the longest streaks for the program since 2012.