Hawkeyes and Gophers to Play 3-Game Series at Banks

April 25, 2013

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Iowa Game Notes

THE MATCH-UP
? Iowa 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 Hawkeyes are 3-9 in Big Ten play, while the Golden Gophers are atop the league standings with a 7-2 mark.

? Iowa is 4-8 at home this season, winning against Western Illinois (April 2), Nebraska (April 7), Kansas State (April 12), and Northern Illinois (April 24).

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

ON THE RADIO
The Hawkeyes three-game series against Minnesota will be broadcast on the radio on AM-800 KXIC and AM-1360 KMJM. Brent Balbinot will handle the play-by-play Friday and Sunday, while Steven Grace will call the action Saturday.

ON THE WEB
Hawkeye baseball fans can follow this weekend’s three-game series 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 TUBE
Friday’s game between Iowa and Minnesota will be broadcast live on BTN. Eric Collins (play-by-play) and John Cangelosi will call the action.

WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Fans will have the chance to participate in multiple promotions this weekend at Duane Banks Field. Fans in attendance on Friday will have the opportunity to play baseball movie trivia for a prize. Saturday will be a blackout, and all fans are encouraged to wear black. The first 150 fans in attendance to Saturday’s game will receive a baseball Herky bobblehead, while all fans will be able to play baseball bingo to win a prize. Kids that are 12 and under can run the bases after Sunday’s contest, weather permitting.

THE SERIES
?Iowa has faced Minnesota more than any other opponent in program history, facing the Golden Gophers 283 times.

?Minnesota leads the all-time series, 175-108.

?The Golden Gophers won 2-of-3 games last season in Minneapolis, taking the first two games of a three-game set.

?The Hawkeyes won the third game, 5-4, in 12 innings. Taylor Kaufman collected the win on the mound, while Nick Hibbing picked up the save. Jake Yacinich and Eric Toole both posted two-hit efforts in the victory.

?Iowa and Minnesota last met in Iowa City on in 2010. The Golden Gophers won 2-of-3 games, winning the second game of a May 1 doubleheader and the series finale on May 2.

SCOUTING MINNESOTA
Minnesota enters the weekend sitting atop the Big Ten with a 7-2 conference record. The Golden Gophers own a 24-13 overall record, and have won their last six games.

Pitching is the strength of the Golden Gophers, as they pace the Big Ten in opposing batting average (.228) and strikeouts (268), and rank second in the conference with a 2.72 team ERA. The pitching staff has allowed three runs or less in each of the last six games.

Minnesota’s weekend rotation will be lefty Tom Windle on Friday, Alec Crawford on Saturday, and southpaw DJ Snelten on Sunday. Windle is 5-2 in nine starts, registering a 1.35 ERA that ranks second in the Big Ten. Crawford, a Wilton, Iowa, native, has made five appearances (four starts), posting a 1-1 record with a 2.79 ERA. Snelten is 3-0 with a 0.73 ERA in five appearances (three starts).

The Golden Gophers offense is led by senior Andy Henkemeyer. Henkemeyer leads the team in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.328), hits (44), doubles (10) and RBIs (21). Minnesota hits at a .255 clip as a team, ranking last in the Big Ten.

Minnesota is coached by Hall-of-Famer John Anderson, who is in his 32nd year.

ACES WILD
Friday’s game between the Iowa and Minnesota will feature two of the Big Ten’s top pitchers — Matt Dermody (Iowa) and Tom Windle (Minnesota). Dermody is 6-1 with a 3.84 ERA, while Windle is 5-2 with a 1.35 ERA. Dermody and Windle are both left-handed.

HAWKEYES DOWN NIU IN MID-WEEK GAME
The Hawkeyes defeated Northern Illinois, 3-2, on Wednesday at Duane Banks Field, improving to 3-1 in mid-week games. Freshman Calvin Mathews started on the hill for the Hawkeyes and threw five strong innings, taking a no-decision. Mathews was relieved by sophomores Andrew Hedrick, Nick Hibbing, and Taylor Kaufman, and freshman Josh Martching. Each reliever threw an inning, combining to hold NIU to one run on three hits over four innings. Hedrick was credited with the win, his first victory of the season. Kaufman collected his third save, tying Hibbing for the team lead. Sophomore Eric Toole was the only Hawkeye to record a multi-hit game, going 2-of-3 at the plate.

OUCH!
The Hawkeyes have been hit by 68 pitches this season, the most of any Big Ten team and the 12th-most nationally. 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, ranking second in the conference. 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.

TURNING DP’S
The Hawkeyes have turned 39 double plays in 35 games this season, ranking third in the Big Ten and 31st nationally. Iowa average 1.11 double plays per game, ranking 13th nationally.

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 42 strikeouts rank 11th 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.

4 STRAIGHT FOR SHEP
Senior Dan Sheppard is riding a four-game hitting streak.

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 five-game hitting streak, a feat he has accomplished twice in his Hawkeye career.

ACTIVE REACHED BASE STREAKS
Seven Hawkeyes have reached base in four or more straight games. ?Freshman Nick Roscetti has reached base in 10-straight games, setting a season-best.

?Sophomore Taylor Kaufman is on a seven-game reached base streak, his second-longest streak this season.

?Sophomores Jake Mangler and Jake Yacinich are both currently riding five-game streaks.

?Senior Dan Sheppard, junior Trevor Kenyon, and sophomore Nick Day have four-game reached base streaks.

ROSCETTI ROLLING
Freshman Nick Roscetti has reached base in 10 consecutive games, the longest active streak by a Hawkeye. The Sherman, Ill., native has collected a hit in nine of the 10 games. The streak propelled Roscetti’s season batting average to .351, which is tops on the team. The 10-game stretch included an eight-game hitting streak from April 6-20. Roscetti’s batted 13-of-27 (.481) over the hitting streak, posting three-hit efforts against Kansas on April 9 and Penn State on April 20.

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.

A TOUGH OUT
Sophomore Jake Mangler has been a tough out for opposing pitchers. The Clinton, Iowa, native ranks 26th nationally in the toughest to strike out category, which divides a players’ plate appearances by his strikeouts. Mangler has struck out eight times in 131 at-bats, giving him a score of 16.4. Mangler is hitting .252 with 17 runs scored and 14 RBIs this season.

HEDRICK RETURNS
Sophomore Andrew Hedrick pitched for the first time in over a month April 24 against Northern Illinois. The Ankeny, Iowa, native picked up his first win of the season after allowing one run on two hits in an inning of work.

MID-WEEK MATHEWS
Freshman Calvin Mathews has started all four of Iowa’s mid-week games this season. The Bloomfield, Iowa, native is 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA in mid-week starts, picking up wins against Western Illinois (April 2) and Nebraska-Omaha (April 16).

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, which ties for fourth in Big Ten.

SOPHOMORES SAVING
Sophomores Nick Hibbing and Taylor Kaufman share the team-lead with three saves. The three saves place Hibbing and Kaufman in a ninth-place tie in the Big Ten rankings. Hibbing and Kaufman have accounted for two-thirds of the team’s saves (6-of-9).

THE THIEF
Sophomore Eric Toole is 17-of-20 in stolen base attempts this season. Toole’s 17 swipes are a team-best and are one off the Big Ten lead, placing him tied for second 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 second-most of any Big Ten athlete and the 10th-most nationally. Brand ranks third nationally in hit-by-pitches per game.

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 35 games this season, starting 18 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 33 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 110 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…
? 10-1 when leading after six, 11-1 after seven, and 14-1 after eight innings.
? 11-1 when holding opponents to less than two runs.
? 10-2 when out-hitting its opponent.
? 3-1 when committing zero errors.
? 2-0 when scoring 10 or more runs.
? 7-5 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 129 one-run games. Iowa is 60-69 in such contests. The Hawkeyes are 3-3 in one-run games this season, defeating Northwestern, 2-1, on March 23, Nebraska, 6-5, on April 7, and Northern Illinois, 3-2, on April 24.

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 511 career victories, winning 283 games at Creighton from 1994-2003 and 228 games at Iowa, beginning in 2004. His 228 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 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 return to Duane Banks Field on Tuesday, April 30, hosting Wisconsin Milwaukee in a mid-week game. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. (CT).