Iowa baseball falls to Alabama 12-2

Hawkeyes unable to overcome early deficit in Frisco College Baseball Classic

Published on Feb. 28, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The University of Iowa baseball team fell to Alabama 12-2 on Friday night in the Frisco College Baseball Classic. Alabama jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with a three-run homer in the first inning and never looked back, adding solo homers in the third and sixth innings as well as a five-run ninth inning to seal the victory.

Why it matters

This loss drops Iowa's record to 0-1 on the young season as they look to bounce back against Houston on Saturday in the Frisco Classic. The Hawkeyes will need to regroup after being unable to overcome Alabama's early offensive onslaught.

The details

Alabama got on the board immediately with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first. Iowa sophomore Tyler Guerin responded with back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning and retired the side in order in the top of the second. The Crimson Tide extended their lead with a solo homer in the top of the third. Senior Justin Hackett threw a 1-2-3 top of the fourth and followed with another scoreless inning in the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, senior Gable Mitchell singled to drive in redshirt junior Ben Swails for Iowa's first run. Alabama answered with two runs in the top of the sixth and added another run in the top of the eighth. Iowa tried to close the gap in the bottom of the eighth when redshirt junior Kellen Strohmeyer singled to score senior Caleb Wulf. Alabama sealed the game in the top of the ninth, adding five runs, including a grand slam.

  • Alabama jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
  • Iowa scored its first run in the bottom of the fifth inning.
  • Alabama added two runs in the top of the sixth inning.
  • Alabama added one run in the top of the eighth inning.
  • Iowa scored its second run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The players

Tyler Guerin

Iowa sophomore pitcher who responded with back-to-back strikeouts to end the first inning and retired the side in order in the second inning.

Justin Hackett

Iowa senior pitcher who threw a 1-2-3 top of the fourth inning and followed with another scoreless inning in the top of the fifth.

Gable Mitchell

Iowa senior who singled to drive in a run in the bottom of the fifth inning, extending his hitting streak to 11 games and reaching base in 11 straight games.

Kellen Strohmeyer

Iowa redshirt junior who singled to score a run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Rick Heller

Iowa head coach who praised the efforts of Hackett and Tate Slage in slowing the game down and keeping Iowa within striking distance.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“I thought Justin Hackett did a good job of coming in and slowing the game down for us. I didn't think we were having bad at-bats, and we hit some balls hard. I was hoping we could hang around and get a big inning late, but it didn't happen. Tate Slage came in and did a nice job as well. It's a tough situation to be in a game like that, but I think he did a great job.”

— Rick Heller, Head Coach (1630kcjj.com)

“Until the ninth, we were still within striking distance. I thought our guys played hard and stayed in the game. We just kept competing, but it didn't go our way tonight.”

— Rick Heller, Head Coach (1630kcjj.com)

What’s next

Iowa will look to bounce back on Saturday when they take on Houston in the Frisco College Baseball Classic at noon.

The takeaway

Despite the lopsided final score, Iowa's head coach Rick Heller was encouraged by the team's fight and competitiveness, noting that they were still within striking distance until the late innings. The Hawkeyes will need to regroup quickly as they look to even their record against Houston on Saturday.