30 wins
A 30-win season is almost always a guarantee when talking about head coach Rick Heller and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Looking into the 2025 season, expectations are all over the board when predicting the fate of Iowa baseball. D1 Baseball has the Hawkeyes finishing in ninth for what should be a very competitive Big Ten conference. This is due to Heller having to replace several key starters who have all departed to the MLB or lost eligibility.
However, while some see the program entering a year of transition, I see a team that boasts a plethora of returning talent with the ability to remain competitive in the Big Ten.
Starting with the elephant in the room, Iowa returned third-year starting pitcher Cade Obermueller. Last season, Obermueller made his debut in the starting rotation and became one of the Hawkeyes’ most consistent arms — posting an ERA of 3.92 and holding opposing batters to a .187 batting average.
Obermueller, who was selected by Perfect Game as the Big Ten Preseason Pitcher of the Year, gives Iowa a bonafide Friday night starter and an ace to lean on in must-win games.
Offensively, the Hawkeyes return a mix of upper and underclassmen who have proven the ability to succeed at this level.
Second-year catcher Reese Moore is looking to build off an impressive 2024 campaign. With the ability to swing the bat and catch behind the plate, expect Moore to be a consistent face in the Hawkeye lineup.
After making his debut last season, third-year Gable Mitchell is poised to make an even bigger jump in 2025. With a combination of offense and defense, many spectators of the sport expect Mitchell to be a well-known name in the 2025 Big Ten conference.
Rounding out the returning talent is fifth-year outfielder Andy Nelson. Hitting at a .325 clip and leading the team with nine home runs last year, Nelson has become one of the top bats for the Hawkeyes and will be a key piece returning in 2025.
With this mix of returning talent and the consistency of Heller’s baseball program, I can see the Hawkeyes eclipsing the 30-win mark one more time and staying competitive in the Big Ten.
40 wins
I’m going to scare the college baseball world and say the Iowa baseball team will shock the entire country.
If there was any season where the Hawkeyes had the chance to grab 40 wins, it was last season.
Led by star pitcher Brody Brecht, the team had all the talent needed to make a College World Series run. Instead, they missed the tournament as a whole — and by a wide margin, too.
A chip on the shoulder of head coach Rick Heller and Co., alongside some key returners, can certainly make that goal achievable.
For all of you ball-knowers out there, Iowa will possess the role the Virginia men’s basketball team played during 2018 March Madness — going from huge upset to the ultimate prize.
Disappointment is an understatement when talking about the 2024 Iowa baseball team. Even though the Black and Gold finished with a 31-23 record and placed fourth in the Big Ten standings with a 14-10 record, the expectation was that this team would be one of the last teams standing — if not the team crossing the finish line in the summer.
The deep shame of greatly underachieving can and should be churned into vast motivation.
If 31-23 is a down year, nine more wins with a half-decent turnaround is well within reach.
As well established as Rick Heller is, having another rough season won’t get him shipped off but will tarnish his legacy. The time to win is right now, especially with the return of strongarm Cade Obermueller.
And he knows that.
With that being said, Illinois, the top Big Ten team in 2024, finished with a 35-21 record and an 18-6 record. That was arm’s length ahead of the underwhelming Hawkeyes, but it is certainly reachable this time around.
Even without the abundance of talent that departed after last season, whether that’s to the major leagues or the end of NCAA eligibility, Iowa has that type of system built around the team that can produce the talent needed within the program that’ll contribute to a World Series push.
With the addition of Sean Kenny, the bullpen can make serious noise in taking the weight off the defense and offense altogether.
Now, this take could reflect badly on me. The Hawkeyes don’t have the expectations of a World Series-winning team right now.
But there’s always a chance. I’m betting on the Black and Gold — to win 40 games at least.