NCAA Baseball Regional for Iowa: Hawkeyes face Oregon on Friday in Springfield, MO

How 'bout those Hawkeyes?               

Iowa City, IA - The Iowa Hawkeyes are headed to Springfield, MO for the NCAA Regional baseball play, as a number two seed. The Hawkeyes will open on Friday, in the second season, under Iowa's new baseball coach.
                                                    

Iowa Hawkeyes (39-16)
NCAA tourneys: 4 (last one in 1990)
CWS appearances: 1 (1972)
Region: Springfield, MO
Opponents: 1. Missouri State; 3. Oregon; 4. Canisus
NCAA opener: 2 p.m. ET Friday vs. Oregon
Factoid: The Hawkeyes are in the NCAA tourney for the first time since 1990.
Twitter: @UIBaseball - Source: Big Ten Network

The Hawkeyes will face third-seeded Oregon at 1 p.m. (CT) at Hammons Field. Missouri State is the top-seeded team in the regional and the No. 8 national seed. The Bears will face No. 4 seed Canisius -- the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion -- at 6 p.m.

Iowa is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1990 and the fourth regional appearance in school history. The Hawkeyes boast a No. 29 RPI and finished runner-up in the Big Ten with a 19-5 record. Iowa is 39-16 overall -- the most wins for the program since 1985.

Iowa head coach Rick Heller is taking the Hawkeyes to his
first NCAA Tournament, in his second season at the helm.

Iowa head coach Rick Heller will be taking his third Division I team to NCAA Regional play (Northern Iowa, 2001; Indiana State, 2012). He is one of five active coaches to bring three different Division I schools to NCAA Regional play and one of eight all-time.

Oregon used a late season surge to earn an at-large berth, as the Ducks won their final five series in Pac-12 play and nine of their last 10 games overall. Oregon closed out the regular season with a key series win, taking 2-of-3 games at home against Pac-12 champion UCLA -- the top overall national seed.

Sophomore Cole Irvin is the Ducks' Friday night starter, going 2-4 with a 4.01 ERA in 74 innings. The southpaw has allowed 40 runs (33 earned) on 73 hits and has 42 strikeouts to 22 walks.
Offensively, Oregon has a .254 team batting average with just one player hitting above .300. Mitchell Tolman leads the team with a .329 average with team-highs in hits (72), runs (42), and RBIs (40). He is slugging .475 and reaching base at a .462 clip.