Iowa baseball coach Rick Heller hopes a normal schedule with a full non-conference slate will help Big Ten teams when it comes to NCAA selection time. A year ago, the Big Ten played a conference-only schedule and it was costly. Only conference champ Nebraska and runner-up Maryland made the field of 64.

And it stopped the momentum Big Ten baseball had prior to COVID. Four teams made the NCAA Tournament in 2019 and Michigan made it all the way to the College World Series championship.

The Hawkeyes are 26-15 overall and currently fourth in the Big Ten. They host Purdue in a three game series this weekend.