The Iowa Hawkeyes (42-13, 15-8 Big Ten) are one win away from capturing the program’s second all-time Big Ten Baseball Tournament crown.
To do so, Iowa will have to topple No. 1 seed Maryland. The Terrapins (40-19, 17-7 Big Ten) arrive in the championship game after an opening win over Michigan State and then back-to-back triumphs over Nebraska.
The Terps took care of Sparty, 3-2. Then, Maryland walked off the Huskers 2-1 in extra innings courtesy of a homer from Nick Lorusso to head into the Big Ten’s semifinals. As fate would have it, they met Nebraska once more.
Behind a fantastic start from Jason Savacool, the top-seeded Terps barreled into the title game. Savacool threw six shutout innings and a three-run second inning propelled Maryland to an eventual 4-2 win.
Meanwhile, Iowa opened with a 13-3 run-rule victory over Michigan. Jack Whitlock’s relief heroics, a Brayden Frazier grand slam, and a three-run Sam Petersen blast keyed the Hawks’ opening win.
Iowa moved within one win of the title game after staging an epic rally against Indiana, winning 9-4 when it was all said and done. The Hawkeyes came alive to erase a three-run deficit with four runs in the seventh and four more in the ninth inning to send the Hoosiers to the losers’ bracket.
The final piece to the championship round was a Ty Langenberg gem in the second tournament game for the Hawkeyes against Michigan. The righty tossed seven shutout innings en route to Iowa’s 5-0 blanking of the Wolverines.
Now, the stage is set for Iowa to join the 2017 squad as the second Hawkeye baseball outfit to win the Big Ten Tournament championship. It’s a massive day for Iowa baseball. Here’s how and where fans can dial into all of the action.
Plus, several key game notes for both.
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