Iowa Opens Season at Austin Peay on Friday

Feb. 13, 2013

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Iowa Game Notes

THE MATCHUP
? Iowa opens its 2013 season on the road, playing a three-game series at Austin Peay from Feb. 15-17. The Hawkeyes and Governors play at 3 p.m. on Friday, followed by 1 p.m. matchups on Saturday and Sunday. All times are Central.

? The series will be played at Raymond C. Hand Park in Clarksville, Tenn. The 1,000 seat stadium goes 319 feet down the left field line, 392 feet to center field, and 327 feet down the right field line. The Hawkeyes played three games at the venue in 2012, posting a 2-1 record in the Austin Peay/Riverview Inn Classic.

? Austin Peay head coach Gary McClure competed at Southeastern Community College, located in West Burlington, Iowa, from 1982-84.

? Austin Peay junior A.J. Gaura played two seasons for Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

ON THE WEB
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.

THE SERIES
Iowa is 3-4 all-time against Austin Peay. The Hawkeyes and Governors met last season at the Austin Peay/Riverview Inn Classic hosted in Clarksville, Tenn. Austin Peay downed Iowa, 4-3, in 10 innings.

SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY
Austin Peay begins its season against Iowa on Feb. 15. The Governors, who went 40-24 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2012, return three players that hit .300 or better last season in junior Jordan Hankins (.326), senior Reed Harper (.327), and senior Cody Hudson (.300). Austin Peay also returns pitchers Casey Delgado and Ryan Quick, two-thirds of its 2012 starting rotation. The Governors are coached by Gary McClure, who has won 712 career games in his 25 seasons at the helm of the program.

HAWKEYES IN SEASON OPENERS
The Hawkeyes are 5-4 in season openers under head coach Jack Dahm. Iowa was victorious in its 2012 season opener, downing Pittsburgh, 7-5, on Feb. 17 in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge.

DAHM 4 WINS SHY OF 500
Iowa head coach Jack Dahm enters the 2013 season just four victories shy of 500 career wins. Dahm has coached 18 seasons, winning 283 games at Crieghton from 1994-2003 and 213 games at Iowa, beginning in 2004. His 213 wins at Iowa rank third in program history, trailing Duane Banks (810 wins) and Otto Vogel (440 wins).

1-RUN GAMES UNDER DAHM
During Jack Dahm’s nine year tenure at Iowa, the Hawkeyes have played 123 one-run games. Iowa is 57-66 in such contests. The Hawkeyes went 10-7 in one-run games in 2012, winning their final five.

PRESEASON AWARDS
Two Hawkeyes earned preseason All-Big Ten honors. Sophomore Sasha Kuebel was a Preseason All-Big Ten pick by College Sports Madness and Perfect Game. Fellow sophomore Jake Yacinich joined Kuebel on College Sports Madness’ Preseason All-Big Ten list.

Kuebel, Yacinich and senior Dan Sheppard were named to the Big Ten Watch List.

NO STRANGER TO THE BIG TEN
Senior Matt Dermody has made 17 career Big Ten starts, including Big Ten Tournament play, ranking third among active Big Ten pitchers. Dermody trails Illinois’ Kevin Johnson and Penn State’s Steven Hill, who have both started 24 career Big Ten games. The Norwalk, Iowa, native has made eight Big Ten starts in each of the last two seasons.

JAKE AND JAKE UP THE MIDDLE
Sophomores Jake Mangler and Jake Yacinich will anchor the Iowa infield in 2013, starting at second base and shortstop. The double play duo combined to start 74 games in 2012.

Mangler, a Clinton, Iowa, native, hit .287 with 37 hits, 20 runs and 14 RBIs. He had 10 multi-hit games, including two three-hit contests.

Yacinich appeared in 46 games as a true freshman with 42 starts in 2012. The Des Moines, Iowa, native hit .292, recording 47 hits with eight doubles, 24 RBIs and 24 runs scored. Yacinich also had one triple, 57 total bases, and ranked first in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally with 14 sacrifice bunts.

EXPERIENCE ON THE HILL
The Hawkeyes welcome back two-thirds of their weekend rotation, returning senior Matt Dermody and sophomore Sasha Kuebel. Kuebel will be Iowa’s No. 1 starter, while Dermody will fill the No. 2 spot.

2013 will be Dermody’s fourth year in the Iowa starting rotation. The Norwalk, Iowa, native went 1-7 in his junior campaign, posting a 4.50 ERA over 76 innings.

Kuebel tallied an unblemished 6-0 record as a freshman, recording a 2.67 ERA in 87.2 innings. The St. Louis native was chosen to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America team in 2012, as well as earning second team All-Big Ten and All-Big Ten Freshman honors.

MATHEWS CLAIMS NO. 3 STARTING SPOT
Freshman Calvin Mathews will begin 2013 as Iowa’s No. 3 starting pitcher.

The 6-foot-4, 200 pound Bloomfield, Iowa, native was the 2012 Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year and the 2012 Iowa High School Athletic Association Baseball Player of the Year. Mathews finished his high school career with a 15-1 record that included a 0.66 ERA and 176 strikeouts.

A LINEUP FULL OF YOUTH
Nine of the 10 positional players, including the designated hitter, in Iowa’s opening day will be underclassmen.

Freshman Blake Hickman will start at first base, while sophomores Jake Mangler, Nick Day, and Jake Yacinich will start at second base, third base, and shortstop.

In the outfield, sophomores Kris Goodman, Eric Toole, and Taylor Kaufman will start from left to right, while sophomore Ryan Rumpf will be Iowa’s designated hitter.

Senior Dan Sheppard, who will start at catcher, is the lone upperclassman in the lineup.

BREAKDOWN OF THE 2013 SCHEDULE
?The Hawkeyes will play 52 regular season games in 2013, including 24 home games.

?Iowa will play its first 13 games away from Iowa City.

?Iowa’s first five games will be against 2012 NCAA Tournament teams, as it opens the season with a three game series against NCAA qualifier Austin Peay before facing Oklahoma, a NCAA Super Regional squad, and New Mexico, who played in the NCAA Regionals, at the Kleberg Bank College Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas.

?The schedule includes a 12-game home stand from March 27-April 13.

?The Hawkeyes open Big Ten play March 22-24 in Evanston, Ill., against Northwestern.

?During Big Ten play, Iowa hosts Indiana, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Michgan State at Duane Banks Field. The Hawkeyes go on the road to face Northwestern, Penn State, Michigan and Purdue. The top six teams will advance to the 2013 Big Ten Tournament at Target Field in Minneapolis.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN
?Of the 33-man roster, 24 are underclassmen. The Hawkeyes roster features 11 true freshmen, one redshirt freshman, 10 true sophomores, and two redshirt sophomores. Iowa has four juniors and five seniors.

?The Hawkeyes have 15 Iowa natives on its roster, the most of any state. Illinois is second with 10.

?Iowa boasts two sets of high school teammates. Senior Ben Bergman and sophomore Nick Day both prepped at Solon High School in Solon, Iowa, while freshmen Josh Martsching and Calvin Mathews both attended Davis County High School in Bloomfield, Iowa.

?The Hawkeyes return 19 letterwinners, seven starters, and six pitchers from their 2012 team.

NEWCOMERS
Iowa has 12 newcomers to its roster — 11 freshmen and one junior college transfer. Junior Trevor Kenyon (6-0, 200, 1B/C, Davenport, Iowa) joins the Hawkeyes after spending two years at Black Hawk College . Freshmen new to the roster include: John Barrett (6-3, 180, UTIL, Moline, Ill.), Quinten Conrad (6-3, 190, C/RHP, Elkhorn, Neb.), Jimmy Frankos (5-11, 200, C/UTIL, Park Ridge, Ill.), Blake Hickman (6-5, 210, C/1B, Chicago, Ill.), Jared Mandel (5-10, 150, LHP, Mundelin, Ill.), Josh Martsching (6-2, 185, SS/RHP, Bloomfield, Iowa), Calvin Mathews (6-4, 200, RHP, Bloomfield, Iowa), Devin Pickett (6-2, 190, IF, Flossmoor, Ill.), Jackson Raimo (6-4, 170, RHP, Albany, N.Y.), Jack Richmond (6-4, 189, LHP, Evanston, Ill.), and Nick Roscetti (6-3, 175, IF, Sherman, Ill.).

NEW LOOK COACHING STAFF
For only the second time in University of Iowa head coach Jack Dahm’s tenure, there has been a shake-up in the Hawkeye coaching staff. Iowa will have a new hitting and pitching coach in 2013.

Zach Dillon will be the team’s hitting coach. Dillon joins the Hawkeyes as a full-time assistant after serving the 2012 season as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater Baylor. The former West Des Moines Dowling standout served as a volunteer assistant at Iowa in 2010 and 2011.

Veteran head coach Jim Brownlee joins the Hawkeyes as the interim pitching coach, returning to the college game after retiring at Illinois State in 2009. During his 30 years as a head coach, Brownlee won 854 games.

Former Hawkeye Brian Furlong is also new to the program, as he enters his first season as Iowa’s director of baseball operations. In the newly-created role, Furlong will serve as the director of the Iowa Baseball Academy, while serving as the team’s video and travel coordinator and assisting with on-campus recruiting.

Brian Miller returns for his second season in the Hawkeye dugout, serving as a volunteer assistant coach.

DRAFTED PLAYERS ON THE 2013 ROSTER
Six current Hawkeyes have been drafted by in Major League Baseball’s First-Year Play Draft. The following players have been drafted:

Matt Dermody

• 2009 – Pittsburgh Pirates, 26th round (775th pick)
• 2011 – Colorado Rockies, 29th round (888th pick)
• 2012 – Arizona Diamondbacks, 23rd round (723rd pick)

Nick Hibbing

• 2011 – Pittsburgh Pirates, 42nd round (1,262nd pick)

Blake Hickman

• 2012 – Chicago Cubs, 20th round (614th pick)

Sasha Kuebel

• 2011 – Oakland Athletics, 31st round (946th pick)

Dan Sheppard

• 2009 – Chicago Cubs, 30th round (920th pick)

Taylor Zeutenhorst

• 2010 – Philadelphia Phillies, 41st round (1,251st pick)

HAWKEYES SIGN 5 FOR 2014 SEASON
Head coach Jack Dahm signed a five-player recruiting class on Dec. 13. The five player class consists of Zach Burdi (6-3, 195, RHP, Downers Grove, Ill.), Kendall Coleman (6-4, 195, OF, Rockwall, Texas), Will Kenny (6-3, 190, LHP, Fort Dodge, Iowa/Iowa Central CC), Jake Reinhardt (6-2, 180, RHP, West Des Moines, Iowa), and Juan Carlos (JC) Pena (6-1, 185, SS, Syracuse, N.Y.) will join the UI program prior to the 2013-14 season. Burdi, Coleman, Reinhardt, and Pena are all considered top 500 players in the country by Perfect Game.

SUMMER BALL EXPERIENCE
Three Hawkeye sophomores earned honors for their play this summer.

Jake Mangler was named to The Prospect League All-Star roster. Mangler batted .320 (81-of-253) for the Hannibal Cavemen with 13 doubles, one triple and one home run. He also had 43 runs, 34 RBIs and swiped five bases.

Andrew Hedrick earned a selection to the Northwoods League All-Star game for the South Division. Hedrick made 10 appearances for the Eau Claire Express, pitching 50.2 innings, striking out 41 and posting a 2.01 ERA.

Anthony Torres, playing for the Palm Springs POWER of the Southern California Collegiate Baseball League, was named to the All-SCCBL team. He was the only catcher named to the postseason team after finishing the summer with a .415 batting average.

Below is a complete list of Hawkeyes who competed in summer leagues:

Cape Cod League
Hyannis Harbor Hawks: Sasha Kuebel, Taylor Zeutenhorst

Coastal Plain League
Petersburg Generals: Ryan Rumpf, Eric Toole, Jake Yacinich, Trevor Kenyon

Midwest Collegiate League
Southland Vikings: Devin Pickett

Northwoods League
Eau Claire Express: Andrew Hedrick
Waterloo Bucks: Dan Sheppard

Prospect League
Hannibal Cavemen: Kris Goodman, Taylor Kaufman, Jake Mangler
Quincy Gems: Nick Day, Nick Hibbing

Southern California Collegiate Baseball League
Palm Springs Power: Bryan Niedbalski, Anthony Torres

UNITY COUNCIL
The Unity Council for the 2013 season consists of senior Ricky Sandquist, redshirt junior Keith Brand, redshirt sophomore Jake Mangler, sophomores Jake Yacinich and Kris Goodman and freshman Devin Pickett. Yacinich and Goodman are also members of Iowa’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

SEASON TICKETS AVAILABLE
Hawkeye fans can purchase 2013 Iowa baseball season tickets now. Fans can reserve their own chair backs for the 2013 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.

IOWA BASEBALL ACADEMY
The Iowa baseball program has expanded its camps and clinics through the offerings of the newly-created Iowa Baseball Academy.

The year-round training programs, camps and instruction will now be available to youth players ages 5-18. The academy will operate at Duane Banks Field and the Iowa athletic indoor facilities.

The Iowa Baseball Academy will strive to provide exceptional training programs to enhance player skills while teaching valuable lessons that strengthen the player’s lives. Year-round training programs provide an opportunity for players to build and develop baseball skills, while giving the Iowa baseball program a vehicle to add value to community programs and grow interest in the Hawkeyes.

For details about Iowa Baseball Academy, visit www.IowaBaseballAcademy.com.

FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
Iowa baseball fans can follow the Hawkeyes on Facebook by going to facebook.com/iowabaseball. Fans can also follow on Twitter @UIBaseball.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes travel to Corpus Christi, Texas, to play in the Kleberg Bank College Classic from Feb. 22-24. Iowa opens tournament play Friday against Oklahoma at 2 p.m. The Sooners are ranked 17th in the NCBWA poll and tabbed 19th in Baseball America’s rankings. The Hawkeyes will then play New Mexico on Saturday at 2 p.m., before closing out tournament play Sunday against host Texas A&M Corpus Christi at 1 p.m. All times listed are Central. All games will be played Whataburger Field, home of the Corpus Christi Hooks, the Houston Astros’ double-A affiliate.