Amid offensive leader Keaton Anthony’s absence, the Iowa baseball team completed a three-game sweep over Michigan State on Sunday at Duane Banks Field.

Anthony has missed Iowa’s last six contests because of a potential NCAA violation. Anthony and 25 other current Hawkeye student-athletes from baseball, football, men’s track and field, men’s basketball, and men’s wrestling, are under investigation by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission for sports wagering.

The investigation also includes one full-time employee of the University of Iowa Department of Athletics.

RELATED: Iowa student-athletes under investigation by Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission

The sweep against the Spartans was critical for the Hawkeyes, who are hunting for their first regionals bid since 2017. Iowa is now 37-12 overall and 13-7 in Big Ten play.

The Hawkeyes’ 22 victories at home tie the 1977 squad for the most wins at Duane Banks Field in a single season.

Friday

The Hawkeyes blanked the Spartans, 9-0, to open up the series. The victory marked Iowa’s third shutout this season.

Sam Petersen led the Hawkeye offense, going 4-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored. Brayden Frazier was 2-for-4 with a double, home run, and two RBIs.

“We played as well as we have played in a long time,” Iowa head coach Rick Heller said in a statement. “Offensively, we were solid. Petersen and Frazier were really good tonight.”

Marcus Morgan got the start on the bump and win for the Hawkeyes on Friday. Morgan did not allow a hit through six innings and struck out six.

“It was a great start,” Heller said in a statement. “[Morgan] had really good stuff. Fastball was good. Cutter, slider, and change were all good after he got things established in the first inning. He settled in and didn’t give up a hit.”

Jared Simpson pitched the last three innings and earned the save with three strikeouts.

Saturday

Iowa clinched the series against Michigan State with an 8-6 victory on Saturday.

The Hawkeye offense was powered by Brennen Dorighi, who slugged two home runs with five RBIs. This marked Dorighi’s second contest this season with two long balls and his third career multi-home run game.

Michigan State outhit Iowa, 10-9. After an hour and 15-minute rain delay, the Spartans knotted the game at five in the seventh frame. The Hawkeyes responded with three runs in the eighth inning to pull away and claim the victory.

Ty Langenberg started Saturday’s game and allowed two runs over five innings. Will Christophersen took over in the seventh and sealed the win on the mound with three punchouts. Luke Leweylln entered in the final frame and earned the save.

“We needed to find a way to win a game like that against a really good team,” Heller said in a statement. “A lot of the wins here in the last few weeks we have scored a ton of runs. We haven’t won one like that in a long time, where you had to make pitches. Every pitch mattered late in the game.”

Sunday

The Hawkeyes capped off the series with a 5-1 victory on Sunday.

Raider Tello, Michael Seegers, and Dorighi led Iowa at the plate. Tello was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Seegers was 2-for-4 with a home run, and Dorighi was 2-for-4 with one RBI.

Brody Brecht started on the bump for the Hawkeyes in the series finale. He pitched six innings and gave up one run on one hit with eight strikeouts. Brecht is now tied for the seventh most strikeouts in a single season for the Hawkeyes with 87. 

“Brody went out there today and believed in himself, attacked the zone, and was able to be in control,” Heller said in a statement. 

Jack Whitlock pitched the final three innings and struck out five to earn his first save on the season.

The Spartans entered the weekend leading the Big Ten with a .312 batting average but only hit .174 against the Hawkeye pitching staff. 

Up next

Iowa will close out the regular season with a three-game series starting Thursday at Northwestern. The Hawkeyes last played the Wildcats in 2020-21 and went 3-2.