Iowa Travels to Omaha for Saturday Doubleheader

April 11, 2012

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Complete Release

THE SETTING:
Iowa returns to action Saturday with a doubleheader at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb. The Hawkeyes (14-16, 4-5) will face South Dakota State at 10 a.m. followed by host Creighton at 2 p.m. in a pair of non-conference contests.

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 games at TD Ameritrade online at hawkeyesports.com and on the radio at AM-1360 KMJM (Creighton game). Steven Grace will call the action.

SCOUTING THE JACKRABBITS:
The Hawkeyes are 2-0 against South Dakota State this season. Iowa defeated the Jackrabbits on April 3 (6-2) and April 4 (11-4) at Duane Banks Field. South Dakota State is 9-17-1 this season. The Jackrabbits play Minnesota Wednesday night and will play at Creighton Friday. South Dakota State is coached by Dave Schrage. Schrage coached at Northern Iowa from 1991-99.

SCOUTING THE BLUEJAYS:
Creighton is coached by Ed Servais. He is in his ninth season at the helm of the program. The Bluejays are 14-16 this season after losing at Nebraska Tuesday night, 5-3. Creighton, 7-6 at home this season, will play South Dakota State Friday night. The Hawkeyes and Bluejays will also play at TD Ameritrade Park, the home site of the College World Series, on May 15 at noon.

FAMILIAR FACE:
Iowa head coach Jack Dahm spent 18 years as a member of the Creighton Bluejays baseball program. He left the Bluejays as the second winningest coach in school history behind Jim Hendry, having compiled 283 wins against 276 losses in 10 seasons as head coach. Dahm also played at Creighton (1986-89) and served as an assistant coach before taking over as head coach.

ALL-TIME SERIES:
The Hawkeyes are 3-3 all-time against South Dakota State after sweeping two from the Jackrabbits earlier this season at Duane Banks Field. Iowa is 11-12 all-time against Creighton. The Bluejays won last year’s match-up, 5-3, in Iowa City.

APPROACHING THE HOME STRETCH:
Iowa has played 30 games this season. The Hawkeyes, 14-16 overall, have 21 regular season games remaining. Iowa has 11 home games left and 10 road games remaining. The schedule features five more Big Ten series and six non-conference games. The Big Ten Tournament begins May 23 in Columbus, Ohio.

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 204 career wins.

HAWKEYES RALLY IN NINTH TO DOWN WESTERN ILLINOIS:
Iowa rallied to beat Western Illinois Tuesday night at Duane Banks Field on a game-winning bases loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth, 8-7. Trailing 7-5 entering the bottom of the ninth, senior Phil Keppler singled with one out to start the Hawkeye rally. Sophomore Bryan Niedbalski walked to put runners at first and second. With two down, sophomore Keith Brand walked to load the bases. Freshman Eric Toole singled up the middle to score two runs and even the score up at 7-7. Junior Andrew Host was hit by a pitch to load the bases again. Senior Mike McQuillan walked to score freshman Nick Day from third and give Iowa the 8-7 win. The Iowa offense, led by senior Chett Zeise and freshmen Jake Yacinich and Toole, out-hit Western Illinois, 12-8. Zeise notched his 10th multi-hit and second three-hit game of the year, finishing 3-for-5 with an RBI. Yacinich went 2-for-5 with a run scored. Toole tallied his third-career multi-hit contest and first career multiple RBI game, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. The Hawkeyes improved to 10-3 when recording more hits than their opponents this season. Andrew Hedrick started and took a no-decision. The freshman tossed four innings, allowing one run on two hits. He struck out a season-high six Leathernecks. His previous high was five against Bucknell (March 13) and Grand View (March 21). Nick Hibbing and Andrew Hanse saw action out of the Iowa bullpen before Taylor Kaufman entered to earn the win. The freshman pitched the final two innings, allowing no runs on three hits. He struck out three. The Iowa pitching staff combined for 13 strikeouts, one shy of its season high (14 versus Northwestern on March 24).

HOME SWEET HOME:
Iowa has won six of its first eight home games. 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 defeated Western Illinois Tuesday night, 8-7.

ROAD WARRIORS:
The Hawkeyes hit the road this weekend for the third-straight time. 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, 2-6 in true road games, and 6-2 at Duane Banks Field.

KEPPLER EARNS BIG TEN WEEKLY HONOR:
Phil Keppler was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday. It marked the senior’s first career weekly honor. The Manchester, Iowa, native collected 11 hits in 15 at-bats (.733) over five games last week, while driving in seven runs and scoring five. He notched his first triple and home run of the season. In addition, Keppler registered three walks and a sacrifice fly while posting an on-base percentage of .778 and a slugging percentage of 1.067.

IOWA WINS FIRST GAME AT NEBRASKA:
Last weekend, the Hawkeyes lost 2-of-3 at Nebraska in their second Big Ten road series of the year. Iowa won at Nebraska on Friday night, 4-3, in the first ever Big Ten meeting between the two programs. The win marked the first ever for the Hawkeyes at Nebraska. Jarred Hippen earned his third victory of the season (3-3). The senior pitched seven and a third innings, allowing three runs on eight hits. He struck out six Huskers while allowing only one walk. Nick Brown closed out the final inning and two-thirds to seal the victory for Iowa. The senior earned his fifth save of the season while allowing no runs on zero hits. He struck out two Huskers. Iowa dropped the middle game of the three-game set, 9-4, on Saturday. The Hawkeyes let one slip away on Sunday. The visitors led 8-4 in the eighth inning before ultimately falling, 9-8.

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.

IOWA QUICK HITS:
– Iowa is 9-3 when scoring six or more runs.
– The Hawkeyes are 12-2 when leading after eight innings.
– Iowa’s pitching staff has yielded two or fewer runs seven times this year (6-1).
– The Hawkeyes are 10-3 when out-hitting their opponent.
– Senior Nick Brown has five career saves, all coming this season. The former starter ranks tied for second in the Big Ten in saves.
– Iowa is 8-1 when playing errorless baseball.

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 eight of its last 10 contests. The Hawkeyes are 5-5 in those games. The Black and Gold are 7-9 when scoring first and are 5-5 when scoring in the first inning.

BIG HITS:
Iowa out-hit Western Illinois Tuesday night, 12-8. The Hawkeyes are 10-3 when out-hitting their opponent. In addition, Iowa is 5-3 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, 165-153. The Hawkeyes have scored 25 runs in the second inning, while limiting opponents to eight 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 50 times, marking the most of any Big Ten team, and 33rd nationally. Indiana is second with 40. Senior Sean Flanagan ranks second in the Big Ten with nine HBPs. 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:
Three of Iowa’s last four games have been decided by one run. The Hawkeyes are 2-1 in those games. Overall, Iowa is 5-5 in one-run decisions, 3-2 in two-run games and 1-1 in extra innings. The Hawkeyes are 12-2 when leading after eight innings.

STREAKERS:
Mike McQuillan enjoyed a 13-game hitting streak earlier this season, marking the longest for Iowa this year. He is currently riding a six-game streak along with senior Phil Keppler. McQuillan and Chett Zeise lead the Black and Gold in multi-hit games with 11 and 10, respectively. 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 487-540-2 all-time (286-278-2 at Creighton, 204-264 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.

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.

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. 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 58.1 innings pitched.

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.

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 .352 this season and leads the team with 38 hits. McQuillan registered a team-leading 13-game hit streak earlier this season. He is currently riding a six-game streak.

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.

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 Bradley at Duane Banks Field on April 18 at 6:05 p.m. Iowa then returns to Big Ten action when it hosts Penn State for a three-game set at Duane Banks Field, April 20-22. The Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions will open the series at 6:05 p.m. on Friday, April 20.