Hawkeyes, Huskers Set for First Ever Big Ten Series

April 5, 2012

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Complete Release

THE SETTING:
Iowa travels to Nebraska for the first ever Big Ten match-up between the two schools this weekend. The two will play a three-game set in Lincoln, Neb., beginning Friday at 6:35 p.m. The Hawkeyes (12-14, 3-3), winners of three-of their last four, and Huskers (20-11, 3-3) will also play at 2:05 p.m. on Saturday and at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday. All games will be played at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

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.

ON THE AIR:
Fans can catch this weekend’s three-game series at Nebraska online at hawkeyesports.com and on the radio at AM-800 KXIC (Friday and Saturday) and AM-1360 KMJM (Saturday and Sunday). The radio voice of the Iowa baseball team, Brent Balbinot, and Steve Duncan will call the action. Friday’s contest can also be seen live on BTN.com.

DAHM EARNS WIN NO. 200:
Iowa won at Indiana on March 31, 4-0, giving head coach Jack Dahm his 200th win at the helm of the Hawkeye program. He ranks third all-time in victories at Iowa behind Duane Banks and Otto Vogel with 202 career wins.

A FIRST FOR TWO FAMILIAR FOES:
The Hawkeyes and Huskers will be facing-off for the first time as conference foes this weekend. The two teams have played every year but one (2008 – cancelled due to rain) since 2005. Iowa and Nebraska have split the last two meetings. The Huskers won a 7-3 decision last year in Lincoln while the Hawkeyes won a 5-2 decision in Iowa City in 2010. Nebraska leads the all-time series, 12-9.

GOOD START OUT OF THE GATE:
The Hawkeyes took 2-of-3 from Northwestern from March 23-25 at Duane Banks Field in their Big Ten opening series. It marked the first time Iowa won a conference opening series since 1998 when it took three-of-four from Michigan State. The Black and Gold are in a tie for fifth place (3-3) with Nebraska and Northwestern entering this weekend’s conference slate.

HAWKEYES TAKE 2 FROM JACKRABBITS:
The Black and Gold swept South Dakota State in a two-game set April 3-4 at Duane Banks Field. On Tuesday, the Hawkeyes downed the Jackrabbits, 6-2. Andrew Hedrick started and recorded his second career victory (2-0). The freshman pitched five and two-thirds, allowing two runs on three hits. He struck out one Jackrabbit. Iowa defeated South Dakota State on Wednesday, 11-4. Ricky Sandquist made his first start of the season and took a no-decision. The junior allowed four runs in five innings. He struck out two Jackrabbits. The Hawkeye offense collected 25 hits, including three doubles and two triples, in the two games. Phil Keppler (5-for-6, 2 RBI, 3 runs), Mike McQuillan (4-for-5, 1 RBI, 5 runs), Jake Yacinich (3-for-5, 4 RBI, 2 runs) and Chett Zeise (4-for-8, 2 RBI, 3 runs) led the Hawkeye offense. Yacinich tallied his first career triple and a career-high four RBI in the win.

ROAD WARRIORS:
The Hawkeyes hit the road this weekend for the second time in Big Ten play after dropping 2-of-3 at Indiana last weekend in its opening conference road series. Iowa’s first 16 games to start the season were away from Iowa City. The Hawkeyes opened at the 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). The Black and Gold then visited Clarksville, Tenn. for the Austin Peay/Riverview Inn Classic (March 2-4). The Hawkeyes also played seven games in seven days in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in Winter Haven, Fla. (March 10-16). Iowa is 6-8 this season in neutral site games, 1-4 in true road games, and 5-2 at Duane Banks Field.

IOWA DROPS 2-OF-3 AT INDIANA:
The Hawkeyes lost 2-of-3 at Indiana last weekend in their first Big Ten road series of the year. Iowa fell on Friday, 10-7, before blanking the Hoosiers on Saturday, 4-0. The win marked the 200th career victory at Iowa for head coach Jack Dahm. Matt Dermody started and pitched a gem in the win. The junior tossed a season-high seven innings, allowing zero runs while scattering four hits. He struck out three Hoosiers to earn his first victory of the season. Iowa fell at Indiana on Sunday, 10-5, in the rubber match of the three-game set. The Hawkeyes led 5-0 heading to the bottom of the fourth before Indiana scored the final 10 runs of the game to earn the series-clinching victory.

SCOUTING THE HUSKERS:
Nebraska is 20-11 overall and 3-3 in its inaugural season of Big Ten play. The Huskers won 2-of-3 in their conference opening series against Illinois at home before dropping 2-of-3 at Northwestern last weekend. Nebraska played a mid-week contest this week, winning at Kansas State Tuesday, 6-0. The Huskers are 12-5 at home. Nebraska is coached by Darin Erstad. He is in his first season as head coach.

HOME SWEET HOME:
Iowa has won five of its first seven home games after playing its first 16 games of the season on the road. The Hawkeyes defeated Grand View, 20-1, on March 21 in their home opener before taking two-of-three from Northwestern to open the conference slate. Iowa fell to Nebraska-Omaha on March 28, 3-1. The Black and Gold swept South Dakota State in a two-game set April 3-4.

IOWA QUICK HITS:
– Iowa is 8-2 when scoring six or more runs.
– The Hawkeyes are 11-1 when leading after eight innings.
– Iowa’s pitching staff has yielded two or fewer runs seven times this year (6-1).
– The Hawkeyes are 8-3 when out-hitting their opponent.
– Senior Nick Brown has four career saves, all coming this season. The former starter ranks fifth in the Big Ten in saves.

HAWKEYES SCORE SEASON-HIGH 20 IN HOME OPENING WIN:
Iowa defeated Grand View on March 21 in its home opener at Duane Banks Field, 20-1. The Hawkeye offense scored a season-high 20 runs and belted out 15 hits. It marked the first time Iowa scored 20 or more runs since March 18, 2009, when it won at Tennessee-Martin, 25-6. It also marked Iowa’s largest margin of victory since the win over Tennessee-Martin. Thirteen Hawkeyes tallied hits. Sean Flanagan became the second Iowa player this season to launch two home runs in a single game (Senior Chett Zeise recorded two in a 17-3 win over Akron on March 2). The senior finished 2-for-2 with five RBI and two runs. Sophomore Taylor Zeutenhorst registered his first career home run as well. Mike McQuillan, Phil Keppler and Ryan Rumpf each tallied two RBI. Freshman Jake Yacinich tallied his fifth multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-5 with a run scored. Yacinich was playing against his grandfather Lou, who is Grand View’s head coach. Andrew Hedrick started and earned his first career win. The freshman pitched five innings in his second career start, allowing one run while scattering seven hits. He struck out three Vikings.

STRIKING FIRST:
Iowa has scored first in its last six contests. The Hawkeyes are 3-3 in those games. The Black and Gold are 6-8 when scoring first and are 5-4 when scoring in the first inning.

BIG HITS:
Iowa out-hit South Dakota State in both games of its mid-week set. The Hawkeyes are 8-3 when out-hitting their opponent. In addition, Iowa is 4-2 when scoring 6-9 runs and undefeated (4-0) when tallying 10 or more runs.

STEALING HOME:
Mike McQuillan stole home on April 3 in the win over South Dakota State as Iowa executed a double steal. It marked the first time a Hawkeye stole home since Trevor Willis accomplished the feat at Mississippi State on March 25 of last year.

THE SECOND FRAME:
Iowa has outscored its opponents this season, 141-125. The Hawkeyes have scored 23 runs in the second inning, while limiting opponents to six runs.

IF IT’S FAIR, IT’S GONE:
Sean Flanagan became the second Iowa player this season to launch two home runs in a single game in the 20-1 win over Grand View on March 21. The senior finished 2-for-2 with five RBI and two runs. Fellow senior Chett Zeise also recorded two long balls in a 17-3 win over Akron on March 2. Sophomore Taylor Zeutenhorst registered his first career home run in the win over Grand View as well.

PLUNK
Iowa has been hit-by-pitch 43 times, marking the most of any Big Ten team, and 40th nationally. Nebraska is second with 36. Senior Sean Flanagan ranks second in the Big Ten with nine HBPs and sophomore Keith Brand ranks tied for ninth with six. The Hawkeyes have been hit six times in one game twice (March 2 vs. Akron and March 4 vs. Youngstown State). Flanagan was hit three times against Youngstown State.

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. The Hawkeyes defeated Eastern Illinois, 2-1, on March 12. Iowa scored two in the final frame to earn the victory. The Hawkeyes were tied with Northwestern in the ninth on March 23, 2-2, before scoring the game-winning run in the final at-bat. Iowa is 3-4 in one-run decisions, 3-2 in two-run games and 1-1 in extra innings. The Hawkeyes are 11-1 when leading after eight innings.

STREAKERS:
Chett Zeise is currently riding a five-game hit streak. Mike McQuillan enjoyed a 14-game hitting streak earlier this season, marking the longest for Iowa this year. McQuillan and Zeise lead the Black and Gold in multi-hit games with nine. Freshman Jake Yacinich leads Iowa with four multiple RBI contests.

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 485-538-2 all-time (286-278-2 at Creighton, 202-26 at Iowa).

FRESH STARTS:
Eleven Hawkeye freshmen have seen action to open the season. Andrew Hedrick, Nick Hibbing, Taylor Kaufman and Sasha Kuebel have seen action on the mound, and Jake Yacinich, Ryan Rumpf, Jake Mangler, Kris Goodman, Anthony Torres, Nick Day 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.

SPRING TRIP RECAP:
The Hawkeyes played seven games in seven days in Winter Haven, Fla., at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational for their annual spring trip. Iowa opened with losses to Georgetown (6-1) on March 10 and Illinois State (10-6) on March 11 before winning two-straight against Eastern Illinois (2-1) on March 12 and Bucknell (8-6) on March 13. On March 14, Iowa staged a late-inning rally but ultimately fell to Long Island, 5-3. The Hawkeyes closed the trip with a 6-3 win over Jacksonville State on Thursday and a 5-1 loss to Army on Friday.

LEADING THE WAY IN WINTER HAVEN:
Mike McQuillan led the Iowa offense on the spring trip, batting .450 (9-of-20) in the seven games. The senior scored 10 runs, while notching two doubles, three stolen bases and six walks. On the mound, Sasha Kuebel started against Eastern Illinois and recorded his first career win. The freshman pitched eight stellar innings. He allowed one run and scattered seven hits. He struck out seven while allowing no walks. Nick Brown notched his first win of the season in a win over Jacksonville State on Iowa’s spring trip. He pitched an inning and two-thirds out of the bullpen, allowing no runs and no hits. In addition, the senior registered his first career save, as he notched the save in Iowa’s wins over Eastern Illinois and Bucknell.

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 March 4 against Youngstown State. 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.

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. (March 2-4). 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 were 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 the win over Akron on March 2, throwing eight strong innings, allowing three runs while scattering 10 hits. Dermody got a no-decision on March 3 at Austin Peay, throwing six and two-thirds, striking out seven batters, and allowing only two runs.

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 on Feb. 26 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.

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. He ranks first in the Big Ten this season with 44.2 innings pitched.

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. He struck out nine on March 24 in a hard-luck loss to Northwestern. Dermody started and pitched a gem in the win on March 31 at Indiana. The Norwalk, Iowa, native tossed a season-high seven innings, allowing zero runs while scattering four hits. He struck out three Hoosiers to earn his first victory of the season.

NEWCOMER ON THE MOUND:
Freshman LHP Sasha Kuebel is the third starter in the Hawkeye rotation. The St. Louis native was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 31st round of the 2011 MLB Draft. He was the Missouri State Pitcher of the Year as a senior. In his first start for the Hawkeyes 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 on Feb. 26 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. Kuebel started against Eastern Illinois on March 12 and recorded his first career win. The freshman pitched eight stellar innings. He allowed one run and scattered seven hits. He struck out seven while allowing no walks. Kuebel made his first career Big Ten start on March 25 against Northwestern and earned his second win of the season to move to 2-0. The freshman tossed seven complete innings, allowing one unearned run while scattering two hits. He struck out one Wildcat and allowed only one walk.

`Q’:
Mike McQuillan, known as `Q’ by his teammates and coaches, returns for his senior 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 in his first three seasons, led Iowa in batting average (.330), hits (66), at-bats (200), RBI (31), walks (27) and on-base percentage (.410) a year ago. He is batting .341 this season and leads the team with 31 hits. McQuillan registered a team-leading 14-game hit streak earlier this season.

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 opened 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.

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 host Western Illinois at Duane Banks Field on April 10 at 6:35 p.m. Iowa then travels to TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., for a double-header on April 14. The Hawkeyes will play South Dakota State at 10:05 a.m. before facing Creighton at 2:05 p.m.