April 22, 2004
HAPPY VALLEY BOUND
The Hawkeyes will head to University Park, PA, for a four-game series with the Nittany Lions. Games will be played at Beaver Field at 2 p.m. on Friday, noon on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday. Friday and Sunday’s contests are nine innings, while Saturday’s doubleheader is seven innings.
JOIN COACH DAHM AT FLANNIGAN’S
Every Monday night from 6-7 p.m. during the Iowa baseball season Iowa Head Coach Jack Dahm will join KXIC’s Brent Balbinot for a call-in show at Flannigans Bar & Grill for “Hawk Talk with Jack Dahm”.
Fans can attend the show or call-in and talk Hawkeye baseball with Coach Dahm. Can’t attend? Listen to the broadcast on the radio at KXIC (AM 800).
LISTEN TO THE PENN STATE SERIES ONLINE
Live stats will not be available on www.hawkeyesports.com. Fans wishing to follow the series can listen to the live broadcast on the Internet at www.gopsusports.com.
HAWKEYES SCORE SEASON-HIGH IN RUNS
Iowa scored a season-high 12 runs in the second game of the doubleheader last Saturday against Indiana. In the game, the Hawkeyes scored five runs in the third inning and four in the fourth.
The five runs is the most the team has scored in one frame since scoring six runs in one inning against Stetson in Florida. The nine runs is the most the squad has scored in back-to-back innings this season.
THE HAWKEYE WORKHORSE
Senior Nathan Johnson struck out a career-high 14 batters against the Hoosiers after throwing 146 pitches. Johnson allowed three runs, two unearned, on five hits in the first two frames. After settling down, Johnson scattered three hits over the final seven innings to pick up his third win of the season.
Johnson has been the Hawkeyes’ most reliable starter this season. He has a 49-11 K/BB ratio in 54 2/3 innings pitched with a respectable 3.95 ERA in nine starts.
SHAKIN’ THINGS UP
For the first time in since March 17, 2002, the regular Hawkeye starting shortstop, Jeff Gremley wasn’t in the line-up. In the first two games of the series against Indiana, freshman Jason White got the nod at short. Gremley had started all but two games in his career.
Andy Lytle, who has hit primarily in the bottom of the order, moved to the lead-off spot all weekend and started two games at second and third base.
HAWKEYES FALL IN I-380 CORRIDOR CLASSIC
Northern Iowa defeated Iowa, 8-3, in the inaugural I-380 Corridor Classic on Wednesday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids.
Centerfielder L.J. Mims got Iowa going in the first with an RBI bloop single to plate Luis Andrulonis to put Iowa up 1-0.
Northern Iowa answered the Hawkeyes in the top half of the third when Iowa pitcher Ryan Dupic hit Panther John Winter to start the frame. Nate Trumm followed with two-run blast down the right field line to give the Panthers a 2-1 advantage. The Hawkeyes ended a potential big inning by UNI by getting Dan Grant to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the scoring threat.
Northern Iowa scored three runs in the top of the fourth to stretch its lead to 5-1. The Hawkeyes rallied to score two runs in the bottom of the frame to cut the lead to 5-3. Mims sparked the Iowa offense with a double to left field with two outs. After a Jason White walk, Andy Lytle tripled to right to knock in Mims and White.
UNI tallied three insurance runs in the top of the eighth to make the score 8-3.
LYTLE PROVING SPARK AT LEADOFF SPOT
Andy Lytle is enjoying his stay at the top of the order. Since moving to the one spot, Lytle has hit safely in all five games.
The junior utilityman is batting .333 (7-21) and has scored six runs, while tallying three RBIs in the leadoff hole. On the year, Lytle is batting .280 with a double, triple and seven RBIs.
BRUNE COMING ON STRONG
Redshirt freshman Scott Brune has been a reliable reliever for the Hawkeyes over the course of the last month.
Against Northern Iowa, Brune allowed one hit over four innings of work, while striking out three Panther batters.
In his last five apperances, Brune has struck out 13 batters over 13 2/3 innings. The righthander has allowed only two earned runs on seven hits.
MIMS PERFECT AT THE PLATE
Sophomore L.J. Mims was a perfect 3-for-3 (single, 2 doubles, walk) with one RBI and one run scored on Wednesday night against the Panthers. It was the ninth multiple hit game of the season for the Hawkeye centerfielder.
REID TAKES ADVANTAGE OF PT
Fifth-year senior Jim Reid was inserted into the line-up in the fourth inning on Friday night against Indiana and has started the last four contests.
Reid, who won the Iowa batting title as a sophomore with a .338 average, is leading the team with a .313 average on the season.
HOME RUN TOTAL DOUBLES AT SEMBOWER
The Hawkeyes entered the weekend series at Sembower Field with four long balls thru 28 games, but the short confines and strong winds helped Iowa hit four home runs in four games.
Jesse Brownell hit his team-leading third home run, while Gabe Haugland, Jason White and Kris Welker each tallied thier first career homer in Black and Gold. Haugland’s was the first hit of his career.
LOOKING AT THE NITTANY LIONS
Penn State returns to the Hawkeye schedule for the first time since the 2001 season when the two teams split the four games. In the all-time series, the Nittany Lions hold a 20-11 advantage.
Penn State enters the contest with a 18-16 record overall and a 7-6 conference record. Earlier this week, the Nitttany Lions dropped a pair of games to Delaware in University Park, PA, on Tuesday. Last weekend in conference play, Penn State split four games at Minnesota.
The Nittany Lions bats come into the weekend with a .254 batting average, which is last in the conference. The left side of the infield, shortstop Mike Milliron and third baseman Scott Gummo, are leading the team with .317 and .312 averages, respectively. Gummo and catcher Matt Hartner have six homeruns each.
In the rotation against the Hawkeyes will be four RHP’s. Jim Farrell will get the ball in the opener. Farrell is 2-6 with a 6.14 ERA and has struck out 38 batters in 48 1/3 innings. Sean Stidfole (2-3, 4.74 ERA) and Aaron Tressler (2-1, 3.34 ERA) will take the hill on Saturday, while Clayton Hamilton (3-2, 6.32 ERA) will pitch on Sunday.
The Nittany Lions are led by 14th year Head Coach Joe Hindelang.
QUOTING COACH ALLEN
“Northern Iowa came through with clutch hits, threw strikes and made the plays. We had way too many mental mistakes and really didn’t give ourselves a chance to win. We fell behind in counts on the mound and threw away our at-bats at the plate.
Penn State will be a great opportunity for us to gain some ground in the Big Ten and make a run at the conference tournament. We want to continue showing progress the rest of the season, starting this weekend at Penn State.”
