This time a year ago, the Iowa Hawkeyes‘ stay in the Big Ten Baseball Tournament and Charles Schwab Field came to a close on the wrong end of a 13-1 beatdown from Michigan.
That was the final game of a charge through the loser’s bracket for the Hawkeyes. After dropping its opening game in a stunner to Penn State, Iowa rallied to win three consecutive games over Purdue, Penn State and Michigan to force the if necessary game against the Wolverines.
Ultimately, Iowa’s second-place Big Ten finish, its 36-19 record and the aforementioned run through the Big Ten Baseball Tournament wasn’t enough to convince the committee that it deserved one of the NCAA Tournament’s at-large bids.
One game in, the Hawkeyes are taking the better path in the 2023 Big Ten Baseball Tournament. Oh yeah, Iowa managed to exact a degree of revenge, too.
Iowa broke a 1-1 deadlock with Michigan in the opening game of the Big Ten Tournament with a six-run fifth inning. It featured a 2-RBI single from redshirt junior Sam Hojnar. Then, the big blast of the day came from Brayden Frazier as he launched a grand slam 373 feet to left field.
It was Frazier’s first career grand slam, the first grand slam in the Big Ten Tournament since 2017 and the first grand slam in Big Ten Tournament history at Charles Schwab Field. It was also the Hawkeyes’ ninth grand slam of the season.
Amazingly, all of that fifth-inning damage came with two outs.
Iowa owes a tip of the cap to sophomore righty Jack Whitlock. He entered in the fifth after Hawkeye starter Marcus Morgan walked the first two batters. Whitlock issued one more walk before striking out the side swinging. That kept the contest level at 1-1 before the Hawkeyes had that initial six-run, fifth inning explosion.
The Hawkeyes weren’t finished. Redshirt junior Kyle Huckstorf singled to plate junior Michael Seegers in the seventh. Iowa had some more two-out magic in the seventh as well. Sophomore Sam Petersen launched a three-run blast that made the score 11-2.
Finally, Iowa added a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth on a passed ball and a Cade Moss single that brought home Seegers for a 13-3 run-rule victory.
The Hawkeyes advance and will meet No. 2 seed Indiana in the winner’s bracket after the Hoosiers held on to take care of Illinois, 4-3. Iowa and Indiana will battle at 2 p.m. on Thursday.
Iowa fans were thrilled with the Big Ten Tournament-opening win over Michigan. Here’s the best social media responses.