Hawkeye Fall Season Opener

Sept. 24, 2008

The University of Iowa baseball team will play its first of three home games at Banks Field Friday at 6 p.m. The Hawkeyes will take on the Iowa Central Tritons, in what is believed to be the first ever contest between both schools. Admission to the game will be free.

The Black and Gold have 14 newcomers including; freshmen Patrick Brennan, Nick Brown, Dallas Burke, Andrew Ewing, Sean Flanagan, Cory Glieden, Jarred Hippen, Andrew Host, Mike McQuillan, Shane Morelock, Phil Schreiber and Chett Zeise and junior transfers Ryan Durant and Zach Robertson.

Iowa boasts 21 returning letter-winners, including; 10 returning pitchers and five infielders. Leading the squad will be seniors Kevin Hoef, Wes Freie and Justin Toole.

“We have a very good mix of returning players and talented newcomers that has created a healthy internal competition we have not had in the past,” said Head Coach Jack Dahm said. “We are expecting that the daily competition will help us to develop more consistency throughout the program.”

Here is some more information on the 14 newcomers:

Brennan, who is from East Falmouth, MA, is a left-handed pitcher. Brennan was a two-time all-conference selection. He posted a 4-0 record with a 1.66 ERA and 66 strikeouts as a senior and was the No. 23 ranked player in Massachusetts by PG Crosschecker. Brennan also played three years of legion baseball for Sandwich, MS.

“Patrick is going to add depth to our bullpen as a left-handed pitcher,” Dahm said. “We have been impressed with Patrick’s work ethic and maturity as a person.”

Brown is a Wheaton, IL native: He will serve as a right-handed pitcher or DH for the Hawkeyes. Brown is a three-time all-conference honoree, with two all-area laurels. He was ranked the No. 15 player in the state of Illinois by PG Crosschecker. During his senior campaign he hit .427 with 36 RBI and 12 stolen bases. On the pitching mound in 2008, he had a 1.72 ERA with 54 strikeouts. Brown also played for the Illinois Sparks organization this summer.

“We have been very pleased with Nick’s performance so far this fall,” Dahm said. “He is a very good athlete for his size and has demonstrated a good feel for the game on the mound, and also offensively.”

Burke, a Bettendorf, IA native, is a catcher and two-time all-conference honoree. Burke was named first team all-district as a senior and boasted a .435 batting average with 22 RBI and 17 stolen bases his senior campaign.

“Dallas is a talented left-handed hitting catcher that plays the game with a lot of energy,” Dahm said. “He has shown signs of becoming a very good defensive catcher and will get a lot of opportunities this fall to show us what he can do.”

Durant is from Eldridge, IA and plays outfield. He is on the Iowa Central all-time top ten list in single-season triples and career hits, triples and RBI. Durant was a member of the conference and regional champion team his freshman year at Iowa Central and received all-region honors as a sophomore. “Ryan is a very good athlete that made the transition from infield to outfield at Iowa Central Community College,” Dahm said. “The best way to describe Ryan is that he is a very solid player in all phases of the game and he is fighting for a starting job in the outfield.”

Ewing is an Iowa City, IA, native and plays infield. Ewing was the Mississippi Valley Conference player of the year as a senior. He is a two-time first team all-state selection and a three-time first team all-conference honoree. Ewing was the No. 19 ranked player in the state of Iowa by PG Crosschecker. He was a two-time first team all-district and hit .504 with nine home runs, 58 RBI and 13 stolen bases his senior campaign.

“Andrew has done a very good job for us this fall,” Dahm said. “I have been impressed with the way he has handled himself in all the drills and scrimmages. I like his versatility in the infield.”

Flanagan, who is from Downers Grove, IL, will be used as a utility player. He was the number one pitcher on his high school team his junior year with a 1.65 ERA and a 5-0 record. Flanagan earned all-conference honors his junior and senior seasons and was a two-time all-area selection. He was ranked No. 20 in the state of Illinois by PG Crosschecker and played for Longshots Baseball for seven years.

“Sean is another one of our versatile freshman that can pitch and play infield or outfield,” Dahm said. “I have been very impressed with Sean’s feel for pitching this fall and he is putting himself in position to get some innings this spring. Sean has also been very impressive from a defensive standpoint at first, third and in the outfield.”

Glieden, a Chaska, MN native, is a prototypical leadoff hitter. He received all-conference and honorable mention all state laurels his junior season. During his junior season, he hit .429 with a .576 on base percentage, 16 stolen bases, two triples, seven doubles and 15 RBI in only 20 games. Glieden played for Trent Seaman and the Minnesota Starz in the summer and fall.

“Corey is a very good athlete that has a chance to develop into an outstanding left-handed hitting college middle infielder,” Dahm said. “He has been slowed down by an injury this fall, but we feel good about his future.”

Hippen a Rock Falls, IL native, is a left-handed pitcher. His junior season he posted a 0.81 ERA with a 10-1 record with 119 strikeouts and only 30 walks. Hippen was an all-state selection his senior year and all-area and all-conference as a sophomore and junior. Hippen is ranked 29th in the State of Illinois by Prep Baseball Report and is the sixth-best LHP in the State of Illinois, by Prep Baseball Report. “Jarred has a very good feel for pitching being able to throw three pitches for strikes at anytime,” Dahm said. “He has a chance to get some quality innings this spring either as a starter or reliever.”

Host, an Altoona, IA, native, is an outfielder. Host is a two-time first team all-conference selection and two-time first team all-district honoree. Host received first team all-state laurels his junior and senior season and was voted onto the super team all-state. He was named all-state 4A captain and hit .450 with 40 RBI and 11 stolen bases his senior campaign.

“Andrew is an athletic outfielder that just needs to get more experience playing the game of baseball,” Dahm said. “He has all the tools to be a very good college baseball player and it will be up to him to see how good he will become.”

McQuillan, an Evergreen Park, IL native, has earned four years of all-conference honors. McQuillan has been an all-district selection all four years and two-time team MVP. He received the honor of being on first team all-state his senior year. McQuillan was ranked No. 47 in the state of Illinois by PG Crosschecker. He is described as a very “offensive-minded infielder” by Coach Ryan Brownlee.

“Mike is a left-handed hitting infielder that can also play left field,” Dahm said. “We have been very impressed with Mike’s feel for the game and his work ethic. He should see some quality playing time this spring.”

Morelock is from Iowa City, IA and was injured his senior season. He is a right-handed pitcher who earned first team all-conference honors his junior season. He was also named second team all-state. Morelock hit .436 with 26 RBI and 18 stolen bases his junior campaign and was ranked the No. 7 player in Iowa by PG Crosschecker. On the bump, his junior and sophomore seasons, he compiled a 10-4 record with 64 strikeouts.

“Shane is another good athlete that needs to get innings under his belt,” Dahm said. “He was injured all summer and I look forward to seeing what type of progress he makes this fall on the mound.”

Robertson, a Des Moines, IA native, is a left-handed pitcher and was number one in his rotation on a powerful Iowa Central team his freshman year. He led the team in strikeouts in 2008 with 82 and posted a 4.50 ERA to end his sophomore year. Robertson threw four complete games to lead the Tritons in 2008. He played for the Rochester Honkers in summer of 2007 and 2008 and was named Most Inspirational Player in 2007. He was named Pitcher of the Year in 2008 and was a Northwoods all-star selection.

“Zach is a very talented left-handed pitcher that will bring some valuable experience to our pitching staff,” Dahm said. “He had an outstanding career at Iowa Central Community College and for the Rochester Honkers in the Northwoods League. Zach will be one of many pitchers battling for a starting spot in our rotation.”

Schreiber, a Kaukauna, WI native, is a power right-handed pitcher and has a chance to be dominant on the mound. He was a two-time first team all-conference honoree and was named Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior, as well as Louisville Slugger Player of the Year in Wisconsin. Schreiber was the No. 2 ranked player in the state of Wisconsin by PG Crosschecker. He hit .366 and compiled a 4-2 record with 50 strikeouts and a 1.75 ERA during his senior year.

“Phil has thrown the ball very well this fall and he has a chance to be an outstanding pitcher that could make an impact as a freshman,” Dahm said.

Zeise, a Sobieski, WI native, is an “athletic utility player with a high baseball IQ” says Coach Brownlee. Zeise is a three-time first team all-conference honoree. He was named co-player of the year his senior season and first team all-state his senior year. Zeise was ranked No. 8 player in the state of Wisconsin by PG Crosschecker.

“The best way to describe Chett is that he is a rock solid baseball player that does not handle himself like a freshman,” Dahm said. “Chett is making a strong push for playing time right away in the middle infield.”