The Iowa baseball team took two of three games from the Northwestern Wildcats over the weekend in Evanston, Illinois. The Hawkeyes won the first two contests by a combined score of 19-2, but the Wildcats avoided the sweep with a 5-4 walk-off win on Sunday. 

Iowa, now 20-10 overall, remains atop the Big Ten standings with a 12-3 league mark. UCLA is close behind with a 10-2 mark.

Here are two takeaways from the series victory: 

Obermueller puts up career numbers

This will sound like a broken record, but Iowa starting pitcher Cade Obermueller once again shined on the mound and delivered his third consecutive gem of an outing. 

Obermueller went seven innings, the most innings he has pitched in his college career. Obermueller struck out 12 batters while allowing zero earned runs on 98 pitches. 

His final strikeout in the seventh inning earned what would be the first complete game for an Iowa player since Drew Irvine in 2021. The junior has fanned 32 batters in 19 innings over his last three starts, all while not allowing a single earned run. 

Obermueller places first in the Big Ten with 65 strikeouts. His 2.51 earned run average trails Michigan State’s Joseph Dziera by 0.62. 

Guerin finding a rhythm 

The 2025 season has been one filled with inconsistent playing time for third-year first baseman Blake Guerin. The big righty has seen a lot of his on-field opportunities taken by the emergence of Caleb Wulf, a transfer from Southeastern Community College who has done nothing but hit for the Hawkeyes. 

But Guerin got the opportunity for multiple at-bats in all three games against Northwestern, taking advantage of the experience and delivering his best stretch of play over the past month.  

Guerin pinch-hit in the first two contests, going 2-4 with a home run that drove in a pair of runs. He earned the nod to play the entire game on Sunday, where he produced the best hitting performance of the season. 

Guerin ended the afternoon 3-for-5 from the plate and even brought in the game-tying run in the top of the ninth. 

This weekend boosted Guerin’s season stats dramatically. In limited at-bats, Guerin has posted a .273 batting average, along with a bone-crushing 1.168 OPS. His six home runs are good for third most on the team. 

While no one can doubt the abilities of Wulf and what he has done this season, having a player like Guerin off the bench is an incredible asset to Iowa head coach Rick Heller. His three years of experience alongside the home run power makes him a dangerous at-bat in the later innings of a game. 

Up Next

Iowa baseball returns home after the long road trip to take on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Tuesday, April 8. The contest was originally scheduled in Wisconsin, but due to predicted weather forecasts, the game will be played in Iowa City. 

First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 local time with coverage on Big Ten Plus and the Hawkeye Radio Network.