Iowa quietly posted a 21-8 conference record in 2025 — one of the best marks in the Big Ten — and Rick Heller's program enters Year 13 with a roster that can challenge anyone in league play. The Hawkeyes are the definition of a team nobody wants to face in a regional.
21 Big Ten wins — trailed only UCLA and Oregon in conference play
Won 8 of 10 conference series, including road sweeps at Maryland and Illinois
Led the Big Ten in sacrifice bunts and hit-and-run execution — classic Heller baseball
Three players earned All-Big Ten honors
Advanced to NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years
Key returnees and transfer portal additions
Cedar Rapids native. Iowa's best hitter and the emotional pulse of the lineup. Power-speed combination that is rare for a cold-weather program.
Iowa City product. Heller guys — does everything right. Hits, runs, fields, competes. The most complete player on the roster.
Ankeny product. Veteran catcher who controls the running game and calls an elite game. Pitching staff trusts him completely.
Former Iowa football receiver who committed fully to baseball. Mid-90s fastball with a plus slider. Electric stuff that overwhelms hitters when he commands the zone.
Waukee product. Crafty lefty who pitches to contact and gets groundballs. Perfect complement to Brecht's power approach.
Le Mars native. Closer with nasty late-breaking stuff. Heller trusts him in every save situation.
Intra-conference transfer who adds power to the infield. Knows the Big Ten arms Iowa will face all spring.
Experienced arm from a program that develops pitchers. Sunday starter candidate or high-leverage reliever.
MAC standout who adds speed and on-base ability to the outfield. Can lead off or slot into the two-hole.
ACC arm who adds bullpen depth. Left-handed reliever who can neutralize the left side of opposing lineups.
Brody Brecht is the most physically gifted pitcher in the Big Ten. A former wide receiver with mid-90s heat and a slider that disappears. When he commands both pitches, he is unhittable. The question is whether he can do it consistently for 100+ innings. If yes, Iowa has a legitimate ace. Ty Langenberg (2.54 ERA, 9 saves) in the ninth gives Heller a defined back end.
Brecht on Fridays, Cade Moss (3.89 ERA) on Saturdays, and Ryan Ure (from Dallas Baptist) as the Sunday candidate. Moss is the yin to Brecht's yang — groundballs, command, efficiency. Ure has the experience to handle a Sunday role. The rotation is not elite, but it is deep enough to compete in every weekend series.
Langenberg closes. Miguel Rosario (from Miami) gives Heller a left-handed option in the middle innings. The existing bullpen arms posted a collective 3.85 ERA in Big Ten play. Iowa does not need dominant relievers — they need reliable ones who keep the game close until the seventh. That is what this pen is built to do.
Keaton Anthony (.312/.401/.521, 13 HR) is the best bat in Iowa City in over a decade. He drives the ball to all fields, has learned to lay off sliders down and away, and provides genuine 20-home-run power. Anthony in the three-hole forces pitchers to engage with the top of Iowa's order.
Sam Hojnar (.298/.378/.434, 7 HR, 22 SB) and Kyle Huckstorf (.275/.359/.418) provide the on-base and plate discipline that make Iowa's lineup work. Hojnar is a classic Heller player — does everything, gives nothing away. Huckstorf is the veteran catcher who pitchers trust and opposing runners fear.
Jake Duer (from Kent State, .305/.389/.467, 19 SB) adds speed at the top of the order. Nate Willison (from Nebraska, 8 HR) brings power off the bench or in the lineup. Iowa will not overpower anyone, but they will not give away at-bats either. Every spot in this lineup makes you work.
20–80 scouting scale
Iowa won 21 Big Ten games in 2025 and nobody outside the Midwest blinked. That is the Hawkeyes' superpower and their ceiling — they are very good and chronically overlooked. Rick Heller has built a program that competes in every conference series, advances to regionals consistently, and plays fundamentally sound baseball. The question is whether Brecht can become a true ace and whether the lineup has enough thump beyond Anthony to win a regional. If Brecht puts it together, Iowa is a super regional team. If not, they are a dangerous 2-seed that nobody wants to draw. Either outcome is a credit to what Heller has built in Iowa City.