Iowa baseball has historically found success with its Friday night pitchers.

Trenton Wallace, Iowa’s 2021 Friday night pitcher, was the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, going 7-1 with a 2.34 ERA. He was picked by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2021 MLB Draft.

The Hawkeyes replaced Wallace with Adam Mazur, a transfer from South Dakota State. Mazur went 7-3 with a 3.07 ERA and was drafted by the San Diego Padres with the 53rd pick of the 2022 MLB Draft — Iowa’s highest pick since 1990.

Now, junior Ty Langenberg is taking the reins for the Hawkeyes.

Langenberg was Iowa’s Sunday starter during the 2022 season, and the Urbandale, Iowa, product went 7-2 with a 3.71 ERA in 14 appearances. He completed 63 innings while holding batters to a .248 batting average.

While Langenberg is moving from the Sunday starter to the Hawkeyes’ ace, he isn’t fazed by the transition.

“Realistically, it is no different than last year,” Langenberg said. “In my eyes, it is the same role as last season. I am still a starter. I’m going to still contribute the same as I would in any position either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. I’m not going to approach it with any different mindset or anything like that.”

Head coach Rick Heller has the same thought process. He has full confidence in Langenberg to make the jump from a Sunday to Friday starter.

“The reason it’s Ty is because he works every day to improve. He works with a purpose and focus that is different than a lot of other guys,” Heller said. “He has worked really hard on developing his pitches even better.”

Langenberg had a chance to improve this offseason in the Cape Cod Baseball League — one of the most prestigious summer leagues in the U.S. The league has had over 1,000 former players who moved on to the major leagues.

While pitching for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, Langenberg notched a 3.38 ERA with a 1-2 record. But instead of his usual starter role, Langenberg came out of the bullpen, striking out 33 batters in 21 innings of work.

While the position in the bullpen was not his usual spot, Langenberg credits his time in the Cape Cod League as a big reason for his offseason success.

“It was a lot of fun out there and a great experience,” Langenberg said. “As far as shaping this year, I think it refined my skills a little bit. The ability to compete and to be competitive on the mound with each pitch. It taught me a lot about those things and will be something that shows up this year.”

Langenberg will get his first opportunity to pitch for Iowa this season on Feb. 18 against Indiana State. The Hawkeyes will compete in the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Florida, to start the season.