NCAA Tournament: Iowa Faces Oregon After Twenty-Five Year Post Season Drought

In looking back at the 2015 season Oregon and Iowa had their struggles, but the Hawkeyes endured a long season in 2014 and hoped a strong finish would land them in the post season. It did not. 2015 had a different outcome at the end of the regular season, it also ended a twenty-five year span where Iowa was not in the NCAA Tournament. This team knows the meaning of playing a long season and how long it took to get here.

More from Oregon Ducks Baseball

• Oregon baseball: Pac-12 finally getting postseason tournament in 2022
• Oregon Baseball: Ducks Start Season 0-4, But Team Is Showing Fight
• Former Oregon Duck Ryne Nelson Makes Pro Debut at PK Park
• George Horton, Oregon Ducks Part Ways
• Philadelphia Phillies Cole Irvin Starts Major League Career With Two Wins

Iowa will likely have the media attention this week leading up to the game with Oregon who have won nine of their last ten games and have taken two of three games to end the regular season against the NCAA Tournament top seeded UCLA Bruins. The Hawkeyes bring plenty of firepower on Offense into the Tournament.

Tyler Peyton leads the team with a .352 average. The leadoff man has sixty two hits, thirty runs and twenty eight walks on the season. He also has a near perfect fielding percentage at .994. Peyton is among five players hitting at .300 or better this season and the Hawkeyes overall are hitting at a. 273 clip. He is a dual threat player who can also throw the ball.

On the mound Peyton has an ERA of 3.18 and has thrown 87.2 innings good enough for six wins on the season. He has hit ten batters, but has struck out twenty one batters looking at strike three. Peyton has allowed twenty-seven doubles on the year which should have Oregon Infielder Mitchell Tolman salivating at facing him in the batters box.

Tolman is a key reason that Oregon has had success down the stretch leading to winning nine of their last ten games, and getting into the NCAA Tournament. During the regular season the Oregon Junior has set new marks in the Oregon record books including a career average above .320 and being named the all-time leader for Runs Batted In earlier this month. He is also the career leader for doubles for the Oregon Ducks.

Other teams in the bracket in Springfield. Missouri with third seed Oregon and second seed Iowa are top seed Missouri State and forth seed Canisius. The Regional Round of the Men’s NCAA Tournament is double elimination. Lose two, and your done. Oregon and Iowa will play in Springfield. Missouri at 11am Pacific Time on Friday.