By Pete Ruden
With so many newcomers joining the Iowa baseball team in the off-season, no one was sure how the team would mesh.
Now, more than 10 games in, it’s becoming clearer every game.
Over the past two weeks, the Hawkeyes won two games each in the Hoover Classic and DQ Classic, with win over Oral Roberts, which was 7-2 at the time, and Morehead State, which was 5-2.
Eighteen newcomers joined the team during the off-season and had at least six starting spots open in the field. So far, many new starters have been incredible.
First baseman Jake Adams, a transfer from DMACC, was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Sunday. Adams is hitting .310 with a team-high 4 home runs and 14 RBIs in his first season at the Division-1 level.
Freshman center fielder Ben Norman has also been on a roll for Iowa, as the Des Moines Roosevelt product is third on the team with a .357 average, while knocking in 6 runs.
Pitcher and designated hitter Grant Judkins has been doing his thing on the mound and at the plate throughout the season. Judkins is 1-0 in two games, starting in wins over Loras College and Northern Illinois, and he is also hitting .333.
With a 7-4 record over the first month of the season, Iowa’s chemistry is starting to show.
“I think we have really good chemistry on the team,” Judkins said. “It seems like everyone’s friends here, and I think there’s a ton of potential for this team.”
Before the season started, Iowa was predicted to finish eighth in the Big Ten by Perfect Game.
However, anyone around the program over the off-season would have said differently. Right now, the Hawkeyes are sitting at third, behind 9-1 Michigan State and 9-3 Michigan.
“I really like the way this team has progressed so far. There are a lot of new guys out there,” head coach Rick Heller said. “I really like the feel of this ball club. They all get along together, the chemistry’s good, the energy’s really good.”
Of course, the season isn’t over for the Hawkeyes. In fact, it’s just the beginning of March, and they haven’t even started Big Ten play yet, which means anything can happen.
In November, the whole squad made a weeklong trip to the Dominican Republic, where they played four games, put on a clinic for the country’s youth, and participated in community service.
The four games were against the Dominican Army National Team, a Winter League team, and academy teams from the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals.
Overall, the trip ended up being a great bonding experience for the Hawkeyes; they were able to bond with each other and build the chemistry that was raved about in the preseason.
“I think what happened most was our team chemistry really came together down there,” Iowa Western transfer Tyler Cropley said at the team’s media day. “We were able to be with each other for seven days basically, and not leave each other. It was really nice to communicate with a couple guys that we just hadn’t been able to.”