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Ben Wilmes to have "limited availability" after diving for a ball against Oregon State

On3 imageby:Kyle Huesmann•05/13/25•

HuesmannKyle

The Hawkeyes could be without Ben Wilmes going into the postseason. (Photo by Dennis Scheidt)
The Hawkeyes could be without Ben Wilmes going into the postseason. (Photo by Dennis Scheidt)

The Iowa Baseball team may have to finish out the rest of the season with one of their key starters in a limited role. On Tuesday, head coach Rick Heller informed HawkeyeReport that senior outfielder Ben Wilmes suffered a “lower extremity injury” diving for a foul ball in the 10th inning of Sunday’s series finale against Oregon State at Principal Park. He will have “limited day-to-day availability” going forward, starting with this week’s regular season finale series against Oregon.

In the 10th inning of the Hawkeyes 6-6 tie on Sunday, Wilmes tried to track down an Easton Talt fly ball down the left field line. He attempted to make a sliding grab, but landed awkwardly on Iowa’s bullpen pitching mound in foul territory. Ben was noticeably hobbled, but stayed the game and flew out to right field in what ended up being the final at-bat of the game due to Oregon State’s travel curfew.

Wilmes has started 49 of 50 games this season for the Hawkeyes, with 48 of those starts coming as the leadoff hitter in the batting order. He is currently slashing .313/.402/.513, with 61 hits, 16 doubles, seven home runs and 41 RBI’s. Over the last two weeks against Washington and Oregon State, Ben tallied 10 hits in six games, including four extra base hits.

How will the lineup shake out if Wilmes can’t go?

While there is no official word on whether or not Ben Wilmes will be able to play or what capacity his role will be going forward, “limited availability” means that the Hawkeyes will likely be sporting a new lineup this week against Oregon.

This season, Wilmes has started 49 games, with 45 starts in left field and four starts in right field. If Ben is out of the lineup, expect redshirt sophomore Kellen Strohmeyer to get the start in left field. Strohmeyer has appeared in 32 games this season, with 11 starts, including starts in four of the last five games. He is slashing .318/.516/.568, with 14 hits, two doubles, three home runs and nine RBI’s.

Shifting Strohmeyer to left field would likely mean that fifth-year senior Andy Nelson gets the start in right field. He has split time in right field and at second base, appearing in 41 games, with 26 starts, slashing .250/.379/.490, with 24 hits, eight doubles, five home runs and 17 RBI’s. Redshirt sophomore Ben Swails, who has started 34 games, would start at second base with Nelson in the outfield.

As for how the batter order may look, there is little data to go on in terms of what Rick Heller might do if Ben is out of the lineup. Wilmes has led off atop the order in 48 games, while Ben Swails and Andy Nelson each have one game as the leadoff hitter. In their lone game in the leadoff role, Swails was 0-3 against Milwaukee back on April 8th, while Nelson was 2-4 against Western Illinois on April 22nd.

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