Iowa Baseball to play in the inaugural Jax College Baseball Classic
The long college baseball offseason continues on, with around 200 days until first pitch of the 2024 season. Still, there is plenty to talk about. The transfer portal is in full swing, fall baseball is around the corner and today, we learned another piece in the 2024 Iowa Baseball schedule puzzle. The Hawkeyes will take part in the inaugural Jax College Baseball Classic, with Virginia, Auburn and Wichita State rounding out the four-team field. Games will be played at 121 Financial Park in Jacksonville, Florida, which is home to Miami Marlins Triple-A affiliate – the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
Iowa’s Jax College Baseball Classic Schedule
Friday, February 23rd – vs Auburn Tigers (5:00pm CT)
Saturday, February 24th – vs Virginia Cavaliers (3:00pm CT)
Sunday, February 25th – vs Wichita State Shockers (11:00am CT)
Taking a look at the Hawkeyes opponents for the weekend, the Auburn Tigers finished last season with a 34-23, including a 17-13 mark in SEC play. They earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament as a regional host, but went 0-2 with losses to Penn and Southern Miss. The Tigers are set to return Second Team All-SEC 3B Bryson Ware (.350 AVG, 24 HR, 63 RBI) and Freshman All-SEC C Ike Irish (.361 AVG, 24 2B, 50 RBI). This will be the first ever meeting between the Hawkeyes and Tigers. Iowa has a 15-15-1 record against SEC teams, including a win over #1 LSU last season.
The Virginia Cavaliers finished last season with a 50-15 overall record, including a 19-11 record in ACC play. In the NCAA Tournament, UVA hosted and won their regional, before taking down Duke in the Super Regional to advance to the College World Series. They went 0-2 in Omaha with losses to Florida and TCU. The Cavaliers are set to return First Team All-ACC SS Griff O’Ferrall (.396 AVG, 20 2B, 42 RBI) and Third Team All-ACC 1B Ethan Anderson (.375 AVG, 15 HR, 66 RBI). This will be the first meeting ever between the Hawkeyes and Cavaliers. Iowa is 40-52-1 against ACC opponents, with 70 of the 93 matchups coming against Notre Dame.
The Wichita State Shockers finished last season with a 30-25 record, including a 13-10 record in AAC play. They advanced to the AAC Tournament, but went 0-2 with losses to Memphis and Houston. The Shockers are set to return Second Team All-AAC reliever Jace Miner (2.05 ERA, 38 K, 44.0 INN) and C Mauricio Millan (.315 AVG, 15 2B). It will be the 14th all-time meeting between Iowa and Wichita State, with the Shockers leading the series 13-0.
The Hawkeyes are coming off a 44-16 season, where they advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship and made an NCAA Regional for the first time since 2017. Head coach Rick Heller is set to return six of eight starting position players, as well as Brody Brecht and Marcus Morgan in the starting rotation.
