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Tuesday with Torbee

by:Tory Brecht•04/29/25•

ToryBrecht

Iowa baseball
Iowa Baseball is drawing huge crowds and winning.

On more than a few occasions, I have chided Iowa basketball fans for being of the “fair weather” variety.

Now, a confession. When it comes to Iowa Hawkeyes baseball, I literally am a fair-weather fan.

With the Hawks in the surprising position of first place in the Big 10 baseball standings and a warm temps, blue sky forecast for last Saturday, I made my inaugural visit to Duane Banks field to take in the Iowa-Indiana tussle.

Sitting at 31-12 and a robust 20-4 in conference, it’s been a special spring for the Iowa nine. Even more remarkable, they are doing it in the first season the former Pac 12 members USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon are in the Big 10. Currently, those are the four teams directly behind Iowa in the standings, proving that the West Coast additions are going to make winning in conference even tougher going forward.

If you haven’t been to a college baseball game, make plans to do so. The intimate venue (Duane Banks fits 3,000 in very cozy bleachers) and proximity to players makes it a pure baseball experience. Even better, you are likely to see a win; since 2015, the Hawkeyes have compiled a 164-48 record inside the black-and-gold confines.

The team’s exploding popularity made things a bit cramped this weekend, forcing me and a guest to stand along the left field fence as bleacher spots were limited. I could have heckled the heck out of the Hoosier third-base coach and bullpen, but I’ve matured so I demurred, despite availing myself of a couple Big Grove Easy Eddys from the concession booth.

I think one reason I’ve been a no-show all these years is a bit of snobbery about aluminum bats. I’ve been a fairly hardcore Cubs fan since the late 1970s and somehow the “ting” of a line drive offends my old school baseball sensibilities. Honestly, I still don’t love it, but with the way the Hawkeyes hit, I might learn to.

Our Saturday outing was cut short because Iowa just kept scoring, finally 10-run ruling Indiana in the 7th inning on a massive grand slam blast off left field foul pole by slugger Ben Wilmes. The Hawkeyes already had built up an 8-2 lead, utilizing a combination of speed, power and timely hitting. Frequent bunting and sacrifices are old school baseball, affectionately called “Heller Ball” by knowledgeable Iowa fans, after Coach Rick Heller.

Although the competition is fierce, the nice weather and intimate surroundings make for a more genteel fan experience than raucous football and nerve-wracking basketball games seem to produce. A mellow, spring vibe had everyone from the fans in the stands to the coaches on the field smiling and cracking jokes.

Despite leading the Big 10, the Hawkeyes still have some work to do to secure a postseason NCAA tournament bid. A rough start and some puzzling mid-week losses to middling programs like Western Illinois and Illinois State have conspired to keep its RPI around 60th, meaning a regular season or Big 10 Tournament title is likely necessary to make the big baseball dance.

To finish out the schedule, Iowa travels out to Seattle for a clash with 5th-place Washington, followed by a tough match-up with the #7 ranked Oregon State Beavers. Those games will be played May 19-21 at Principal Park in Des Moines, giving central Iowans a chance to take in a game if they can’t make it to Iowa City. Then Iowa closes out the Big 10 slate at home against the #6 ranked Oregon Ducks.

As a fledgling college baseball fan, I’ve been told a split of the Washington and Oregon series are likely to cement a league title for the Hawks, so here’s hoping for a positive outcome and perhaps a trip to the NCAAs.

Follow me on BlueSky @torybrecht.bsky.social

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