The Iowa baseball team wants to get to where it was last year, a top-three finish in the Big Ten and an appearance in an NCAA regional.

The team from a year ago benefited from a lineup with four regulars who hit better than .290 and a pitching staff that included a seventh-round round MLB draft pick in Blake Hickman.

Each season is different, especially at a university in which players graduate and transfer each year.

2016 team batting average: .266

The 2016 Hawkeyes have been so-so at the plate, with two regulars hitting above .300. Seniors Joel Booker and Nick Roscetti have carried the load on offense much of the season, although Roscetti has slumped a bit since Big Ten season started. Senior Tyler Peyton, after hitting .337 in 2015, is hitting more than 50 points lower this season, .282.

However, even without the production the team expected from Peyton, the 2016 team is only hitting 2 points lower than the 2015 team, which hit .268.

2016 road game winning percentage: 20 percent

The Hawkeyes have not played well on the road this season. Iowa was swept by the likes of Dallas Baptist and Missouri State, both of which were No. 1 seeds in NCAA regionals a year ago.

Iowa has also been through a pair of tough Big Ten road series this season, losing two-of-three at both Minnesota and Minnesota. The 2015 Hawkeyes won 14 of 26 road games, good enough for a .538 winning percentage.

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The formula for a good season has always been to take care of business at home and stick around .500 on the road. The 2016 Hawkeyes have done a good job at home, but they need to pick things up elsewhere.

2016 team earned run average: 3.98

Although the 2016 squad’s ERA is more than a whole run better than its opponents (5.04), the mark is good for only seventh in the Big Ten.

Sophomore C.J. Eldred has led the Iowa pitching staff in 2016 after transferring from Indiana. Eldred has a 2.70 ERA to this point in the season, but he has not enjoyed the best run support, leading to a 2-4 record as the Friday-night starter.

Peyton has struggled on the mound this season for Iowa. The senior has pitched through arm soreness much of the year and has not been able to duplicate his season from a year ago. His ERA has jumped from 3.03 in 2015 to 7.25 in 2016.

2016 total losses: 17

This year’s team has shown flashes of what it was a year ago. Series wins over Maryland and Illinois have been encouraging for head coach Rick Heller and the rest of the coaching staff.

But Big Ten series losses to Minnesota and Indiana have already outnumbered the number of Big Ten series losses from 2015, and this year’s Hawkeyes are one loss away from equaling the total regular-season losses from a year ago.

Iowa still has series left against Michigan State, Michigan, and Penn State, three of the top-four teams in the Big Ten.