Iowa baseball drops series opener at MSU

Hawkeyes held scoreless in 2-0 loss to Spartans

Mar. 21, 2026 at 7:53am

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The University of Iowa baseball team lost the series opener to Michigan State, 2-0, at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium on Friday afternoon. The Hawkeyes moved to 13-7 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten.

Why it matters

This loss drops Iowa's record in Big Ten play to 2-2, putting them in the middle of the pack in the conference standings early in the season. The Hawkeyes will look to bounce back in the remaining games of the series against Michigan State.

The details

Sophomore Jaron Bleeker started on the mound for Iowa and pitched six innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out two and walking one. Sophomore Tyler Guerin pitched two scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Iowa's offense collected five hits, with senior Miles Risley and redshirt sophomore Jaixen Frost each recording two hits.

  • The game was played on Friday afternoon.
  • The Hawkeyes and Spartans will finish their series with a doubleheader on Saturday due to inclement weather in the forecast.

The players

Jaron Bleeker

Iowa's sophomore starting pitcher who threw a quality start, allowing two runs over six innings.

Tyler Guerin

Iowa's sophomore relief pitcher who threw two scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Miles Risley

Iowa's senior who had two hits in the game.

Jaixen Frost

Iowa's redshirt sophomore who had two hits, his first multi-hit game of the season.

Rick Heller

Iowa's head coach who commented on the team's performance in the loss.

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What they’re saying

“That was a tough loss today. Jaron Bleeker gave us a quality start, but we couldn't get the offense going. It was a nice bounce back start for Bleeker. Tyler Guerin pitched great in the 7th and 8th. He and Bleeker pitched well enough to win. We only had two free bases and played well defensively. It's rare to lose while only giving two freebies.”

— Rick Heller, Head Coach

“Michigan State played and pitched well. The Spartans only gave us one free base and they played great defensively. Poor execution in the 1st and 3rd innings cost us runs and set the tone for this one. Those were the only two innings we threatened or had lead-off guys get on base. We need to wipe it away and be better tomorrow.”

— Rick Heller, Head Coach

What’s next

Due to inclement weather in the forecast, Iowa and Michigan State will finish their series Saturday with a doubleheader. Game one is set to begin at Noon (CT).

The takeaway

Despite a quality start from Jaron Bleeker and strong relief pitching from Tyler Guerin, Iowa's offense was unable to generate any runs in the series opener against Michigan State. The Hawkeyes will look to bounce back in the doubleheader on Saturday as they try to even the series.