Iowa baseball using its culture to peak at right time
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Before he could rebuild the Iowa baseball team, Rick Heller had to build a culture within the program that would influence each day.
That culture has shined brightly over the past two weeks.
It has helped to lift Iowa from a desperate situation and into Big Ten Tournament for a record third consecutive season.
“I think the culture portion of it is just how we go about our business and that gives you a chance,” Heller said Monday night.
Iowa barely had a chance to make the conference tournament two weeks.
Anything less than winning four of six games against Michigan State and Penn State would’ve ended the season.
But now the Hawkeyes, with records of 27-25 overall and 12-12 in the Big Ten, live to play on after winning both three-game series by a 2-to-1 margin.
Iowa is the lowest seed in the tournament at No. 8 and will face top-seed Minnesota at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb.
Minnesota won two of three games against Iowa in April in Minneapolis. But Iowa had won the previous two series against Minnesota for the first time since the 1962 and 1963 seasons.
“We have a lot of respect for Minnesota,” said Heller, who is in this third season as Iowa’s coach. “They’re a very good team, really solid in all aspects of the game.
“But on the other side, we’ve had enough success against them where I don’t think our guys are going to go in there intimidated by any means because we’re playing the (regular-season) champion.”
The circumstances are different for Iowa compared to last season’s conference tournament when it lost to Ohio State in the first round as the No. 2 seed.
The teams hadn’t faced each other during the regular, so there was a level of uncertainty.
That’s not the case with the Gophers.
“This most definitely helps us from a scouting standpoint,” Heller said. “We have a lot of video. Our guys have been watching it for a couple days already. I think that really helps when you have a chance to take a look at who you’re going to face. And our pitchers have a really good idea on the plan of attack and how we’re going to try and get their hitters out.”
Iowa pitcher C.J. Eldred, who is expected to start on Wednesday, would prefer to face a familiar opponent like Minnesota.
Eldred dropped a 4-1 decision to the Gophers in the first game of their three-game series. But he also went the distance on the mound, scattering seven hits over nine innings.
“Yeah, we’ve faced them, but they’ve also faced us,” Eldred said. “So it works for both sides. But for me personally, I’d rather face another team that I’ve already faced. I just think it helps me personally, although, some guys aren’t that way. But I am. There are hitters who are the same way. They’ve rather face guys that they’ve already faced.”
Eldred will be matched against junior Matt Fielder, who only allowed three hits over seven innings in their first matchup in April.
The Gophers finished the regular season with records of 34-18 overall and 16-7 in the Big Ten to claim the regular season title. It was the 23rd in program history.
Minnesota is the top offensive team in the Big Ten, leading the league with a .328 average and .470 slugging percentage. The Gophers have a league-high 621 hits and 324 RBIs while ranking second in runs scored (351) and home runs (46).
Ten different Gophers are hitting .292 or above and eight have averages above .300. Shortstop Terrin Vavra, who was hitting .379, is out because of injury.
The Hawkeyes, on the other hand, are hitting .304 as a team over their last 10 games and they have nine or more hits in seven of the last nine games.
“I think we’re all confident, especially after going on the run that we went on the past two weekends,” said Iowa senior centerfielder Joel Booker. “I feel like we’re all pretty confident. We know what we’re capable of and we’ve known all year. It’s just we haven’t put it together until now.
“So it’s not about how good you are at the beginning. It’s about when you peak and when you get hot. And hopefully, that’s us right now.”
Iowa has received a huge boost with senior Tyler Peyton finally being healthy after battling with an arm injury for most of the season. Peyton led Iowa to an 8-0 series-clinching win at Penn State last Friday, allowing just three hits over nine innings.
"The big thing I think the last two weeks is that we’ve had a healthy Tyler Peyton," Heller said. "And that’s the story. If you pencil Tyler Peyton in at one-hundred percent on Friday for 14 straight weeks, we’re looking at a completely different season. He hurt his arm the very first game of the year and really wasn’t himself again until the last few weeks.”
Peyton was expected to be Iowa’s No. 1 Friday starter during the season. But that responsibility fell on the shoulders of Eldred, whose 2-8 record is deceiving according to Heller.
“C.J. has done an amazing job on Friday for us," Heller said. "He’s given us a chance pretty much every time out and really toughed it out. But I think he’s winning seven games on Saturday. But that’s ifs and buts.
"But the big story for me is the guys have believed in themselves. They never quit. They’re playing very hard. They’re playing very well and we’ve got Tyler back. That’s a big boost not only for the pitching staff. But since he started feeling better, he’s hitting close to four-hundred for the past month."
Nebraska is the only team among the other seven in the tournament that Iowa hasn’t faced and defeated at least once during the regular season.
“The guys are pretty fired up and pretty excited and they know that we have as good a chance as anyone,” Heller said. “We’ve played every team except Nebraska that’s there and at least won a game against the other six teams.
“So the confidence heading over there is good. I think there is less pressure knowing you either win or it’s over. Just leave it all out there and hopefully you get hot and thing go our way. And I think our guys really understand that.”
Unlike a year ago when the Hawkeyes were considered a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, the current team would have to win the conference tournament to keep the season alive.
That might sound like pressure. But Heller doesn’t see it that way.
"I think there is less pressure knowing you either win or it’s over," Heller said. "All you do is leave it all out there, and hopefully, you get hot an things go your way."