Everyone will tell you that baseball is one of the most unpredictable sports around, and Michigan State has proven that.
After sneaking into the Big Ten Tournament as the last team, the 12-seed Spartans are headed to the next round to take on USC after knocking off the 5-seed Purdue in their first game and the 8-seed Iowa in their second game.
Iowa was flying high after beating Illinois in its first game, but the nagging issue that has plagued Iowa all season popped up once again, coupled with some other costly mistakes. To say that manager Rick Heller was not happy with all the mistakes might be an understatement
Iowa's luck finally ran out against Michigan State
The Hawkeyes got down four runs early against Illinois before roaring back to take the lead and the win, but it wasn't an easy game by any stretch of the imagination.
Poor pitching backed them into a corner, making it an uphill climb, but the bats stayed hot, and the defense stayed solid. Unfortunately for Heller's club, the pitching was still poor, and they were unable to pick them up this time.
Rick Heller recaps the Hawkeyes 4-3 loss to Michigan State at the Big Ten Tournament https://t.co/kxFu7zqcP8
— Kyle Huesmann (@HuesmannKyle) May 21, 2026
On3 Sports' Kyle Huesmann spoke with Heller postgame, and he repeated the word "collapse" multiple times when he was describing the pitching early on. Joe Husack got the unexpected start, and after a solid first inning, Heller said he had a "total collapse."
Justin Hackett came on in relief, and he got the Hawkeyes out of a jam, giving up only one run, but then he struggled with command, forcing Heller to go to freshman sensation Kyle Alivo earlier than he wanted to.
Alivo was spectacular until he ran out of gas in the ninth inning, hitting two consecutive batters to load the bases. Then an infield single drove in the go-ahead run, ultimately giving Michigan State the 4-3 win and forcing Iowa into a winner-take-all elimination game against Purdue.
Heller was much more direct after the loss, and he was very critical of the pitching staff giving up so many free bases. He singled out the pitching staff, while also calling out the poor defense, something we haven't seen much this season.
All the free passes were just a symptom of a much larger problem
The box score does not tell the whole story of how the game against Michigan State actually went, and even though it was close, there was one glaring detail. The pitching staff combined to give up almost as many walks (6) as strikeouts (7), which absolutely cannot happen in postseason play.
All the walks aren't a surprise for Hawkeye fans, as the pitching staff has been one of the worst in the Big Ten in total walks and walks per nine innings during the regular season. Iowa issued 244 free passes during the regular season, which equals 4.8 walks per nine innings (fourth worst in the Big Ten).
Iowa's stellar offense and elite defense have saved them in multiple games this season, but everything went wrong for the Hawkeyes in their second game of the Big Ten Tournament.
It's now win or go home as the squad battles Purdue on Thursday, May 21, at 5:00 p.m. Central Time, just a short time after sweeping the Boilermakers at Principal Park in Des Moines at the end of the regular season.
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