April 17, 2008
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- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
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SERIES INFORMATION ? The Hawkeyes will host Northwestern in a four-game series at Duane Banks Field.
HAWKEYES THIS WEEKEND ? Iowa will host the 10-16 Wildcats in a four-game series at Duane Banks field. Northwestern is 5-7 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes will take on the Wildcats in hopes of breaking the three- way time for eighth and advancing in the Big Ten standings. Iowa leads the all-time series between the two schools, 126-92-2.
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. The radio broadcast will also be available free online.
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.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN: The Wildcats are 10-16 on the season and 5-7 in the Big Ten. To lead Northwestern, offensively, is Jake Goebbert who is hitting .365 with 13 doubles, six homers, 13 walks, 30 RBI and a whopping .708 slugging percentage. As a team, the Wildcats are hitting .305. Northwestern’s team ERA is 6.06 and they are led by Eric Jokisch, who has 4.43 ERA with seven starts and a 3-2 record. Iowa leads the all-time series between the two schools, 126-92-2.
A MILESTONE APPROACHES: Head Coach Jack Dahm is two wins from getting his 400th career victory. Dahm had 283 wins at Creighton and is currently at 115 W’s at Iowa. Dahm started in 1994 with his alma mater, Creighton University, and moved on to coach the Hawkeyes in 2003.
IOWA OFFENSE IS STREAKING: Caleb Curry is currently on a team-high 12-game hitting streak. Wes Freie has been swinging the bat well, having gone the last seven games with a hit. Curry leads the team in multi-RBI games with 10, followed by Justin Toole who has nine. Kevin Hoef and Curry have had 14 multi-hit games this season to lead Iowa, followed by Toole with 11 and Muller and Wes Freie with 10.
STREAKING: Iowa’s win against Creighton puts them at a season-high four-game winning streak. That last time Iowa had a win streak was in March, when Iowa took one from Stetson and Western Illinois.
SCORING DOUBLE DIGITS: Last weekend, Iowa scored 47-runs in a four-game series against Indiana. Posting double digits in every game. The last time Iowa scored double digits in a Big Ten series was last season against Northwestern. Iowa swept the Wildcats.
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 .500 with runners on to lead the Black and Gold. Justin Toole is hitting .737 when runners are on third, while Kurtis Muller is 38-for-59 in advancing runners. Kevin Hoef is hitting .500 with the bases loaded.
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 (.402), on base percentage (.470), hits (45), runs batted in (35), 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 (30) and runs scored (32). Kevin Hoef leads the league in hit-by-pitches (14), is fourth in runs scored (33), is fifth in total plate appearances (147) 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).
CREIGHTON SUMMARY: Iowa scored eight straight runs in the middle innings en route to an 8-3 triumph over the Creighton Bluejays Wednesday night. Eight different Hawkeyes recorded a hit in victory. Sparking the Hawkeyes, offensively, were Kevin Hoef, Caleb Curry, Justin Toole and Kyle Riffel. Curry went 2-for-4 with a double and home run, collecting a season-best four RBI and scoring a run. Hoef went 2-for-4 and scored two runs. Curry and Hoef each have 14 multi-hit games to lead the Black and Gold this season. Curry also boasts a team-best, 10 multi-RBI performances. Toole went 1-for-4 with an RBI and two runs, while Riffel went 1-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. Zack Kenyon made his fifth start, throwing four solid innings. The right-hander only yielded two runs, both unearned, to earn his first win.
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 and Kyle Riffel with four.
WEARING PITCHES: Iowa has no problem taking one for the team. The Hawkeyes have 50 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 14, followed by Caleb Curry with seven and Kyle Riffel with six.
FRESHMAN STEPS UP: Freshman Kurtis Muller has had a stellar season as hitting a solid .302. 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 .389 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. Caleb Curry added another Wednesday against Creighton to make the grand total 11. Against Indiana 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 11 homers this season have been in Big Ten play (Five at Indiana and three vs. Purdue).
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