Home Run King Jake Adams

In just one season at Iowa in 2017, power-hitting first baseman Jake Adams raised the bar and set the standard for what it means to play in the Black & Gold. He hit 29 home runs — to lead the nation and set a new Iowa and Big Ten single-season record — along with a .335 batting average, a school record .747 slugging percentage, and 72 RBIs to help lead the Hawkeyes to a 39-22 record and an NCAA Regional.

Adams’, a JUCO product from Brandon, South Dakota, unprecedented numbers earned himself Big Ten Player of the Year, All-America, and All-Conference recognition. He was Iowa’s first Big Ten Player of the Year since 1992, a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten honoree and was named an All-American by seven different publications. Adams was a sixth-round MLB Draft Pick by the Houston Astros in 2017.

WALLEY – THE FIRST

In his lone season as Iowa’s Friday night starter in 2021, southpaw Trenton Wallace set the bar for Hawkeye pitchers, becoming the first player to earn Big Ten Pitcher of the Year honors.  The Rock Island, Illinois, native went 7-1 with a 2.34 ERA and 106 strikeouts — the second-most in a single season in school history.

Wallace earned second-team All-America honors by two publications as Iowa was almost unbeatable with him on the mound.  The Hawkeyes won nine consecutive series openers to close out the season with Wallace toeing the rubber and the team won 11 of 13 series openers during the season.  Wallace led the Big Ten in ERA, fewest runs allowed and wins, while ranking third in strikeouts.

Following the season, Wallace was selected in the 11th Round of the 2021 First-Year Major League Baseball Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Mason McCoy

Iowa’s most current All-Big Ten shortstop is current shortstop of the Bowie Baysox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. A career .311 hitter in two seasons at Iowa, McCoy was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2017 after hitting .328 and posting a .974 fielding percentage.

A sixth-round MLB Draft pick in 2017, McCoy has been promoted three times in his two-year minor league career, while hitting .282 in 309 games.

Nick Roscetti

As a senior in 2016, Roscetti hit .305 with 72 hits, 43 runs, and 39 RBIs, while committing only five errors in 249 chances to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors. He started all 56 contests and hit safely in 41 games, including a  15-game hitting streak.

Roscetti spent three years in the minor leagues after being selected in the 26th round of the 2016 MLB Draft pick by the Milwaukee Brewers

Jake Yacinich

In 2014, Jake Yacinich became Iowa’s first first-team All-Big Ten selection under Coach Heller. The left-handed hitting shortstop hit a team-best .365 in his junior campaign and swiped 25 bags — the 11th most stolen bases in a single season in school history.

An eighth-round MLB Draft pick in 2014, Yacinich played in the minor leagues for four years.

Thirteen All-Americans and 17 First-Team All-Big Ten selections in the Hellerball Era.

JOEL BOOKER MAKIN’ PLAYS