Hawkeyes Prepared to Host 2 Mid-Week Games

April 22, 2013

• Read the April issue of Hawk Talk Monthly
• 2013 Iowa Baseball Media Guide
• Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone/iPad app!
• Download your Iowa Hawkeye Android app!
• Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
• 24 Hawkeyes to Watch

Iowa Game Notes

THE MATCH-UP
? Iowa will host 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 at 6:05 p.m. (CT).

? The Hawkeyes are 2-1 in mid-week games this season, defeating Western Illinois, 10-6, on April 2 and Nebraska-Omaha, 3-0, on April 16.

? Iowa is 3-8 at home this season, winning against Western Illinois (April 2), Nebraska (April 7), and Kansas State (April 12).

? Duane Banks Field goes 395 feet to center, and plays 329 feet down the left and right field lines.

THE RADIO
The Hawkeyes mid-week games against Creighton and Northern Illinois will be broadcast on the radio on AM-800 KXIC and AM-1360 KMJM. Brent Balbinot will handle the play-by-play.

ON THE WEB
Iowa’s game against Northern Illinois will be broadcast live online at BTN.com. Hawkeye baseball fans can follow both mid-week contests with live stats (GameTracker) on hawkeyesports.com. Click on the “GT” link found on both the front page and the baseball schedule page.

MID-WEEK PROMOTIONS
The first 100 fans in attendance on Tuesday and Wednesday’s game will receive an Iowa baseball trading card strip. Wednesday’s game against Northern Illinois will be Faculty and Staff Night.

THE SERIES WITH CREIGHTON
?Iowa and Creighton have split the all-time series, 12-12.

?The Hawkeyes won the last meeting between the teams, winning 5-4 at Creighton last season.

? The Bluejays downed the Hawkeyes the last time they visited Iowa City on May 27, 2011, claiming a 5-3 victory.

? Tuesday’s game was originally scheduled for March 27, but was postponed due to standing snow and field conditions at Duane Banks Field.

THE SERIES WITH NORTHERN ILLINOIS
? The Hawkeyes are 18-9 all-time against Northern Illinois.

? Wednesday will be the team’s first meeting since Northern Illinois defeated Iowa, 13-2, at Duane Banks Field on April 21, 2010.

SCOUTING CREIGHTON
Creighton, winners of its last four games, enters Tuesday’s contest with a 22-9 mark that includes an 8-5 record in away games.

The Bluejays hit .303 as a team, and have seven players that hit at a .315 clip or better. Sophomore Kevin Lamb paces the team with a .385 batting average, while sophomore Jake Peter ranks second with a .379 average that includes a team-high 50 hits. Junior Mike Gerber has been Creighton’s top run producer, recording a team-best 28 RBIs. Gerber also leads the team in triples (6) and home runs (4).

Creighton is coached by Ed Servais, who is in his 10th year.

SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Northern Illinois is 16-21 overall and 8-13 in away games. The Huskies will play at Northwestern on Tuesday before playing the Hawkeyes.

NIU boasts a .252 team batting average. Junior Jeff Zimmerman spearheads the offensive attack, leading the Huskies in batting average (.329), hits (47), doubles (12), triples (3), and RBIs (22). Classmate Landon Tenhagen has hit a team-high three home runs, and ranks third on the squad with 20 RBIs.

Northern Illinois is guided by 11th-year head coach Ed Mathey.

DAHM AT CREIGHTON
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.

HAWKEYES LOSE 2-OF-3 IN HAPPY VALLEY
The Hawkeyes dropped 2-of-3 games at Penn State on April 20-21, falling to 3-9 in Big Ten play.

The Hawkeyes won the middle game of the series, 5-2, behind the pitching of seniors Andrew Hanse and Ricky Sandquist. Hanse picked up his third win, allowing five hits over six innings and striking out a career-high seven batters. Sandquist threw three scoreless innings to notch his second save. The righty surrendered a pair of hits and had two strikeouts.

Freshman Nick Roscetti excelled offensively over the three-game set, hitting at a .556 (5-for-9) clip.

OUCH!
The Hawkeyes have been hit by 68 pitches this season, the most of any Big Ten team. Iowa leads second place Indiana by 17, as the Hoosiers have been plunked 51 times this season.

Three Hawkeyes — senior Keith Brand and sophomores Kris Goodman and Jake Yacinich — rank in the top-six 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 16 times, tying for the conference lead. Goodman and Yacinich have been hit nine times, placing them tied for sixth 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.

WINNING ON THE MOUND
Senior pitcher Matt Dermody is tied for second in the Big Ten with six wins. Dermody is 6-1 in 10 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 63 1/3 innings, the sixth-most among Big Ten pitchers, and leads the team with 42 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 10 games in which Dermody has started, as he has allowed two runs or less in six of the 10 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 21 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 28 career Big Ten starts. The Norwalk, Iowa, native has made four Big Ten starts in 2013 after starting eight Big Ten contests in 2011 and 2012.

FOUR-STRAIGHT FOR SHEP AND MANGO
Senior Dan Sheppard and sophomore Jake Mangler are both riding four-game hitting streaks.

Sheppard is hitting .545 (6-of-11) during his streak, tallying two hits in each of the last two games. The streak is one game shy of his career-high streak of five games, which he set last season.

Mangler is batting .294 (5-of-17) over the last four games, including going 4-13 (.308) with four runs and an RBI in Iowa’s three-game series with Penn State (April 20-21). The Clinton, Iowa, native registered a season-best six-game streak from March 1-22.

ROSCETTI ROLLING
Freshman Nick Roscetti has reached base in nine consecutive games, the longest active streak by a Hawkeye. The stretch included an eight-game hitting streak from April 6-20. Roscetti’s batted 13-27 (.481) over the hitting streak, posting three-hit efforts against Kansas on April 9 and Penn State on April 20.

Roscetti was Iowa’s best offensive player at Penn State on April 21-22, recording a team-best .556 (5-of-9) batting average and five hits against the Nittany Lions. The performance propelled Roscetti’s season batting average to .352, which is tops on the team.

B1G PITCHING BEWARE
Junior Trevor Kenyon leads the Hawkeyes with a .395 batting average and 10 RBIs during Big Ten play. His .395 batting average ranks eighth in the Big Ten. The Davenport, Iowa, native has played in nine of team’s 12 conference games, delivering three of his team-high five doubles against Big Ten foes.

SOPHOMORES DRIVING IN RUNS
Sophomores Jake Yacinich and Taylor Kaufman rank first and second on the team in RBIs.

Yacinich paces the club with 19 RBIs, and is hitting a team-high .400 (16-of-40) with runners in scoring position.

Kaufman has 17 RBIs this year, placing him second on the team. The Glenwood, Iowa, native has registered a team-high five multi-RBI games.

STRONG DEFENSE BEHIND THE PLATE
Junior catcher Keith Brand has caught 10 baserunners stealing this season, ranking tied for third in Big Ten.

HIBBING WITH THE SAVE
Sophomore Nick Hibbing leads the Hawkeyes and is tied for ninth 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 16-of-18 in stolen base attempts this season. Toole’s 16 swipes are a team-best and are two off the Big Ten lead, placing him tied for sixth among Big Ten athletes. The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native has stolen eight bases during Big Ten play (12 games), ranking tied for 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 16 pitches, the most of any Big Ten athlete.

The 16 hit-by-pitches is the fourth-highest season total in program history, tying Ian Mattice (2002). Kevin 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).

THE IRON MAN
Sophomore Kris Goodman is the only Hawkeye to start all 34 games this season, starting 17 games in right field, 14 in left field, and three in center field. Goodman made 22 starts as a freshman, starting 14 games in center field and seven in left. Classmate Jake Mangler has started 32 contests at second base, the second-most on the team.

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 108 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 1.36 ERA and two saves. If Sandquist is able to maintain his 1.36 ERA, it would rank as the sixth-best ERA over a season in program history.

The Fort Dodge, Iowa, native has allowed two earned runs in nine relief appearances, holding opponents scoreless in eight of the nine outings. Sandquist threw three scoreless innings to notch his second save April 20 at Penn State. The righty surrendered a pair of hits and had two strikeouts. 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…
? 9-1 when leading after six, 10-1 after seven, and 13-1 after eight innings.
? 10-2 when out-hitting its opponent.
? 10-2 when holding opponents to less than two runs.
? 3-1 when committing zero errors.
? 2-0 when scoring 10 or more runs.
? 6-5 against left-handed starters and 8-15 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 128 one-run games. Iowa is 59-69 in such contests. The Hawkeyes are 2-3 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 510 career victories, winning 283 games at Creighton from 1994-2003 and 227 games at Iowa, beginning in 2004. His 227 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.

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.

Iowa’s nonconference game against Northern Illinois (April 24) will be available online at BTN.com. Iowa will make its lone scheduled appearance on the BTN on April 26 against Minnesota, 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 host Big Ten-rival Minnesota at Duane Banks Field on April 26-28. The teams will open the series Friday at 6:05 p.m. (CT), followed by 1:05 p.m. (CT) match-ups on Saturday and Sunday. The series opener will be televised on BTN.