Iowa Baseball: Hawks beat North Carolina, Indiana State on deck

Friday’s game against the Iowa Hawkeyes and North Carolina Tar Heels had the feel of an “Uh oh” game. Just what is that in technical baseball terms? It means the Hawkeyes left runners on base, made a few mistakes they normally don’t make, and let Carolina hang around. Thankfully, the good guys prevailed. The Hawkeyes now take on the number one seed, Indiana State, on their home diamond. The Hawkeyes improved to 43-14 on the season; one victory shy of the school record for wins in a season.

Recap against North Carolina:

On the mound Marcus Morgan (5-2) battled to get the win. He allowed four bases on balls, but he was able to get out of a few jams. He went five innings and gave up two hits and one earned run. Jack Whitlock pitched three terrific innings, allowing two hits and one walk. Will Christophers was roughed up, going ¹⁄₃ of an inning, allowing three earned runs. Luke Llewellyn came in and shut the door, getting his fourth save on the year.

Iowa’s batters did just enough; the Hawks were led by Brayden Frazier and Kyle Huckstorf, each had two hits. Here’s a little Hellerball to get an insurance run across the plate.

Up Next - Indiana State:

The one seed (and home team) in the region is Rick Heller’s former school. The Sycamores are 43-15, including 18-3 at home. The Hawkeyes and Sycamores faced off on February 17th with the Hawks winning 6-2. Ty Langenberg was on the mound for Iowa and Matt Jachec pitched for Indiana State. Mike Sears is the biggest bopper in Indiana State’s lineup. He hit .263 this year with 19 home runs. He was 0-4 with four strikeouts in the first contest. Michael Seegers and Kyle Huckstorf each had two hits. As a team Indiana State hits at a .274 clip and their pitching staff is superior to that of the Hawks’. The Sycamores have a team ERA of 3.80. This will be a terrific game in front of a hostile crowd. You have to love being in this situation as a player.

Here’s a look at the details for tonight’s matchup. First pitch is at 5pm Central.

MATCHUP: #2 Iowa Hawkeyes (43-14) vs #1 Indiana State (43-15)

LOCATION: Terre Haute, Indiana | Bob Warn Field

DATE: June 3, 2023

WATCH: ACCN & ESPN+

LISTEN: Hawkeye Radio Network | The Varsity Network | Newsradio 600WMT

LIVE STATS: Live Stats

DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK LINE: Iowa -1.5 | Iowa -115/ISU -115 | O/U 10.5

The region follows a double-elimination format. A loss is not the end of the road, but a win would put the Hawkeyes in the driver’s seat. As always, it’s great to be a Hawkeye! Go Hawks!