Noon, March 12th, 2020

The Iowa baseball team just beat Kansas 3-1 on March 11th, to move to 10-5 overall. A start that included a couple of ranked wins over ACC squads. The team was just hours from getting on a plane headed for California to take on Cal State Northridge in a weekend series.

Austin Martin felt the start was the beginning of something special.

“We were playing really good baseball early on…I felt like we were clicking on all cylinders, but who knows what would have happened.”

3pm, March 12th, 2020

The season is over.

Canceled.

No more games.

Coach Heller had to tell his team, which had nine seniors, that the season was done.

“[It] was really difficult to get your thoughts together and do it in a proper way. It was just matter of fact. Here’s the deal — we have no control over this, but it’s just announced that our season is over. There’s no more baseball,” said Coach Heller in an interview with the Daily Iowan last spring.

“It was kind of a shock. No one knew what to do,” said Ben Norman.

Grant Leonard spoke about how emotional the locker room was at that moment in time,

“Heartbreak and disbelief that something like that could possibly happen. I remember seeing a couple of the seniors in tears…brought me to tears as well. Just thinking about how quickly it got taken from us.”

Nine seniors were faced with the reality that their time on the Iowa Hawkeyes baseball team was over. They all shared the same shocked feeling.

“It was wild…I didn’t know what to think. It was kind of surreal. Obviously, I wasn’t ready to move on, as far as leaving my baseball career,” said Austin Martin.

18 days passed, before the NCAA voted on a potential rule that would allow seniors, who had their spring seasons cut short by coronavirus, to return for an extra year of eligibility. On March 30th, the NCAA passed the rule allowing seniors to return for another year of eligibility, but the three weeks between the end of the season and the rule change were very long.

“There was a few weeks of hanging out and working out and not really knowing what the future was going to hold…It was brutal,” said Ben Norman on waiting for a vote on the rule change.

Ultimately, seven Iowa seniors took advantage of the extra year of eligibility and returned to Iowa City for one more season. That season has hit the home stretch and the 2021 Iowa senior class is about to play its final three home games at Duane Banks Field vs Illinois this weekend.

Seniors Ben Norman, Zeb Adreon, Austin Martin and Grant Leonard spoke about the last 12-14 months, as well as let them reflect on their time at Iowa. But before that, let’s take a look at the seniors that took advantage of the extra year and returned to Iowa City.

OF Ben Norman is a five-year starter for the Hawkeyes, out of Des Moines, Iowa.

In 2017, Norman was a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American and has started an incredible 190 games over his five-year career. “(I have) always been a Hawkeye fan growing up…Once, Coach Sutherland gave me the call, that was really exciting…Staying in-state is nice, being close to family and friends.”

Norman could hear his name announced during the next MLB Draft and that is thanks in large part to this season. The season that Norman has put together, not only at the plate, but in the field has boosted his draft stock. He talked about possibly getting that opportunity and what it would mean to him.

“That’s one goal I’ve always had…I love baseball and I want to play as long as I can…If that opportunity presents itself, I can’t wait to get going (with it).”

OF Zeb Adreon is a three-year starter for the Hawkeyes, out of Pleasantville, Iowa.

Adreon joined the team in 2019, as a transfer from Southeastern CC and has started 77 games over his three years at Iowa.

“Growing up I only lived less than two hours from here, so I was a big Hawkeye fan my whole life…When Coach Marty (Sutherland) gave me the call, it was a dream come true.”

C Austin Martin is a three-year starter, behind the plate for Iowa, out of Altoona, Iowa.

Martin transferred to Iowa from Southeastern CC in 2019 and has started 96 games in three years. He has been named to the Buster Posey Award Watchlist all three years with the Hawkeyes.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to compete for my home state school,” he said.

P Trace Hoffman a three-year player, out of Cascade, Iowa.

Hoffman came to Iowa in 2019, as a transfer from Southeastern CC and has appeared in 49 games out of the bullpen, as a reliable arm for the Hawkeyes.

3B Matthew Sosa is a three-year player, out of Whittier, California. Sosa transferred from East Los Angeles CC in 2019 and has started 66 games, including all 35 this season.

P Grant Leonard is a five-year player, out of Mokena, Illinois.

Leonard has appeared in 67 games and is second all-time in saves at Iowa. In 2019, Leonard was named a second-team All-Big Ten performer.

“From the very beginning, I heard a lot about the culture and how Coach Heller was turning around the program and pumping out winning seasons…It was a pretty easy decision to come here.”

P Adam Ketelsen is a three-year player, out of Mount Vernon, Iowa.

Ketelsen transferred to Iowa in 2019 from Kirkwood CC and has appeared in 19 games for the Hawkeyes.

Circling back around to the decision to return, it was an easy choice for the players, as they felt their careers are Iowa were being unfairly taken away.

Norman talked about how he spoke to some of the other seniors, who had to decide.

“I reached out to a lot of the older guys, just to see what their thoughts were. I remember we had a group chat to talk about our thoughts on the whole thing…It made it a little bit easier knowing that pretty much everyone else was coming back.”

Adreon called the decision to come back a “no-doubter” and from the minute the season was shut down he wanted to come back if given the opportunity.

For a guy like Martin, he had his academic thoughts in mind saying, “I was able to get into the grad-school program for finance and that was really a no-brainer for me. If I could be productive in the classroom and play baseball.”

For Grant Leonard, it was not quite as easy of a path back to Iowa City for another season. Leonard graduated from Iowa and was ready to move on when the rule change came.

“For me it was an easy decision, but it was an odd one. I was in the process of interviewing for jobs…I received a job offer in Chicago and I had accepted it, before the covid stuff happened.”

Leonard had to explain to the company that he wanted to comeback for an extra season and that he was not just quitting on the job offer.

The seniors all had the same feeling when it came to how this season will end compared to how last season ended. They wanted control over how their time at Iowa ended.

“The feeling of not having a real ending. There was no big game you played, and the season ends,” said Norman.

Martin added, “I think any time you do something for your entire life, you want to go out on your own terms and not someone else’s…having the closure to end my career on my terms. That’s a power I want to have.”

Norman also mentioned that with a season ending in a normal fashion, you can say that you put your heart into it down to the very end.

“We can leave it all out on the field and be able to say we played hard…I think that’s a big difference (from last year).

The offseason this team, and its seniors faced, was unlike any, that college baseball has ever seen. Shortened 2020 season, waiting to see if seniors can return, covid protocols, covid testing and not seeing family for extended periods is just a short list of all the adversity the team has seen over the last 12-14 months.

The seniors were all clear on one of the hardest parts of the last 12-14 months has been for them.

“I have a lot of family that likes to come to games and there are a lot of rules in place…As much as you want to see your family, you try to stay as distanced as possible,” Adreon said.

For Grant Leonard, he has had a different challenge. Being the one of the oldest guys on the team, he said it feels a little weird.

“It was odd for me to be the grandpa of the team. Getting used to my friends from back home being two years removed from college, but me still being in college to play baseball, but I wouldn’t trade anything for the world right now.”

Despite, all of the challenges this team has faced every day, Norman said it’s a little bit easier knowing that every team is going through the same situation. Martin said it is all worth it though.

“I think every challenge that we face every day makes it worth it, just taking the field on the weekend,” he said.

With the Hawkeyes sitting in good position to make the NCAA Tournament, it would be the perfect ending for a senior class that has been through it all.

“It would mean everything (to get an NCAA bid). It would be a really good way to make up for those guys that aren’t here from last year. Do it for them and do it for ourselves,” said Adreon.

Norman added his thoughts saying, “It would be really special…It is a little rewarding to know a lot of those people came back.”

Grant Leonard talked about how an NCAA Tournament appearance is the goal every season and that any time you can make it, it is a special experience.

“That is our goal from day one…I want nothing more for the guys our age and the guys younger than us to experience that. Experience the thrill of postseason baseball.”

Norman and Leonard are the only two players on the team, who were on the 2017 NCAA Tournament team.

Getting off of the topic of covid and on to some more fun conversations, the players are enjoying having fans back at Banks Field. Martin talked about how weird it was playing in empty stadiums at the beginning of the season and Adreon mentioned that even limited capacity gives the team a huge advantage.

“You can really tell the difference they make…It is great for getting back to a sense of normalcy.”

From my time at Duane Banks this season, I can also say that even a 50% capacity crowd feels like 100%, after going for a while with empty stadiums.

Grant Leonard was recently on the mound for a save opportunity vs Penn State and mentioned the feeling of having a crowd cheering him on.

“It’s awesome…It honestly makes a huge difference. I miss being in the ninth inning, with one strike left and the crowd getting on their feet and clapping. It pumps up everybody.”

Leonard struck out the side vs the Nittany Lions on just ten pitches and got the save in front of nearly one thousand fans last Saturday.

Of course, I had to ask them the stereotypical “What is your favorite moment looking back?” question that everyone asks athletes before they graduate or end their career.

Norman is on his fifth season in Iowa City, so he has had a variety of experiences.

“There has been a lot, obviously I have been here while,” said Norman. “That 2017 year when we won the Big Ten Tournament and then playing in the regional was sweet…Being able to go to Taiwan and the Dominican, just to play some baseball was a really cool experience.”

Leonard, much like Norman has been in Iowa City for five seasons, but circled back to that 2017 season saying, “Without a doubt winning a Big Ten Championship. That was one of the coolest moments…I’ll never forget that moment.”

Adreon also looked back at a Big Ten Tournament appearance saying,

“Our first-round game (that year) was against Indiana. Earlier that year, we went to Indiana and played really poorly and got swept…We were able to bounce back (in the tournament) and really stick it to them.”

Austin Martin reflected a couple of memories that he will remember most about his time at Iowa.

“There is so many…Hitting a walk-off home run vs North Carolina…. Time in the locker room with the guys, time on the road with the team…They all kind of accumulate to make my time here special.”

Focusing in on the current season, the Hawkeyes came in with high hopes. A veteran led team, with lots of talent was looking to make a push for Coach Heller’s third NCAA appearance in his nine seasons with the Hawkeyes. Things got off to a rocky 4-7 start, at which point Coach Heller challenged his veteran laden group in a post-game press conference.

“That group of leaders needs to step up and they need to lead…As the head coach you say a lot of things and you try to get them going, but at some point, the group needs to take over and run with it. We’re getting to that point.”

Since that moment, the Hawkeyes have gone 17-7, while winning six out of their last seven series. Ben Norman has been an incredible bat in the Iowa lineup, while Adreon has turned things around as of late and Trace Hoffman has been a reliable arm out of the bullpen all season.

As the season pushes towards its end, the postseason buzz starts to ramp up and the Hawkeyes are right in the middle of it all this season. I asked the seniors, how they handle the increased buzz and if they help, as a veteran leader, the younger players stay focused on the task at hand.

“It helps a lot that we have a lot of older guys, a lot more experience…It really comes down to some toughness and being able to execute…Staying on course and playing our game,” said Norman.

Leonard added to that thought saying, “I think me, and Ben have really been good leaders and good voices for the young guys. To not put too much pressure on themselves, going down the homestretch.”

While Adreon has not been on the Hawkeyes quite as long as Norman and Leonard, he says he still tries to help the younger guys as well.

“It really helps to have a sense of leadership. Being in college baseball for so long, I know how things are going to go and how they plan out. Me and the other seniors really just try to help all the younger guys.”

The players do a great job of blocking out the postseason hype and a lot of that comes from Coach Heller and the rest of the coaching staff preaching taking things one day and one game at a time.

“Our coaching staff is all about just playing our game and making sure we don’t beat ourselves. If we go out and play good baseball, we can compete with anyone out there,” said Norman. “It is definitely an everyday reminder…One day at a time mentality, next man up,” added Martin.

As for Leonard, he is chasing a goal alongside an NCAA Tournament bid. Leonard is one save away from tying to school record for saves in a career, but he says he is not focused on the record.

“For me it would be pretty cool, but honestly if I’m getting any saves, it just means our team won the game and that is the most important thing.”

So, if you are at Duane Banks Field this weekend for Senior Day or watching on TV, just remember that the seven seniors have worked their entire lives, while sacrificing a lot over the last year to come together for one last stretch run at an NCAA Tournament bid.

“We love our fans…We like to do what we do for our fans,” said Grant Leonard.

The Hawkeye seniors will play their last three games at Duane Banks this weekend, before traveling to Northwestern and Michigan State to wrap up the regular season, with the hope that they will hear their name called on Selection Monday. The selection show will come 445 days, after the 2020 season was canceled and an NCAA Tournament bid would be the perfect way to wrap up the team’s adversity filled year, and the best way to send out a very unique senior class.