Iowa
No. 10 Oregon State baseball vs. Iowa Hawkeyes: Preview, starting lineup, how to watch Game 2 of series
The No. 10 Oregon State Beavers visit the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday in a college baseball game at Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa.
First pitch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
It’s the encore in a three-game series that opened Friday night at the home of the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. The Beavers outlasted a Hawkeyes comeback in the opener, using another prodigious performance by Wilson Weber and solid late-inning pitching from Kellan Oakes to win 9-6.
Wilson went 4 for 5 with a home run and four RBIs, and he delivered the go-ahead hit in the eighth inning on a wild sequence that sealed the win for the Beavers.
With two outs and the bases loaded in a tie game, Weber smacked a chopper to the left side of the pitcher’s mound. Iowa right-hander Anthony Watts fielded the ball, looked toward third base, then twisted around and fired to first base.
Weber not only beat the throw — sending Talt home with the go-ahead run — but the ball also eluded Hawkeyes first baseman Caleb Wulf and rolled into right field, allowing Tyce Peterson and Gavin Turley to score, too.
And just like that, OSU led 9-6.
Oakes (2-0) followed with a 1-2-3 ninth to polish off the win. The junior right-hander, who entered the game with one out and a runner on first base in the sixth inning, had a rough start, coughing up a game-tying two-run homer on his fifth pitch and giving up up a two-out double later in the inning.
But he retired the final seven batters he faced in order, tossing the final 2 2/3 innings to earn the win.
Will Game 2 feature similar late-game drama?
Here are details about Saturday’s matchup:
No. 10 Oregon State Beavers (36-12) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (32-16)
When: 1:30 p.m. PT, Saturday, May 10
Where: Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa.
TV channel: The game is not televised, but will be streaming live on Big Ten Plus.
How to watch live stream online: The series will be streamed live on Big Ten Plus, which is available via a subscription. Visit osubeavers.com and click on the baseball schedule for a direct link to the game or visit bigtenlplus.com for subscription information.
Radio: All games air on the Beaver Sports Network. Pregame starts 30 minutes before the first pitch and you can listen live anywhere via the Varsity Radio Network. Local affiliates include KEJO 93.7-FM & 1240-AM (Corvallis), KKNX 105.1-FM & 840-AM (Eugene), KCFM 104.1-FM & 1250-AM & 104.1-FM (Florence), KLAD 104.3-FM & 960-AM (Klamath Falls), KCFM 103.1-FM (Mapleton), KTMT 96.1-FM & 580-AM (Medford), KCMX 880-AM (Medford), KCMX 99.5-FM (Phoenix), KEX 1190-AM (Portland), KSKR 1490-AM (Roseburg) and KBZY 1490-AM (Salem).
Probable starters: OSU RHP Dax Whitney (3-3, 4.56) vs. RHP Aaron Savary (7-0, 3.36)
This and that: Whitney is making his 13th start of the season, including the 10th away from Goss Stadium. The 6-foot-5 freshman, who has not earned a win since March 29 at Nebraska, has struggled in recent weeks, going 0-1 over his last five starts. The previous three, during which Whitney surrendered 12 runs in 8 2/3 innings, have been especially rough, sending his ERA soaring from 2.88 to 4.56. But the talented freshman, who has produced 72 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings this season, is capable of dominance and seems due for a difference-making performance. … Weber is 9 for 20 with four homers, three doubles and 14 RBIs over his last five games, during which he’s produced a pair of crucial go-ahead late-game hits. The hot streak has sent Weber’s batting average (.333) and RBI total (41) surging to third-highest and second-highest on the team, respectively. … Junior outfielder Gavin Turley doubled home a run in the fourth inning of Friday’s win. The RBI was the 175th of his career, moving him past Adley Rutschman (174) into sole possession of second place on Oregon State’s all-time list. He needs five more to pass Michael Conforto (179) and become the Beavers’ all-time RBI leader. … Junior outfielder Easton Talt entered Friday night’s game as a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning and finished 0-1 with two walks. He now has 58 walks this season and sits one shy of tying Travis Bazzana and Garret Forrester (2023) for fourth-most in a season at OSU. … Savary has surrendered more than two runs just three times in 12 starts this season. The 6-3 junior has won three of his last five starts and is coming off a hard-luck no-decision against the Washington Huskies, against whom he allowed three hits, one run and recorded 10 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.
OSU’s starting lineup
1. Aiva Arquette, SS
2. Gavin Turley, DH
3. Wilson Weber, C
4. AJ Singer, 2B
5. Canon Reeder, CF
6. Easton Talt, RF
7. Jacob Krieg, 1B
8. Dallas Macias, RF
9. Trent Caraway, 3B
— Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | @freemanjoe.bsky.social | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Iowa
NCAA Wrestling Championships at-large bids announced
Iowa wrestling’s Tom Brands discusses Big Ten Championships results
VIDEO: Iowa wrestling’s Tom Brands talks Big Ten Championships results
Iowa Athletics
The 330 wrestlers competing in Cleveland at the NCAA Championships are now set.
After the conference tournaments established the lion’s share of wrestlers, the NCAA announced the at-large bids on Tuesday, March 10, completing the rest of the field.
Brackets and seeds will be announced on March 10, but here’s a look at the contingents each state of Iowa program will be sending after the at-large bids were announced.
Iowa wrestling NCAA qualifiers
For the third year in a row, Iowa wrestling will be sending nine to the NCAA Championships. Victor Voinovich did not earn an at-large bid at 157 pounds after finishing ninth at the Big Ten Championships, one place outside of NCAA automatic qualification. He concludes his season with a 12-6 record.
Voinovich narrowly earned the starting job over Jordan Williams at 157, with Iowa coach Tom Brands saying it was very close, but Voinovich had shown a little more “fight” this year. Now that Voinovich hasn’t qualified for NCAAs, it’s a decision that will go further under the microscope.
What’s done is done, however, for Iowa. They’ll take Dean Peterson (125), Drake Ayala (133), Nasir Bailey (141), Ryder Block (149), Michael Caliendo (165), Patrick Kennedy (174), Angelo Ferrari (184), Gabe Arnold (197) and Ben Kueter (285) to Cleveland in hopes of salvaging what has been a tough season.
Iowa State wrestling NCAA qualifiers
For the first time since 2010, Iowa State will send all 10 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Vinny Zerban earned an at-large bid at 157 pounds despite falling short of the automatic qualifying threshold at the Big 12 Championships. Zerban suffered a concussion and medically forfeited out of the tournament after his first match in Tulsa. His health status will be worth monitoring NCAAs inch closer, from March 19-22.
The Cyclones look poised for one of their best postseasons in recent memory with their 10 qualifiers ―Stevo Poulin (125), Garrett Grice (133), Anthony Echemendia (141), Jacob Frost (149), Zerban, Connor Euton (165), MJ Gaitan (174), Isaac Dean (184), Rocky Elam (197) and Yonger Bastida (285). The loss of Evan Frost hurts the Cyclones, considering his pedigree and season as a whole, but Grice’s has earned several ranked wins since entering the lineup in February and could still add some much-needed team points as the team chases a team trophy.
Behind title contenders Elam and Bastida, proven podium threats in Poulin, Echemnedia, Jacob Frost and Zerban (if healthy), Iowa State will be in the mix for a top-four finish in Cleveland.
UNI wrestling NCAA qualifiers
Northern Iowa will send five to the NCAA Championships. Automatic qualifiers Julian Farber (133), Caleb Rathjen (149) and Ryder Downey (165) will be joined by Jared Simma (174) and Nick Fox (184), who each earned at-large bids. The number of qualifiers could extend to six, with Trever Anderson (125) being the alternate at 125 pounds for NCAAs. However, he had to medically forfeit out of the Big 12 Championships, so his health status would be in question if he got called up.
With that, Max Brady (141), Cael Rahnavardi (157), John Gunderson (197) and Adam Ahrendsen (285) will have their seasons come to an end. Brady, a true freshman, will still have three NCAA chances in his career after showing promising moments in relief of Cory Land’s season-ending injury. Gunderson, a U23 World team member, will return for next season as well. Rahnavardi and Ahrendsen were both in their final seasons of eligibility.
Following injuries to Land and Wyatt Voelker, it’s been a hard year for the Panthers. This is half the number of NCAA qualifiers that UNI had last season when they qualified 10 for the first time since 1986. The last time UNI had five or fewer qualifiers was 2016.
However, all five of their wrestlers have each shown moments of brilliance, either this season or in prior NCAA Championships. They may be a smaller crew than normal, but Downey, Rathjen, Farber, Simma and Fox are all ones to watch in Cleveland.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
Iowa
DCI agent say he was fired for questioning Iowa college gambling probe
ISU’s Kevin Dresser on gambling probe: ‘I knew this thing was a mess’
Iowa State’s Kevin Dresser on the gambling probe: “I hope all these athletes at Iowa and Iowa State take the state of Iowa to the cleaners.”
A longtime investigator for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says he was forced out of the agency because he voiced reservations about a high-profile investigation into gambling in college athletics.
Mark Ludwick was hired by Iowa’s top investigative agency in 1997 and was terminated in November 2024, according to a lawsuit filed Feb. 20 in Polk County. According to his complaint, Ludwick was fired after two “frivolous” investigations, one claiming he’d exceeded the speed limit driving to a murder scene, and the other for assistance he provided to a domestic abuse victim.
The real reason, Ludwick alleges, is that officials were embarrassed after Ludwick testified under oath about what he regarded as weaknesses in their sports wagering investigation, which resulted in dozens of Iowa State University and University of Iowa student-athletes facing suspensions, 25 being criminally charged and 19 pleading guilty to underage gambling.
Ludwick testified in early 2024 he believed investigators had conducted illegal searches to identify the online gamblers and that he and other agents had been directed to lie to students about whether they were subjects of the investigation. He also alleged that stress about the case contributed to another agent’s fatal heart attack, although the agent’s relatives disputed the connection.
Now Ludwick is accusing the state of violating Iowa’s whistleblower protection statute. He declined through his attorney to comment. The Iowa Attorney General’s Office also declined to comment, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety, which includes the DCI, did not respond to an inquiry about the case.
Gambling investigation raised constitutional concerns
In the gambling investigation, DCI investigators used software tools provided by GeoComply, a Canadian company that contracts with online sportsbooks like FanDuel and DraftKings, to look for evidence of illegal gambling activity. Using a GeoComply system, the investigators created a so-called “geofence” around college athletic facilities that allowed them to detect student athletes using wagering accounts registered to parents and friends to place bets ― sometimes on their own games.
Although the investigation resulted in numerous arrests and suspensions, it also drew controversy, in particular for agents’ failure to obtain warrants before conducting their location searches. GeoComply, which had encouraged Iowa to use its service, responded by cancelling the state’s access.
A large group of current and former students sued the state, accusing investigators of violating their constitutional rights. In November 2025, a federal judge ruled that the state’s investigation “does not comport with the Fourth Amendment,” which provides protection from illegal searches.
Nonetheless, the court dismissed the lawsuit, finding the officers involved were entitled to immunity. An appeal is pending.
Ludwick’s reservations emerge in depositions
Ludwick was an experienced investigator for the DCI, working on high-profile cases including the 2015 murder of Shirley Carter, whose son was tried and acquitted, and the 2017 deaths of two girls in a fire started by a relative.
While not the lead agent on the 2023 gambling investigation, Ludwick was tapped to assist by interviewing some of the student athletes. He later testified he grew concerned that the state’s geofence searches amounted to illegal, warrantless searches, and declined to participate in the case any further. He alleges that other DCI agents shared his concerns and also maneuvered to avoid being involved in the case.
Ludwick says he reported his concerns to his superiors. In January 2024, he was deposed by defense attorneys for four of the students, and “testified truthfully during his deposition that he believed an illegal search had been conducted.” Defense attorneys cited Ludwick’s remarks within days in filings covered by numerous media outlets, including the Des Moines Register, which “caused embarrassment and increased scrutiny for the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Commissioner Bayens, and other employees,” Ludwick’s suit states.
According to the complaint, officials launched an investigation into Ludwick for speeding on March 5, weeks after the embarrassing testimony was reported. On Aug. 8, officials initiated a second investigation after, Ludwick says, “he attempted to help a victim of domestic abuse flee her abuser.” He denies his actions violated Iowa law or department policy.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.
Iowa
Official Site of The ECHL | ECHL announces Voluntary Suspension of Iowa Membership for 2026-27 Season
The ECHL announced today that the League’s Board of Governors has approved the request of the Iowa Heartlanders’ Membership for a Voluntary Suspension for the 2026-27 Season.
During the suspension period, the organization will evaluate strategic alternatives aimed at ensuring a sustainable long-term future for professional hockey in the Corridor, including potential investment or ownership partnerships that support the continued success of the Membership.
The ECHL will continue to work with the Heartlanders’ ownership group during the suspension period as the organization evaluates its future. The League remains committed to the continued growth and stability of its member teams and markets.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision that followed months of careful evaluation,” said Heartlanders owner Michael Devlin. “Despite significant efforts to stabilize and strengthen the organization, we concluded that stepping back for a season is the most responsible course while we review long-term solutions. As stewards of the team, we believe this step gives the organization the best opportunity to return on a stronger and more sustainable footing.”
“We worked through every potential path that might have allowed us to continue uninterrupted,” Heartlanders President Matt Getz said. “Ultimately, we believe this pause provides the organization the best opportunity to position the Membership for long-term success.”
The Iowa organization expresses deep gratitude to the fans, partners, players, staff and the City of Coralville who have supported the Heartlanders since the team’s founding.
The ECHL will play with 30 Members during the 2026-27 season.
About the ECHL
Formed in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 30 teams in 23 states and one Canadian province for its 38th season in 2025-26. There have been 778 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including 10 who have made their NHL debuts in the 2025-26 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 30 of the 32 NHL teams in 2025-26, marking the 28th consecutive season that the league has affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com.
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