Game Notes -- at Middle Tennessee State (March 7-8)

March 5, 2015

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Iowa (7-1) at Middle Tennessee State (7-2)
Dates	March 7-8, 2015
Location	Murfreesboro, Tenn. | Reese Smith Jr. Field
Game Notes	Iowa
Statistics	MTSU | IOWA

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team heads to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, for a three-game weekend series against Middle Tennessee State at Reese Smith Jr. Field. Weather has forced the series to be pushed back a day. The two teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. (CT) Saturday before closing out the weekend with a 1 p.m. start Sunday.

GAME COVERAGE
Zach Mackey will provide play-by-play and Ray Gilmore will serve as the color commentator for all three games against the Blue Raiders via the subscription-based service Hawkeye All-Access on hawkeyesports.com. Fans can also follow every game with live stats (GameTracker) on hawkeyesports.com and live updates are also available on Twitter: @UIBaseball.

QUICK HITTERS
? Iowa has a Big Ten-best 1.30 team ERA over eight games. Six Hawkeye pitchers have a spotless ERA, having yet to allow an earned run. ? Five pitchers combined to shutout Cincinnati, 5-0, in 13 innings on March 1. The five-some scattered seven hits and stuck out 12. It was Iowa’s first complete game shutout since Feb. 21, 2014 — a 2-0 victory over St. Bonaventure. ? After hitting in three hole for the first six games, senior Jake Mangler is back to his comfortable No. 2 position. He has hits in both games since making the move, including a three-hit, three RBI performance in a 5-0 win over Cincinnati on March 1. ? Senior Dan Potempa and junior Joel Booker became the second and third Hawkeyes to hit home runs in 2015. Potempa hit a solo shot in a Feb. 27 win over Cincinnati, while Booker hit his first home run at Iowa — a two-out blast in the 13th against the Bearcats (3/1). ? Seniors Eric Toole and Kris Goodman have reached base safely in seven-straight contests. Goodman has hits in 6-of-8 games, including a pair of multi-hit contests.

SCOUTING MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE
? The Blue Raiders bring a 7-2 record into this weekend’s three-game series. MTSU took 2-of-3 games at New Orleans last weekend, falling in the finale, 8-2, to have their five-game winning streak snapped. ? MTSU was leading Tennessee, 4-0, in Knoxville on Tuesday night before the game was eventually cancelled after an hour rain delay. ? The Blue Raiders were picked to finish eighth in the 12-team Conference-USA this season. ? MTSU is hitting .303 as a team through nine games with four regulars hitting above .300. Sophomore outfielder Brad Jarreau is off to a fast start, posting a .469 average, senior infielder Dustin Delgado is batting .412 with seven RBIs and 10 runs, and senior catcher Michael Adkins is hitting .385 with three doubles, two home runs, and 16 RBIs. ? The Blue Raiders have a 4.94 team ERA, allowing 86 hits, 49 runs (45 earned) over 82 innings. MTSU has 69 strikeouts against 41 walks. ? The Hawkeyes will face senior LHP Jonathan Frebis (2-0, 4.15 ERA) on Friday, junior RHP Nate Hoffman (0-0, 5.06 ERA) on Saturday, and Sunday’s starter is TBA. Frebis has wins over Jacksonville and Western Illinois this season.

THE SERIES
? Iowa and MTSU have met just once in program history — an 11-9 Blue Raider win during the 2005 season. The game was played in Dothan, Alabama, competing in the Wiregrass Baseball Classic.

7-STRAIGHT WINS
The Hawkeyes have won seven-straight games since dropping their season-opener to Kansas State. Iowa also won seven-straight early in the 2014 season; it is the longest streak since winning 12-straight in 2012.

100 X 4
Iowa has nearly 500 career starts among four every day players. Seniors Eric Toole (140), Jake Manglers (130), Kris Goodman (124), and Nick Day (100) have combined to start 494 games in their Hawkeye careers. Mangler has started 55-straight games at second base.

MOORE PRODUCES
Senior Sean Moore’s first hit as a Hawkeye was one he won’t soon forget. The Coralville, Iowa, native delivered a three-run, pinch-hit double in the bottom of the eighth inning to send Iowa on to a 5-1 victory over Cincinnati on Feb. 28. Moore is 1-for-5 with 3 RBIs as Iowa’s top pinch hitter this season.

IN THE BIG TEN…
? Junior Tyler Peyton ranks 12th in the Big Ten with a .381 batting average. ? Senior Eric Toole is tied for the league-lead with five steals, converting all five attempts. The Hawkeyes are third overall in team steals with 14. ? Iowa’s pitching staff leads the Big Ten in ERA (1.30) and saves (4), and is second in opposing batting average (.183). The Hawkeyes have given up the fewest hits (48) and allowed the fewest runs (17) and earned runs (11) in the league.

GUZZO STEPS IN
Freshman Austin Guzzo has moved into the role as co-No. 1 catcher for the Hawkeyes. The Canadian has started four games behind the plate (and one at first base), where he has thrown out 5-of-6 base stealers. Guzzo has thrown out 83.3 percent of would-be base stealers, the second highest percentage (min. five attempts) in the nation. Guzzo has hit safely in 4-of-5 games, which includes consecutive two-hit games in the first two starts of his career. He is hitting .316 with two doubles, three RBIs, and two runs scored this season.

IOWA’S STARTING PITCHING…
? is 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA in eight games this season. Iowa’s three starters have logged 38 1/3 innings, giving up five earned runs in eight games. ? has 35 strikeouts, but has issued 16 walks.

JUNIOR Tyler Peyton…
? posted his first victory of the season, allowing one run on three hits in a 3-1 win over UALR on Feb. 20 . He had five strikeouts, but four walks. ? is 6-1 in his Iowa career with a 4.25 ERA in 17 starts. Peyton has five quality starts and has pitching into the seventh inning six times in his career. ? is hitting a team-best .381 (8-for-21), collecting hits in 5-of-6 games this season. He went 3-for-4 with the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning in a 6-5 win over Missouri State. It was Peyton’s third career game with three or more hits.

JUNIOR Blake Hickman…
? is 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA in three starts. He has 11 strikeouts against eight walks. ? notched his first victory of 2015 in a 5-1 win over Cincinnati on Feb. 28. He was perfect through three innings, striking out 7-of-10 batters to start the game, and had a no-hitter through six innings — a career-long start. Hickman tied a career-high with nine strikeouts in the contest. ? has a 3-2 career record with a 3.40 ERA over 47 2/3 innings in 20 appearances, including eight starts. He has 45 strikeouts against 31 walks. ? is focusing solely on pitching for the first time in his baseball career. He transitioned to the mound midway through 2014 season. ? pitched in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2014, posting a 3-4 record with a 4.91 ERA in nine starts.

JUNIOR Calvin Mathews…
? is Iowa’s Sunday starter. He is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA in three appearances (two starts). Mathews is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two starts, allowing one unearned run on six hits with nine strikeouts to one walk. ? picked up his first win against George Mason on Feb. 15, allowing one run on three hits over five innings. ? was 1-of-5 pitchers to combined for a 13-inning shutout in Iowa’s 5-0 victory over Cincinnati on March 1. He scattered three hits over five innings and had five strikeouts. ? was the Hawkeyes’ Friday starter in 2014 before going down with a shoulder injury. He went 3-3 with a 2.72 ERA with 60 strikeouts to 20 walks. Six of his 11 starts were “quality” starts, and he allowed three or fewer runs in 10-of-11 starts. ? is 6-8 with a 3.24 ERA in 26 appearances (22 starts). He has logged 125 innings, allowing 106 hits and finishing with 97 strikeouts to 34 walks.

BULLPEN NOTABLES
? Iowa’s bullpen is 4-1 with a 1.43 ERA with four saves in 2015. Six relievers have yet to allow an earned run. ? Senior Tyler Radtke is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and is 2-for-3 in save opportunities, allowing three hits in 4 1/3 innings. The right-hander is 5-of-7 in career save opportunities. ? Juniors Ryan Erickson (1-0, 1.29 ERA) and Connor Grant (1-1, 4.50 ERA, 1 S) have both posted wins in relief. ? Junior Luke Vandermaten is tied for the team-high with four appearances, where he has scattered four hits over 7 1/3 innings. The RHP has yet to allow a run and has one of Iowa’s four saves. ? Junior Josh Martsching made his first appearance since 2013 on March 1 against Cincinnati. He allowed one hit over three innings with three strikeouts. Martsching missed the entire 2014 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

MOVING UP THE RECORD BOOKS
? Junior Eric Toole has 48 career steals, which are the ninth most in program history. Travis Sweet and Tom Steinmetz are tied for seventh with 49 steals. ? Junior Nick Hibbing has made 60 career appearances as a Hawkeye — the fifth-most in school history. Tom DeJarld (1987-90) is fourth with 61 appearances. ? Hibbing is also tied for sixth all-time with nine career saves. ? Toole is tied for fifth in UI history with 148 singles. He is tied with his brother, Justin Toole.

IN-SEASON HONORS
? Freshman Austin Guzzo was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Feb. 16 after having a strong collegiate debut in Iowa’s 4-1 win over George Mason. The Canadian went 2-for-4 with a run and RBI and caught a pitching staff that limited the Patriots to four hits. He is the first Hawkeye to earn the honor since Sasha Kuebel in 2012.

TEAM CAPTAINS
A trio of seniors — Jake Mangler, Eric Toole, and Kris Goodman — and junior Tyler Radtke have been voted as team captains for the 2015 Hawkeyes. It is the second-straight year Mangler and Toole have been captains.

#HELLERBALL
? Iowa won 30 games in UI head coach Rick Heller‘s first season in 2014 — the most wins by a first-year head coach in program history and the third 30-win campaign since 1993. ? The Hawkeyes advanced to and won a game in the Big Ten Tournament in 2014 — the program’s first tournament victory since 2010. ? Under Heller, Duane Banks Field has been undergoing a transformation with AstroTurf installed in the infield and outfield, new outfield fences and the addition of a new video scoreboard. ? Iowa had five All-Big Ten selections, including the first first-team honoree since 2009. The Hawkeyes also had two first-team all-region selections.

B1G TITLE – 25-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
The 2015 season is the 25th anniversary of the 1990 Iowa baseball team that posted a 22-6 league record en route to the Big Ten regular season championship. Iowa will hold a reunion and recognize the 1990 team during the final home stand May 8-10 at Duane Banks Field.

SEASON TICKETS ARE ON SALE
Season tickets for the 2015 home schedule are on sale at hawkeyesports.com. Tickets are $75 for reserved and general admission and $40 for general admission youth tickets. There is also a “30-Block” season ticket, priced at $99, where tickets can be used at any game or combination of games. Single game tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for youth. Children ages five and under are admitted free.

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 are set to host AIB on March 11 in their home opener at 3 p.m. at Banks Field. Iowa then hits the road for a four-game series at Houston Baptist from March 14-17.