March 3, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format
PROBABLE IOWA STARTERS
Pos Name Yr. B/T Hometown Last School
3B Kevin Hoef Sr. R/R Troy, IL Troy
SS Justin Toole Sr. R/R Council Bluffs, IA Lewis Central
CF Kurtis Muller So. R/R Sun Prairie, WI Sun Prairie
DH Wes Freie Sr. R/R Wilton, IA Wilton
C Tyson Blaser Jr. R/R Taylor Ridge, IL Rockridge
2B Zach McCool So. R/R Manchester, IA West Delaware
1B T.J. Cataldo Sr. L/R Carlisle, IA Carlisle
RF Trevor Willis So. R/R Homer Glen, IL Lockport
LF Ryan Durant Jr. R/R Eldridge, IA Iowa Central CC
LF/2B Chett Zeise Fr. R/R Greenbay, WI Notre Dame Academy
PROBABLE WEEKEND STARTING ROTATION
R Wes Freie Sr. Wilton, IA Wilton
L Michael Jacobs Jr. Lenexa, KS St. Thomas Aquinas
R Nick Brown Fr. Warrenville, IL Wheaton-Warrenville South="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/pre%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3Cstrong%3EHAWKEYES%20THIS%20WEEKEND:%3C/strong%3E%20The%20Iowa%20Hawkeyes%20will%20travel%20to%20Clarksville,%20TN,%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20to%20take%20on%20the%202-5%20Governors%20of%20Austin%20Peay.%20Iowa%20will%20be%20looking%20to%20snap%20a%20three-game%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20losing%20streak.%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFROM%20THE%20COACHES%20BOX:%3C/strong%3E"We had tough weekend down in Florida losing three games but we still had some positives. I really like the way that Michael Jacobs and Wes Freie have been throwing the ball as starters and also the emergence of Jarred Hippen out of the pen. Offensivley, we are showing signs of swinging the bat the way we are capable. Justin Toole had an outstanding weekend and Ryan Durant and Zach McCool had a good weekend in DeLand."
HAWKEYES ON THE NET: Iowa baseball fans can follow the Hawkeyes, as live stats will be available on hawkeyesports.com. Just click on the Gametracker link found on both the front page and the baseball schedule page.
THREE THINGS TO WATCH THIS WEEK: 1. Justin Toole is currently on a four-game hit steak — going a crazy 10-for-14 in those four games. With a slugging percentage of .857 and an on-base percentage of .750.
2. Wes Freie has 14 strikeouts on the year, the most of any Hawkeye pitcher. He is averaging seven strikeouts per walk.
3. The current leader in career hit-by-pitches, Kevin Hoef, has been hit by six pitches this season — averaging one per game. (Last season Hoef was hit by six in the first 10 games.)
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: Iowa will take on Austin Peay in a three-game series this weekend in Clarksville, TN. The Governors are 2-5 after getting swept by Lamar in four games to start the season. Since then, Austin Peay has beaten Tennessee and Cleveland State. They are currently 1-1 at home. Governor shortstop, Greg Bachman, leads the team with a .333 batting average. Cleanup hitter Trey Lucas also swings the bat well and has five doubles in six game. Austin Peay’s pitching is led by starting RHP Ryne Harper, who is 1-0 on the season with a 0.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched. Iowa leads the all-time series, 1-0.
LAST WEEKEND IN DELAND: The Hawkeyes went 0-3 in DeLand, FL. Iowa fell to Stetson at Conrad Park on Friday, 11-0. The Hawkeyes gave up five in the first and couldn’t recover. Senior Justin Toole had both Iowa hits stealing two bases and drawing a walk in the loss. The Hawkeyes were defeated by South Alabama at Conrad Park on Saturday, 11-9. Iowa played a solid defensive game however, was unable to get its offense going against crafty left-handed pitcher Lance Baxter until the seventh inning. Iowa made a last effort rally in the bottom of the ninth, scoring six runs–however an eight-run deficit to begin the inning proved to be too much. The game featured 10 extra base hits. Iowa lost to Southern Illinois at Conrad Park on Sunday, 8-3. Due to a rain delay, the Hawkeyes started an hour late and were only able to play an eight-inning contest–due to travel. Toole finished the weekend going 8-for-10 with two RBI and two runs scored. Toole continued to have a monster weekend going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Zach McCool also hit well, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and RBI. Ryan Durant went 3-for-4 with a run scored and Chett Zeise went 1-for-2 with an RBI.
MULLER UPDATE: Sophomore Kurtis Muller missed last weekend’s games due to an injury. The status of Muller according to Coach Dahm for this weekend: “Kurtis will be day-to-day but I want to be smart with him because it is a long season and we do not want this to linger all year long.”
JT IS STREAKING: Justin Toole has caught fire the past four games for the Hawkeyes. Despite a rocky start, the pre-season all-American has gone 10-for-14 with four RBI and only one strikeout. Toole took over the three-spot this weekend due to a Kurtis Muller injury and drove in two runs. In the Big Ten, Toole ranks ninth in batting average (.435).
ZEISE CONTINUES TO SHINE: Chett Zeise made his first career start as a Hawkeye against Georgetown and has played in every game since. The versatile freshman (who can play infield and outfield) is hitting a solid .286 on the year with five RBI.
HOEF FILLS IOWA’S “HUMAN PINATA” ROLE: The senior career hit-by-pitch leader continued to take a beating from opposing pitchers last week in DeLand, FL. Kevin Hoef was hit by three in just two games, increasing his season total to six. He leads the Big Ten by three.
HIPPEN MAKES IMPACT: Freshman southpaw Jarred Hippen has been throwing well for the Hawkeyes on the mound. The Iowa reliever has going 4.2 innings and is second on the team with a 1.93 ERA.
TRANSFER SWINGS THE BAT: Iowa Central Community College junior transfer, Ryan Durant, has made a difference in the Iowa batting lineup– with the second best batting average on the team (.353).