Hawkeyes Conclude Regular Season at Purdue

May 18, 2011

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THE SETTING:
Iowa concludes regular season Big Ten action this week when it travels to West Lafayette, Ind., to face Purdue. The Hawkeyes and Boilermakers play Thursday and Friday at 3 p.m. each day. Iowa (20-29, 9-12) and Purdue (33-18, 11-10) finish the regular season Saturday at 1 p.m. All game times listed are Central and will be played at Lambert Field.

DOWN THE STRETCH:
The Hawkeyes, winners of five of their last seven Big Ten Conference games, are two games out of sixth place in the league at 9-12. The top six teams qualify for the Big Ten Tournament. Six teams, Iowa, Purdue, Northwestern, Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana, are battling for the final three spots in the six-team Big Ten Tournament to be played next weekend in Columbus, Ohio. Purdue is the only team that plays at home: (Indiana at Illinois), (Northwestern at Michigan State), (Penn State at Michigan) and (Ohio State at Minnesota).

Iowa won four of its final five three-game series’ a year ago, including sweeping Purdue in the final three games of the regular season to finish third in the Big Ten, its highest finish since 2005. 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, before falling to top-seed Minnesota.

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 at Ohio State online at hawkeyesports.com and on the radio at AM-800 KXIC. The radio voice of the Iowa baseball team, Brent Balbinot, will call the action.

HAWKEYE SENIORS:
Seven Iowa seniors will play their final regular season games this weekend at Purdue. Seniors Tyson Blaser (Taylor Ridge, Ill.), Zach Kenyon (Davenport), Kevin Lee (Oak Lawn, Ill.), Kurt Lee (Redding, Calif.), Zach McCool (Manchester), Jeff Pacha (Iowa City) and Trevor Willis (Homer Glen, Ill.) and the Hawkeyes play at Purdue Thursday-Saturday.

ROAD WARRIORS:
The Hawkeyes play their final six Big Ten games on the road this season. Iowa traveled to Ohio State last weekend (May 13-15) before concluding the regular season with a three-game set at Purdue this weekend (May 19-21). Iowa is 13-16 away from Duane Banks Field this season. Iowa is 7-9 as the visiting team and 6-7 at neutral sites. Three of Iowa’s final four Big Ten series this season have been on the road. The Hawkeyes are 4-5 on the road in conference games.

CREIGHTON EDGES IOWA:
The Hawkeyes fell to Creighton Tuesday night in their home finale, 5-3, at Duane Banks Field. The contest was tied entering the top of the ninth, before Creighton scored two two-out runs on four consecutive singles to claim the mid-week victory. The Bluejays had only four hits entering the final frame before doubling their hit total. Jeff Pacha started for Iowa and notched his best outing in his final game at Duane Banks Field. The senior allowed three runs in a career-high seven innings while allowing only three Creighton hits. He struck out two.

SCOUTING PURDUE:
Purdue is coached by Doug Schreiber. Schreiber is in his 13th year at the helm of the program. The Boilermakers are 33-18 overall and 11-10 in Big Ten play. Purdue is 11-4 at home this season. The Boilermakers defeated Illinois-Chicago at home Tuesday night, 12-1. Purdue ranks first or second in the conference in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, runs scored, hits, RBI, doubles, triples, home runs, total bases, at-bats, walks and hit-by-pitches.

ALL-TIME SERIES:
The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series against Purdue, 86-62-1. Iowa is 14-14 against the Boilermakers under head coach Jack Dahm.

2010 SERIES RECAP:
Iowa won all five contests against Purdue a year ago. The Hawkeyes swept the Boilermakers at home during the regular season at Duane Banks Field. Iowa also downed Purdue twice during the Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes claimed game one of the regular season series, 7-2. Iowa ace Jarred Hippen recorded his fourth complete game of the season and his fifth win. Hippen allowed only two runs on five hits with nine strikeouts. The Hawkeye offense was led by Trevor Willis. Willis went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, three RBI and team game-high two homers. Iowa claimed game two to sweep the twin bill, 5-1. Starter Nick Brown went six and two-third innings, allowing only one run on seven hits with four strikeouts. Brown earned the win, his fifth of the season. Iowa swept Purdue with a thrilling regular season finale victory, 12-9. The Hawkeyes advanced to the Big Ten Tournament, where they would face the Boilermakers twice. Iowa downed Purdue in the first round, 7-4, earning its first tournament win since 1990. Hippen had another solid outing for the Hawkeyes, earning his sixth win going seven and one-third innings. The lefty allowed four runs on 10 hits allowing no walks with five strikeouts. Willis led the offense, going 2-for-4 with a double. Iowa scored seven in the first inning en route to an 8-3 elimination game victory over Purdue two days later. The win clinched a five-game season sweep over the Boilermakers and also extended Iowa’s run in the Big Ten Tournament. The last time Iowa won five straight over Purdue was the last three games in 1989 and first two contests of a four-game series in 1992. Matt Dermody had a phenomenal outing in his first start against a Big Ten opponent. He earned the win, his third of the year, after going a career-long six innings and allowing only two runs, scattering eight hits and punching out two.

OHIO STATE SERIES RECAP:
Last weekend, the Hawkeyes took two-of-three at Ohio State for the second consecutive season. The series win marked Iowa’s second straight Big Ten series victory.

GAME ONE:
Iowa shutout Ohio State Friday evening in game one, 7-0, behind a stellar outing from starting pitcher Jarred Hippen. The Hawkeyes pounded out 11 hits in the victory. Five Hawkeyes recorded an RBI and the top four batters in Iowa’s lineup each recorded multi-hit games. Senior Trevor Willis went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Senior Zach McCool went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs. Senior Mike McQuillan tallied his team-leading 19th multi-hit contest, going 2-for-5 with two RBI. Freshman Taylor Zeutenhorst continued his hot streak, going 2-for-5 with two RBI.

GAME TWO:
Iowa stunned Ohio State Saturday in 10 innings, 9-8. Trailing 8-4 in the top of the ninth inning, the Hawkeyes plated four runs to send the game to extras before scoring the game-winning run in the 10th inning. Iowa tallied 13 hits. Seniors Tyson Blaser and Kurt Lee and junior Chett Zeise tallied multi-hit games. Blaser went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Zeise went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Lee went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Junior Phil Keppler recorded two RBI. Iowa also notched seven walks.

GAME THREE:
The Hawkeyes dropped the series finale Sunday, 10-4. Kurt Lee had two hits in the loss, including a two-RBI singles.

ZEUTENHORST FINDS HIS STRIDE:
Taylor Zeutenhorst has been a rock in the Iowa lineup of late. The freshman recorded both RBI in Iowa’s walk-off win May 8 against Penn State. Both RBI were of the two-out variety, including the game-winner in the bottom of the 10th inning. In the three-game set against Penn State, Zeutenhorst went 5-for-11 with four RBI and three walks. The previous weekend at Minnesota, Zeutenhorst collected four hits and five RBI. The Sheldon, Iowa, native had another solid weekend at Ohio State. The rookie had five hits, three RBI, two runs and two walks in helping Iowa to its first road series win of the year. He is currently riding a seven-game hitting streak.

HIPPEN EARNS HONOR TWICE:
Junior Jarred Hippen was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week May 2 and was named Big Ten co-Pitcher of the Week May 16. The weekly honors are the first two of Hippen’s career. The Rock Falls, Ill., native earned the first weekly honor after falling one batter shy of a perfect game April 19 against Minnesota at Target Field in Minneapolis. The junior needed just 72 pitches, 76 percent of which were strikes, to get through eight innings, surrendering one hit in the 1-0 loss to the Gophers. The left hander struck out two in the process, recording Iowa’s first one-hitter since Troy Wulf accomplished the feat in a 3-0 win over Southwest Missouri State in 1998. Hippen tallied his second weekly honor with a stellar outing at Ohio State May 13. He pitched his third complete-game effort of the year in helping lead his team to victory. The junior scattered three hits and two walks over nine innings and struck out five. The outing was his first complete-game shutout of the season, and third of his career, and helped the Hawkeyes to their first road series win of the year. Hippen is the third Hawkeye to garner weekly honors this season and the second pitcher. Centerfielder Trevor Willis was named Big Ten Player of the Week March 7 and starting pitcher Nick Brown was selected as Big Ten Pitcher of the Week March 21.

SWING AWAY:
Iowa out-hit Ohio State in both wins last weekend. The Hawkeyes have enjoyed success this season when notching more hits than their opponents. The Black and Gold are 14-4 when out-hitting their opponents.

DERMODY STAYS SHARP:
Matt Dermody had another solid outing Saturday at Ohio State. The sophomore took the no decision despite another strong showing, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits while striking out four in six innings. Dermody has not allowed more than three earned runs over his last six starts. The Norwalk, Iowa, native has won four games in 2011 (4-5). As a freshman a year ago, Dermody went 3-2.

`Q’:
Mike McQuillan, known as `Q’ by his teammates and coaches, leads Iowa with a .317 batting average. The junior leads the Hawkeyes with 19 multiple hit games, including 13 two-hit outings and six three-hit games. The Evergreen Park, Ill., native leads the team with nine multiple RBI games. McQuillan leads Iowa with 30 RBI this season, 18 of which have come during conference play. In addition, the junior has raised his average to .375 in Big Ten play.

DOUBLES MACHINE:
Catcher Tyson Blaser has recorded 16 doubles this season, a total that ranks first on the team and third in the Big Ten.

CLOSING IT OUT:
The Hawkeyes have enjoyed late-inning success this season. Iowa owns a 17-3 record when leading after six innings, including an 8-1 record in conference play.

START QUICK:
Iowa has enjoyed success this season when getting on the board early. The Hawkeyes are 8-4 when scoring in the first inning and are 15-9 when scoring first.

PATIENTLY WAITING:
Iowa has been patient at the plate in 2011. The Hawkeyes have walked 213 times, the most in the Big Ten. Purdue ranks second with 212.

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

NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND:
Tyson Blaser is enjoying success behind the dish in 2011. The senior has thrown out 20 base runners. He gunned down 13 all of last year. Sophomore Keith Brand has thrown out six.

A LITTLE SMALL BALL:
Iowa has laid down 81 sacrifice bunts this season; the third most nationally and the most in the Big Ten. Zach McCool ranks first in the conference and 10th nationally with 16 sacrifices.

BRAND MAKES HIS MARK:
Keith Brand did not see action in 2010. In 2011, the redshirt freshman is batting (.280). The walk-on has 12 RBIs. Brand has recorded four multi-hit games and five multiple RBI games.

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. Trevor Willis has tallied an eight-game streak and Kurt Lee has recorded a seven-game streak. McQuillan had a 15-game conference hitting streak, it ended May 8 against Penn State. Taylor Zeutenhorst currently leads the team with a seven-game streak.

BIG HITTERS:
Twelve Hawkeyes, Mike McQuillan (19), Tyson Blaser (15), Trevor Willis (14), Chett Zeise (12), Kurt Lee (10), Zach McCool (eight), Bryan Niedbalski (seven), Andrew Ewing (six), Taylor Zeutenhorst (six), Phil Keppler (five), Keith Brand (four), and Kasey Carling (three) and have recorded multiple multi-hit games this year. Ten 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.

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).

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 36 career doubles to go along with his home run and triple. Blaser leads Iowa with 16 doubles this season. The 14 doubles are the third most in the Big Ten.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

HEADSHOTS AVAILABLE:
Up-to-date head shots of all Iowa players and coaches are available on the internet at pics.hawkeyebaseball.com. Contact the Iowa Sports Information office if you are in need of additional photos.

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.

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.

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, are on sale. 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. 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.