May 24, 2011
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Four University of Iowa baseball student-athletes earned all-Big Ten recognition Tuesday. Iowa’s honorees include Jarred Hippen, Tyson Blaser, Trevor Willis and Taylor Zeutenhorst. Blaser was also named Iowa baseball’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree.
Hippen, Iowa’s Friday starter, earned second team all-league honors for the second consecutive year. The junior, who was named College Baseball Daily’s Preseason Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, finished 4-6 in 14 starts. He tallied four complete games and one complete game shutout, and was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week twice (May 2 and May 16). The four complete games rank 33rd in the nation. Hippen ranked seventh in the Big Ten with a 3.14 ERA and third in innings pitched at 94.2. The 94.2 innings pitched are the eighth-most in a single season at Iowa. The lefty tied for third in the conference with 61 strikeouts. Twenty-six batters struck out looking against the Rock Falls, Ill., native, tying him for the most in the conference. In Big Ten games only, he led the league in innings pitched (60.2), ranked second in strikeouts (41) and fifth in ERA (2.67). Opposing batters hit only .235 off Hippen in Big Ten games, the third lowest average of any pitcher.
Blaser, a five-time Unity Council Member and three-time Academic all-Big Ten honoree, earns his first postseason Big Ten honor. The redshirt senior was named third team all-conference. He started 49 games, including 41 at catcher, for the Hawkeyes. He led Iowa and ranked tied for second in the Big Ten with 18 doubles. The 18 doubles are tied for the fourth-most in a season in school history. Blaser, who hails from Taylor Ridge, Ill., ranked second among Big Ten catchers with a .306 batting average in all games and a .322 average in conference games only. He was one of the best catchers in the conference, throwing out 20 runners attempting to steal.
Willis started all 52 games in centerfield for Iowa en route to being named a third team honoree. The senior led the Big Ten and ranked second in the country with a career-high nine triples. Also, the nine triples established a new school single-season record. He batted .271 and recorded 15 multi-hit games to rank third on the team. In back-to-back contests against Mississippi State (March 4-5), he tallied consecutive four-hit games, which earned him Big Ten Player of the Week accolades. The Homer Glen, Ill., native ranked second on the team with seven multiple RBI games and 26 total RBI.
Zeutenhorst, a freshman outfielder, was named to the conference’s all-freshman squad. He appeared in 36 games, including 22 starts. In 88 at-bats, he batted .261 with 15 RBI. In Big Ten games only, the Sheldon, Iowa, native batted .320 to rank second among Big Ten freshmen outfielders. Twelve of his 15 RBI came in league games. He ranked third on the team with 10 two-out RBI.
Thirty-two Hawkeyes have earned all-Big Ten honors under eighth-year head coach Jack Dahm, including four each of the last two years.