After scuffling down the final stretch of the season and falling out of first place in the Big Ten standings, Iowa Baseball was looking to get back on track during the Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes earned a three-seed for the tournament and faced the tenth-seeded Rutgers.
Iowa took the regular season series 2-1, scoring 36 runs in a three-game series from March 7 to 9.
On day two of the Big Ten Tournament from Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, the Hawkeyes battled the Scarlet Knights for a chance to make their first semifinal since 2023. Iowa sent Cade Obermueller to the mound to get their tournament started.
The Iowa offense came to life early, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Hawkeyes added another run in the fourth inning and gave all the support Obermueller needed.
Obermueller was locked in all night, pitching seven scoreless innings, allowing only four hits. The junior lefty also tallied 10 strikeouts, moving his season total to 117. His 117 strikeouts rank second all-time in Iowa history for strikeouts in a season behind Brody Brecht's 128 (2024).
The Iowa bullpen allowed Rutgers to get back into the game, giving up three runs in the final three innings, but Brant Hogue shut the door in the ninth inning.
Hogue struck out two batters, and stranded the game-tying at third to secure the Iowa victory.
Miles Risley and Gable Mitchel led the Iowa offense, each tallying three hits and combining for three of the four Hawkeye runs.
No. 3 Iowa will play No. 6 Indiana on Thursday, May 22, at 9:00 p.m. Central Time before their semifinal matchup against No. 2 UCLA.