Iowa has its postseason destination. For the sixth time in program history, the Hawkeyes are taking part in the NCAA Tournament.
Hawkeye fans were thrilled to see Iowa is headed to the Terre Haute Regional.
It features No. 14 overall seed Indiana State. Coincidentally, that happens to be Iowa head baseball coach Rick Heller’s previous head coaching stop. Heller’s past and present collide as one of the intriguing backdrops to what looks like it could be one of the best regionals nationally.
Of course, Iowa opens versus No. 3 seed North Carolina. It’ll be the third all-time meeting between the pair in a series that’s squared at one.
North Carolina beat Iowa, 5-3, in their first meeting as part of the Northeast Regional in 1990. In 2020, Iowa beat then-No. 20 North Carolina, 5-4. It was a dramatic, come-from-behind victory for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game and walked off the Heels in extras with a solo shot from Austin Martin in the Cambria College Classic.
The last puzzle piece is Horizon League regular-season and tournament champion Wright State, which enters as the No. 4 seed.
Like everyone else, Heller and Co. found out their tournament landing spot on Monday during the “NCAA Baseball Selection Show.” Iowa-North Carolina is set for 6 p.m. CT on the ACC Network on Friday, June 2.
Shortly after learning of the Hawkeyes’ postseason destination, coach Heller caught up with local media to discuss a return to his old stomping grounds and a general preview of the Terre Haute Regional.
Here is Hawk Central’s conversation with coach Heller. The full Q&A is transcribed below.
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