IOWA CITY, Iowa (Interstat) — The Iowa Hawkeyes return to Duane Banks Field on Friday to begin a three-game series against the Lindenwood (MO) Lions, looking to build momentum before opening Big Ten play next week.

First pitch is scheduled for Friday, March 6, 2026, under cloudy skies with temperatures near 57 degrees.

Iowa (5-4) enters after a narrow 4-3 loss to then-Oregon State last Sunday. The Hawkeyes have shown resilience, winning series at Florida Atlantic and splitting contests with ranked opponents. A player to watch for Iowa is right-hander Maddux Frese, who delivered 5 1/3 scoreless innings of relief against the Beavers. In his last two appearances, he has allowed just one earned run over 10 innings with seven strikeouts.

The Lindenwood Lions (5-7) arrive seeking consistency after dropping three of four to Northern Illinois last weekend, including a 14-8 defeat on Sunday. Second baseman Will Geary is a key offensive threat for the Lions. He drove in four runs in that most recent loss and is batting .333 (7-for-21) over his last six games.

The Lions’ recent schedule has been challenging, with games against Illinois and a Northern Illinois team that took three of four in their series. Iowa’s early slate has also been tough, featuring matchups with Alabama, Oregon State and a road series at FAU.

According to Interstat, the Hawkeyes are heavy favorites with an 82.6% probability to win. The service’s game simulator projects a 5-3 victory for Iowa.

Following this series, Iowa will host Saint Thomas (Minn.) on Tuesday before traveling to Penn State for its conference opener next Friday. Lindenwood continues a road swing with two more games in Iowa City this weekend before returning home to face Bradley next Tuesday.