Iowa Heads to Omaha for B1G Tournament

May 19, 2014

2014 Big Ten Tournament Bracket

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Game Notes — at Big Ten Tournament (May 21-25)

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team heads to the 2014 Big Ten Tournament as the No. 8 seed, where it will square off against top-seeded Indiana on Wednesday at 5 p.m. (CT). The double elimination tournament will be held at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha from May 21-25.

GAME COVERAGE
The Iowa-Indiana matchup will be televised on the Big Ten Network and as many as 12 games in the five-day tournament will be televised on the network. All Hawkeye games will also be broadcast online via Hawkeye All-Access with Brent Balbinot on the call.

LIVE STATS/TWITTER
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. Live game updates are also available on Twitter: @UIBaseball.

IOWA B1G TOURNEY HISTORY
The Hawkeyes are making their ninth Big Ten Tournament appearance in program history, and their first since 2010. Iowa is 7-16 overall in the tournament, advancing to the championship game in 1983 and 2010. The Hawkeyes defeated Purdue and Michigan in the loser’s side of the bracket in 2010 before falling 15-5 to Minnesota in the championship game.

IOWA VS. B1G FIELD
The Hawkeyes went 6-12 against the Big Ten Tournament field in 2014, taking 2-of-3 games from Nebraska and Minnesota, winning one game against Ohio State and Michigan and going 0-3 against Illinois and Indiana.

SCOUTING INDIANA
? The Hoosiers, ranked ninth by Collegiate Baseball, bring a 38-13 overall and 21-3 Big Ten record into the postseason. Indiana is 23-3 since April.
? Indiana swept the regular season series, winning 6-3, 14-3, and 5-3 in Iowa City. The Hoosiers limited Iowa to a .240 team batting average and three extra base hits in the series.
? Iowa scored three runs on eight hits over eight innings against Friday night starter Joey DeNato. The right-hander, who is scheduled to make the start Wednesday in Omaha, is 11-1 with a 1.83 ERA this season, striking out 68 in 93 2/3 innings.
? Indiana’s three-headed monster in Dustin DeMuth, Sam Travis and Kyle Schwarber have been terrorizing opposing pitchers. DeMuth is leading the Big Ten with a .385 batting average with 35 runs and 34 RBIs, Travis is hitting .357 with 10 home runs and 53 RBIs, while Schwarber is hitting .340 with 30 extra base hits (15 2Bs, 5 3Bs, 10 HR), 56 runs and 36 RBIs.
? Thomas Belcher (1-0, 1.69 ERA, 4 saves) and Scott Effross (4-2, 1.70 ERA, 5 saves) have accounted for nine of Indiana’s 14 saves.

QUICK HITTERS
? Junior Jake Yacinich has converted 24-of-27 stolen base attempts this season, which is second in the Big Ten and 30th nationally. The 24 swipes are tied for the 13th-most in a single-season in program history.
? Iowa averages 6.6 runs per game — a figure that leads the Big Ten and ranks 20th nationally. The Hawkeyes also lead the league and are 18th in the country in batting average (.302).
? Junior Jake Mangler has reached base safely in 29-straight contests dating back to March 28. Mangler has hits in 25 games during the stretch, including a current nine-game hitting streak. It is the longest streak by a Hawkeye since Justin Toole reached in 50-straight games during the 2008 season.
? Sophomore Jared Mandel has allowed one run on 12 hits in his last eight appearances (11 innings). He matched a career-long appearance, going 3 2/3 innings May 15 at Purdue, where he struck out a career-high six en route to his first career save.
? Iowa erupted for 17 runs on a season-high 21 hits in its regular season finale at Purdue — a 17-5 victory. The Hawkeyes have scored 10+ runs 13 times, 15 or more five times and 17 three times this season, including twice in the last nine games (at Ohio State, May 4). The 17 runs are Iowa’s most in a Big Ten game since 2011.
? Iowa finished the regular season with 117 extra base hits — the most for the program since 2010.
? The Hawkeyes finished as the second-best hitting team in Big Ten games in 2014, posting a .293 batting average. Iowa also was second in slugging percentage (.379), on-base percentage (.382), runs (135), hits (250), RBIs (124) and total bases. The Hawkeyes led the league in walks (90) and hit by pitches (38).

MOVING INTO CAREER TOP-10
? Junior Eric Toole has 43 career steals — one shy of moving into the top-10 in Iowa history in career steals. Toole’s brother, Justin, and Eric Martinez are tied for 10th with 44 swipes.
? Junior Nick Hibbing has made 55 career appearances as a Hawkeye — the eighth-most in school history.
? Junior Sasha Kuebel currently ranks sixth in program history in innings pitched (253 2/3).
? Toole and junior Jake Yacinich rank sixth and seventh in UI history in singles. Toole has 141 base hits, while Yacinich has 139.

EN FUEGO
Junior Jake Yacinich is hitting .477 in the month of May with 10 RBIs and eight runs scored. He has hits in nine of the team’s 10 games. The Des Moines, Iowa, native has six multi-hit games during the stretch with two three-hit and two four-hit contests. Yacinich has four four-hit games this season.

IOWA LEADS BIG TEN
The Hawkeyes finished the regular season as the top hitting team in the Big Ten with a .302 team batting average. Iowa also paced the conference in on-base percentage (.390) and runs (332), while ranking second in slugging (.400), hits (536), RBIs (297) and home runs (23).

HAWKEYES NATIONALLY
Iowa ranks among the top-50 nationally in eight different categories: 17th in on-base percentage (.390), 18th nationally in batting average (.302), 20th in scoring (6.6), 31st in hit by pitch (79), 36th in runs (332), 40th in hits (536), 41st in steals (77) and 50th in slugging percentage (.399).

GOING DEEP
Senior Taylor Zeutenhorst hit his team-leading eighth and ninth home runs of the season April 26 against South Dakota State. It was the first two-homer game by a Hawkeye since Sean Flanagan in 2012. Zeutenhorst’s nine home runs are the most since 2009 (Wes Freie) and rank as the 42nd-most nationally. The last Hawkeye to finish with a double-digit home run total was Jason White (10) in 2007.

A DEEP LINEUP
Iowa has seven players with 20 or more RBIs this season and six every day players hitting .300 or better. The Hawkeyes had two players finish with 20+ RBIs last season. Iowa also has eight players with 10 or more multi-hit games and three (Yacinich 22, Toole 22, Mangler 20) with 20 or more multi-hit contests.

ACE IN THE PEN
Since the beginning of Big Ten play, sophomore Tyler Radtke has been Iowa’s ace in relief (and he took over as closer during series at Michigan). The right-hander has allowed no runs in 13-of-16 appearances since March 22, posting a 2.59 ERA over 24 1/3 innings. He allowed seven runs (six coming in two outings) on 21 hits with 26 strikeouts against 11 walks. Radtke went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, throwing 3 2/3 hitless innings against South Dakota State on April 25-26. He is 2-2 with a 4.11 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 35 innings this season.

ACE IN THE HOLE
Iowa got a welcomed addition to its bullpen when sophomore Calvin Mathews returned from a shoulder injury to pitch 1 2/3 innings in relief May 17 at Purdue. It was hit first appearance since April 25. The right-hander didn’t allow a hit, but gave up two runs while being tagged with the loss. Mathews is 3-3 with a 2.79 ERA this season.

MR. CLUTCH
With runners in scoring position, junior Jake Mangler is hitting .388 (26-of-67) and he has a .792 (19 RBIs, 24 opp.) clip with runners on third with less than two outs. Mangler’s clutch hitting has resulted in a career-best 44 RBIs — 18 coming with two outs — to go along with a team-high 13 multi-RBI contests. The 44 RBIs are the fourth-most in the Big Ten and the most by a Hawkeye since 2010.

STAYING THE COURSE
Since getting tagged for five runs on seven hits in 1/3 of an inning in a 14-3 loss against Indiana on April 6, junior Sasha Kuebel has stayed the course. The southpaw is 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA over his last seven appearances (six starts). Kuebel has five quality starts in 2014.
? Kuebel has two complete games and has pitched at least seven innings in five of his last six starts. He has 31 strikeouts against seven walks in 42 2/3 innings.
? He pitched a complete game shutout in a 5-0 win at Northwestern on April 12, scattering eight hits and striking out six. He tallied his second complete game, allowing two runs (one earned) on nine hits in a 17-2 victory at Ohio State (May 4).
? Kuebel gave up four runs in the first and one in the second against Minnesota before settling in, holding the Gophers scoreless over the final five innings en route to his fourth victory.
? Kuebel picked up his team-leading fifth victory, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits over seven innings against South Dakota State. He had six strikeouts against two walks in the start.
? Kuebel has matched a career-high with six victories this season, which are tied for the sixth-most in the Big Ten. He is 6-4 with a 4.43 ERA in 16 appearances (14 starts). Kuebel went 6-0 with a 2.67 ERA as a freshman and 2-8 with a 5.13 ERA as a sophomore.
? Kuebel has pitched 85 1/3 innings in 2014 — 2 1/3 innings off his career-high total (87 2/3) as a freshman in 2012.

YACINICH REBOUNDS
After enduring a six-game (March 28-April 6) stretch where he collected two hits in 23 at-bats, junior Jake Yacinich has rebounded and then some. The shortstop is hitting .468 (44-of-94) over his last 23 games, which includes 13 multi-hit games. During the stretch…
? Yacinich has hits in 21-of-23 games, which included an 11-game hitting streak from April 15-May 9.
? He has four three-hit and three four-hit games, giving him four four-hit contests this season. He went 4-for-5 with three runs April 9 against Kansas, 4-for-6 with three RBIs and two runs in a 17-2 win at Ohio State on May 4, and 4-for-6 with three runs and an RBI in a 17-5 victory at Purdue on May 17.
? He went 3-for-4 with a triple in game one at Northwestern before going 2-for-4 with a triple and home run in game two. He became the first Hawkeye since T.J. Caltaldo in 2008 to hit triples in back-to-back games. The home run was also the first of his Iowa career.
? Yacinich went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs, including hitting a go-ahead two-run triple in a four-run sixth inning in an 11-5 win over Minnesota.
? Since his average dipped to a season-low .279 on April 6, Yacinich has improved his average by 90 points to .369 — the second-best average in the Big Ten.
? Yacinich is second in the Big Ten in steals (24), batting average (.369), hits (73) and triples (4) and fourth in on-base percentage (.442) and runs (43).

FRANKOS TAKING HOLD
Sophomore Jimmy Frankos started the season as Iowa’s third-string catcher, but he has ascended to the top of the depth chart and has run with it. Frankos earned his first significant playing time following an injury to starting catcher Trevor Kenyon and all he has done since is hit. The Illinois native is hitting .337 over his last 24 games with 18 runs and seven RBIs. He has nine multi-hit games during the stretch, including a 4-for-5 performance in an April 19 win over Minnesota. Frankos is hitting .326 (29-of-89) this season and .344 (22-of-64) in Big Ten play.

HICKMAN ON THE BUMP
Sophomore Blake Hickman was solid in his first career Big Ten start — a 4-1 setback against Illinois on May 9. The right-hander struck out five of the first six batters he faced and held the Illini hitless through 4 2/3 innings. Hickman allowed three runs on three hits in the game, while striking out a career-high nine batters.
? Hickman has struck out at least eight batters in two appearances this season. He struck out eight in four innings April 25 against South Dakota State.
? In four starts, Hickman is 0-1 with a 4.97 ERA, allowing seven runs on 11 hits in 12 2/3 innings. He has 15 strikeouts against 10 walks. Hickman’s first career start came against Kansas (April 8) before starting April 15 against Western Illinois.
? Hickman is 2-2 with a 4.30 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings this season in his first season as a pitcher (high school or college).

GIVING HIS TEAM A CHANCE TO WIN
? Sophomore Tyler Peyton picked up his fifth victory of the season May 17 at Purdue, allowing five runs (four earned) on 11 hits over five innings. It was his longest outing since going 6 1/3 innings April 20 against Minnesota before leaving with a lat strain.
? Peyton has five quality starts, allowing three or fewer runs in six outings and pitching into the seventh inning six times. He has a 5-0 record with a 4.75 ERA in 13 starts.
? Prior to his injury, Peyton’s previous three outings were all “quality starts.” He allowed five runs on 18 hits over 20 1/3 innings against No. 24 Indiana, Northwestern and Minnesota. He is limiting batters to a .231 average during the stretch.
? The right-hander shut down the Hoosiers on April 7, limiting IU’s potent offense to five hits and one run in seven innings, but wasn’t factored in the decision. In his next start, pitching on short rest, April 12 at Northwestern, Peyton allowed one run on four hits over seven innings in an 8-1 victory.
? Peyton had a career-best 10-strikeout game March 16 against Saint Joseph’s in just 5 2/3 innings. The 10 strikeouts are tied for the Big Ten single game high this season and are the most by a Hawkeye pitcher since Brock Alberts struck out 10 against Xavier on Feb. 29, 2008.

IOWA QUALITY STARTS LOG (17)
2/22 — Hedrick vs. St. Bonav. (6.2 IP, 0 ER, 7 K)
2/23 – Peyton vs. Omaha (8 IP, 1 ER, 6K)
2/28 – Mathews at Stetson (7.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 K)
3/2 – Peyton vs. Furman (7 IP, 2 ER, 4 K)
3/15 – Mathews vs. G’town (8 IP, 0 ER, 9 K)
3/17 – Kuebel vs. Otterbein (7 IP, 3 ER, 3 K)
3/21 – Mathews vs. Nebraska (8 IP, 1 ER, 5 K)
3/28 – Mathews at Michigan (9 IP, 2 ER, 9 K)
3/29 – Kuebel at Michigan (7 IP, 1 ER, 8 K)
4/7 – Peyton vs. Indiana (7 IP, 1 ER, 4 K)
4/11 – Mathews vs. Northwestern (6 IP, 3 ER, 6 K)
4/12 – Peyton vs. Northwestern (7 IP, 1 ER, 3 K)
4/12 – Kuebel vs. Northwestern (9 IP, 0 ER, 6 K)
4/18 – Mathews vs. Minnesota (7 IP, 3 ER, 2 K)
4/20 – Peyton vs. Minnesota (6.1 IP, 3 ER, 2 K)
4/26 – Kuebel vs. S. Dakota St. (7 IP, 2 ER, 6 K)
5/4 – Kuebel at Ohio State (9 IP, 1 ER, 4 K)

MISSING ACE
? Sophomore Calvin Mathews left his April 25 start against South Dakota State after 3 1/3 innings with a shoulder injury. He returned May 17, throwing 1 2/3 innings in relief, giving up two unearned runs in a 6-4 loss.
? Mathews allowed three or fewer earned runs in 10 of his 11 starts and pitched into at least the seventh inning five times. He has a team-best six quality starts this season.
? Mathews tossed his first career complete game, scattering six hits and allowing two runs in a 3-2 victory over Michigan on March 28. The right-hander tied a career-high with nine strikeouts against zero walks en route to being named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week by College Sports Madness.
? It was Iowa’s first complete game since Matt Dermody accomplished the feat in a 2-1 victory at Northwestern on March 23, 2013.
? Mathews has pitched into the eighth inning in four starts and has at least eight strikeouts in three games.
? Mathews scattered three hits in a 13-1 win over Georgetown and struck out a career-high nine batters on March 15 before allowing one run six hits with five strikeouts in his first career Big Ten start against Nebraska.
? Mathews is second in the Big Ten opposing batting average (.217), tied for sixth strikeouts looking (21) and seventh in strikeouts (59) and eighth in ERA (2.79).

WALK-OFF WINS
The Hawkeyes have posted four walk-off victories in 2014, coming from behind to defeat Maine (March 1) and Nebraska (March 21) before edging South Dakota State on April 25-26.
? Iowa trailed 12-11 entering its final at-bat against the Black Bears before the Hawkeyes scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to post a 13-12 victory. With the bases loaded, junior Jake Mangler laced an opposite field game-winning RBI single to right center field.
? Iowa trailed Nebraska 1-0 heading into its final at-bat before the Hawkeyes used a one-out walk and three-straight singles to win the game. Junior Taylor Kaufman delivered a pinch-hit RBI single to tie the game and senior Trevor Kenyon singled home the winning run with a single to left field.
? Iowa had back-to-back walk-off victories April 25 and April 26 against South Dakota State. Senior Taylor Zeutenhorst singled home the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th in a 2-1 victory on April 25 before Tyler Peyton delivered a bases-loaded an RBI single to centerfield to a 4-3 win April 26 in the bottom of the ninth.

SITTING EM’ DOWN
During a 2-1, 11-inning victory over South Dakota State on April 25, four Hawkeye pitchers — Calvin Mathews (3), Blake Hickman (8), Jared Mandel (3) and Tyler Radtke (4) — combined to strike out 19 Jackrabbits. The 19 strikeouts are the most by a Big Ten team in a single game this season.

EXPERIENCE PAYS OFF
After being mainstays in the lineup the last 2-3 seasons, several Hawkeye upperclassmen are enjoying breakout seasons.
? Junior Jake Mangler is hitting a career-best .330 with 44 RBIs and 37 runs scored. Both the RBI and run totals are career-bests. Mangler also has a career-high 11 doubles and one home run.
? Senior Taylor Zeutenhorst has posted career bests in runs (37), doubles (7), home runs (9), total bases (89) and RBIs (34) in 2014.
? Junior Nick Day has surpassed his 2013 hit total (45) and has a career-high 18 RBIs and 36 runs. He is hitting .298 after entering the season with a .203 career average.
? Junior Jake Yacinich has a career-bests in runs (43), hits (73), triples (4), steals (24), RBIs (32) and batting average (.369).

POWER SURGE
After hitting two home runs the entire 2013 season, Iowa has 23 home runs in 50 games this season — the most for the program since 2010 when it had 28 jacks. The Hawkeyes surpassed their 2013 home run total in the season-opening weekend, connecting on three home runs. Seven different Hawkeyes have hit at least one home run this season.

RUNS, RUNS & MORE RUNS
? Iowa has scored 10 or more runs 13 times this season, including a season-high 17 three times in victories over Otterbein (March 17), Ohio State (May 4) and Purdue (May 17). The Hawkeyes hit the 10-run barrier three times the entire 2013 season.
? The Hawkeyes are 12-1 when scoring 10 or more runs this season.
? Iowa scored 11 and 15 runs in consecutive victories at Austin Peay on the opening weekend of the 2014 season. It was the first time scoring 10 or more runs in two-straight games since April 20 and April 23, 2011, putting 14 and 13 runs on the board in victories over Western Illinois and Michigan.
? Iowa has scored 10 runs in a single inning in two games this season (at Austin Peay (2/15), vs. Otterbein (3/17). The Hawkeyes last had a double-digit inning on April 3, 2011, in a 19-7 victory over Michigan State.

RUNNIN’ WILD
Thirteen different Hawkeyes have swiped at least one base during the 2014 season. Iowa’s 77 steals are third in the Big Ten lead and rank 28th nationally. Three different Hawkeyes have at least nine steals, which includes 24 by junior Jake Yacinich (24-of-27), 14 by Eric Toole (14-of-19) and 11 from Taylor Zeutenhorst (11-of-15). Iowa has stolen home twice this season — Blake Hickman vat Austin Peay (2/15) and Tyler Peyton vs. Georgetown (3/15).

HELLER REACHES 700
First-year head coach Rick Heller earned his 700th career victory in Iowa’s 13-1 victory over Georgetown on March 15 in Port Charlotte, Fla. Heller is 39th among winningest active head coaches in the NCAA.

TURNING AROUND A PROGRAM
? Under first-year head coach Rick Heller, the Hawkeyes started the season with a 9-1 record — the program’s best start since 1940.
? After starting 9-1, Iowa received votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) rankings on March 3.
? The Hawkeyes won 2-of-3 games in the Big Ten series opener against Nebraska. It was the team’s first conference-opening series win since 1998, and Iowa’s series win over Nebraska since the Huskers joined the Big Ten.
? Iowa won 2-of-3 games over Minnesota on April 18-20 in Iowa City, a first for the Hawkeyes since 2005.

B1G HONOREES
? Senior Taylor Zeutenhorst has tabbed as the Big Ten Player of the Week on Feb. 21 after hitting .412, slugging .765 and reaching at a .500 clip. The outfielder tied a career-high with four hits, going 4-of-6, which included a two-run home run in Iowa’s 16-6 win over Ball State. Zeutenhorst is Iowa’s first Player of the Week honoree since 2012.
? Junior Dan Potempa was tabbed as the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on March 24 after posting multiple hits in each of Iowa’s three games against Nebraska. He finished with weekend with a .727 batting average (8-of-11) and a 1.568 OPS. The Tinley Park, Ill., native had two hits in the opener and three hits in games two and three. He drove in a pair of runs in Iowa’s four-run eighth inning to send the Hawkeyes to a Big Ten-opening series win.
? Sophomore Calvin Mathews was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on March 31 and Big Ten Player of the Week by College Sports Madness a day later. The right-hander went the distance for his first career complete game, leading Iowa to a 3-2 win at Michigan. He scattered six hits and had nine strikeouts against zero walks in the game.
? Junior Sasha Kuebel was tabbed as the Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week for the second time in his career April 14 after going 2-0 with a 0.62 ERA in two appearances last week. The southpaw pitched 5 2/3 innings in relief in a 5-3 midweek victory over Kansas before tossing a complete game shutout in a 5-0 win at Northwestern. It was Kuebel’s first career complete game shutout and the first by a Hawkeye since 2011 (Jared Hippen).

IOWA’S 2015 RECRUITING CLASS
UI head coach Rick Heller has added 10 players for the Hawkeyes’ 2015 recruiting class. The class includes: Nick Allgeyer (6-3, 185, OF/LHP, St. Louis, Mo./Vianney HS), Joel Booker (6-2, 180, OF, Columbus, N.C./Indian Hills CC) Austin Guzzo-Foliaro (6-2, 190, OF, Brooklin, Ontario, Canada/All Saints Catholic Secondary School), Michael Haring, 6-1, 165, RHP, Iowa City, Iowa/City HS), Grant Klenovich (6-4, 220, 1B/3B, Winnetka, Ill./New Trier Township HS), Kyle “Fenway” Parks (6-1, 195, IF, Boca Raton, Fla./Spanish River Community HS), Luke Schafer (6-2, 175, IF, Middleton, Wis./Middleton HS), JT Sole (5-8, 175, C, Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls HS), Luke Vandermaten (6-foot-1, 155, RHP, Fort Dodge, Iowa/Iowa Central CC) and Kyle Wade (6-2, 195, RHP, Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills HS).

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.

NEXT UP
With a victory in the opening game, Iowa would face the winner of the No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 5 Michigan game at 9 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, while the two losing teams will meet at 1 p.m. Thursday.