The Iowa Hawkeyes accepted an invite into an event that just might turn into one of college baseball’s prestigious early-season showcases.
After a terrific 44-16 (15-8 Big Ten) campaign in 2022, Iowa is one of four squads headed to Jacksonville, Fla., for the inaugural Jax College Baseball Classic on Feb. 23-25. Iowa joins Auburn, Virginia and Wichita State in the classic’s initial four-team field.
Every game will be played at 121 Financial Ballpark. It’s the home of the Miami Marlins’ Triple A affiliate, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. The round robin event will help Iowa beef up its nonconference schedule with one game against each of the three teams. Both Auburn and Virginia were NCAA Tournament hosts last season.
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Iowa opens up play on Friday, Feb. 23, at 5 p.m. CT against Auburn. The Tigers hosted the Auburn Regional last spring and finished with a 34-23-1 (17-13 SEC) record. The Hawkeyes and Tigers have never met in their programs’ histories.
Then, on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 3 p.m. CT, Iowa will play Virginia. The Cavaliers hosted and advanced out of the Charlottesville Regional. Virginia then dispatched of Duke in the Super Regionals to earn the program’s sixth all-time College World Series berth. UVA lost both of its CWS contests by one run against Florida and TCU to finish 50-15 (19-11 ACC). Iowa and Virginia have also never met in their respective histories.
Finally, Iowa rounds out its stay in the Jax College Baseball Classic with a Sunday, Feb. 25, date at 11 a.m. CT against Wichita State. The Shockers ended last season 30-25 (13-10 American Athletic Conference).
WSU owns a perfect 13-0 all-time mark over Iowa. The two programs last met in 2022 when the Shockers twice rallied from 4-0 deficits, winning 8-7 on Feb. 27, 2022, and 6-4 on March 4, 2022.
Iowa is the visiting team against Auburn and will be the home team versus both Virginia and Wichita State. Streaming and broadcast information will be announced at a later date, though ticket information can be found at the official event website:ย www.jaxcbc.com.
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