Game Notes -- at Minnesota

March 31, 2016

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Iowa (10-12, 2-1) at Minnesota (13-9, 0-0)
Dates	April 1-3, 2016
Location	Minneapolis | Siebert Field
Game Notes	Iowa
Statistics	IOWA | Minnesota

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team heads to Minneapolis for its first road Big Ten series of the season, facing Minnesota from April 1-3 at Siebert Field. Friday’s opener is set for a 3:05 p.m. (CT) start, followed by 2:05 p.m. starts Saturday and Sunday.

GAME COVERAGE
? Friday and Saturday’s games will be video streamed live on BTN Plus, while Sunday’s series finale will be televised live on BTN. Andy Masur and Scott Pose will be on the call.
? The series will also be available on AM-800 KXIC and online via Hawkeye All-Access. Brent Balbinot will be on the call with Steve Duncan or Ray Gilmore providing color commentary.
? Live statistics will be available at www.hawkeyesports.com and fans can follow the action via Twitter/UIBaseball.

IOWA TIDBITS
? Iowa opened Big Ten play by taking 2-of-3 from Maryland last weekend at Duane Banks Field. It was the team’s third straight Big Ten-opening series victory.
? The Hawkeyes have won nine of their last 10 league series dating back to the final weekend of the 2014 season. Iowa’s only series loss was at Rutgers last season.
? Iowa has 13 home runs in 22 games this season with eight different players hitting at least one home run. Nick Roscetti, Joel Booker, Tyler Peyton, Austin Guzzo, and Daniel Aaron Moriel have two home runs apiece. The Hawkeyes had 14 home runs in 59 games in 2015.

MINNESOTA NOTABLES
? The Gophers are 13-9 overall after beating Saint Mary’s (Minn.), 9-1, on Wednesday at Siebert Field. Last weekend, Minnesota took 2-of-3 games at Missouri State, sweeping a Saturday doubleheader, 12-5 and 7-5.
? Minnesota leads the Big Ten with a .333 team batting average with seven regulars hitting .300 or better. Three players are in the top eight in the Big Ten in hitting and the Gophers average 6.7 runs per game. Austin Athmann has a .412 average with five home runs, 19 RBIs and 14 runs scored, Terrin Vavra is hitting .403 with 14 RBIs, and Matt Fielder has scored 20 runs, while hitting .389 and is 7-of-7 on the base paths.
? The Gophers have a 4.50 team ERA, allowing 107 runs (96 earned) and have 159 strikeouts to 85 walks. RHP Matt Fiedler (3-2, 4.15 ERA) will start Friday, LHP Dalton Sawyer (3-2, 3.90 ERA) Saturday, and RHP Toby Anderson (3-0, 5.06 ERA) Sunday.
? Iowa beat Sawyer, 7-1, in the series finale last year, scoring five runs on three hits in 3 1/3 innings.

SERIES RECORD
? The Gophers lead the all-time series over Iowa, 178-115, in a series that dates back to 1892.
? The Hawkeyes have won the last two series over Minnesota, taking 2-of-3 games in 2014 and sweeping the three-game series last season. It was Iowa’s first season sweep of the Gophers since 1990 when it went 4-0 and the first time the Hawkeyes have won back-to-back series since 1962 and 1963.
? Iowa hasn’t won three straight series over the Gophers since 1948, 1949, and 1950.

SEE YA LATER
The Hawkeyes hit four home runs in their 12-3 victory over Northern Illinois on March 29 at Duane Banks Field. It was the team’s first four home run game since 2010 — a 16-6 victory over Coe College. Senior Tyler Peyton hit a grand slam in Iowa’s eight-run sixth inning. It was Iowa’s first grand slam since Blake Hickman hit one at Austin Peay in Rick Heller‘s second game as Iowa’s head coach.

NEUSTROM HONORED
Freshman Robert Neustrom was honored as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on March 28 after hitting .500 in helping Iowa to a 3-1 record last week. Neustrom had hits in three of four games, including two multi-hit contests, and posted a .667 slugging and .462 on-base percentage.
Neustrom is Iowa’s second freshman of the Week honoree this season, joining Zach Daniels, who was honored March 14. It is the first time Iowa has had two different players earn the freshman honoree in the same season.

HE’S A FRESHMAN?
After getting off to a slow start to his freshman season, Robert Neustrom has adjusted well to Division I baseball. The Sioux City, Iowa native is hitting .370 — tops among Iowa’s regulars — with eight RBIs and eight runs scored. All eight RBIs have come in the team’s last 10 games.
? Neustrom has three multi-hit games in Iowa’s last four contests. He went 2-for-3 with two runs and a triple in the series opening win over Maryland and tallied his third three-hit game in game two, series-clinching victory.
? Against Northern Illinois, Neustrom connected on his first career home run — a two-run shot into the wind to right field and finished 2-for-3 with two runs and a career-high four RBIs.
? The outfielder is hitting .469 (15-of-32) with eight RBIs, four extra base hits, and six runs scored over his last 10 games.

PITCHING EMERGES
Iowa’s pitching staff emerged in the Big Ten series-opening victory over Maryland. The Hawkeyes limited the Terrapins to six runs over 27 innings, posting a 2.00 ERA and striking out 23 to seven walks. Maryland hit .221 in the three-game series.

COMPLETE GAME C.J.
Redshirt sophomore C.J. Eldred notched his first career complete game in Iowa’s 8-1 series-opening victory over Maryland on March 25. The Mount Vernon, Iowa native allowed one run on six hits, induced three double plays, and struck out a career-high nine batters.

A WALK-OFF WINNER
? Iowa rallied for a 7-6 victory over Bradley with two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning on March 22 at Banks Field. It was the Hawkeyes’ first win when trailing after six innings this season.
? Seniors Eric Schenck-Joblinske tripled and scored the tying run when Zach Daniels reached on an RBI fielder’s choice. Nick Roscetti’s RBI single gave Iowa its seventh walk-off victory in the last season and a half.

BANKS MAGIC
Iowa is 21-4 at home since the start of the 2015 season. The Hawkeyes went 17-3 last season for the most home victories since 1996. Iowa has five walk-off victories at Duane Banks Field since the start of 2015.

THINGS ARE “ROSEY”
After hitting .391 in Big Ten play as a junior, senior Nick Roscetti has started 2016 where he left off.
? Roscetti is tied for fifth in the Big Ten in doubles (8), tied for eighth in runs scored and RBIs (20), ninth in total bases (47), 11th in hits (33), and 12th in hitting (.363).
? Roscetti has a team-best 12 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI contests. He had a career-best 15-game hitting streak from Feb. 26-March 22.
? He has six games with two or more RBIs, including a four-RBI performance, tying a career-high, in Iowa’s 7-6 walk-off victory over Bradley on March 22. Roscetti had the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning.
? Roscetti is hitting .390 (16-of-41) over his last 10 games with 10 RBIs and eight runs scored.

BOOKER’S BREAKOUT
Senior Joel Booker is doing his part to be the catalyst at the top of the Hawkeye lineup. In his first season as Iowa’s leadoff hitter, the Columbus, North Carolina, native is having a breakout season.
? The outfielder is hitting .337 with 31 hits and 20 runs scored. He has seven doubles, two triples, and two home runs — surpassing his is extra base hit output from his junior season.
? Booker is second on the team with nine multi-hit games, including four three-hit contests.
? He had a career-best 14-game hitting streak and reached safely in 18 consecutive games earlier this season. He has hit safely in 17-of-22 games and reached safely in all but two contests.
? Booker has posted career-bests in hits (4 vs. Chicago State), RBIs (4 vs. Savannah State), and tied a career-high in runs (3 at Missouri State) this season.

DANIELS EARNS B1G HONOR
Freshman Zach Daniels earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on March 14 after hitting .571 with five RBIs and three runs scored in two Iowa victories. He had four RBIs in a 28-0 win over Northwestern College and went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI in a win over Savannah State.
Daniels is the first Hawkeye to earn Freshman of the Week honors since Austin Guzzo in 2015.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
? Tyler Peyton is hitting .324 over his last 10 games with eight RBIs and six runs. He had the go-ahead two-run single in Iowa’s 4-1 come-from-behind victory to clinch the series win over Maryland. Six of Peyton’s 10 RBIs have come in the last three games.
? Sophomore Austin Guzzo scored five runs against Northwestern College to tie a school record. He is one of three players to score five runs in a game and the first since John Mahoney in 1978.

SOPHOMORE C.J. Eldred…
? has been Iowa’s most consistent pitcher, going 2-2 with a 2.09 ERA in six appearances (five starts).
? has 27 strikeouts to 10 walks in 38 2/3 innings and is limiting opposing batters to a .213 batting average.
? has a team-best three quality starts. He has allowed one run or fewer in three of his five starts. ? pitched his first career complete game, allowing one run on six hits and striking out nine to out duel Maryland All-American Mike Shawaryn.
? posted back-to-back quality starts against Southern Illinois and Omaha… threw nine innings of two-hit, one run ball against the SIU. He had a no-hitter through 7 2/3 innings, but wasn’t involved in the decision. He allowed three runs in six innings in a 3-2 loss to Omaha.
? picked up his first career win against Dartmouth in his first career start, allowing one run on four hits over five innings, fanning five.
? sat out the 2015 season after transferring from Indiana University, where he redshirted in 2014.
? is the son of former Hawkeye first round MLB Draft pick and Major Leaguer Cal Eldred.

SENIOR Tyler Peyton…
? logged a quality start at Dallas Baptist, going 6 1/3 innings, scattering two hits, and striking out six. Both runs were unearned, as he took the loss.
? had his best outing since the series opener in game two against Maryland. He pitched five innings, allowing one run on three hits and struck out seven, but wasn’t involved in the decision.
? missed a start at Southern Illinois due to forearm tightness.
? is 12-8 in his Iowa career with a 4.02 ERA in 35 starts. Peyton has 15 quality starts and has pitched into the seventh inning 14 times in his career.
? has logged 195 innings in two-plus seasons, where he has 141 strikeouts to 63 walks.
? earned third-team All-America honors by D1Baseball.com and the USBWA as a junior.
? has the best change-up in the Big Ten Conference according to Baseball America.

SENIOR Calvin Mathews…
? is 0-2 with a 5.91 ERA in six starts… only Hawkeye pitcher to start every weekend this season.
? hasn’t pitched past the fourth inning an any start, allowing 15 runs (14 earned) on 27 hits over 21 1/3 innings.
? is pitching through a shoulder injury and isn’t (and won’t be at 100 percent) all season.
? is 10-13 with a 3.38 ERA in 45 appearances (41 starts). He has logged 207.2 innings, allowing 191 hits, striking out 144 strikeouts to 67 walks.

IN RELIEF…
? Iowa’s bullpen has been strong, posting a 2.73 ERA. The Hawkeye relievers have allowed 39 runs (30 earned) in 99 innings and are holding opposing hitters to a .247 average.
? Sophomore Nick Gallagher is 3-1 with a 1.35 ERA in five relief appearances. The right-hander moved to the bullpen after earning a Saturday start in the season-opening series at Dallas Baptist. He has allowed three runs on 15 hits over 20 innings as a reliever, striking out 20 and issuing six walks. He earned his third win (first Big Ten win) against Maryland, scattering two hits and fanning four in four innings.
? Senior Ryan Erickson hasn’t allowed a run in his last three appearances, spanning 7 1/3 innings. He has four strikeouts and has surrendered four hits during the stretch. Erickson went 4 1/3 shutout innings against Maryland, allowing two hits and fanning two.