Iowa

Iowa baseball ends Game 3 vs. No. 11-ranked Oregon State with rare tie

Published

10 months ago

May 12, 2025

Iowa baseball ends Game 3 vs. No. 11-ranked Oregon State with rare tie

As Iowa baseball (32-17-1, 21-6 Big Ten) wrapped up its three-game non-conference series vs. No. 11 Oregon State (37-12-1) from Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa, the Hawkeyes and Beavers settled the final game with a 6-6 tie following the conclusion of the 10th inning.

Due to the sudden injury scratch of redshirt senior righty Reece Beuter, the Hawkeyes deployed fifth-year senior left-hander Benjamin DeTaeye as the Game 3 starter. While DeTaeye has been used as a starter during midweek games, Sunday’s game was his first career start during a weekend series.

DeTaeye had a tremendous performance for the Hawkeyes, striking out a career-high seven batters while allowing two runs (one unearned) on zero hits and issuing four walks in a career-high five innings of work.

“Ben DeTaeye was fantastic today,” said head coach Rick Heller. “Optimistically, I was hoping to get three [innings]. He just pitched great, and we scored some runs early to give him a lead to work with.”

Three other pitchers saw the mound for Iowa, including righty Brant Hogue, who struck out five. While the pitching staff combined for 12 punchouts, the 13 free bases allowed were a concern, as it was in the first two games of the series.

“It was a weird weekend,” said Heller. “We hadn’t been that team where we were walking guys and giving up free bases like that. It’s just uncharacteristic, and it cost us three ballgames, and it cost us the chance to win this one today, as well.”

Regarding the offense, the Hawkeyes took their first lead of the series by scoring two runs in the first inning off a Gable Mitchell RBI single and a Caleb Wulf RBI groundout. Iowa extended its lead to 3-0 in the second as Wilmes lined an RBI single into left.

Oregon State scored five runs in the sixth frame via a bases-loaded walk and a grand slam high over the right center-field wall to give the Beavers a 5-3 advantage.

Iowa would immediately respond with a run to cut the lead to 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth when Mitchell picked up his second RBI of the evening on a groundout that scored Kellen Strohmeyer from third.

The Hawkeyes knotted the game at five in the eighth when Ben Wilmes poked a sacrifice bunt down the first base line to score Strohmeyer from third.

Following two scoreless innings, Oregon State took a 6-5 lead in the 10th on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch with two outs. Fortunately, Jaixen Frost was able to tie the game back up with a solo shot to left field in the bottom of the frame. While Strohmeyer followed up with a single, the Iowa offense couldn’t bring him around to score the winning run.

After the 10th concluded, both teams agreed to call the game a tie due to Oregon State’s necessary travel curfew, as the Beavers flew out of Des Moines on a commercial flight later in the evening.

Iowa outhit Oregon State by a 9-4 margin, with both squads stranding 10 runners on base and striking out 12 times.

“We swung the bat better today than we did yesterday. We still outhit them again today,” said Heller.

While both programs moved Sunday’s game earlier in the day with the Beavers’ travel situation in mind, an extended extra innings affair would have created a problematic time crunch for Oregon State.

“We ran out of time. I haven’t been in one of those in a long, long time,” said Heller. “Frustrating that we didn’t get a chance to play it out. In baseball, there shouldn’t be a tie, but with travel, sometimes it happens.”

The tie is Iowa’s first since May 1, 2002, when the Hawkeyes ended in a 1-1 stalemate against Northern Iowa. Ironically, current Iowa head coach Rick Heller was involved in that contest as he led the Panthers program at the time.

With over 15,000 fans in attendance across the three games at Principal Park this weekend, the Hawkeyes were thankful for the turnout and support throughout the series.

“We appreciate the fans and appreciate all the people that came out and supported us,” said Heller. “It was pretty good baseball most of the time for them to watch. We all really appreciate how many Hawk fans came out and watched us in Des Moines.”

Regarding what the Big Ten standings look like following Sunday’s action, Iowa leads UCLA (37-14, 20-7) atop the conference by just one game following the Bruins’ three-game sweep of Illinois. Not too far behind the Bruins is Oregon (38-13, 19-8), which trails by only two games.

Given the razor-thin margin for error, Iowa’s three-game series against No. 7 Oregon to close the Big Ten regular season from May 15-17 will be the program’s most impactful series at Duane Banks Field in the past 35 years.

Thursday’s series opener will be televised on FS1, while the final two games will be on the Big Ten Network. As always, all three games will be broadcast on the Hawkeyes Radio Network alongside play-by-play voice John Leo and color analyst John Evans.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews.

Source link

Click to comment

Iowa

2026 Iowa high school boys basketball state tournament brackets, schedule

Published

8 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

2026 Iowa high school boys basketball state tournament brackets, schedule

The Iowa high school boys state basketball tournament is just around the corner and the full field has now been set.

By March 13, four teams will be crowned state champions and there are plenty of worthy squads vying for the title. On Tuesday, the final brackets were released and we now have a clear picture of the eight teams in each class hoping to take home the trophy.

Here’s a look at the first-round pairings and the full state tournament schedule for next week’s IHSAA action.

Class 4A Iowa boys state basketball tournament schedule

State quarterfinals, Monday, March 9

No. 4 Dowling Catholic vs No. 5 Dubuque Senior, 5:30 p.m.
No. 1 Cedar Falls vs No. 8 Urbandale, 7:15 p.m.

Tuesday, March 10

No. 3 Waukee Northwest vs. No. 6 Johnston, 10:30 a.m.
No. 2 Waukee vs No. 7 Cedar Rapids Prairie, 12:15 p.m.

State semifinals, Thursday, March 12

TBD vs. TBD, 10:30 a.m.
TBD vs. TBD, 12:15 a.m.

State championship game, Friday, March 13

Class 3A Iowa boys state basketball tournament schedule

State quarterfinals: Monday, March 9

No. 1 Ballard vs. No. 8 Gilbert, 10:30 a.m.
No. 4 Pella vs. No. 5 Carroll, 12:15 p.m.
No. 2 ADM vs. No. 7 Xavier, 2 p.m.
No. 3 Storm Lake vs. No. 6 Solon, 3:45 p.m.

State semifinals, Wednesday, March 11

TBD vs. TBD, 5:30 p.m.
TBD vs. TBD, 7:15 p.m.

State championship game, Friday, March 13

Class 2A Iowa boys state basketball tournament schedule

State quarterfinals: Wednesday, March 11

No. 1 Kuemper Catholic vs. No. 8 Union Community, 10:30 a.m
No. 4 Treynor vs. No. 5 Grundy Center, 12:15 p.m
No. 2 Unity Christian vs. No. 7 Western Christian, 2 p.m.
No. 3 Regina Catholic vs. No. 6 Aplington-Parkersburg, 3:45 p.m.

State semifinals, Thursday, March 12

TBD vs. TBD, 5:30 p.m.
TBD vs TBD, 7:15 p.m.

State title game, Friday, March 13

Class 1A Iowa boys state basketball tournament schedule

State quarterfinals: Tuesday, March 10

No. 1 St. Edmond vs. No. 8 Woodbine, 2 p.m.
No. 4 Notre Dame vs. No. 5 Bellevue, 3:45 p.m.
No. 2 MMCRU vs. No. 7 Boyden-Hull, 5:30 p.m.
No. 3 Bishop Garrigan vs. No. 6 Marquette Catholic, 7:15 p.m.

State semifinals, Thursday, March 12

TBD vs TBD, 2 p.m.
TBD vs TBD, 3:45 p.m.

State title game, Friday, March 13

Source link

Iowa

Iowa State announces gymnastics program will be discontinued

Published

20 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Iowa State announces gymnastics program will be discontinued

Iowa State University announced March 3 that it is cutting its women’s gymnastics program, weeks after abruptly canceling the remainder of the season due to what athletics director Jamie Pollard said were “unreconcilable differences” in the program.

Cyclone gymnasts were informed of the decision to cut the program by ISU associate athletics director Shamaree Brown in a meeting on Tuesday morning, two people with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports Network.

Iowa State gymnastics head coach Ashley Miles Greig and her three assistant coaches were told that their contracts would not be renewed, the university’s news release stated. Miles Greig’s contract was set to expire after the season on June 30, 2026.

Cyclones gymnasts will have the option to remain at Iowa State to finish their degrees, or to transfer to another NCAA school to compete in gymnastics. If they stay at Iowa State, ISU will honor their scholarships. Iowa State’s release said its compliance department would work with the NCAA on waivers to help gymnasts receive an additional year of competition.

Tuesday’s announcement ended weeks of speculation about the program’s future that began when Iowa State canceled its gymnastics season on Feb. 8. In a statement at the time, Brown said the decision was because the Cyclones did not have enough athletes available to compete. In a letter to the gymnastics team and alumni on Feb. 17, Pollard wrote that the cancellation resulted from “a series of complex internal conflicts between individual teammates, coaching staff members, and parents,” language that Iowa State repeated in Tuesday’s release.

In a video released by the school, Pollard said Iowa State would take the next several months to decide which women’s sport would replace gymnastics so that the athletics department remains compliant with Title IX, a federal law that requires NCAA schools to provide proportional participation opportunities to men and women.

“I also want to say, this is not a financial decision. This is a student-athlete experience decision,” Pollard said in the video. “Adding another women’s sport will probably cost equal or more than what we’re already spending on the gymnastics program. This is about student-athlete experience.”

Pollard said that Iowa State conducted reviews of its gymnastics program in 2018 and 2023 stemming from unspecified issues. The 2023 review, conducted by an external law firm, led Iowa State to part ways with then-head coach Jay Ronayne. Miles Greig was hired in April 2023.

On Tuesday, Iowa State denied USA TODAY Sports Network’s public-records request for the findings of the university’s 2018 and 2023 gymnastics probes. In an email denying the request, Ann Lelis, a member of Iowa State’s office of general counsel, cited portions of state open records law that prevent the disclosure of personal information of students or public employees. Lelis also said the requested records were not subject to disclosure because they contained confidential attorney privileged documents.

In the video, Pollard said he asked his senior leadership team “to meet with those individuals in our department that work really closely with our gymnastics program and make a recommendation to me about what we should do going forward.”

The leadership team recommended to Pollard that the school discontinue the gymnastics program, Pollard said, and use those resources for a different women’s sport. Pollard accepted the recommendation from his staff, and he spoke with university leaders. “We are all on the same page,” he said. “This is the right decision for our athletics program and for our student-athletes.”

Cyclone gymnast Samantha Schneider, a redshirt freshman, wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday that she was heartbroken by the decision and criticized Iowa State’s administration for deflecting blame onto the gymnasts.

“Terrible that this is the result of the lack of support from Iowa State’s Athletic Administration,” Schneider wrote. “For the last 5 months, we have come forward as a team regarding (certain) situations and environment concerns and nothing has been done to protect us as athletes on this team. The gymnasts should NOT be blamed or be sharing any part of the responsibility for this decision being made.”

A former member of this season’s coaching staff also mourned the decision in a text message to USA TODAY Sports Network on Tuesday. The person requested anonymity for fear of repercussions.

“At the end of the day this is unfair to the athletes and the alumni that have built this program and have continued to ask for better,” the coach wrote. “It appears that the department was looking for an easy way out or an easy solution, not realizing they would hurt a lot of people in the process. My only hope is that the athletes can come back stronger than ever.”

Miles Greig could not be immediately reached for comment when contacted Tuesday morning by USA TODAY Sports Network.

The Iowa State gymnastics team participated in four competitions this season before the athletics department shut down the remainder of the season on Feb. 8. Nick Joos, Iowa State’s senior associate athletic director for communications, told USA TODAY Sports Network at the time that the cancellation was due to a “combination of injuries and other health issues.”

During what ended up as Iowa State’s final meet against Denver on Feb. 1, several Cyclone gymnasts fell off the uneven bars. The Cyclones forfeited their next meet on Feb. 6 against West Virginia, with Miles Greig saying in a statement, “At this time, we do not have enough student-athletes available to safely field a team against West Virginia, and regrettably must cancel this competition.”

Two days after that, Brown met with gymnasts on Feb. 8 at Iowa State’s on-campus practice gym and informed them that their season would not continue.

Iowa State’s annual financial report submitted to the NCAA for fiscal year 2025 showed the gymnastics program generated $287,392 in total operating revenues with $1.69 million in expenses, a gap of about $1.4 million. Iowa State allotted 14 scholarships to gymnastics. Football and men’s basketball are the only Iowa State sports in which revenue exceeds spending.

Cyclone gymnastics recruits who had committed to the program for the 2026-27 season can commit to a different school or attend Iowa State and have their scholarship agreements honored.

Former Iowa State gymnast Shea Mattingly, whose last name was Anderson when she graduated in 2012, said she had been in contact with other former members of the team after Tuesday’s announcement.

“We’re all frustrated. We’re all angry,” Mattingly said. “That (Pollard) video made us all really mad, honestly. … It places all the blame on these student-athletes whereas the administration’s accountability in this, they hired these coaches that maybe it seems like they couldn’t handle the program.”

Mattingly said she and other alums aren’t giving up hope on the future of the program.

“I think we’re still going to fight,” she said. “So we’re going to send emails. We’re going to call. We’re going to do all we can, even though it seems his mind has been made up.”

Source link

Iowa

Seven Of Eight 3A Slots Filled For Iowa High School Boys State Tournament

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Seven Of Eight 3A Slots Filled For Iowa High School Boys State Tournament

Seven of the eight spots for the upcoming Class 3A Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Tournament were determined Monday night in substate championship action.

Advancing to the Casey’s Center in Des Moines, Iowa were ADM, Ballard, Storm Lake, Carroll, Gilbert, Pella and Solon. On Tuesday, Cedar Rapids Xavier will play Dubuque Wahlert Catholic, as that game was moved due to the Dubuque Wahlert Catholic girls competing in the girls state tournament.

The seven teams advancing were all the higher seeds, as six of the seven picked up victories on their home court. The other – Storm Lake’s 66-53 win over Sergeant Bluff-Luton – was held at nearby Buena Vista University.

ADM claimed a 30-point decision over Nevada while Ballard bested Oskaloosa, 79-45. Carroll claimed a three-point triumph vs. Sioux Center, Gilbert bested rival North Polk, 73-62, Pella eliminated Keokuk, 60-47, and Solon downed Central DeWitt, 49-44.

The state tournament bracket will be released following the conclusion of the Cedar Rapids Xavier-Dubuque Wahlert Catholic contest.

The 4A substate championships are also on deck for Tuesday evening.

Source link