Feb. 10, 2014
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa junior outfielder Eric Toole has been named a preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection by College Sports Madness.
The honor comes on the heels of a sophomore season where Toole was a second-team All-Big Ten selection after leading the Hawkeyes with a .337 batting average, while collecting team bests in hits (59), runs (32) and stolen bases (22). The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native accumulated six doubles, one triple, 11 RBIs and 23 walks, while posting a .426 on-base percentage. Toole’s 22 steals were tied for the fifth-most in the conference, the on-base percentage ranked sixth, while his batting average ranked ninth.
In Big Ten play, Toole finished with the second-highest average in the league, hitting .412 (40-of-97) with 21 runs and six RBIs. The 40 hits were the fourth-most during league play, while the 21 runs ranked sixth. He also had four doubles, one triple and drew 14 walks. Toole led the league in on-base percentage (.486), tied for the lead with 12 steals, finishing 12-of-15, and had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
Toole paced the Hawkeyes with 15 multi-hit games in 2013, finishing with eight two-hit, six three-hit and one five-hit game. His five-hit performance in the May 10 game at Purdue matched a single-game Big Ten high and tied the Iowa school record for hits in a game. All five hits were singles, which tied his brother, Justin Toole’s, Iowa record.
Toole, who started 45 games in centerfield, brings a nine-game hitting streak and 15-game reached base streak into the 2014 season.
Click HERE to see the complete College Sports Madness Big Ten Preseason All-Conference teams.
Iowa opens the season with a three-game series at Austin Peay with Friday’s regular season opener set to begin at 3:30 p.m. (CT).