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The top five most important games on the Iowa Baseball schedule

On3 imageby: Kyle Huesmann01/10/24HuesmannKyle
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We take a look at the most important games on the 2024 Iowa Baseball schedule.

The college baseball season is quickly approaching and the Iowa season opener against Seton Hall is just 37 days away. Rick Heller and the Hawkeyes are set to begin a season that is full of expectations coming off of a 44-16 season that saw them make an NCAA Regional for the first time since 2017. Now, they are looking to make it to back-to-back regionals for the first time in program history. This season’s schedule has plenty of opportunities, especially in non-conference play. We take a look at the five most important games on the Hawkeyes schedule.

1. at Ole Miss Rebels (March 1-3)

Anytime you get a chance to play a road series against an SEC school, you take the opportunity. Ole Miss has been one of the premier programs in the country during the 2000’s. They have won 40+ games in ten of the last 20 seasons and won the national title in 2022. After a 25-29 season last year, including a 6-24 mark in SEC play, the Rebels pulled in the #7 transfer portal class according to D1Baseball. If those pieces come together, they will have a really competitive team in Oxford. This series comes a week after the Jax Baseball Classic, so this could be a real chance for the Hawkeyes to show that they are not only a threat to win a regional, but also win a super regional.

2. vs #10 Virginia Cavaliers (Feb 24) (Jax Baseball Classic)

3. vs #15 Auburn Tigers (Feb 23) (Jax Baseball Classic)

Talk about a couple of huge opportunities to make assert yourself into the national conversation in the second week of the season. There’s a pretty good chance that the Hawkeyes come into this weekend with a 3-0 record and a win (dare I say two), would really turn some heads. Even a split would in these two games would be a big RPI boost.

Virginia went 50-15 last season and made it to the College World Series for the fourth time in a decade. They lost some key pieces, but return plenty of talent, including First Team All-ACC OF Griff O’Ferrall and Third Team All-ACC Ethan Anderson. Perfect Game has the Cavaliers ranked tenth in their preseason Top 25. As for Auburn, they are coming off of a 34-23 record and they hosted a NCAA regional. They’ve now made the tournament in five of the last six seasons, including a pair of College World Series appearances. SEC All-Freshman Team catcher Ike Irish will lead the way. Perfect Game has the Tigers ranked 15th in their preseason top 25.

4. at Georgia Bulldogs (March 12)

Hidden amongst the usual suspects on the Iowa midweek slate is a trip to Athens for a matchup against Georgia. The Hawkeyes have not played a midweek game against a RPI top 100 team since 2019, so this is a much welcomed game on the schedule. The Bulldogs went 29-27 last season, but finished #41 in the RPI and added the #13 transfer class per D1Baseball. Right or wrong, the selection committee weighs quality wins during the midweek slate and this is a chance to pick up a good win.

5. at Nebraska Cornhuskers (April 26-28)

The Hawkeyes avoid Maryland and Indiana in Big Ten play, so the road trip to Lincoln could be the best chance to get some resume helping wins. With the new RPI quadrant system making it tougher to get Q1/2 wins at home, road games in the Big Ten will be much more important. Second Team All-Big Ten Johnston native Gabe Swansen will lead the lineup for the Huskers. Also keep an eye on Illinois and Ohio State, as Iowa plays them on the road too. There’s a chance those six games, plus Nebraska could be the Hawkeyes only chances for Q2 wins.

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