Iowa Baseball has one of the season's most important series to close out the 2025 regular season. The Hawkeyes welcome red-hot No. 7 Oregon to Duane Banks Field for a three-game series that begins on Thursday.
Iowa is coming off a rough weekend series against No. 10 Oregon State, losing two of three, and tying the final game. The Beavers outscored the Hawkeyes 20-13 in last weekend's three-game series.
For the second consecutive week, the Hawkeyes battle a team from Oregon with massive implications. Iowa must use the home crowd to boost them to a series win against the Ducks.
GET UP IT’S GAME DAY#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/IFpjqIGRN8
— Iowa Baseball (@UIBaseball) May 15, 2025
Duane Banks Field will be packed for this massive series against No. 7 Oregon. Since 2015, the Hawkeyes have a 180-52 home record at Duane Banks Field and must push that to 182 wins. The Hawkeyes face an uphill battle against the Ducks, but here are three keys to victory ahead of the series.
Keep the ball in the yard
Oregon is among the top five in the Big Ten in multiple offensive categories. They have scored 413 runs this season, ranking No. 3 in the Big Ten. A large part of that offense is hitting home runs.
The Ducks love hitting the ball out of the ballpark, and lead the Big Ten with 96 home runs this season, 10 more than the next closest team (32 more than Iowa).
Outfielder Mason Neville is the Ducks' catalyst on offense, leading Oregon and the Big Ten in homers with 26. He is widely considered one of the best power hitters in the country and could be a high draft pick in next year's MLB Draft.
Iowa pitchers need to limit the big fly in this series to give themselves a chance.
Pitching, pitching, pitching
The Iowa pitching staff has been a revelation for the Hawkeyes this season. The Hawkeyes have taken a massive leap forward since hiring Sean Kenny as pitching coach.
The Hawkeye pitching staff ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten (No. 9 nationally) in team earned run average (3.67) and strikeouts (524). They also ranked No. 42 nationally in hits allowed (up from No. 93 last season) and No. 39 in walks (up from No. 147 last season).
In the first two games of the previous series, Iowa pitchers struggled with command, walking 11 batters. That cannot happen again if they want to upset the Ducks.
The Hawkeyes are No.1 in the Big Ten standings and if they want to hold that spot, they must fend off No. 3 Oregon with solid pitching.
Do not beat yourself
The Hawkeyes are a stout offensive team, ranking in the top five of the Big Ten in hits (No. 3 with 519) and runs batted in (No. 5 with 377). They also excel in pitching, ranking first in the Big Ten in ERA (3.67) and total strikeouts (524).
Iowa has struggled on the defensive end, ranking in the bottom 10 in the conference in fielding percentage (No. 11 at 97.1 percent) and has made 50 errors this season.
Iowa struggled with errors in their last series with No. 10 Oregon State, and it cost them. They must play near-perfect on the defensive end to have a chance against Oregon. The Ducks can put up multiple runs in a hurry, and Iowa cannot afford to give them extra chances.
Series times and pitching matchups
Game One: Thursday, May 15 at 6:02 p.m. Central Time (FS1)
Iowa: Cade Obermueller (4-2, 2.25 ERA)
Oregon: Grayson Grinsell (8-2, 2.53 ERA
Game Two: Friday, May 16 at 6:02 p.m. Central Time (Big Ten Network)
Iowa: Aaron Savary (7-1, 3.66 ERA)
Oregon: Collin Clarke (5-2, 4.06 ERA)
Game Three: Saturday, May 17 at 12:02 p.m. Central Time (Big Ten Network)
Iowa: TBD
Oregon: Jason Reitz (4-0, 3.25 ERA)