Hawkeyes Resume Big Ten Play at Penn State

April 18, 2013

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Iowa Game Notes

THE MATCH-UP
? Iowa and Penn State will play a three-game series April 19-21 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in University Park, Pa. The series will open Friday at 5:05 p.m. (CT), followed by a 1:05 p.m. (CT) Saturday game and an 11:05 a.m. (CT) Sunday contest.

? The Hawkeyes resume Big Ten play after playing five straight nonconference games. Iowa is 2-7 in conference play, while Penn State is 0-9.

? Medlar Field at Lubrano Park stretches 325 down the left field line, 399 to center field, and 320 feet down the right field line. The Hawkeyes are 3-8 all-time at the facility since it was built in 2006, last playing at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in 2010.

? Iowa is 3-4 in away games this season. The Nittany Lions are 3-6 at home this season.

THE RADIO
The Hawkeyes three-game series against Penn State will be broadcast on the radio on AM-800 KXIC and AM-1360 KMJM. Brent Balbinot will handle the play-by-play, while Jeff Duncan will provide color commentary.

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
? Penn State leads the all-time series between the teams, 36-27.

? The Nittany Lions won 2-of-3 last season in Iowa City, taking the first two games. Pitcher Sasha Kuebel led the Hawkeyes to a 4-2 win in the series finale, allowing two runs on seven hits in 7 1/3 innings on the mound. Jake Yacinich led the Hawkeyes offensively, going 2-of-4 with two runs and an RBI.

? Iowa and Penn State last met in University Park in 2010. The Hawkeyes won 2-of-3 games, winning the final two games of a three-game set.

SCOUTING PENN STATE
Penn State enters the weekend with an 8-24 overall record and an 0-9 mark in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions won their last game, defeating Bucknell, 7-6, in 12 innings on Wednesday.

The Nittany Lions, who hit .250 as a team, are led offensively by sophomore J.C. Coban. Coban paces the team in batting average (.301), slugging percentage (.381), hits (34), home runs (2), and total bases (43). Senior Luis Montesinos leads the squad with 18 RBIs. Coban (2-for-5) and Montesinos (3-for-5) tallied five of Penn State’s 11 hits Wednesday against Bucknell.

Righthanders T.J. Jann and Steven Hill will start for the Nittany Lions on Friday and Saturday. Penn State has not yet announced its Sunday starter. Jann has made eight appearances this season, making five starts. He owns a 1-4 record with a 3.79 ERA over 35 2/3 innings. Hill has made eight appearances, all starts, going 1-6 with a 3.65 ERA over 56 2/3 innings. Hill threw a no-hitter against the Hawkeyes last season in a 2-0 win on April 21, facing just two batters over the minimum en route to recording the first no-hitter by a Penn State pitcher since 1995.

Penn State in coached by Robbie Wine, who is in his ninth year at the helm of the program.

HAWKEYES DOWN UNO IN PAPILLION
Iowa defeated Nebraska-Omaha, 3-0, on Tuesday at Werner Park in Papillion, Neb. It was the Hawkeyes’ first shutout of the season, as their last came March 31, 2012, in a 4-0 win at Indiana. Freshman Calvin Mathews and sophomore Taylor Kaufman combined to pitch the shutout, as Mathews threw five innings to pick up the win and Kaufman collected the save after pitching four innings. Sophomore Kris Goodman played a part in all three Hawkeye runs, going 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and two RBIs.

TURNING 2
The Hawkeyes have turned 34 double plays through 31 games this season, ranking 39th nationally. Iowa ranks 13th in double plays per game (1.1). The Hawkeyes last double play sealed a victory, as they turned a 4-6-3 double play with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning April 7 against Nebraska to secure a 6-5 win.

OUCH!
The Hawkeyes have been hit by 59 pitches this season, the most of any Big Ten team. Iowa leads second place Indiana by 12, as the Hoosiers have been plunked 47 times this season. The 59 hit-by-pitches rank tied for 14th nationally.

Three Hawkeyes — senior Keith Brand, junior Taylor Zeutenhorst and sophomore Kris Goodman — rank in the top-eight in the Big Ten in hit-by-pitches. Brand has been hit three times in a game on three occasions (UALR, Maine, UNO) en route to getting plunked a team-high 14 times, ranking second in the conference. Zeutenhorst and Goodman have been hit eight times, placing them tied for eighth in the Big Ten.

Iowa was hit by a pitch seven times March 1 against Arkansas-Little Rock, the most a Big Ten club has been hit in a game this season.

B1G WINS LEADER
Senior pitcher Matt Dermody is tied for first in the Big Ten with six wins. Dermody is 6-1 in nine starts this season, picking up wins against Austin Peay (Feb. 16), Western Illinois (March 2), Georgetown (March 9), Nebraska-Omaha (March 17), Northwestern (March 23), and Kansas State (April 12). The Norwalk, Iowa, native has thrown 57 1/3 innings, the eighth-most among Big Ten pitchers, and leads the team with 39 strikeouts. His 39 strikeouts are tied for ninth in the conference.

Dermody’s six wins set a career-high, besting the four wins he recorded during his sophomore season. Iowa has won seven of the nine games in which Dermody has started, as he has allowed two runs or less in six of the nine starts.

Dermody recorded his third career complete game March 23 against Northwestern. The 6-foot-5 lefthander allowed one unearned run and struck out five, scattering seven hits.

NO STRANGER TO THE BIG TEN
Senior Matt Dermody has made 20 career Big Ten starts, including Big Ten Tournament play, ranking third among active Big Ten pitchers. Dermody trails Penn State’s Steven Hill and Illinois’ Kevin Johnson, who have both made 27 career Big Ten starts. The Norwalk, Iowa, native has made three Big Ten starts in 2013 after starting eight Big Ten contests in 2011 and 2012.

A SPARK OFF THE BENCH
Sophomore Anthony Torres provided a spark off the Iowa bench April 13 against Kansas State. Torres entered the contest in the top of the fourth inning, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a triple. It was the first triple and multi-RBI game of his collegiate career.

Torres has started the Hawkeyes’ last two games at third base, recording another multi-hit game April 16 against Nebraska-Omaha.

ROSCETTI ROLLING
Freshman Nick Roscetti has recorded a hit in six straight games, going 8-for-20 (.400) at the plate over the stretch. Roscetti’s best game of the streak was on April 9 against Kansas. The Sherman, Ill., went 3-for-5 against the Jayhawks, his highest hit total of the season. Roscetti has played in 20 games, hitting .311 at the plate with 14 hits and three RBIs.

SOPHOMORES DRIVING IN RUNS
Sophomores Taylor Kaufman and Jake Yacinich are tied for the team lead with 17 RBIs. Kaufman has a team-high five multi-RBI games this season, while Yacinich is hitting a team-high .378 (14-of-37) with runners in scoring position.

STRONG DEFENSE BEHIND THE PLATE
Catchers Keith Brand and Dan Sheppard have combined to throw out 15 baserunners this season. Brand, a junior, has caught nine baserunners stealing this season, ranking fourth in the Big Ten. Sheppard, a senior, has caught six base runners attempting to steal this season. The mark is tied for 12th in the conference.

HIBBING WITH THE SAVE
Sophomore Nick Hibbing leads the Hawkeyes and is tied for eighth in the Big Ten with three saves. Hibbing earned his first save against Western Illinois on March 2, throwing two scoreless innings in relief of starter Matt Dermody. The Lindenhurst, Ill., native’s second save came March 10 against West Virginia, as he pitched the 12th inning and induced a game-ending double play. Hibbing collected his third save April 12 against Kansas State, tossing three scoreless innings.

THE THIEF
Sophomore Eric Toole is 13-of-15 in stolen base attempts this season. Toole’s 13 swipes are a team-best and are four off the Big Ten lead, placing him tied for fourth among Big Ten athletes. His 13 steals rank 55th nationally. The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native has stolen six bases during Big Ten play (nine games), ranking second in the conference.

THE HUMAN MAGNET
Junior Keith Brand has been prone to getting plunked by opposing pitchers this season. The Northbrook, Ill., native has been hit by 14 pitches, the second-most of any Big Ten athlete and the 15th-highest total nationally. Brand ranks fourth nationally in hit-by-pitches per game.

The 14 hit-by-pitches is the sixth-highest season total in program history, tying Kurtis Muller (2008) and Kevin Hoef (2007). Hoef holds the single season and career hit-by-pitch record, as he was plunked 20 times in 2008 and 62 times over his Hawkeye career (2006-09).

GOODMAN HITTING EVERYBODY
Sophomore Kris Goodman has been raking against left and right handed pitching this year. The Apple Valley, Minn., native is batting .348 (31-of-89) against righthanders and .333 (11-of-33) against southpaws.

Goodman leads the Hawkeyes in batting average (.344), on-base percentage (.437), hits (42), runs scored (24), and total bases (46). His 42 hits are tied for 10th in the Big Ten, while his .344 batting average is tied for 11th.

Goodman has tallied a team-high 11 multi-hit games, including seven three-hit efforts.

THE IRON MAN
Sophomore Kris Goodman is the only Hawkeye to start all 31 games this season, starting 14 games in left field, 14 in right field, and three in center field. Goodman made 22 starts as a freshman, starting 14 games in center field and seven in left. Classmates Jake Mangler and Taylor Kaufman have each started 29 contests, the second-most on the team.

A TOUGH OUT
Sophomore Jake Mangler has been a tough out for opposing pitchers. The Clinton, Iowa, native ranks 27th nationally in the toughest to strike out category, which divides a players’ plate appearances by his strikeouts. Mangler has struck out seven times in 116 at-bats, giving him a score of 16.6. Mangler is hitting .250 with 13 runs scored and 12 RBIs this season.

PROVIDING HELP IN THE FIELD
Sophomore Jake Mangler totaled eight fielding assists April 13 against Kansas State. Mangler became the first Hawkeye since Jason White on May 18, 2007, to record eight or more assists in a contest. Mangler leads the team with 98 assists this season.

SANDQUIST CONTINUES TO SHINE
Senior Ricky Sandquist has been spectacular this season after making an adjustment to his pitching mechanics, going to a 3/4 arm slot.

Sandquist is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA. The Fort Dodge, Iowa, native has allowed two earned runs in seven relief appearances, holding opponents scoreless in seven of the eight outings. Sandquist collected his first save April 7 against Nebraska, inducing a 4-6-3 double play to end the game. He tallied his first win March 24 after tossing three innings against Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Sandquist has also made two starts, posting a 3.12 ERA over 8 2/3 innings.

LEGGING OUT TRIPLES
Junior Taylor Zeutenhorst has a team-high two triples this season, tallying three-baggers against West Virginia (March 10) and Nebraska-Omaha (March 18). The two triples are tied for the ninth-most among Big Ten athletes.

IOWA IS…
? 8-0 when leading after six, 9-0 after seven, and 12-0 after eight innings.
? 9-2 when out-hitting its opponent.
? 3-1 when committing zero errors.
? 2-0 when scoring 10 or more runs.
? 6-4 against left-handed starters and 7-14 against righties.

IOWA IN EXTRA-INNINGS
Iowa is 2-1 in extra-inning games. The Hawkeyes won their first two contests that went into extras, downing New Mexico, 6-2, in 10 innings on Feb. 23 and defeating West Virginia, 6-4, in 12 innings on March 10. Iowa fell to Northwestern, 2-1, in 13 innings on March 22. The Hawkeyes have outscored opponents 6-1 in extra-innings.

1-RUN GAMES UNDER DAHM
During Jack Dahm’s 10-year tenure at Iowa, the Hawkeyes have played 127 one-run games. Iowa is 59-68 in such contests. The Hawkeyes are 2-2 in one-run games this season, defeating Northwestern, 2-1, on March 23, and Nebraska, 6-5, on April 7.

KENYON’S NINE-GAME HIT STREAK
Junior Trevor Kenyon recorded a nine-game hitting streak from March 30-April 12, the longest streak by a Hawkeye this season. Kenyon hit .421 (16-of-38) over the stretch with five doubles, a triple, and 10 RBIs. The Davenport, Iowa, native posted two or more hits in six of the nine contests, including a season-high three hits April 6 against Nebraska.

KAUFMAN REACHES BASE IN 22 STRAIGHT
Sophomore Taylor Kaufman reached base safely in 22 consecutive games, setting a new career best. The streak began Feb. 17 at Austin Peay during the opening weekend of the 2013 season and ended April 9 against Kansas. Kaufman’s streak was the longest by a Hawkeye since 2010 when Mike McQuillan ended the season with a 23-game reached base streak.

DAHM COLLECTS 500TH WIN
Iowa head coach Jack Dahm won his 500th career game as a collegiate coach in the Hawkeyes 7-3 triumph over Western Illinois on March 2.

Dahm, who is in his 20th season as a head coach, currently has 509 career victories, winning 283 games at Creighton from 1994-2003 and 226 games at Iowa, beginning in 2004. His 226 wins at Iowa rank third in program history, trailing Duane Banks (810 wins) and Otto Vogel (440 wins).

HAWKEYES SWEEP SNOWBIRD CLASSIC
The Hawkeyes posted a 3-0 record, defeating Maine, 9-2, on March 8, Georgetown, 7-2, on March 9, and West Virginia, 6-4, in 12 innings on Sunday. It is the first time Iowa has won three games at a three day tournament since sweeping three games at the Austin Peay Tournament in 2006.

Senior Matt Dermody and sophomores Sasha Kuebel and Nick Hibbing collected wins on the mound, while junior Taylor Zeutenhorst led the offense by hitting .556 (4-of-9) with a double, a triple, four runs, and three RBIs.

KLEBERG CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Three Hawkeyes — sophomores Taylor Kaufman, Kris Goodman and Sasha Kuebel — were named to the Kleberg Bank College Classic All-Tournament team. Kaufman hit .545 with six hits and two RBIs, Goodman had six hits and an RBI, and Kuebel limited Oklahoma to two runs on eight hits over eight innings in the opener.

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.

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.

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 has a new hitting and pitching coach in 2013.

Zach Dillon is 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.

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.

THE HAWKEYES ON BTN
The University of Iowa baseball team will make 18 appearances on the Big Ten Network or BTN.com during the 2013 season.

Nonconference games against Kansas State (April 12-13) and Northern Illinois (April 24) will also be available online at BTN.com. Iowa will make its lone scheduled appearance on the BTN on April 26 beginning at 6:05 p.m.

In the month of May, seven games will be available on BTN.com, including games against Nebraska-Omaha (May 7), Michigan State (May 10-12), and at Purdue (May 16-18) to close out the regular season.

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 will play a pair of mid-week games at Duane Banks Field on April 23-24. Iowa will host Creighton on Tuesday and Northern Illinois on Wednesday. Both games will begin a 6:05 p.m. (CT).