The Hawkeyes have now missed the postseason in three of the last five years.
For the third time in five years, the Big Ten softball tournament will be played without the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Stacy-May Johnson's group was officially eliminated from the postseason with a home loss to Purdue on Sunday, ending a disappointing season that began with optimism.
On the flip side, Rick Heller and the Iowa baseball program are doing anything but slide down the standings. The Hawkeyes have now won three consecutive Big Ten series (one sweep) to put themselves in a pristine position to make the Big Ten tournament.
There's still two more conference series to go, but our focus is on what happened over the weekend. Some of you may have taken advantage of the beautiful spring weather Iowa in person, but for those that missed the action, HawkeyeRoundtable.com has you covered.
Here's everything that happened in the Iowa baseball and softball world last weekend:
Softball
The Hawkeyes entered their regular season finale desperately needing a series victory over Purdue. Iowa was tied with Minnesota for the 12th and final Big Ten tournament spot entering the weekend, but the Gophers held the tiebreaker due to a head-to-head series win earlier in the year.
The Hawkeyes began the weekend on a high note with an 8-7 triumph over Purdue on Friday. Minnesota lost to Northwestern that same evening, meaning Iowa could secure a postseason spot with a sweep of the Boilermakers.
It wasn't meant to be, however. Purdue scored early and often en route to a 6-1 win on Saturday, and it came down to one final game on Sunday. All Iowa needed was a win and a Minnesota loss, but the Hawkeyes responded by blowing a 5-2 lead and losing a 7-5 heartbreaker at Pearl Field.
Minnesota was blasted by Northwestern, 6-0, in its final game, but the Hawkeyes' loss allowed the Gophers to back into the postseason. Iowa finishes the 2026 campaign at 27-27 overall and 7-1`7 in Big Ten play.
"They [the seniors] have left this program better than they found it. This is an incredibly selfless group and have set an amazing example for the underclassmen. The Black and Gold is here to stay and it starts here, with that group," May-Johnson told HawkeyeSports after the loss.
Baseball
While softball's weekend was disappointing, baseball's was positive. The Hawkeyes welcomed a .500 Illinois club to Duane Banks Field and showed their superiority throughout the weekend, recording wins on Friday and Saturday to clinch another Big Ten series.
Iowa's offense failed to come through in the series finale on Sunday, but the Hawkeyes remain in a very good spot to reach the 12-team Big Ten tournament in Omaha. Iowa is now 28-18 overall and 12-12 in league play, leaving it in eighth place in the standings.
Two series remain, including a tough roadtrip to second place Nebraska this weekend.
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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io