Iowa Heads to Purdue for Final Series

May 15, 2013

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THE MATCH-UP
– Iowa closes out Big Ten and regular season play May 16-18 at Purdue. The three-game series will open with 6 p.m. (CT) games Thursday and Friday, before concluding with a noon (CT) match-up Saturday.
– The Hawkeyes are 5-8 in away games this season, winning at Austin Peay (Feb. 16), Texas A&M Corpus Christi (Feb. 24), Nebraska Omaha (April 16), Penn State (April 20), and Michigan (May 4). The Boilermakers are 5-11 at home this year, winning four of its last five games.
– Iowa owns a 7-14 Big Ten record, while Michigan State is 6-15 in conference play.
– The three-game series will be played at Alexander Field in West Lafayette, Ind., marking the first time the two teams have met at the venue. Purdue is playing its first season at the new, 2,000 seat facility.

ON THE RADIO
The Hawkeyes three-game series at Purdue 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
Fans will be able to view all three games between Iowa and Purdue live on BTN.com. In addition, fans can follow every game 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 leads the all-time series 88-66-1.
– The Hawkeyes won 2-of-3 games against the 13th-ranked Boilermakers last season in Iowa City. Iowa won the last two games of the three-game set, securing its first two wins over a ranked opponent since 2009. Sasha Kuebel and Jarred Hippen picked up wins on the mound to hand Purdue its only Big Ten series loss of the season.
– Iowa last traveled to West Lafayette in 2011, dropping three games to Purdue.
– This season will mark the fourth year in a row that the two teams have closed their regular seasons against one another.

SCOUTING PURDUE
Purdue brings a 17-31 overall and 6-15 Big Ten record into the weekend series. The Boilermakers have lost four of their last five games, including a 20-2 home defeat against Eastern Michigan on Tuesday night.

Purdue is hitting .257 as a team with zero regulars hitting above .300. Josh Estill is pacing the squad with a .289 average with eight doubles and 22 RBIs. Sean McHugh is the top run producer with 28 RBIs, while Kyle Wood has a team-best five home runs.

The Boilermakers will send Robert Ramer to the hill for Thursday’s opener. The right-hander is 3-4 with a 5.18 ERA in 12 starts this season. He has 35 strikeouts over 80 innings, allowing 115 hits and 52 runs. Lefty Jordan Minch will be called upon to start the middle game of the series. He is 5-5 with a 4.76 ERA in 13 starts with 56 strikeouts in 75.2 innings. Purdue has yet to name a starter for Saturday’s series finale.

The Boilermakers are coached by Doug Schreiber, who is in 15th year at the helm of the program. Schreiber was named the 2012 Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading Purdue to a Big Ten championship.

HAWKEYES WIN 2-OF-3 AGAINST SPARTANS
The Hawkeyes closed out their home schedule by winning 2-of-3 games against Michigan State at Duane Banks Field. The series win was the first series win for Iowa this season, and marked the first time since 2002 that the Hawkeyes took a series from Michigan State. Senior Matt Dermody and sophomore Sasha Kuebel picked up wins on the mound, while sophomore Anthony Torres lead the Hawkeyes offensively by going 6-of-11 (.545) at the plate.

IMPRESSIVE OPPONENTS
The Hawkeyes have played a tough schedule so far this season, as 14 of their opponents rank fourth or better in their respective conferences. Iowa owns an 11-17 record against those opponents.

New Mexico (Mountain West), Maine (America East), Nebraska Omaha (Summit), Northern Illinois (MAC West Division), and Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Horizon) currently lead their conferences, while Texas A&M Corpus Christi (Southland) and Wichita State (Missouri Valley) rank second and Austin Peay is fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference. Big 12 foes Kansas State, Oklahoma, and West Virginia are the top three teams in the conference.

In addition, three of the Hawkeyes’ six Big Ten series have been played against teams currently in the top four of the conference standings (Minnesota, Indiana, Nebraska).

LOOKING LIKE HIMSELF AGAIN
After struggling for much of the season, sophomore Sasha Kuebel returned to form over his last two starts.

Kuebel picked up his second win of the season in his last start May 11 against Michigan State after allowing one run on seven hits in eight innings. The effort followed a career-performance May 4 at Michigan. The St. Louis native set career-highs in innings pitched (9 1/3) and strikeouts (8), taking a no-decision after allowing three runs on eight hits.

Kuebel is 2-8 with a 5.12 ERA this season after going 6-0 with a 2.67 ERA as a freshman, earning second team All-Big Ten and Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors. He is expected to start Saturday at Purdue.

TOOLE ON FIRE
Sophomore Eric Toole has been raking at the plate over the last 13 games. The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native has reached base safely in every contest, reaching base at a .500 clip and hitting .431 (22-of-51) with nine runs and four RBIs over the stretch. Toole has recorded six multi-hit games over the 13 games, collecting three hits on four occasions. He is currently riding a seven-game hitting streak, tying a season-best. Toole currently leads batting average (.319), runs scored (30), hits (53), total bases (61), and sacrifice bunts (9), and ranks second on the squad in slugging percentage (.367), on-base percentage (.409), and doubles (6).

GETTING HIS CHANCE
After seeing limited action over the first 40 games of the season, junior Bryan Niedbalski has seen significant playing time over the last six contests. Niedbalski has made the most of the opportunity, collecting a hit in five of the six games. The St. Louis native has started the last five games at first base, going 6-of-19 (.316) at the plate. He tied a career best with three hits May 11 against Michigan State.

CLUTCH HITTING
Junior Bryan Niedbalski has delivered a go-ahead RBI in each of the last two weekends. Niedbalski hit a go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the eighth May 11 against Michigan State, securing a 2-1 Hawkeye win. The effort followed a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the top of the 12th inning May 4 at Michigan that led Iowa to a 4-3 victory.

PLAYING B1G
Sophomore Eric Toole has been the Hawkeyes’ biggest offensive threat against Big Ten opponents. Toole paces the club in batting average (.386), runs (19), hits (34), and on-base percentage in Big Ten play, ranking fifth in the conference in hits and on-base percentage and sixth in batting average and runs.

GOING OUT IN STYLE
Senior Matt Dermody tossed a gem in his final collegiate outing at Duane Banks Field on May 10 against Michigan State. The Norwalk, Iowa, native allowed two runs on five hits in seven innings to win his seventh game of the season. Dermody added nine strikeouts, tying a career-best he set last season against Northwestern.

TORRES TAKING OVER BEHIND THE PLATE
Sophomore Anthony Torres started all three games at catcher May 10-12 against Michigan State. Torres went 6-for-11 (.545) at the plate against the Spartans, including a career-best three hits in the series opener May 10. The San Diego native is currently riding a four-game hitting streak, going 8-of-14 (.571) over the stretch. Torres ranks second on the team with a .313 batting average, and third in slugging percentage (.359), and on-base percentage (.397).

GETTING ON AND MOVING UP
The Hawkeyes are among the best in the Big Ten in getting on base and advancing runners. Iowa ranks fourth in the conference with a .358 on-base percentage, and leads the league in sacrifice bunts (45). Both efforts are led by sophomore Eric Toole, as he leads the team in on-base percentage (.409) and sacrifice bunts (9). Toole ranks seventh in the Big Ten in on-base percentage and is tied for third in sacrifice bunts.

ROSCETTI ROLLING
Freshman Nick Roscetti has reached base in 20 consecutive games, the longest active streak by a Hawkeye. The 20-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.

HAWKEYES SET HBP RECORD
Three Iowa batters recorded a hit-by-pitch May 12 against Michigan State, bringing the team season total to 89. The 89 hit-by-pitches establishes a new program record, breaking the old record of 86 set in 2008. Iowa paces the Big Ten in hit-by pitches, leading second place Indiana by 26, as the Hoosiers have been plunked 63 times this season.

Four Hawkeyes — juniors Keith Brand and Taylor Zeutenhorst and sophomores Kris Goodman and Jake Yacinich — rank in the top-12 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 21 times, ranking first in the conference. Goodman has been plunked 11 times to tie for seventh in the conference, while Zeutenhorst have been hit 10 times, putting him in a tie for ninth in the Big Ten. Yacinich has been hit on nine different occasions, which is tied for 12th in the conference.

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. The seven hit-by-pitches set a new school record, breaking a six hit-by-pitch effort in 2009 against Austin Peay.

TURNING DPs
The Hawkeyes have turned 51 double plays in 46 games this season, which is tied with Penn State for second in the Big Ten behind Indiana (55).

A “BRAND” NEW STANDARD
Junior Keith Brand was plunked for the 21st time this season May 12 against Michigan State, setting a new school record for the most hit-by-pitches in a season. The Northbrook, Ill., native broke Kevin Hoef’ record, set in 2008. Hoef owns career hit-by-pitch record, as he was plunked 62 times over his Hawkeye career (2006-09).

Brand leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth nationally in hit-by-pitches. Brand leads the country in hit-by-pitches per game (0.59).

THE THIEF
Sophomore Eric Toole is 20-of-24 in stolen base attempts this season. Toole’s 20 swipes lead the team and are two off the Big Ten lead, placing him tied for second in the conference. The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native has stolen 10 bases during Big Ten play (21 games), ranking tied for second in the conference.

WINNING ON THE MOUND
Senior pitcher Matt Dermody is tied for second in the Big Ten with seven wins, falling one win shy of the conference lead. Dermody is 7-2 with a 3.95 ERA in 13 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), Kansas State (April 12), and Michigan State (May 10). The Norwalk, Iowa, native has thrown 84 1/3 innings, the fifth-most among Big Ten pitchers, and leads the team with 62 strikeouts. His 62 strikeouts rank fourth in the conference.

Dermody’s seven wins set a career high, besting the four wins he recorded during his sophomore season. Iowa has won nine of the 13 games in which Dermody has started.

Dermody is the first pitcher since Zach Robertson (eight wins) in 2008 to record seven or more wins in a season.

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 25 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 29 career Big Ten starts. The Norwalk, Iowa, native has made seven Big Ten starts in 2013 after starting eight Big Ten contests in 2011 and 2012.

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 2.23 ERA and two saves. His 2.23 ERA is first among Iowa pitchers, and is the lowest ERA by a Hawkeye pitcher since 2006 when Tim Gudex posted a 1.15 ERA. Sandquist, a Fort Dodge, Iowa, native, has allowed seven earned runs in 14 relief appearances, holding opponents scoreless in 11 of the 14 outings.

THOU SHALT NOT STEAL
Junior catcher Keith Brand has caught 13 base runners stealing this season, ranking fourth in Big Ten. As a team, the Hawkeyes have caught 28 base runners trying to steal, which ranks third in the Big Ten.

ACTIVE REACHED BASE STREAKS
Three Hawkeyes have reached base in seven or more straight games. – Freshman Nick Roscetti has reached base in 20-straight games, setting a season-best. The streak is the second longest by a Hawkeye this season, trailing only Taylor Kaufman’s 22-game streak Feb. 17-April 9.
– Sophomore Eric Toole is riding a 13-game reached base streak. It is the second-longest streak of the season for Toole, as he reeled off a 14-game streak earlier this season.
– Freshman Blake Hickman has reached base in seven straight games, tying a season-best.

SOPHOMORES DRIVING IN RUNS
Sophomores have accounted for 60.8 percent (110/181) of the Iowa’s RBIs this season. The top four run producers are sophomores, as Kris Goodman, Jake Yacinich, Jake Mangler, and Taylor Kaufman rank No. 1-3 on the team in RBIs.

Goodman paces the team with 24 RBIs. He has delivered 14 of the 24 RBIs in Big Ten play, the most of any Hawkeye.

Yacinich ranks second on the squad with 23 RBIs, despite missing nine games due to injury. He is hitting a team-best .364 (20-of-55) with runners in scoring position.

Mangler and Kaufman have both driven in 18 runs, tying them for third on the club.

Goodman and Yacinich share the team-lead with six multi-RBI games, while Kaufman ranks third with five.

SOPHOMORES SAVING
Sophomores Nick Hibbing and Taylor Kaufman have accounted for seven of the Hawkeyes’ 10 saves this season. Hibbing paces the team with four saves, while Kaufman ranks second with three saves. Hibbing is tied for 10th in the Big Ten in saves, and ranks ninth in games finished (11). Kaufman is tied for 11th in the conference in saves.

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 12th-most among Big Ten athletes.

IOWA IS…
– 11-2 when leading after six, 13-2 after seven, and 16-1 after eight innings.
– 13-1 when holding opponents to less than two runs.
– 11-4 when out-hitting its opponent.
– 4-2 when committing zero errors.
– 3-0 when scoring 10 or more runs.
– 9-8 against left-handed starters and 10-19 against righties.

IOWA IN EXTRA-INNINGS
Iowa is 4-1 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, before downing Minnesota, 10-9, in 10 innings April 26 and Michigan, 4-3, in 12 innings on May 4. The Hawkeyes have out scored opponents 8-1 in extra-innings.

1-RUN GAMES UNDER DAHM
During Jack Dahm’s 10-year tenure at Iowa, the Hawkeyes have played 135 one-run games. Iowa is 63-72 in such contests. The Hawkeyes are 6-6 in one-run games this season, defeating Northwestern, 2-1, on March 23, Nebraska, 6-5, on April 7, Northern Illinois, 3-2, on April 24, Minnesota, 10-9, on April 26, Michigan, 4-3, on May 4, and Michigan State, 2-1, on May 11. Five of Iowa’s last seven games have been decided by one run.

NOT GOOD, BUT GRAND
Sophomore Kris Goodman blasted an eighth inning grand slam over the left field fence of Duane Banks Field in Iowa’s 10-9 come-from-behind win over Minnesota on April 26. The home run was the first of Goodman’s collegiate career, and the second home run by a Hawkeye this season. The bases-clearing bomb was the first grand slam by a Hawkeye since Feb. 20, 2010, when Mike McQuillan hit a grand slam in a 19-11 win over Illinois State.

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 125 assists this season.

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.

HAWKEYES SIGN 11 FOR 2014 SEASON
The Hawkeyes have 11 players signed to join the program for the 2013-14 season. Head coach Jack Dahm signed five players on Dec. 13. The five player class consisted 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.).

Dahm announced the signing of six more recruits in May, adding Matt Allen (6-1, 170, RHP, Buffalo Grove, Ill.), Tanner Hinkle (5-10, 165, IF/OF, West Des Moines, Iowa), Will Polley (6-5, 230, RHP, River Forest, Ill./Parkland College), Jason Samuelson (5-10, 165, OF, Rochester, Minn.), Jake Sharp (6-1, 225, RHP, Rock Island, Ill./Black Hawk College) and Brandon Shulista (5-10, 180, RHP, Solon, Iowa/Iowa Central CC).

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