Rick Heller

Iowa baseball coach Rick Heller is not sure if leading hitter Keaton Anthony will be back in the lineup on Friday when the Hawkeyes open a three game series at home against Michigan State. Anthony was one of a handful of baseball players benched for last weekend’s series against Ohio State as the university investigates gambling allegations involving more than two dozen athletes.

He leads the Big Ten in hitting with a .463 average and has driven in 19 runs in 14 conference games.

“We have not been given a whole lot of information at this point”, said Heller. “We are operating as if he won’t just to be prepared.”

Without Anthony in the lineup the Hawkeyes still managed to take two of three games from Ohio State.

Heller says he is confident in how the university investigation is handling it.

“Anything like this is not going to happen probably as quickly as we like”, added Heller. “I know they are going to do things with the best intentions and to make sure everything is done properly.”

The Hawkeyes are 10-7 in the Big Ten and 34-12 overall.