By Jake Mosbach
After a long, productive off-season, it’s finally time Hawkeye baseball is back.
Running up a 41-18 record and an NCAA Tournament regional appearance last season, the baseball team will begin its 2016 campaign with a trip to Dallas to face Dallas Baptist today through Feb. 21.
Today’s opener at Horner Field is set for 6:30 p.m. first pitch. Game 2 will be at at 2 p.m. Saturday, with the series finale scheduled for 1 p.m. Feb. 21.
Iowa head coach Rick Heller said picking up a series sweep would be great, but to begin the season, he wants to see an energized Hawkeye squad.
“Hopefully, we just go down there and give great effort and start coming together as a team,” Heller said. “Obviously, we hope to go down there and win, but from my point of view, it’s that time of year to get outside, and play, and see where we are.”
Despite being relatively unknown, Dallas Baptist means business. The Patriots finished 2015 with a 46-15 record, receiving an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
Hawkeye right-handed pitcher Tyler Radtke said the team knows not to look past the small school.
“We know they’re a great team,” he said. “But we’ve had a great fall and winter. We’ve got a great [pitching] rotation, and our hitters have been killing it. This weekend should be really fun.”
With the loss of last year’s Saturday starting pitcher Blake Hickman, Heller and his staff had a decision to make. It appears that, for the time being, Hickman’s replacement will be sophomore right-hander Nick Gallagher, who will take the mound Saturday.
Last season, Gallagher ended with an impressive 2.18 ERA in nine appearances. The Iowa City West graduate allowed 15 hits over 20.2 innings, collecting 17 strikeouts.
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At the team’s media day, Heller said the Saturday spot had come down to Gallagher, Ryan Erickson, and C.J. Eldred. With Gallagher now being named the starter, the other two will wait to see what their roles will be.
“[Gallagher, Erickson, and Eldred] will all play this weekend,” Heller said. “We’re in good shape with any of them.”
The Hawkeye pitchers, along with the rest of the squad, have been practicing indoors for the majority of the preseason, using the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex.
While the facility has provided the team with a luxurious training space, Heller said, it’s no replacement for genuine, outdoor baseball.Tonight, Heller’s Hawks will get the chance to put all their indoor work to the test.
“It’s so easy to get deceived when we’re indoors,” Heller said. “Everything is easy and looks great, but you never really know how good you are until you get outside and play.”
With the off-season behind them, the Hawkeyes are ready to prove to the college baseball world that their surprising run to the NCAA Tournament last year wasn’t a fluke.
“We’re just going to try to do what we know how to do,” Hawkeye senior shortstop Nick Roscetti said. “We’re going to play the game hard.”