The Iowa baseball team enters the 2024 season with some of the highest expectations in program history.

The Hawkeyes tied the record for most wins in program history last season with 44. They returned to the Big Ten Tournament for the eighth consecutive season, where they lost to Maryland in the championship game.

The Hawkeyes then returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years, losing to Indiana State to advance to the Super Regionals.

The Hawkeyes lost four players to the MLB over the summer. Relief pitcher Jared Simpson was the first taken off the board for Iowa in the eighth round by the Washington Nationals. Three rounds later starting pitcher Ty Langenberg fell to the Minnesota Twins.

Relief pitcher Will Christophersen and utility man Keaton Anthony both signed contracts with the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies, respectively.

But with most of the core returning and the addition of impactful transfers, Iowa should be able to return to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.

Weekend rotation

Iowa enters the season with one of the most dangerous starting rotations in college baseball. Brody Brecht and Marcus Morgan enter their third season with the Hawkeyes and are looking to build off their impressive starting pitching debuts.

Brecht posted a 3.74 ERA and struck out 109 batters in 77 innings of work, holding opponents to a .143 batting average.

Morgan, on the other hand, posted a 3.72 ERA while boasting a 5-2 record. The Hawkeyes went 12-3 with Morgan on the mound.

Both pitchers made Perfect Game’s preseason All-Conference team.

Replacing Langenberg in the rotation is second-year Cade Obermueller. Hailing from Iowa City, Iowa, the left-hander marked a 4.91 ERA in his first season, striking out 36 batters in 22 innings on the mound.

Brecht, Obermueller, and Morgan are regarded as the first, third, and fourth-best prospects in the Big Ten according to D1 Baseball.

Bullpen

Despite losing big bullpen arms in Simpson and Christopherson, the Hawkeyes return some key pieces in their relief system.

Third-year Jack Whitlock returns after having the best season out of any bullpen pitcher last year. Throwing for nearly 36 innings, Whitlock posted a 2.52 ERA and struck out 38 batters.

Another big returner is second-year Aaron Savary. In his debut year with the Hawkeyes, Savary notched a 3.22 ERA while pitching 22 innings in relief.

The Hawkeyes added a slew of transfers to replace some of their lost talent.

Second-year Anthony Watts looks to add much-needed depth to the relief system. As a starter at Creighton, Watts posted a 5.05 ERA in 43 innings of work.

Iowa also picked up Reece Beuter from Dallas Baptist University. Hailing from Cedar Falls, Iowa, Beuter threw for 16 innings and recorded a 4.86 ERA.

Offense

The Hawkeyes are returning a lot of key pieces that helped them score the second most runs in the Big Ten with 489.

Highlighting the returning cast is outfielder Sam Petersen. The third-year is coming off a season batting .319 and hitting 11 home runs. He had the third-highest OPS on the team with 1.003 and led the Hawkeyes with 20 stolen bases.

Third-year Raider Tello also returns after an impressive first year with the Hawkeyes. Previously at Pasadena City College, the third baseman recorded a .306 batting average and drove in 48 runs for Iowa.

One key addition from the transfer portal was fourth-year utility man Davis Cop. At Utah last season, Cop paired his .300 batting average with 10 home runs and 51 runs batted in.