Hawkeyes Head to Texas for Kleberg Bank College Classic

Feb. 20, 2013

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Iowa Game Notes

THE MATCHUP

The Hawkeyes travel to Corpus Christi, Texas, this weekend to play in the Kleberg Bank College Classic.Iowa opens tournament play Friday against No. 14 Oklahoma at 2 p.m., before facing New Mexico on Saturday at 2 p.m. and host-Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Sunday at 1 p.m. All times are Central. Texas A&M Corpus Christi will host the event at Whataburger Field, home of the Corpus Christi Hooks, the Houston Astros’ double-A affiliate. Dimensions of the park are 315 feet to left field, 400 feet to up the middle, and 325 feet to right field. The Hawkeyes have never played at Whataburger Field. The Hawkeyes will play in Texas for the first time since the 2011 season when they played eight games in the state. Iowa played four games in Lubbock, Texas, and four games in San Antonio.

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 and Oklahoma have met once in program history, as the Sooners downed the Hawkeyes, 8-4, in 1974. Iowa and New Mexico have met 13 times in program history. The two schools last played in 1985 when the Lobos downed the Hawkeyes, 4-0. New Mexico leads the all-time series 11-2.Iowa and Texas A&M Corpus Christi have met twice, splitting the contests. Both games were played at the Texas Tech Invitational in Lubbock, Texas, in 2011.

SCOUTING OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma currently owns a 6-0 record, sweeping a four-game series against Hofstra and a doubleheader against Arkansas Pine Bluff. The Sooners are tabbed in the top-25 in three different polls, as they are ranked 14th in the Collegiate Baseball top-25, 18th in the Baseball America top-25, and 15th in the NCBWA Division I poll.

Junior Matt Obereste leads the Oklahoma offense, entering the weekend hitting at a .455 clip (10-of-22). Obereste leads the Sooners in home runs (2) and RBIs (12).

Lefthander Dylan Overton is expected to start on the mound for Oklahoma against the Hawkeyes. Overton has made two appearances this season, pitching eight innings, allowing one earned run and striking out seven.

The Sooners are coached by Sunny Galloway. Galloway, who is in his eighth season as the head coach, has won 309 games at Oklahoma.

SCOUTING NEW MEXICO
New Mexico opened 2013 last weekend with a three-game series against Oklahoma State, going 1-2. The Lobos were ranked 21st in the preseason Baseball America top-25 and were also selected as a “sleeper” by the publication to advance to the 2013 College World Series. They are currently receiving votes for the NCBWA Division I rankings.

New Mexico boasts one of the nation’s top players in junior DJ Peterson. Peterson was a Louisville Slugger first-team All-America honoree in 2012, as well as the 2012 Mountain West Co-Player of the Year after hitting .419 with 17 home runs and 78 RBIs. Peterson is hitting .455 this season with the team’s only homer and a team-best six RBIs.

Lefty Kevin Baumgartner is the Lobo’s expected starting pitcher on Saturday. Baumgartner made one appearance out of the bullpen against Oklahoma State, throwing five innings and fanning six batters. He allowed one earned run.

Ray Birmingham is in his sixth season as the New Mexico head coach, leading to the Lobos to 30-win seasons in four of the past five years.

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI
Texas A&M Corpus Christi went 3-1 against Texas-Pan American last weekend to open its 2013 campaign.

Senior Eric Weiss leads the Islanders at the plate, driving in six of the team’s 15 runs in the series.

Lefthander Adam Hoelscher is expected to start against Iowa. Hoelscher won his first start of 2013 after allowing three earned runs in five innings.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi is coached by sixth-year head coach Scott Malone, the only coach in school history to lead the Islanders to postseason play.

STATE OF IOWA TIES
Texas A&M Corpus Christi has three members of its team with ties to the state of Iowa.

Assistant coach Chris Ramirez prepped at Fort Madison High School before playing junior college baseball at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. Ramirez then began his coaching career at Southeastern Community College in West Burlington, Iowa. Junior Brad Lamberti is an Altoona, Iowa, native and played for Des Moines Area Community College before becoming an Islander. Classmate Brandon Tierney competed for Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa prior to playing at Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

DAHM 3 WINS SHY OF 500
Iowa head coach Jack Dahm sits just three victories shy of 500 career wins. Dahm is in his 20th season as a head coach, winning 283 games at Crieghton from 1994-2003 and 214 games at Iowa, beginning in 2004. His 214 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 10-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.

HAWKEYES OPEN SEASON AT AUSTIN PEAY
The Hawkeyes opened its season Feb. 15-17 at Austin Peay, playing a three-game series at Raymond C. Hand Park in Clarksville, Tenn. Iowa went 1-2 against the Governors, winning the second game of the series. Senior Matt Dermody collected the win for the Hawkeyes after allowing one earned run and striking out four in five innings of work. Senior Dan Sheppard and Kris Goodman led Iowa offensively over the weekend. Sheppard drove in a team-best four runs, while Goodman registered a team-high five hits.

TEAM ERA RANKS SECOND IN B1G
The Iowa pitching staff posted a 1.80 ERA during its Feb. 15-17 series at Austin Peay, allowing just six earned runs in 25 innings. Through the first weekend of play, that figure ranks second in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes trail Indiana, who own a 1.09 ERA.

HAWKEYES BIG DAY SETS B1G TEAM HIGHS
The Hawkeyes scored 13 runs and stole six bases at Austin Peay on Feb. 16. Both marks were the most among Big Ten teams during the opening weekend of the 2013 season.

BULLPEN DOES ITS JOB
The Iowa bullpen did not allow an earned run during a three-game series at Austin Peay on Feb. 15-17. Seniors Andrew Hanse and Ricky Sandquist, sophomores Taylor Kaufman, Andrew Hedrick, and Nick Hibbing, and freshman Josh Martsching combined to pitch 10.1 innings without allowing an earned run out of the bullpen against the Governors.

HANSE HANDLES HITTERS
Senior Andrew Hanse shined out of the bullpen for the Hawkeyes at Austin Peay on Feb. 16 and 18. In his two appearances, Hanse pitched 3.2 innings of scoreless baseball, as opposing hitters did not register a single hit against the Marion, Iowa, native. Hanse pitched an inning on Feb. 15, recording one strike out, and threw 2.2 innings Feb. 17.

3-FOR-3
Three Hawkeyes — sophomores Nick Day, Kris Goodman, and Jake Yacinich — hit safely in all three games at Austin Peay from Feb. 15-17.

SHEPPARD OPENS SEASON IN STYLE
Senior Dan Sheppard was impressive in the Hawkeyes season-opening series against Austin Peay on Feb. 15-17. Sheppard hit .364 (4-of-11) and batted in a team-best five runs in the three-game set, including a 3-of-4, four RBI game on Feb. 16. Sheppard’s three hits in a game tied a career-best, while his four RBIs set a new career-high. His four RBIs were the most by any Big Ten athlete during the opening weekend of play.

Behind the plate, Sheppard threw out four base runners over the three games.

GOODMAN’S BIG DAY
Sophomore Kris Goodman went 3-for-4 at the plate and scored three runs on Feb. 16 against Austin Peay, setting career-highs in both categories. The Apple Valley, Minn., native ended the series hitting .500 (5-of-10). Goodman currently leads the Hawkeyes in hits (5) and runs scored (4).

DAY GOES DEEP
Sophomore Nick Day hit the first home run of his collegiate career Feb. 17 at Austin Peay. Day led off the fourth inning by hitting a solo blast over the left field fence. It was the Solon, Iowa, native’s only hit of the game.

HAWKEYE DEBUTS
Five Hawkeye newcomers made their Iowa debuts at Austin Peay. Freshman Blake Hickman made his collegiate debut Feb. 15, and started all three games at first base against the Governors. Junior Trevor Kenyon, a junior college transfer, and freshmen Nick Roscetti and Josh Martsching saw their first action as a Hawkeye on Feb. 16. Freshman Calvin Mathews made his debut on Feb. 17, starting on the mound.

A LINEUP FULL OF YOUTH
Nine of the 10 positional players, including the designated hitter, in Iowa’s opening day on Feb. 15 against Austin Peay were underclassmen.

Sophomore Sasha Kuebel opened the contest on the mound for the Hawkeyes.

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

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

Senior Dan Sheppard, who started at catcher, was the lone upperclassman in the lineup.

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.

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 Michigan 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)

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 play at the Millard Management Jayhawk Classic in Lawrence, Kan., next weekend, taking on Kansas and Eastern Michigan. Iowa will play both teams on March 1, taking on the Jayhawks at 11 a.m. and the Eagles at 3:00 p.m. The Hawkeyes and Eastern Michigan will play again on March 2 at Lawrence High School, beginning at 11 a.m. Iowa closes the tournament against host-Kansas on March 3 at 1 p.m. All time are Central. The Hawkeyes will play at Hoglund Ballpark on March 1 and 3.