The Hawkeyes are just one of two teams to make the tournament every year since 2014, highlighting the consistency that Rick Heller has brought to Iowa City.
When Rick Heller was named Iowa's new head baseball coach ahead of the 2014 season, the Hawkeye program wasn't just in disarray - it was at rock bottom.
Legendary head coach Duane Banks retired after the 1997 season, but his successors - Scott Broghamer and Jack Dahm - managed just two winning seasons in the 16 years since Banks' retirement.
Then-Iowa athletic director Gary Barta might have considered dropping the baseball program altogether - a fate that the other Division I programs in the state of Iowa have met.
Instead of doing that, he chose to take the high road and find a new coach. That coach was Heller, who was coming off a successful four-year stint at Indiana State.
The Hawkeyes had qualified for the Big Ten tournament just three times in the 21st century, but Heller instantly turned them around. His 2014 Iowa team made its first Big Ten tournament since 2010 and followed it up with a 41-18 mark and NCAA tournament berth in 2015.
Barring a miracle 2026 Big Ten tournament run, the Hawkeyes will miss the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive season. Some fans that don't understand Iowa baseball have questioned Heller's coaching abilities on social media, but those are the same folks that didn't even watch an Iowa baseball game before Heller became coach.
Again, this is a very select few group of individuals that ask for change around this time of year, but here are the facts.
The Hawkeyes have already clinched a berth in the 2026 Big Ten tournament, something they've done every year under Heller. You may think that's a common streak among Big Ten teams, but Iowa is now just one of two teams in the conference to do that (Michigan is the other).
For a program that few expect to compete on a national scale year in and year out, that's pretty impressive.
And not only have the Hawkeyes qualified for these tournaments, they've also won them. Iowa came out of nowhere to win the 2017 tournament, and the 2026 team could easily get hot with the right draw.
What Heller has done in Iowa City is remarkable, just look at Duane Banks Field for example. It's consistently full during warm weather games in conference play and will finally get a much-needed renovation during the summer.
As long as Heller is the coach in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes will always be consistent on the diamond.
Enjoy it while you can, folks.
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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