April 14, 2008
- Big Ten Network: Programming Schedule
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
- gohawks.com
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
SERIES INFORMATION ? The Hawkeyes travel to Omaha, NE to take on the Creighton Bluejays.
HAWKEYES THIS WEEKEND ? The Hawkeyes will travel to Rosenblatt Stadium to take Creighton. The Bluejays are 23-10 on the season and 7-5 in the MVC. Creighton had swept its 16 consecutive doubleheaders this season. But this past weekend, only pulled out one win in a three-game series against Wichita State. Iowa leads the all-time series between the two schools, 10-9. This will be the first time Head Coach Jack Dahm will take on his alma mater.
HAWKEYES ON THE AIR ? Hawkeye fans can catch every Iowa game at AM-800 KXIC. The Voice of the Hawkeyes, Brent Balbinot, will call the play-by-play.
HAWKEYES ON THE NET ? Iowa baseball fans can follow the Hawkeyes this week, as live stats will be available on www.hawkeyesports.com. Just click on the Gametracker link found on both the front page and the baseball schedule page.
HAWKEYES ON TELEVISION ? Wednesday’s game will be televised on CBS College Sports TV, formly known as CSTV, on a tape delayed basis Thursday at 7 p.m. Kevin Kugler will be doing play-by-play and John Bishop will be providing color.
SCOUTING CREIGHTON: The Bluejays are 23-10 on the season and 7-5 in the MVC. Creighton has swept its 16 consecutive doubleheaders this season. But this past weekend, only pulled out one win in a three-game series against Wichita State. To lead Creighton, offensively, are Steve Winkelmann and Darin Ruf. Together they account for 11 home runs, 70 RBI and 39 walks. Winkelmann leads the team in slugging percentage (.572) while Ruf leads the team in hits (39). Creighton’s pitching is solid with a 3.67 team ERA. Their relief pitching is strong. Pat Venditte leads the bullpen with 21 appearances, 2.73 ERA and five saves. Iowa leads the all-time series between the two schools, 10-9.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Head Coach Jack Dahm will take on his alma mater and the program he coached for 10 years for the first time ever since taking the reigns at Iowa. The last time the Hawkeyes took on Creighton was in 1998 in Omaha, NE, under coach Scott Broghamer. Iowa fell 14-6.
IOWA OFFENSE IS STREAKING: Caleb Curry is currently on a team-high 11-game hitting streak. Wes Freie has been swinging the bat well, having gone the last six games with a hit. Justin Toole and Curry lead the team in multi-RBI games with nine, followed by Kurtis Muller who has eight. Kevin Hoef and Curry have had 13 multi-hit games this season to lead Iowa, followed by Toole with 11 and Muller and Wes Freie with 10.
UTILIZING THE SAC BUNT: The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in sacrifice bunts this season in the conference with 12. Leading the Black and Gold is Kurtis Muller with six, and Justin Toole with four.
DIAMOND THIEVES: This season the Hawkeyes have out-run their opponents, going 72-for-90. Leading Iowa in steals is Caleb Curry (23), followed by Justin Toole and Kyle Riffel with 11. Iowa ranks first in the Big Ten and fifth nationally in thefts per game.
SUCCESSFUL WITH RUNNERS: Several Hawkeyes have taken advantage of baserunners this season. Caleb Curry is hitting .484 with runners on to lead the Black and Gold. Justin Toole is hitting .824 when runners are on third, while Kurtis Muller is 37-for-58 in advancing runners. Kevin Hoef is hitting .500 with the bases loaded.
WEARING PITCHES: Iowa has no problem taking one for the team. The Hawkeyes have 49 hit-by-pitches on the year which is more than any other team in the Big Ten and enough to rank them 37th in the country in the category. To lead the Black and Gold is Kevin Hoef with 13, followed by Caleb Curry with seven and Kyle Riffel with six.
THE I-CLUB RECEPTION: The I-Club will host a pre-game reception from 4:30-6 in the Hall of Fame Room in Rosenblatt Stadium on April 16. Head Coach Jack Dahm will speak briefly at 5 p.m. All Hawkeye fans are welcome. Snacks, cash refreshments and Hawk Shop prizes will be available. Individuals must have a game ticket to attend the pre-game reception.
A MILESTONE APPROACHES: Head Coach Jack Dahm is three wins from getting his 400th career victory. Dahm had 283 wins at Creighton and is currently at 114 W’s at Iowa. Dahm started in 1994 with his alma mater, Creighton University, and moved on to coach the Hawkeyes in 2003.
STREAKING: Iowa’s three wins in Bloomington put them on a season-high three-game winning streak. That last time Iowa had a win streak was in March, when Iowa took one from Stetson and Western Illinois.
BY THE NUMBERS IN THE BIG TEN: Caleb Curry has taken the Big Ten by storm, when compared with the league’s players he ranks in the top ten in: batting average (.398), on base percentage (.469), hits (43), runs batted in (31), hit-by-pitches (7) and stolen bases (23).
Other Hawkeyes who rank well in the conference include: Justin Toole is in the top ten in runs batted in (29) and runs scored (30). Kevin Hoef leads the league in hit-by-pitches (13), is fifth in runs scored (31), is second in total plate appearances (142) and is fourth in triples (3). Kyle Riffel is sixth in the league in hit-by-pitches (6) and Kurtis Muller is second in the league in sac bunts (6). Andrew Porter is tied for first in appearances (19) and Kyle Heim is tied for second (16).
INDIANA SUMMARY: Iowa won its first Big Ten series against Indiana at Sembower Field. The Hawkeyes took 3-of-4 games from the Hoosiers and scored 47 runs on the weekend, advancing to 4-8 in the conference. The hot-hitting Hawkeyes had 10 doubles, two triples, five homers, 13 walks, 44 RBI and an astounding .601 slugging percentage. In the series, seven batters hit over .400 and four hit over .500. As a team, the Hawkeyes hit .399 in the four-game series. To lead Iowa, offensively, was Kurtis Muller who was 7-for-13 (.538) with two doubles, a triple, a two-run homer, seven RBI and a killer 1.077 slugging percentage. Wes Freie also swung the bat well, going 8-for-16 (.500). Ryan Gryzwa picked up his second hit of the season with two RBI. Justin Brauer and Kody McManis were consistent, hitting 5-for-11. Caleb Curry had a solid weekend going 7-for-18 and scoring eight runs. Kevin Hoef hit the ball hard, going 6-for-15 with a .800 slugging percentage. He had a team high eight RBI, with a double, triple and homer.
FRESHMAN STEPS UP: Freshman Kurtis Muller has had a stellar season as hitting a solid .313. He has nine stolen bases, five doubles, one triple and two homers on the year. On top of that, he leads the league in sac bunts (6). This past weekend, Muller was red-hot, going 7-for-13 with seven RBI.
McMANIS TAKES ON CATCHER: Because Tyson Blaser is not 100% with a thumb injury and Ben Geelan sidelined with a boot– utility infielder Kody McManis has had to take on the role of starting catcher. McManis has improved behind the plate and also from the batters box , as well. On the season, McManis is hitting a solid .406 with a double and five RBI. Coming into the season, McManis had a career .186 batting average.
HAWKEYES GO YARD: The Hawkeyes doubled their home run production last weekend hitting five long balls in four games to bring their grand total to 10 on the year. Kevin Hoef hit his second career homer to lead off game one, Wes Freie followed suit and hit a dinger in the later innings of game one, Kyle Riffel hit the lone Iowa bomb in game two, T.J. Cataldo added an insurance run with a long ball in game three, and Kurtis Muller helped Iowa take the lead in game four with his shot to left. Eight of Iowa’s 10 homers this season have been in Big Ten play (Five at Indiana and three vs. Purdue).
ON DECK FOR IOWA: Northwestern- April 18-20
Duane Banks Field – Iowa City, IA
The Wildcats are 9-15 on the season and 4-6 in the Big Ten. To lead Northwestern, offensively, is Jake Goebbert who is hitting .364 with 12 doubles, six homers, 13 walks, 28 RBI and a whopping .727 slugging percentage. As a team, the Wildcats are hitting .302. Northwestern’s team ERA is 5.91 and they are led by Eric Jokisch, who has 3.82 ERA with six starts and a 2-2 record. Iowa leads the all-time series between the two schools, 126-92-2.
PROBABLE PITCHERS:
WEDNESDAY, 6:30 P.M.
IA – Zach Kenyon (RHP, FR, R/R, 6-6, 190)
CU – TBA
NOTING: Kenyon has a 5.40 ERA on the season, with a 0-1 record and four starts. He has pitched 21.2 innings.
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