Hawkeyes and Wolverines Set for Weekend Series

April 21, 2011

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THE SETTING:
Iowa continues Big Ten play Friday when it hosts Michigan in the first of a three-game set. Game one first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. The Hawkeyes (14-20, 3-6) and Wolverines will also play Saturday and Sunday at 1:05 p.m. each day. All games will be played at Duane Banks Field. Admission to all games is $3 for adults, and free for UI students and youths.

ON THE NET:
Iowa baseball fans can follow the Hawkeyes with live stats (Gametracker) on hawkeyesports.com. Click on the GT link found on both the front page and the baseball schedule page. Whistlin’ Ray Gilmore is in his 34th season with the Hawkeye baseball program and will be posting the stats.

ON THE AIR:
Fans can catch this weekend’s three-game series vs. Michigan online at hawkeyesports.com. The radio voice of the Iowa baseball team, Brent Balbinot, will call the action.

WEEKEND PROMOTIONS:
Fans of the Black and Gold can take advantage of special promotions during the Michigan series at Duane Banks Field. Baseball trading card strip No. 6 will be given out to fans in attendance on Friday and fans are invited to play Baseball Bingo during the contest. Saturday is Scout Day and baseball trading card strip No. 7 will be given out to fans who attend. Sunday, a pre game Easter egg hunt will be held at the ballpark.

HAWKEYES STAY AT HOME:
Iowa is in the midst of a stretch where it plays seven of eight games at home. The Hawkeyes hosted Kansas April 12 and Indiana April 16 and 17 and will host Michigan this weekend. Iowa defeated Western Illinois at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport Wednesday night, 14-8. The Hawkeyes are 4-8 at home. Last season, Iowa went 15-6 at home, including 8-4 in Big Ten contests. The Hawkeyes are 85-81 at home in the Jack Dahm era.

IOWA DOWNS WESTERN ILLINOIS:
The Hawkeyes defeated Western Illinois, 14-8, Wednesday night at Modern Woodmen Park. The 14 runs tied the second most Iowa has scored this season. The Black and Gold offense pounded out 14 hits, 13 of which were singles. Five Hawkeyes collected multi-hit games against the Leathernecks. Junior Kasey Carling tallied three singles. Senior Trevor Willis went 2-for-5, with a triple and three RBI. Kurt Lee, Bryan Niedbalski and Keith Brand all recorded two singles. Brand also drove in two runs. Phil Keppler earned his first career victory. The junior pitched two and two-thirds, yielding three runs on four hits. He struck out four. Tim Fangman, Jeff Pacha and Davenport native Zach Kenyon silenced the Western Illinois bats, pitching four scoreless innings out of the Iowa bullpen.

INDIANA SERIES RECAP:
The Hawkeyes hosted Indiana in a three-game series last weekend. Iowa dropped two-of-three to the Hoosiers. The Black and Gold fell to Indiana, in a pitchers dual, last Saturday, 2-1. Both starting pitchers, Jarred Hippen of Iowa and Blake Monar of Indiana, went the distance. Hippen took the hard-luck loss for Iowa in his best outing of the season. The junior gave up two runs on eight hits and struck out a season-high seven. Last Sunday, the two teams split a doubleheader. The Hawkeyes won game one, 2-1, before falling in game two, 6-0. Matt Dermody led Iowa to the game one victory. The sophomore pitched the second complete game in as many games for the Hawkeyes.

NOBODY STOPPING DERMODY:
Matt Dermody led Iowa to the game one victory in Iowa’s doubleheader against Indiana Sunday at Duane Banks Field. The sophomore pitched the second complete game in as many chances for the Hawkeyes. He won his fourth-straight start, giving up one run on eight hits in his first complete game. The Norwalk, Iowa, native struck out three Hoosiers. Dermody is 4-3 in 2011. As a freshman a year ago, Dermody went 3-2.

BLACK AND GOLD BATS HEATING UP:
The weather has started to heat up, and so have the Hawkeye bats. Iowa has averaged 7.2 runs per game over its last 10 games. The Hawkeyes averaged 4.2 runs over the first 24. Since coming back north over the last month, Iowa has played five games with temperatures over 60 degrees. The Hawkeyes are 3-2 in those games, averaging 10.4 runs over that span.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN:
Michigan, led by ninth-year head coach Rich Maloney, is 11-24 overall and 4-5 in Big Ten play. The Wolverines, who are 3-8 on the road, won two-of-three against Illinois last weekend at home.

ALL-TIME SERIES:
Iowa and Michigan have met 144 times. Michigan owns the all-time advantage, 100-44. The Black and Gold are 9-20 against the Wolverines under Head Coach Jack Dahm.

2010 SERIES RECAP:
The Hawkeyes (14-20, 3-6) entered last year’s series with the same record as this season. Iowa took two-of-three from Michigan a year ago in the series. The Black and Gold downed the Maize and Blue in game one behind a stellar effort by starter Jarred Hippen, 5-2. Hippen tossed his second career complete game in the win. The Hawkeyes claimed game two, 5-3, behind a strong outing from starter Nick Brown. Michigan won the rubber match, 7-5, to avoid the sweep.

2010 BIG TEN TOURNAMENT:
The Hawkeyes and Wolverines met twice in the Big Ten Tournament a year ago. Michigan downed Iowa in the second round before the two teams met in the semifinals. The Hawkeyes rallied from a seven-run deficit to stun Michigan, 11-8, at Bill Davis Stadium. Kurt Lee went a perfect 5-for-5 as Iowa pounded out 15 hits to advance to the Big Ten Tournament Championship game.

CIRCLING THE BASE PATHS:
Iowa tallied 19 runs April 3 in its win over Michigan State (19-7). The Hawkeyes recorded season highs in runs and hits (17). Iowa tallied 10 runs in the seventh inning, earning its first conference win of the year. The Hawkeyes’ previous high in runs this season was 11 and in hits was 16. The 19 runs mark the most the Hawkeyes have scored since defeating Illinois State in last year’s season opener, 19-11. It also marks the most runs Iowa has scored against a conference opponent since defeating Wisconsin in 1989, 22-3. The last time the Hawkeyes scored 10 or more runs in an inning was 1997. Iowa tallied 11 runs in the second inning of an 18-0 win over Truman State.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION:
The Hawkeyes scored 33 runs and pounded out 32 hits in their back-to-back wins over Michigan State (April 3) and Coe College (April 6). The 33 runs mark the most Iowa has scored over two games since the 2009 season when it tallied 35 runs in back-to-back wins over Tennessee-Martin (25-6) and Austin Peay (10-3).

NAIL-BITERS:
The Hawkeyes have enjoyed success in close games, owning a 6-4 record in one-run decisions in 2011. Iowa split two one-run games with Indiana last weekend.

PLAYING WITH THE BEST OF `EM:
The Hawkeyes’ strength of schedule is ranked 87th nationally by boydsworld.com. The number ranks second highest in the Big Ten, trailing only Minnesota (59th). The Hawkeyes are 4-8 as the home team, 4-5 as the visiting team and 6-7 at neutral sites. Iowa owns a 3-6 conference record.

SWING AWAY:
Iowa out-hit Western Illinois Wednesday night, 14-9. The Hawkeyes have enjoyed success this season when notching more hits than their opponents. The Black and Gold are 10-3 when out-hitting their opponents.

FRESHMEN SHINE IN WIN:
Four Hawkeye freshmen, Bryan Niedbalski, Taylor Zeutenhorst, Keith Brand and Kyle Haen, started in the 14-8 win over Western Illinois Wednesday night. Niedbalski went 2-for-4 with an RBI, Zeutenhorst went 1-for-4 with an RBI, Brand finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and Haen went 1-for-2 with two RBI.

THE BIG NIEDBALSKI:
Freshman Bryan Niedbalski, who stands at 6-3, ranks fifth on the team with a .284 average. The first baseman leads Iowa with 17 walks in 27 games played (22 starts). He ranks tied for eighth in the conference in free passes. Niedbalski has recorded five doubles and seven RBIs.

TRIPLE THREAT:
Trevor Willis has tallied seven triples in 2011, exceeding his total of four from a year ago. The senior had recorded eight total entering this year. The seven triples this season lead the Big Ten and rank sixth most nationally.

THE CYCLE:
Hawkeye catcher Tyson Blaser recorded his first career home run last season in the regular-season finale against Purdue on May 22. In Iowa’s 19-7 win over Michigan State April 3, the fifth-year senior tallied his first career triple, giving him a cycle for his career. The Taylor Ridge, Ill., native has 32 career doubles to go along with his home run and triple. Blaser leads Iowa with 11 doubles this season. The 11 doubles are tied for the sixth most in the Big Ten.

A LITTLE SMALL BALL:
Iowa has laid down 57 sacrifice bunts this season; the fourth most nationally and the most in the Big Ten. Zach McCool ranks ninth nationally with 12 sacrifices.

BIG HITTERS:
Eleven Hawkeyes, Mike McQuillan (14), Trevor Willis (10), Chett Zeise (eight), Kurt Lee (eight), Tyson Blaser (seven), Zach McCool (six), Andrew Ewing (six), Bryan Niedbalski (five), Phil Keppler (three), Kasey Carling (three) and Keith Brand (three) have recorded multiple multi-hit games this year. Nine have notched at least one game where they recorded three or more hits. Willis and Blaser have reached the four hit mark, with Willis accomplishing the feat twice.

STREAKERS:
Mike McQuillan and Tyson Blaser have enjoyed 10-game hitting streaks this year. McQuillan’s streak ended March 18 against Gonzaga. Blaser’s streak ended April 12 against Kansas. McQuillan and Taylor Zeutenhorst are currently riding four-game streaks.

BRAND MAKES HIS MARK:
Keith Brand did not see action in 2010. In 2011, the redshirt freshman is batting (.308). The walk-on has 11 RBIs. Brand has recorded three multi-hit games and five multiple RBI games.

CLOSING IT OUT:
The Hawkeyes have enjoyed late-inning success this season. Iowa owns a 12-2 record when leading after six innings.

START QUICK:
Iowa has enjoyed success this season when getting on the board early. The Hawkeyes are 6-2 when scoring in the first inning and are 13-7 when scoring first.

PATIENTLY WAITING:
Iowa has been patient at the plate in 2011. The Hawkeyes have walked 145 times, tied for the second most in the Big Ten with Penn State. Purdue leads the league with 159.

NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND:
Tyson Blaser is enjoying success behind the dish in 2011. The senior has thrown out 14 base runners. He gunned down 13 all of last year. Sophomore Keith Brand has thrown out six.

STEPPING UP WHEN CALLED UPON:
Iowa was shorthanded in relief March 29 when its game against South Dakota State went 14 innings. Senior Jeff Pacha and junior Phil Keppler stepped up and gave career best performances on the hill. Pacha threw a career-high four innings in the 14 inning contest, striking out four Jackrabbits. Keppler pitched a career-high three and two-thirds the following day, while striking out four.

BLASER NAMED TO WATCH LIST:
Senior Tyson Blaser has been named to the 2011 Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award Watch List. The annual award is to honor those athletes that serve as a team’s starting catcher in at least 75% of the games. The watch list will be narrowed down to 10 semifinalists May 19. The finalists will be announced June 6. A final vote among the national committee will occur during the College World Series. The winner will be announced at the 14th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 30, 2011, in Wichita, Kan.

BROWN EARNS WEEKLY HONOR:
Hawkeye pitcher Nick Brown was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week March 21. The junior earned Pitcher of the Week accolades for the first time in his career after leading Iowa to an 11-2 win over Notre Dame last March 18. The starter tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing just four hits without issuing a walk. The right-hander also struck out three en route to his second win of the season. Brown is Iowa’s first pitcher to earn the conference weekly honor since Brock Alberts on March 3, 2008.

LUCK OF THE IRISH:
The Hawkeyes beat Notre Dame March 17, 4-3, in ten innings in the first game of the Irish Classic. The win marked the first time a team defeated Notre Dame on St. Patrick’s Day in five years. The last team to top the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day was the Hawkeyes in 2006, also in San Antonio.

A PROGRAM FIRST:
Iowa won at Mississippi State March 4 (5-3) and March 5 (7-6). The two victories over Mississippi State marked the first time in the program’s history that the Hawkeyes collected two wins against an SEC opponent in the same year. The Bulldogs are 19-6.

DON’T SEE THAT EVERY DAY:
Zach Kenyon notched his first victory of the year in the 5-3 win over Mississippi State March 4. In the bottom of the sixth, Kenyon accomplished a rare feat. The senior righty struck out four batters. The third hitter struck out swinging, but reached on a wild pitch. Kenyon then got the next batter to strike out swinging. He recorded a career-high eight strikeouts in four innings.

WILLIS EARNS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR:
Senior Trevor Willis was named Big Ten Player of the Week March 7 after recording three multi-hit games in four contests with Georgia State and Mississippi State. Willis posted back-to-back four-hit contests against the Bulldogs, leading Iowa to the series sweep. The four hits marked a career high for Willis. He also went 2-for-4 in the weekend finale, a 3-2 walk-off victory against the Panthers. The native of Lockport, Ill., scored six runs in four games, touching home twice in each of Iowa’s last three games, and drove in a run. The center fielder slugged a triple and went 3-for-4 on the base paths, including two steals in Sunday’s game and a swipe of home on Saturday. For the week, Willis batted .647, with a .667 on base percentage, and slugged at a .765 clip for an OPS of 1.432. The weekly honor is the first for Willis.

STEALING HOME:
In the 7-6 victory against Mississippi State March 5, the Hawkeyes added another rare feat. Senior Trevor Willis led off the fourth with a single to center. With two outs and Willis on third base, senior Tyson Blaser drew a walk. The senior duo then executed the perfect double steal, with Willis stealing home. The last time an Iowa player stole home was March 23, 2007. Jason White accomplished the feat in a 6-5 against North Dakota State.

THE UNITY COUNCIL:
Redshirt senior Tyson Blaser, senior Zach McCool, junior Andrew Ewing, and sophomores Patrick Brennan, Patrick Harshman and Ricky Sandquist comprise Iowa’s 2011 Unity Council.

HAWKEYES TABBED FOR FIFTH:
The Hawkeyes have been picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten by conference coaches and Perfect Game USA, an online baseball publication. Three Hawkeyes have been named to the `Players to Watch List’: SP Jarred Hippen, RP Kevin Lee and 3B Zach McCool.

IOWA FINISHED THIRD:
The Hawkeyes finished the 2010 Big Ten season tied for third with Northwestern (13-11). The third place finish marked the highest for Iowa, since 2005. In 2005, Iowa finished 19-13 in Big Ten play.

FIVE HAWKEYES DRAFTED:
Junior Kurtis Muller was selected in the Major League baseball 2010 First-Year Player Draft. Muller was chosen by the Cincinnati Reds in the 22nd round (667th pick). Senior Zach Robertson was picked by the Florida Marlins in the 30th round (917th pick), incoming recruit Patrick Lala was selected in the 29th round (891) by the Philadelphia Phillies, senior Patrick Schatz was picked by the Chicago White Sox in the 49th round (1,478th pick) and incoming recruit Taylor Zeutenhorst was selected in the 41st round by the Phillies (1,251st pick). Lala and Zeutenhorst did not sign professional contracts and are on Iowa’s 2011 roster. However, Muller did sign a contract and will forgo his senior year of eligibility. Under Jack Dahm, 22 Hawkeyes have been drafted. Sixteen players have been drafted in the past four years.

BIG TEN DIAMOND REPORT:
Big Ten Network television coverage of 2011 Big Ten baseball and softball begins on Sunday with a doubleheader of action and the premiere of Big Ten Diamond Report, the network’s new weekly studio show. Big Ten Diamond Report will review the sports’ top headlines, preview upcoming matchups and look at national storylines affecting the Big Ten. Mike Hall and Rick Pizzo host the show along with former Hawkeye pitcher and major leaguer Cal Eldred and Tammy Williams. The show will air each Sunday during the spring through the end of the Big Ten baseball and softball seasons with expert analysis, player and coach interviews, features and exclusive access inside the diamond.

DUANE BANKS FIELD:
Every year the UI Athletics Department continues to upgrade Duane Banks Field. In 2010, the Hawkeyes added 500 chair back seats behind home plate. The chair backs allow Hawkeye fans to purchase season tickets. This past fall, Duane Banks Field underwent a facelift, with a complete resurfacing of the field. New sod, dirt and drainage system were installed. Additionally, new batting cages were put in place down the right field line. In 2009, the UI Recreation Building underwent a complete makeover. Improvements included: a new locker room, lounge, training room and weight room for the baseball program. Iowa boasted a 15-6 home record at Duane Banks Field in 2010.

HIPPEN GARNERS PRESEASON ATTENTION:
Jarred Hippen, who was named to the All-Big Ten Tournament team last year, was named College Baseball Daily’s preseason Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. He was also named to Perfect Game USA’s and Baseball America’s preseason all-conference teams. Hippen, a junior left-hander, started 15 games in 2010 en route to second team All-Big Ten honors.

HAWKEYES ON NATIONAL TELEVISION:
The Hawkeyes will appear on the Big Ten Network at least twice during the 2011 regular season. Iowa’s game at Illinois April 9 was televised. In addition, the Hawkeyes game versus Penn State on May 7 (2 p.m.) will be televised. The Big Ten Network will also televise the Big Ten Tournament.

THE ASSISTANT COACHES:
Head Coach Jack Dahm is assisted by coach Ryan Brownlee and coach Chris Maliszewski, along with volunteer coach Zach Dillon. Over the past 10 seasons, 25 players coached or recruited by Brownlee have been drafted; two more signed free agent contracts. In the past two years, Kurtis Muller, Patrick Schatz, Steve Turnbull, Kyle Heim, Mike Schurz and recruits Matt Dermody, Dan Sheppard, Patrick Lala and Taylor Zeutenhorst were drafted by major league teams. In six years of coaching summer collegiate leagues, he has seen 33 of his players sign pro contracts, including Khalil Green and Joe Thatcher of the Padres, Kevin Cash of the Yankees, Dan Meyer of the Marlins and Luke Scott of the Astros. Last season, the hitting coach preached a `pitch-by-pitch’ approach at the plate that helped propel the Hawkeyes to 11 wins in their final 14 contests; the team eventually finished 30-28. Iowa finished third in the conference and ultimately placed second at the Big Ten Tournament. The tournament berth was the eighth in school history. The Hawkeyes won three games at the tournament, which was the first time an Iowa team had won any game since 1990. The runner up finish in the conference tournament tied the school’s highest finish, which was accomplished once before (1983).

Maliszewski is in his third season as the Hawkeye pitching coach. In addition to his role as pitching coach, Maliszewski is also responsible for the team’s travel arrangements and assists with the youth summer camps. In 2010, Maliszewski and his pitching staff helped propel Iowa to a third place finish in the conference, as well as earning the school’s eighth Big Ten Tournament appearance. The Hawkeyes finished as the runner-up in the tournament after winning three games — the first tournament wins for Iowa since 1990. Maliszewski mentored his young pitching staff to improved numbers in his second campaign. Under his tutelage, the Hawkeyes posted improved numbers in wins, ERA, saves, walks, wild pitches and opposing batting average. Iowa’s talented arms helped the Hawkeyes to a late surge, winning 11 of their last 14 games. Individually, pitcher Jarred Hippen was named to the all-tournament team, as well as garnering second team all-league accolades. In addition to Hippen’s accomplishments, closer Kevin Lee broke the school single-season record with 13 saves – nearly double the saves Iowa had as a team in 2009.

BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TICKETS:
All-Tournament passes and group tickets to the 2011 Big Ten Baseball Tournament to be held May 25-28 at Huntington Park, home of the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, will go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 15, the Big Ten Conference and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission announced today. All-Tournament passes are available for $100 each. Group tickets (minimum 20) are available for $7 per ticket. All tickets are available at www.ColumbusSports.org, www.bigten.org and www.ticketmaster.com. Information on individual game tickets will be announced in May. The Big Ten Conference, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission and Huntington Park will host the tournament for the third straight year as a neutral-site event. The tournament was held at Huntington Park in 2009, marking the conference’s first neutral-site baseball tournament since 1994 and returns after being held at Ohio State’s Bill Davis Stadium in 2010. The 2009 tournament drew more than 12,000 fans, marking the tournament’s largest total in at least the previous decade. The tournament bracket is set to be announced on the evening of Saturday, May 21, which is the final scheduled day of regular-season competition. The Big Ten Baseball Tournament is a double-elimination event that awards byes to the top two teams. The Big Ten Champion is the team or teams that finish atop the regular-season standings, while the Big Ten Tournament Champion receives the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Last year at the Big Ten Tournament, the Hawkeyes bounced Purdue from the six-team tournament with two victories over the Boilermakers and rallied from a seven-run deficit to stun second-seeded Michigan in the semifinals. Iowa reached the championship game for the first time since 1983. Iowa ultimately fell to the well-rested and top-seeded Minnesota team in the title game.

ON THE HORIZON:
Iowa will play one midweek game next week. The Hawkeyes will travel to Lincoln, Neb., to battle future Big Ten conference opponent Nebraska. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. The Hawkeyes will then travel to Minneapolis, Minn., to play Minnesota in a three-game series at Target Field, the home of the Minnesota Twins.