Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — Feb. 2017
IOWA CITY, IOWA — Three University of Iowa baseball players — senior Mason McCoy, junior Nick Gallagher, and sophomore Robert Neustrom — have been named to the Big Ten preseason honors list, the conference announced Wednesday.
As a team, the Hawkeyes were picked to finish in a tie for sixth place in the preseason coaches’ poll. Only the top six teams were released. Maryland was tabbed as the league favorite followed by Michigan, Nebraska, Indiana, and Michigan State. Minnesota also was picked to tie for sixth place.
McCoy, a shortstop from Washington, Illinois, started every contest in 2016, where he hit .291 with 37 runs and 34 RBIs. The 2016 Big Ten All-Tournament team selection had 17 multi-hit games and enters the 2017 season riding a 13-game hitting streak.
Gallagher, a right-handed pitcher from Iowa City, Iowa, led the Hawkeyes with eight wins and a 2.47 ERA as a sophomore. The win total tied the right-hander for second in the Big Ten and they were the sixth-most in a single season in school history. The 2016 Big Ten All-Tournament team selection will be Iowa’s Friday night starter in 2017.
Neustrom, an outfielder from Sioux City, Iowa, started 38 games as a freshman, where he hit .307 with 21 RBIs and 24 runs. He is the team’s top returning hitter and is a preseason all-conference selection by Perfect Game.
The Hawkeyes open the season Friday, facing South Florida at 5:30 p.m. at USF Baseball Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
