The Iowa Hawkeye baseball team takes the Big Ten lead to Seattle for tonight’s (Friday night’s) start of a three game series against Washington. The Hawkeyes are 20-4 in league play while Washington sits in fifth at 13-8.

That’s Iowa coach Rick Heller. The Hawkeyes close Big Ten play in two weeks by hosting third place Oregon.

The Hawkeyes have six games remaining in conference play. All of the other title contenders still have nine games remaining.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State men’s basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger has announced the addition of Utah Valley transfer Dominick Nelson to the 2025-26 Iowa State roster. Nelson is the fourth transfer to commit to the Cyclones, joining Purdue Fort Wayne transfer Eric Mulder, Eastern Washington transfer Mason Williams and Virginia transfer Blake Buchanan.

Nelson is a 6-5 guard out of Miami who prepped at Liberty Heights Athletic Institute in Charlotte, N.C. Nelson played last season for the Wolverines and the two previous seasons at Polk State College in Florida. He currently has one year of eligibility at Iowa State.

Starting all 34 games for Utah Valley, Nelson led the Wolverines to the WAC regular season championship and a berth in the NIT. The WAC Player of the Year, Nelson averaged 14.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Nelson led the WAC in both free throws made and attempted, while ranking 13^th in the NCAA with his 237 free throw attempts. He was fourth in the WAC in total points with 489, while ranking 10^th in the league with 24 blocked shots and 176 total rebounds.

“An explosive athlete, Dominick can get to the rim and draw a ton of fouls,” Otzelberger said. “He has good length and is a great rebounder on both ends of the floor from the guard position, while he excels in transition. Dominick is a high-character individual who has a great work ethic.”

Nelson scored in double figures in 27 of the 34 games he played last season, including a career-high 25 on three different occasions. All three games with 25 points were road victories for the Wolverines in WAC play. Nine of his games in double figures were 20 or more points, including a 22-point performance at Stanford. Nelson tallied a career-high nine rebounds in a victory at Murray State, while having 13 games with at least seven rebounds. In his two years at Polk State, he earned First Team All-Citrus Conference honors, while going over the 1,000-point mark. During the 2023-24 season, he averaged 20.1 points per game, while scoring in double figures in 27 of the 28 games. He had a season-high 33 points against Indian River State. He shot 45 percent from the field and 74 percent at the free throw line for Polk State.

DES MOINES, Iowa – Drake women’s basketball has added to its coaching staff with the hiring of new assistant Kristin Rotert, Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman announced today.

Rotert joins assistants Kelli Greenway and Whitney Moia, as well as Director of Operations Cortni Rush and Director of Basketball Analytics & Player Development Becca Hittner, on staff.

“We are thrilled to welcome Kristin Rotert to Drake,” Pohlman said. “Her deep expertise and proven leadership bring tremendous value to our team, and we’re confident she will play a pivotal role in advancing our culture and success.”

Rotert joins Drake after four seasons leading the women’s basketball program at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. Rotert took over at NWC in 2021 as the team’s eighth head coach in program history. She amassed a career record of 80-44 during her four seasons and led the Raiders to four berths in the National Association of Intercollegiate (NAIA) Tournament.

Rotert’s tutelage has also bred two NAIA All-Americans and 13 All-Great Plains Athletic Conference selections, including four First Team honorees. In her first season at the helm, Rotert guided Northwestern star Molly Schany to All-American Honorable Mention status and has since helped produce multiple Academic All-District and All-America performers.

“I am beyond excited and grateful to be joining such an incredible staff and program here at Drake,” Rotert said. “[Drake] is truly a special place with rich tradition of women’s hoops and a culture of excellence. Go Bulldogs!”

A native of Salem, S.D., Rotert moved to Orange City after serving as the Director of Basketball Operations at South Dakota State University for three years. She was on staff at SDSU for the Jackrabbits’ Sweet 16 run and Summit League title in 2019. Rotert was also a standout student-athlete at South Dakota State, where she graduated in 2011. Rotert lettered for the Jackrabbits from 2007-11 and finished her collegiate career tied for the program’s all-time lead in made 3-pointers and eighth in scoring.

Prior to joining the SDSU staff, Rotert was the head coach for the South Dakota Attack AAU program for four years. During her stint on the AAU circuit, Rotert was also the Reach and Rise Youth Mentoring Director at the Aberdeen Family YMCA in Aberdeen, S.D. She served as an instructor with Warwick Workouts both in Sioux Falls and Aberdeen.

CLIVE, IA – Get ready for the third annual BBQ & Brew at the Ballpark, a fun-filled, family-friendly celebration of all things pork—brought to you by the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA), the Iowa Cubs and Fareway. Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 21 from noon-4 p.m. at Principal Park in Des Moines, and come hungry!

This year’s event features:

• A pork barbecue competition with teams battling for $12,000 in prize money
• Samples of each team’s pork, where you help pick the People’s Choice Champion
• Samples of Iowa craft beer and cider
• Pork samples from local grillers and smokers
• Live music Drew Fry and Sierra Griggs, plus raffle prizes, and a whole lot of delicious barbecue

Proceeds from the event support food banks across Iowa, making it a fun way to give back. “BBQ & Brew at the Ballpark is just a fun way to celebrate pork and help out folks in our communities,” said IPPA President Aaron Juergens, a pig farmer from Carroll. “It’s all about good food, good company, and giving back. Last year, we raised over $20,000 for Iowa food pantries, and we’re hoping to top that this time around.” Special guests include Netflix’s Barbecue Showdown Champion Thyron Mathews and BW Outdoors, who will host hands-on barbecue bootcamps throughout the day. And don’t miss your chance to win awesome raffle prizes—including a Traeger Grill!

Tickets are $20 in advance or $30 at the door. Kids 10 and under get in free! “We love it when the ballpark can be a gathering place in the community for fun events that everyone can enjoy,” said Randy Wehofer, assistant general manager of the Iowa Cubs. “We appreciate the partnership with the Iowa Pork Producers Association to create something that combines great food, great fun, and great service to our community. The last two years of the festival have been a great success, we look forward to making the Third Annual BBQ & Brew at Principal Park even better!”

A few spots are still open for barbecue teams—so if you’ve got the skills, bring the heat! Fareway Stores is proud to support this event by providing all the meat and resources needed to help make BBQ & Brew at the Ballpark another smashing success. “Supporting local events like this aligns perfectly with our commitment to community and quality,” said Fareway CEO Reynolds Cramer. “We’re proud to help bring people together over great food for a great cause.”

Tickets for BBQ & Brew at the Ballpark are available at this link.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Big Ten Conference announced Wednesday the single and double play opponents for each of the 18 women’s basketball teams for the 2025-26 season.

Among the 18-game conference slate, the Hawkeyes will play 16 opponents once (eight at home, eight on the road) and Nebraska both at home and on the road.

The Hawkeyes will play home games against Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Washington, and Oregon.  Iowa will go on the road to face Indiana, Maryland, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin, UCLA, and USC.

Iowa is entering their second season under head coach Jan Jensen after advancing to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in 2024-25.

Dates, times and television information will be announced in early fall.

Iowa’s 2025-26 Big Ten Opponents

Home & Away
Nebraska

Home Only
Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Washington, and Oregon

Away Only
Indiana, Maryland, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin, UCLA, and USC

Iowa tight end Zach Ortwerth says the Hawkeyes are much more confident heading into the second season under offensive coordinator Tim Lester. The Hawkeyes went from 132nd in the country in scoring offense in 2023 to 72nd last season in posting an 8-5 record.

Ortwerth had 11 catches as a sophomore and felt the offense made big strides in averaging nearly 28 points per game.

Ortwerth says everyone is more comfortable in year two of this offense.

Iowa opens next season at home on August 30th against the University of Albany.

Iowa State running back Abu Sama called his 2024 season a learning experience. Sama earned his first start as a freshman in 2023 and exploded for 276 yards of rushing in a win at Kansas State and finished the season with 614 yards. His output dipped to 587 yards as a sophomore. *

Sama had to deal with massive expectations after an impressive freshman season.

Sama says he is still learning what it takes to be successful both on and off the field.

The Cyclones open next season against Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland on August 23rd.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Defensive back Ty Hudkins has signed a scholarship agreement with the University of Iowa football program, it was announced Wednesday by Moon Family Head Football Coach Kirk Ferentz.

Ty Hudkins
Defensive Back
5-11, 197, Sophomore
Grand Rapids, Mich. (Forest Hills Central/Purdue)

At Purdue — Appeared in all 12 games, primarily on special teams as a true freshman… produced his only tackle of the season in the opener against Indiana State.

High School — Three-star recruit and No. 18 ranked player from Michigan according to ESPN… ranked as the No. 91 safety in the class by ESPN… named the Michigan Player of the Year for divisions three and four by the AP… earned first-team all-state honors as a junior and senior… helped his team to a state title as a senior after finishing as the runner-up in his junior campaign… totaled 98 tackles along with eight pass breakups and five interceptions as a senior… tallied 10 pass breakups, 85 tackles and two interceptions as a junior… recorded an interception and three tackles on defense with six catches for 115 yards and a touchdown on offense as a sophomore.

Former Webster City Hall of Fame football coach Dick Tighe (TY) died Tuesday at the age of 94. Quinn Douglas reports from Webster City:

(as said) Tighe retired as the state’s all-time wins leader in 2016 with a career record of 432-167-8, a record that was recently passed by Ankeny Centennial HC Jerry Pezzetti. Tighe began his head coaching career in Canada, before returning to Iowa with stops at St. Edmond and Kuemper Catholic before landing in Webster City in 1966 and leading the Lynx program for 31 years, with 220 wins, 13 North Central Conference titles and 11 playoff appearances. Tighe would be the co-head coach at Iowa Falls-Alden for 4 seasons, before being hired at St. Edmond and rebuilding a dormant Gaels program to the brink of a state championship in 2013 before retiring following the 2016 season.