Game Notes -- UNLV (March 31-April 2)

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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team continues its season-long 10-game homestand with a three-game nonconference series against UNLV from March 31-April 2 at Duane Banks Field.  Friday’s series opener will begin at 4:05 p.m. (CT), Saturday’s game is set for 2:05 p.m., and the series finale will start at 11:05 a.m.  

GAME COVERAGE
• All three games will be carried on select stations around the state via the Hawkeye Radio Network and be streamed online via Hawkeye All-Access with Zach Mackey and Steve Duncan on the call.  
• The duration of the series will be available on AM-800 KXIC in Iowa City and WDBQ in Dubuque; Sunday’s games will also be on KKFD in Fairfield.  
• All three games of the series will be carried on BTN Plus on BTN2Go.
• Live statistics will be available at www.hawkeyesports.com and fans can follow the action via Twitter/UIBaseball.

GAME PROMOTIONS
• On Friday, the first 250 fans will receive a free jersey rally towel.
• On Saturday, it is “Have a Catch” Saturday, and the first 300 fans will received a free Hawkeye lanyard.  Adults and children can play catch in the outfield for 30 minutes at the conclusion of the game.
• The finale is “Sunday Runday” where children can run the bases at the conclusion of the game.  The first 250 fans will receive a free Hawkeye pennant.

IOWA TIDBITS
• Iowa will use the same rotation for a second straight weekend with Nick Gallagher taking the ball Friday, Ryan Erickson on Saturday, and Cole McDonald on Sunday.  
• Iowa is averaging 6.9 runs and hitting .307 as a team over its last 10 games. Five players are hitting over .300 with senior Mason McCoy leading the way with a .417 average during the stretch.  Jake Adams and Robert Neustrom have 17 RBIs apiece in the 10 games.
• The Hawkeyes have overcome deficits in seven of their 14 victories this season.  
• Iowa hit two grand slams — one from Tyler Cropley and one from Robert Neustrom — in a 12-1 midweek victory over Bradley on March 22.  It was the team’s third grand slam of the season.  The Hawkeyes have 21 home runs as a team to rank fifth in the Big Ten.
• The Hawkeyes have had 10 or more hits in 11 games this season and have scored 10 or more runs in five contests.  Iowa has scored seven or more runs in 11 games.  

UNLV NOTABLES
• UNLV brings a 10-17 overall record into its three-game series at Iowa.  The Rebels are 2-8 away from the Sin City in 2017.
• The Rebels have lost eight straight games since winning the series opener at San Diego State on March 17.  The streak includes two losses at No. 3 Texas Tech, three against New Mexico, and a Tuesday defeat at Arizona State.
• Offensively, UNLV boasts a .301 team batting average and the Rebels average 5.8 runs per game.  The team has 71 extra base hits, including 50 doubles.  Six regulars are hitting over .300 with Ernie De La Trinidad hitting a team-best .374.  Justin Jones has 26 RBIs and a .347 average, while Nick Ames has five home runs and 25 RBIs.
• On the mound, the Rebels have a 5.68 team ERA, allowing 185 runs on 273 hits over 240 2/3 innings.  Opponents are hitting .285 against the Rebels’ staff.  
• The Rebels will start junior RHP Alan Strong (3-1, 4.91 ERA) on Friday, sophomore LHP Tevita Gerber (2-4, 6.46 ERA) on Saturday, and junior LHP Garrett Poole (2-3, 5.55 ERA) on Sunday.
• UNLV’s defense hasn’t helped its pitchers, committing 40 errors in 27 games for a .963 team fielding percentage.  
• The Rebels are led by Lowden, Iowa, native Stan Stolte, who is in his second season as UNLV’s head coach. Stolte played collegiately at St. Ambrose College before beginning his coaching career at Clarence-Lowden (Iowa) High School.  Stolte also coached in-state at Muscatine Community College.
• UNLV’s volunteer assistant/pitching coach is MLB Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. Maddux’s son, Chase, is a sophomore reliever for the Rebels.

SERIES RECORD
• This is the first meeting all-time between UNLV and Iowa.  
• The Hawkeyes are 12-33 all-time against current Mountain West Conference schools — Air Force (3-1), Colorado State (0-1), Fresno State (1-3), New Mexico (3-11), San Diego State (1-1), Wyoming (4-6).
• Iowa swept a two-game midweek series (9-7, 22-2) against Air Force last season in Iowa City.

DANIELS EARNS WEEKLY HONOR
Sophomore Zach Daniels was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on March 27 following a week where he went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA with nine strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.  It was Daniels’ second career weekly honor as he was Big Ten Freshman of the Week last season.

STAFF SHINES
Iowa’s pitching staff had its best weekend of the season, posting a 1.67 team ERA in its three-game series against Purdue.  The Hawkeyes gave up just five runs in three games and limited the Boilermakers to a 2.50 average.  The team had 30 strikeouts during the weekend.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Iowa is out-scoring its opponents, 28-11, in the first inning this season.  The Hawkeyes are 7-2 when scoring first.
• Over the first three innings, Iowa is out-scoring its opposition, 64-33.
• The Hawkeyes are 12-0 when scoring six or more runs this season.  Iowa is 2-9 when scoring five runs or less.
• Iowa is 8-3 when hitting a home run this season.  The team is 7-0 when hitting two or more long balls.
• The Hawkeyes are 12-2 when leading after six innings, 11-1 after seven innings, and 12-1 after eight innings this season.

HELLER WINS NO. 800
UI head coach Rick Heller won the 800th game of his collegiate coaching career when the Hawkeyes swept a March 12 doubleheader over Lehigh at the Snowbird Baseball Classic. 

#SWINGFASTER
The Hawkeyes are fifth in the Big Ten with 21 home runs this season. Nine different players have hit at least one home run.
• Iowa had 26 home runs in 56 games during the 2016 season.

GOING, GOING…
Junior Jake Adams hit his Big Ten-leading ninth home run of the season in Iowa’s 6-5 victory over Grand View on March 28.   
• The South Dakota native is sixth nationally with nine home runs.  The leader is Eastern Kentucky’s Ben Fisher with 13.
• Adams hit three home runs (and had seven RBIs) in Iowa’s 12-11, 10-inning victory at Kansas State on March 19.  Adams is the first Hawkeye since Jason White in 2007 to hit three home runs in the same game.
• Adams is one of five Big Ten players to hit three home runs in a game this season.
• Iowa’s single-season home run record is 22, set by John Knapp in 1986.  Jason White is the last Hawkeye to hit at least 10 home runs (2007).  The high of the Rick Heller era is nine by Taylor Zeutenhorst in 2014.
• Adams hit a school-record 25 home runs last year during his All-America season at DMACC.  In two junior-college seasons, Adams hit 42 career home runs — a school record.

FLIP-FLOP
Jake Adams and Robert Neustrom flip-flopped spots in Iowa’s batting order after Purdue pitched around Adams in the March 24 series opener.  In the three games since, Adams is hitting .500 with three RBIs in the three-hole, while Neustrom has a .400 average with five RBIs as the cleanup hitter.

A WHOLE LOTTA RBIs
Senior Jake Adams drove in seven runs (on three home runs) in Iowa’s 12-11 victory over Kansas State on March 19.  It was Adams’ second game with six or more RBIs this season.  The South Dakota native has a Big Ten-best 31 RBIs on the year.  He ranks 17th nationally in RBIs.
• Adams has at least one RBI in 14 games; Iowa is 12-2 when Adams has at least one RBI.
• Sophomore Robert Neustrom had a career-best four hits and five RBIs to complete Iowa’s doubleheader sweep of Lehigh on March 12.  Neustrom has two games with four or more RBIs and his 28 RBIs are second-most in the Big Ten.

NEUSTROM PRODUCES
Sophomore Robert Neustrom has hit safely in all but three games this season (20-of-23 games).  The outfielder opened the year with a career-best 11-game hitting streak. 
• Neustrom’s 36 hits are second-most in the Big Ten and he has team-high 12 multi-hit games.  His .379 average is third in the conference and he has 16 runs and 28 RBIs. He has six games this season with two or more RBIs and has driven in at least one run in 14 games.  Iowa is 10-4 when Neustrom has at least one RBI.
• He tallied his first career four-hit game against Lehigh, finishing 4-for-5 with a career-best five RBIs.  
• The Sioux City, Iowa native, has a career-best three home runs, including a three-run shot in Iowa’s road loss at Minnesota and a grand slam against Bradley.
• Neustrom had 12 multi-hit games the entire 2016 season — a season where he hit .307 as a true freshman.

MCCOY: THE SHORTSTOP
Senior Mason McCoy is back at his natural position at shortstop; he’s comfortable and producing.  The Illinois native has 11 multi-hit games, hit safely in 18-of-23 games, and has scored at least one run in 16 contests.
• McCoy is leading the Big Ten with 26 runs scored and ranks fifth in batting average.
• McCoy was an Northwest League All-Star selection in both 2015 and 2016, playing for the La Crosse Loggers.
• Iowa has had an all-conference selection at shortstop in each of Rick Heller’s first three seasons.  (Jake Yacinich, first-team, 2014; Nick Roscetti, third-team, 2015, first-team, 2016).

NORMAN TAKES HOLD
Freshman Ben Norman has started Iowa’s last 16 games in the outfield, primarily in center field.   The Des Moines, Iowa, native is hitting .347 with seven multi-hit games.  Norman’s seven doubles are tied for seventh in the Big Ten.
• Since becoming Iowa’s everyday center fielder, Norman is hitting .387 (24-of-62) with 24 hits, six doubles, 10 runs, and eight RBIs.   He has seven multi-hit games.
• Norman went 4-for-6 with two runs and two RBIs at Kansas State, which included a game-winning RBI double in the 10th inning of Iowa’s 12-11 extra inning win at Kansas State.  
• Norman is also Iowa’s top base-stealing threat, going 7-for-8 on the base paths this season. 

OFFENSIVE TIDBITS
• Junior Jake Adams has hit safely in 17-of-23 games this season, including posting 11 multi-hit games.  The South Dakota native has four multi-hit games in Iowa’s last six contests.
• Junior Austin Guzzo went 2-for-2 with two runs and a solo home run in Iowa’s 6-5 win over Grand View. It was his first multi-hit game of the season.
• Freshman Justin Jenkins had his first career two-RBI game in Iowa’s game two win over Purdue. He had a game-tying sacrifice fly and added an RBI single in the victory.
• Junior Chris Whelan is hitting .338 with 17 runs and seven RBIs.  The outfielder has eight multi-hit games, including multi-hit games in three of the last five games where he is hitting .412 with seven hits. As Iowa’s leadoff hitter, Whelan is hitting .412 with 21 hits and 10 runs scored.  
• Sophomore Luke Farley is hitting .600 (4-of-6) as a pinch-hitter.  
• Sophomore Robert Neustrom is hitting .606 (20-of-33) with runners in scoring position with 11 two-out RBIs; junior Jake Adams has a .463 average with 19 hits in 41 at-bats.

BALLS & STRIKES
• The Hawkeyes are seventh in the Big Ten with a 4.49 team ERA. Iowa’s staff ranks third in the league with 208 strikeouts, averaging 9.0 per game. 
• Zach Daniels is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA over his last three appearances, allowing three hits over 8 1/3 innings. He has 12 strikeouts to three walks during the stretch.
• Senior Ryan Erickson will make his third consecutive start this weekend against UNLV.  The southpaw is 0-1 with a 2.61 ERA in two starts, striking out seven in 10 1/3 innings.  
• Senior Josh Martsching struck out seven batters in three innings in two appearances against Purdue. He is 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA with 16 strikeouts to three walks this season with one save.
• Sophomore Cole McDonald will start Sunday against UNLV after his shortest outing of the season — a 2 2/3 inning start against Purdue.  McDonald is 2-2 with a 4.68 ERA this season.
• Sophomore Shane Ritter has eight strikeouts to one walk over his last five appearances where he hasn’t surrendered a run.  Ritter has two saves during the stretch — the first two of his career — and has given up just two hits in 3 2/3 innings.
• Redshirt freshman Kyle Shimp is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in his last three appearances, spanning 4 2/3 innings. He picked up victories against Kansas State and Purdue, striking out five during the stretch.  Opponents are hitting .111 against Shimp this season.
• Junior Elijah Wood has given Iowa another left-handed arm in relief.  The Washington, Iowa, native is 0-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five appearances. He went a career-long three innings, scattering three hits and fanning three March 28 against Grand View.

ELDRED TO MISS REMAINDER OF SEASON
Junior C.J. Eldred will miss the remainder of the 2017 season after undergoing a partial repair surgery of the UCL on March 15 in St. Louis.  Eldred was 0-0 with a 1.50 ERA this season.

HAWKEYE HONORS
• Junior Jake Adams was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on March 6 after hitting .417 with two home runs and six RBIs in leading the Hawkeyes to a 2-1 record at the DQ Classic. It was the first honor of his career. 
• Senior Mason McCoy earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors on Feb. 27 after hitting .438 with seven hits, six runs, and six RBIs in leading Iowa to a 3-1 week two record.  The honor is the second of McCoy’s career.
• Adams and Matt Hoeg, sophomore Robert Neustrom and freshman Ben Norman were named to the DQ Classic All-Tournament team on March 5.
• Norman and junior Chris Whelan shared the DQ Classic batting title.  Both players hit .500 in three games.

JUNIOR NICK GALLAGHER…
• is 10-4 with a 2.65 ERA in 28 career appearances, including 14 starts.  He has 106 strikeouts against 35 walks in 115 2/3 innings.
• has three quality starts in 2017 in games against South Florida, Alabama State, and Hawai’i.  He has logged at least seven innings in three of five starts.
• went a career-high eight innings in Iowa’s 7-6 victory over Hawai’i at the DQ Classic. He had a season-high eight strikeouts (without walking a batter) in the game.
• tied for second in the Big Ten with eight victories as a sophomore, which were the sixth-most in a single-season in program history.
• was named to the 2016 Big Ten All-Tournament team after allowing one hit over six innings and fanning a career-high nine in a victory over Maryland.

BANKS MAGIC
Iowa has gone 39-11 at home since the start of the 2015 season.  The Hawkeyes are 6-1 at home this season.  The team went 17-3 in 2015 — the most home victories since 1996 — and followed it up with 16 home wins in 2016.  Iowa has six walk-off victories at Duane Banks Field since the start of 2015.

FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
Iowa baseball fans can follow the Hawkeyes on Facebook/iowabaseball, Twitter: @UIBaseball, and Instagram/UIBaseball in addition to coverage on 
hawkeyesports.com.