May 24, 2010
IOWA CITY, IA – – Iowa center fielder Kurtis Muller and starting pitcher Jarred Hippen earned Big Ten recognition today by the Big Ten Conference after their outstanding athletic accomplishments last week. Muller was named Big Ten Player of the Week, while Hippen was tabbed the league’s co-Pitcher of the Week. Hippen shares the honor with Northwestern starter Eric Jokisch.
Muller earns his second conference weekly honor this season (May 11) after leading Iowa to a sweep against Purdue over the weekend, helping the Hawkeyes secure the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Baseball Tournament. The junior hit .714 in the series and slugged 1.286, combining for an OPS of 2.000. The Sun Prairie, WI, native also drove in six runs and scored five, hitting two doubles and two home runs and stealing three bases in the three-game set. Muller recorded three or more hits in all three conference games, also going 4-for-5 with a double, a homer, two runs and a pair of RBI in the series opener. The series sweep marked Iowa’s first to end a season since 1980.
Hippen (Rock Falls, IL) becomes the first Hawkeye in over two years to earn Pitcher of the Week honors, leading Iowa to a 7-2 win over Purdue in the teams’ series opener on Friday. The sophomore allowed just two runs on five hits and a walk in a complete-game win, tying his career best with nine strikeouts. The win marked Hippen’s fifth overall this season, and the effort was his fourth complete game of the conference slate.
Iowa, who has won seven of its last eight conference games, returns to action Wednesday when it plays Purdue in the first round of the double-elimination Big Ten Tournament. The fourth-seeded Hawkeyes are making their first tournament appearance in three years. First pitch is slated for 11:05 a.m. (CDT) at Bill Davis Stadium in Columbus, OH. All tournament games will be televised live on the Big Ten Network (HD).