The 2022 season ended with more frustration than satisfaction for head coach Rick Heller and the Iowa baseball team, as the Hawkeyes were left out of the 64-team NCAA regionals.

Heller’s bunch went 36-19 overall last season, falling in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal game to the Michigan Wolverines, 13-1. I think the 2023 season, however, will have a different ending for the Black and Gold.

The Hawkeyes last made regionals in 2017 with an automatic bid after winning their first Big Ten Tournament title over Northwestern, 13-4 — which put them at 38-20 on the season.

To make a regional this year, Iowa probably needs to hit at least 40 wins and have a Big Ten Tournament run similar to 2017, as the selection committee rarely gives consideration to Big Ten squads that finish outside of the top two or three in the conference.

We saw this happen last season when the committee snubbed Rutgers, despite the Scarlet Knights going 44-15 overall and placing runner-up at the Big Ten tournament. This is largely because the selection committee emphasizes RPI when deciding regional-worthy teams — which I think is flawed, but that’s for another story.

The Hawkeyes are returning several key pitchers this season, including 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Keaton Anthony, Baseball America Preseason Third-Team All-American Brody Brecht, and Perfect Game Preseason Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Ty Langenberg.

The Hawkeyes have some decent experience on the mound, but with the departure of pitchers Dylan Nedved and Adam Mazur, others will need to step up.

Iowa also returns a few offensive assets in 2023 — Anthony, shortstop Michael Seegers, and utility player Sam Petersen. Anthony led the Hawkeyes last season, hitting .361 with 14 home runs. Seegers batted .286 with 31 RBIs, and Petersen hit .264 with 33 RBIs and six home runs.

A few detrimental losses throughout the season — which the Hawkeyes have had in recent years — are exactly what Iowa needs to avoid if it wants to hear its name called on selection day. If the Hawkeyes can avoid hiccups against teams with low RPI that they absolutely should beat — like Illinois State, Southern University, South Dakota State, and University of Illinois-Chicago, to name a few — Iowa’s chances of making regionals look favorable