Iowa Set for Annual Spring Break Trip

March 6, 2012

• Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone app!
• Take the Hawkeyes With You: Iowa Podcasts
• Iowa and the Big Ten Network
• Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
• 24 Hawkeyes to Watch

Complete Release

THE SETTING:
Iowa continues action this weekend when it travels to the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational for its annual spring trip. The Black and Gold will play seven games in seven days. The Hawkeyes open with Georgetown at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Iowa also plays Illinois State on Sunday (1 p.m.), Eastern Illinois on Monday (4 p.m.), Bucknell on Tuesday (4 p.m.), Long Island on Wednesday (1 p.m.), Jacksonville State on Thursday (9 a.m.) and Army on Friday (10 a.m.) All times are central and all games will be played in Winter Haven, Fla.

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.

ROAD WARRIORS:
Iowa’s first 16 games to start the season are away from Iowa City. This will be the final road trip for the Hawkeyes before they open their home slate March 21 against Grand View at Duane Banks Field. Iowa opened the season at the annual Big Ten/Big East Challenge in Tampa, Fla., (Feb. 17-19), before traveling to the Coastal Carolina Tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C., (Feb. 24-26). Last weekend, the Hawkeyes won 2-of-3 at the Austin Peay/Riverview Inn Classic in Clarksville, Tenn. Iowa is 3-4 this season in neutral site games and 0-2 in true road games.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS:
Iowa’s first opponent in the Invitational, Georgetown, is 8-2 on the season. Illinois State holds a record of 7-3. Eastern Illinois stands at 4-5 while Bucknell is 6-3. Long Island holds a record of 5-6. Jacksonville State is 2-7 and Army stands at 5-4. (Note: all records as of March 5).

ALL-TIME SERIES:
The Hawkeyes have faced every spring break opponent other than Jacksonville State. Iowa holds winning records all-time against Georgetown (1-0), Bucknell (2-0), and Long Island (3-0). Illinois State (8-10), Eastern Illinois (2-3) and Army (0-1) lead the all-time series against the Hawkeyes.

6 NAMED TO AUSTIN PEAY ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM:
Six University of Iowa baseball student-athletes were named to the Riverview Inn Classic All-Tournament team after Iowa won 2-of-3 games in Clarkesville, Tenn. Shortstop Jake Yacinich, outfielder Kris Goodman, pitchers Matt Dermody and Jarred Hippen, designated hitter Ryan Rumpf and utility player Jake Mangler were recognized. Four of the six of the honorees are freshmen. Yacinich had five hits, two of which were doubles, scored five runs and had four RBI. Rumpf combined for a team-best seven hits in the three games, collecting two triples and a double to go along with six RBI. Mangler had four hits, a team-best seven RBI and scored three runs. Goodman had six hits and scored four runs. Hippen got his first win of the season in Friday’s win over Akron, throwing eight strong innings, allowing three runs while scattering 10 hits. Dermody got a no-decision, throwing six and two-thirds, striking out seven batters, and allowing only two runs.

WEEKEND RECAP
The Hawkeyes won 2-of-3 last weekend at the Austin Peay/Riverview Inn Classic in Clarksville, Tenn. Iowa scored 26 runs while pounding out 41 hits, including 10 doubles, three triples and two home runs. In addition, the Black and Gold swiped eight bases.

GAME 1 – AKRON
Iowa defeated Akron last Friday, 17-3. The 17 runs marked the most since the Hawkeyes defeated Michigan State on April 3 last year, 19-7. The Iowa offense belted out 15 hits, including seven extra-base hits. Senior Chett Zeise led the way, recording four RBI, two home runs and a double. Zeise is the first Hawkeye since Trevor Willis in 2010 to record two long balls in a single game. Zeise, and freshman Ryan Rumpf (2-for-5 with three RBI), Jake Yacinich (2-for-4), and Kris Goodman (3-for-6) each recorded multi-hit games. Jarred Hippen started and recorded the win. The senior pitched eight innings, allowing three runs while scattering 10 hits. He struck out six. Junior Andrew Hanse pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the Hawkeyes.

GAME 2 – AUSTIN PEAY
The Hawkeyes dropped a 4-3 decision at Austin Peay in 10 innings Saturday. The Hawkeyes led 3-1 entering the bottom of the seventh. Matt Dermody started and took a no-decision. The junior pitched six and two-thirds innings, allowing two runs while scattering five hits. He struck out seven, one shy of his career high.

GAME 3 – YOUNGSTOWN STATE
Iowa defeated Youngstown State last Sunday in a back-and-forth game that lasted 10 innings and four hours and 31 minutes, 16-15. The Hawkeyes won on a game-ending pinch-hit double by Taylor Zeutenhorst. Iowa scored at least one run in every inning except the first two frames. The Iowa offense belted out a season-high 20 hits, including six extra-base hits. Freshman Ryan Rumpf led the way with four hits (4-for-7), two RBI and a triple. Six other Hawkeyes, Mike McQuillan (2-for-6 with an RBI), Jake Mangler (2-for-6 with a career-high four RBI), Dan Sheppard (3-for-6 with two RBI), Keith Brand (2-for-4 with an RBI), Jake Yacinich (3-for-3 with two RBI) and Kris Goodman (2-for-6), tallied multi-hit games.

RUMPF GARNERS ACCOLADE:
College Sports Madness named Ryan Rumpf its Big Ten Baseball Player of the Week on March 6 for his efforts in the Austin Peay Tournament. The freshman went 7-for-17 with two runs, two triples, a double, six RBI and 12 total bases in the three games. In addition, Rumpf earned the win for Iowa on Sunday. He opened the game as the Hawkeyes’ designated hitter before moving to the mound in the 10th. Rumpf pitched two-thirds of an inning and allowed no hits. He struck out two while recording his first career victory.

KUEBEL EARNS WEEKLY HONOR:
Sasha Kuebel was named Big Ten co-Freshman of the Week on Feb. 27. The left-handed starter garnered his first career weekly honor. Kuebel (6-1, 200) started and took a no-decision despite a stellar outing against Virginia Tech in the Caravelle Resort Baseball at the Beach Tournament. In his second career start, the rookie pitched seven and a third, allowing one run on three hits. He struck out three Hokies.

CLOSE CALLS:
The Hawkeyes held a lead or were tied in the eighth inning of all three Big Ten/Big East Challenge games in the opening weekend. On Feb. 24, Iowa dropped a 1-0 decision at Coastal Carolina and led Virginia Tech on Feb. 26, 3-0, in the eighth before ultimately falling, 4-3. Iowa dropped a 10-inning game at Austin Peay on March 3, 4-3, and won a 10-inning game against Youngstown State on March 4, 16-15.

FRESH STARTS:
Nine Hawkeye freshmen have seen action during the first six games. Andrew Hedrick, Nick Hibbing, Taylor Kaufman and Sasha Kuebel have seen action on the mound, and Jake Yacinich, Ryan Rumpf, Jake Mangler, Kris Goodman and Eric Toole have seen action in the field.

HAWKEYE SENIORS:
The Hawkeyes have 11 seniors on the roster: LHP/DH Patrick Brennan, RHP Nick Brown, SS Kasey Carling, UT Andrew Ewing, RHP Tim Fangman, OF/IF Sean Flanagan, LHP, Jarred Hippen, IF/RHP Phil Keppler, RHP Patrick Lala, IF Mike McQuillan and IF Chett Zeise.

ONE THOUSAND
Iowa’s first game of the season against Pittsburgh, a 7-5 victory, marked the 1,000th career game for head coach Jack Dahm. He is 474-526-2 all-time (283-276-2 at Creighton, 191-250 at Iowa).

HIPPEN GARNERS PRESEASON ATTENTION:
Jarred Hippen, a senior left-hander, is a two-time second team All-Big Ten honoree and a 2010 All-Big Ten Tournament team selection. He was one of three pitchers named to the 2012 Big Ten Preseason All-Conference First Team by College Sports Madness.

ACES WILD – HIPPEN:
Jarred Hippen has been Iowa’s ace since his freshman campaign. A year ago, Hippen started 14 games. He tossed four complete games and one complete game shutout. Hippen nearly threw a perfect game, allowing only one hit at Minnesota (Apr. 29). The outing marked Iowa’s first one-hitter since Troy Wulf one-hit Southwest Missouri State on March 14, 1998. Hippen tossed 94.2 innings and recorded an ERA of 3.14, finishing with a 4-6 record.

ACES WILD – DERMODY:
Left-hander Matt Dermody returns for his junior season. He was selected in Major League Baseball’s 2011 First-Year Player Draft by the Colorado Rockies in the 29th round (888th pick). Dermody finished 4-6 in 2011, and led the Big Ten with 75 strikeouts, which tied for 10th-most in a season in Iowa history.

WELCOME BACK!:
After a three-week hiatus to start the season, “Whistling” Ray Gilmore returns to the team as its official scorekeeper.

NEWCOMER ON THE MOUND:
Freshman LHP Sasha Kuebel is the third starter in the Hawkeye rotation to open the season. The St. Louis native was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 31st round (946th pick) of the 2011 MLB Draft. He was the Missouri State Pitcher of the Year as a senior. In his first start for the Hawkeyes last on Feb. 19 against West Virginia, Kuebel got a no-decision, throwing four and a third, allowing two runs on four hits. In his second career start last Sunday against Virginia Tech, the rookie pitched seven and a third, allowing one run on three hits in a no-decision. He struck out three Hokies. His performance garnered co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.

`Q’:
Mike McQuillan, known as `Q’ by his teammates and coaches, returns for his season in 2012. The Evergreen Park, Ill., native has hit over .300 in each of his first three seasons in the Black and Gold. McQuillan, who has started 133 career games, led Iowa in batting average (.330), hits (66), at-bats (200), RBI (31), walks (27) and on-base percentage (.410) a year ago.

DUANE BANKS FIELD:
In 2010, the Hawkeyes added 500 chair back seats behind home plate of Duane Banks Field. The chair backs allow Hawkeye fans to purchase season tickets. Last year, 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. The Hawkeyes open their home schedule against Grand View on March 21. Iowa opens the Big Ten slate March 23-25 with a three-game set against Northwestern. The Hawkeyes have not played the Wildcats since 2009.

THE ASSISTANT COACHES:
Head Coach Jack Dahm is assisted by coach Ryan Brownlee and pitching coach Chris Maliszewski, along with volunteer assistant coach Brian Miller and undergraduate assistant coach Dusty Napoleon. Brownlee is in his ninth season at Iowa. Over the past 11 seasons, Brownlee has had 28 players he coached or recruited drafted; two more signed free agent contracts. In the past three years, Kurtis Muller, Patrick Schatz, Steve Turnbull, Kyle Heim, Mike Schurz and recruits Matt Dermody, Dan Sheppard, Patrick Lala, Taylor Zeutenhorst, Derrick Loveless, Sasha Kuebel and Nick Hibbing 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 of the Padres and Kevin Cash of the Yankees, Joe Thatcher of the Padres, Dan Meyer of the Marlins and Luke Scott of the Astros. Last season, Brownlee coached Trevor Willis and Tyson Blaser to third team all-conference honors and helped freshman outfielder Taylor Zeutenhorst earn Big Ten All-Freshman accolades. Blaser led the Hawkeyes and tied for second in the Big Ten with 18 doubles, which ties for the fourth most in a single season in Iowa history. Additionally, Willis led the league and ranked second nationally with a career-high nine triples, which established a new school single-season record.

Maliszewski is in his fourth 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 2011, Maliszewski guided his pitching staff to one of the best seasons on the mound in Hawkeye history. Iowa registered an ERA of 4.22, the lowest since 1980 (4.14). Starting lefty Jarred Hippen earned second team all-conference laurels for the second consecutive year. Starting LHP Matt Dermody and Hippen, ranked first and third in the Big Ten, respectively, in strikeouts during the regular season. Hippen, who has thrown eight complete games in the last two seasons under Maliszewski’s tutelage, nearly threw a perfect game against Minnesota, allowing only one hit. In addition, Maliszewski helped guide newcomers Tim Fangman and Patrick Lala to successful first years in the Black and Gold. Fangman finished in the top ten in the Big Ten in numerous categories, including ERA, opposing batting average, games finished, hits allowed, runs allowed and walks allowed. Maliszewski had three players he coached or recruited drafted in 2011. Junior starting left-handed pitcher Matt Dermody was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 29th round (888th pick) and incoming recruits Sasha Kuebel and Nick Hibbing were also selected. Kuebel was picked by the Oakland Athletics in the 31st round (946) and Hibbing was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 42nd round (1262).

Miller and Napoleon are each in their first seasons on the Hawkeye staff. Miller has worked as a baseball coach since 1992, including serving as the head baseball coach at Mid-Prairie High School from 2000 to 2010. He served as the Kirkwood Community College pitching coach from 2006 to 2011. Miller also coached the Iowa City High School sophomore baseball team from 1993 to 1999 and was an assistant baseball coach at Iowa City Regina High School in 1992. Napoleon played at Iowa from 2006-07 before being drafted by Oakland in the 19th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. He played at all four minor league levels from 2007-2010 and made it to the Triple A level in 2010. As a Hawkeye, Napoleon appeared in 105 games and made 100 starts. The former catcher and first baseman led the team with 34 RBIs and tied for the team lead with two home runs in 2006 as a freshman. In 2007, Napoleon ranked third on the team with a .354 batting average. He ranked first on the team in RBI (56), walks (50), on-base percentage (.506) and was second with 12 doubles, 44 runs scored and 62 hits.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!:
Hawkeye fans can purchase 2012 Iowa baseball season tickets now. Fans can reserve their own chair backs for the 2012 season by calling the UI Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-IA-HAWKS. Reserved chair back season tickets are available for $25, while general admission season tickets are $15.

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 Athletic Communications office if you are in need of additional photos.

ON THE HORIZON:
The Hawkeyes will open their home slate March 21 against Grand View at Duane Banks Field at 4 p.m. Iowa opens Big Ten play at home, March 23-25, against Northwestern.