Game Notes -- Penn State (April 28-30)

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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team hosts Penn State for a three-game Big Ten Conference series from April 28-30 at Duane Banks Field.  With Mother Nature expected to put a wrench in the weekend schedule, the teams will play a Friday doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. (CT).  The series finale is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start Saturday or an 11 a.m. start Sunday. (Follow UIBaseball on Twitter for the latest updates).
    
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.
• Select games will be available on AM-800 KXIC in Iowa City and all three contests will be on WDBQ in Dubuque.
• Friday’s games will be streamed on BTN Plus on BTN2Go. The series finale will be on Hawkeye All-Access.
• Live statistics will be available at www.hawkeyesports.com and fans can follow the action via Twitter/UIBaseball.

WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
• University of Iowa All-American and 2015 Jim Thorpe Award winner Desmond King will throw out the first pitch before the second game of the Friday doubleheader against Penn State. 
• On Friday, fans can register to win a Hawkeye Prize Pack. There will also be a post-game fireworks show.
• On Saturday, fans can register to win a Hawkeye Prize Pack and there will be “Have a Catch” Saturday. Adults and children can play catch in the outfield for 30 minutes at the conclusion of the game.

LEADING OFF
• Iowa has won four of its last six Big Ten series dating back to the 2016 season. The Hawkeyes won their first ever Big Ten road series at Nebraska from April 14-16 before Rutgers handed Iowa its first home series loss of the season from April 21-23.
• Iowa ranks in the top half of the Big Ten in hitting, fielding, and pitching.  The Hawkeyes rank in the top five in the conference in five offensive categories, sitting second in hits (375) and slugging percentage (.433), third in doubles (75), fourth in batting average (.283), RBIs (218) and on-base percentage (218), and fifth in home runs (37), runs (232) and total bases (573). Iowa is sixth in team ERA (4.16) and fielding percentage (.977).  
• The Hawkeyes are 13-3 at Duane Banks Field this season and 46-13 at home dating back to the 2015 season. Iowa won eight straight home games from March 24-April 21 before dropping 2-of-3 games to Rutgers.
• In Big Ten play, Iowa is third in team batting average (.308), fourth in team ERA (4.16), and fifth in fielding percentage (.979).
• Junior Jake Adams ranks in the top-11 in the Big Ten in nine different offensive categories, including leading the league in home runs (15), total bases (108), and slugging percentage (.708).  His 48 RBIs are second, his .344 average is sixth, and 53 hits are tied for sixth.
• Adams is tied for sixth nationally with 15 home runs — four off the NCAA lead.  He is the third Hawkeye since 2000 to hit 10 or more home runs in a season.  The 15 blasts are the most by an Iowa player since 2002.  Adams is on pace to hit 20 home runs; Iowa’s school record is 22 by John Knapp in 1986.
• Junior Nick Gallagher is 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA over his last five starts, allowing 20 hits over 28 1/3 innings with 21 strikeouts
• Sophomore Zach Daniels is second in the Big Ten with six victories, which are tied for the 34th-most nationally. He is 6-2 with a 4.08 ERA in 16 relief appearances. 
• Follow the Hawkeyes on social media via Facebook/iowa baseball, Twitter/UIBaseball, and Instagram/UIBaseball.

IOWA TIDBITS
• Iowa has won 19 of its last 20 midweek games dating back to the 2015 season.  The Hawkeyes downed Milwaukee, 4-3, on Tuesday night in walk-off fashion.  Mason McCoy’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning sent the Hawkeyes to their second walk-off victory of the season. 
• Sophomore Chris Whelan missed his first game of the season Wednesday against Milwaukee. The outfielder injured his wrist after making a diving catch against Rutgers on April 23. He is day-to-day.
• The Hawkeyes have overcome deficits in 14 of their 24 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 had 10 or more hits in 21 games this season and have scored 10 or more runs in six contests.  Iowa has scored seven or more runs in 14 games.  
• Iowa won its first 13 games when finishing with 10 or more hits. The team is 16-5 when reaching the 10-hit mark.

PENN STATE NOTABLES
• The Nittany Lions enter the weekend with a 14-26 overall and 2-10 Big Ten record, putting the team in 13th place in the conference standings.  Penn State lost 2-of-3 against Northwestern last weekend in Happy Valley; the other conference win came over Ohio State on April 8.
• Offensively, Penn State is last in the Big Ten with a .233 team batting average.  Jordan Bowersox is the only Nittany Lion regular hitting above .300. He has a .333 average with 18 RBIs.  Willie Burger has a team-high four home runs and 22 RBIs.
• Penn State’s pitching staff has a 5.47 team ERA with 313 strikeouts over 345 1/3 innings.  The Nittany Lions will start RHP Sal Biasi (4-4, 3.96 ERA) in game one, RHP Justin Hagenman (1-7, 4.55 ERA) in game two, and RHP Eric Mock (0-3, 5.83 ERA) in the finale.  
• Biasi is leading the Big Ten with a .171 batting average against and he is third in the conference with 69 strikeouts over 52 1/3 innings.
• Iowa beat Biasi and the Nittany Lions, 8-0, last season in University Park to clinch a Big Ten Tournament berth.  The Hawkeyes had eight hits and scored three runs (one earned) in five innings. Biasi had six strikeouts.
• The Hawkeyes also roughed up Hagenman last season, scoring four runs on nine hits in 2 1/3 innings.  Penn State won the finale, 5-4, in 12 innings.

SERIES RECORD
• Iowa won 2-of-3 games over Penn State last season in Happy Valley to clinch a berth into the Big Ten Tournament.  It was the first series between the two teams since 2012.
• The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series, 39-30, but Iowa has won three of the last four series.
• Penn State won 2-of-3 games in Iowa City in 2012. In game two, PSU’s Steven Hill faced two batters over the minimum to no-hit Iowa in a 2-0 victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Iowa is out-scoring its opponents, 34-19, in the first inning this season.  The Hawkeyes are 13-5 when scoring first.
• Over the first three innings, Iowa is out-scoring its opposition, 91-58.
• The Hawkeyes are 17-1 when scoring six or more runs this season.  Iowa is 7-14 when scoring five runs or less.
• Iowa is 14-7 when hitting a home run this season.  The team is 9-3 when hitting two or more long balls.
• The Hawkeyes are 18-3 when leading after six innings, 18-2 after seven innings, and 19-1 after eight innings this season.
• Nineteen games have been decided by two runs or less this season; Iowa is 11-8.

BANKS MAGIC
• Iowa is 13-3 at home this season running its record to 46-13 at Banks Field since the start of the 2015 season.  
• The Hawkeyes went 17-3 in 2015 — the most home victories since 1996 — and followed it up with 16 home wins in 2016.  Iowa has eight walk-off victories at Duane Banks Field since the start of 2015.

SET THEM UP, SIT THEM DOWN
The Hawkeyes are third in the Big Ten with 317 strikeouts in 2017, averaging 8.1 per game.  Iowa is on pace to shatter the program’s single-season record for a second straight season.  Iowa had a record 382 strikeouts in 2016; the team is on pace for 430 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 tied for fifth in the Big Ten with 37 home runs this season. Nine different players have hit at least one home run.
• The 37 home runs are the most for the team in the Rick Heller era and the most for the Hawkeyes since 2010.  Iowa hit 40 home runs in 2009.
• Iowa had 26 home runs in 56 games during the 2016 season.

GOING, GOING…
Junior Jake Adams is leading the Big Ten with 15 home runs this season. The South Dakota native hit is 15th blast against Milwaukee on April 25 — a shot that went 400 feet and had a 118 mph exit velocity.
• The South Dakota native is tied for sixth nationally with 15 home runs. Morehead State’s Niko Hulsizer is the national leader with 19 blasts.
• Adams’ 15 home runs are the most by a Hawkeye since Brad Carlson hit 16 in 2002.  Just three Iowa players have reached 10 home runs since 2002.
• Iowa is 11-2 when Adams hits a home run this season.
• 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.  Adams is currently on pace to hit 20 home runs in 2017.
• 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.

MORE THAN A HOME RUN HITTER
Sure, Jake Adams has a Big Ten-best 15 home runs, but he’s more than a home run hitter.  Adams has hit safely in 30 games, reached safely in 34 contests, and posted 19 multi-hit games.  He ranks sixth in the Big Ten with a .344 batting average and ninth with a .424 on-base percentage.
• He leads the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.708), is second in RBIs (48), and tied for sixth in hits (53).

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.  Iowa is 11-4 since making the switch.
• Adams is hitting .361 with six home runs, 19 runs, and 19 RBIs since moving to the three hole.  Neustrom has a .338 average as Iowa’s cleanup hitter with nine doubles, one home run, and 16 RBIs.

RBI KINGS
Junior Jake Adams and sophomore Robert Neustrom are second and third in the Big Ten in RBIs.  Adams is second with 48 RBIs; he has driven in at least one run in 24 games.  Neustrom is third with 40 RBIs; he had the game-winning RBI double in Iowa’s 4-3 win over South Dakota State on April 4.
• 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. He is tied for 22nd nationally in RBIs.
• Iowa is 20-4 when Adams has at least one RBI.  
• Adams is on pace for 65 RBIs this season, which would be the sixth-most in a single-season in program history.
• Adams’ 48 RBIs surpass last season’s leader; Nick Roscetti had 39 RBIs to pace the team.  
• Neustrom had a career-best four hits and five RBIs to complete Iowa’s doubleheader sweep of Lehigh on March 12.  Neustrom has six games with three or more RBIs.

CONSISTENT SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Robert Neustrom has hit safely in all but four games this season (34-of-39 games).  The outfielder is currently riding a career-best 13-game hitting streak dating back to April 4. 
• Neustrom now has two 10-plus game hitting streaks as he opened the year with an 11-game hitting streak.
• Neustrom’s 59 hits are second in the Big Ten lead, he’s tied for the league-lead with 13 doubles, and has a team-best 20 multi-hit games.  His .358 average is third in the conference and he has 24 runs and 40 RBIs. He has nine games this season with two or more RBIs and has driven in at least one run in 22 games.  Iowa is 16-6 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 four home runs, including a three-run shot in Iowa’s road loss at Minnesota and a grand slam against Bradley.

MCCOY: THE SHORTSTOP
After being Iowa’s primary third baseman as a junior, Mason McCoy is back at his natural position at shortstop in 2017; he’s comfortable and producing.  The Illinois native is tied for the Big Ten lead in doubles (13) and is tied for second with 36 runs.
• McCoy is currently riding a season-long 13 game hitting streak — the second-longest streak of his career.  His 13 doubles are a career season-high.
• McCoy has 16 multi-hit games this season and has hit safely in 32 contests.  He has scored at least one run in 23 games.  
• He is tied for ninth in the conference with a .338 batting average and his 53 hits are tied for sixth-most in the Big Ten.
• McCoy was an Northwest League All-Star selection in both 2015 and 2016, playing for the La Crosse Loggers.
• McCoy is one of the top all-around shortstops in the Big Ten.  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).

WAY TO GO WHELAN
Sophomore Chris Whelan has a team-best .361 average during Iowa’s last 10 games with seven RBIs and six runs scored.  
•  The Illinois native  hit two home runs in Iowa’s 5-3 loss to Rutgers on April 22.  He posted three-straight multi-hit games against the Scarlet Knights before leaving Sunday’s finale because of injury after making a diving catch in left field.
• Whelan has 15 multi-hit games this season and he has reached base safely in a career-best 14 straight games. 
• As Iowa’s leadoff hitter, Whelan is hitting .358 with 39 hits and 19 runs scored.

OFFENSIVE TIDBITS
• Sophomore Mitchell Boe had the game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning in Iowa’s 7-6 victory at Nebraska on April 14.  It was his third late-inning game-tying or go-ahead hit since April 1.
• Junior Tyler Cropley has hit safely in 12 of the last 16 contests with 12 RBIs and nine extra base hits.  Cropley has a .288 average during the stretch collecting 17 hits and scoring 11 runs. He hit home runs in consecutive games at Northwestern on April  8-9.  
• Sophomore Luke Farley is hitting .500 (5-of-10) as a pinch-hitter. 
• Iowa’s 3-4-5 hitters are all hitting above .340 with runners in scoring position.  Neustrom has a team-best .473 (26-of-55) clip, Jake Adams is hitting .379 (22-of-58), and Ben Norman has a .344 (11-of-32) average.
• Adams has 17 two-out RBIs; Neustrom has 16.

BALLS & STRIKES
• The Hawkeyes are sixth in the Big Ten with a 4.27 team ERA. Iowa’s staff ranks third in the league with 317 strikeouts, averaging 8.2 per game.  
• Senior Ryan Erickson will make his seventh consecutive start this weekend against Rutgers. The southpaw is 1-2 with a 2.81 ERA since joining the starting rotation March 17 at Kansas State. He has allowed 33 hits over 32 innings and fanned 20.  Erickson earned his first career victory as a starter at Nebraska on April 15, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits over six innings.  It was his first career quality start.
• Junior Elijah Wood will make his first career weekend start against Penn State on Sunday.  Wood has made two midweek starts this season — against Western Illinois and Milwaukee — and didn’t figure into the decision. He is 0-0 with a 3.48 ERA this season.
• Senior Josh Martsching has allowed three earned runs over his last nine appearances, spanning 14 2/3 innings, and has 21 strikeouts during the stretch. The right-hander tied a career-high with five strikeouts April 25 against Milwaukee.  Martsching is 1-0 with a 2.28 ERA in 16 appearances and is second on the team with three saves.  His 16 appearances are second-most on the team.
• Sophomore Shane Ritter has allowed one run over his last 11 appearances, spanning 15 1/3 innings. He has allowed 13 hits during the stretch and fanned 16. Ritter notched his team-leading fourth save at Nebraska via his first career three-inning save.  He scattered three hits over three shutout innings April 15.

JUNIOR NICK GALLAGHER…
• is 13-4 with a 2.53 ERA in 32 career appearances, including 18 starts.  He has 123 strikeouts against 46 walks in 139 innings.
• is 5-1 with a 2.60 ERA in 2017 — his ERA ranks fifth in the Big Ten.  He has 47 strikeouts to rank ninth and his 55 1/3 innings are 11th despite him missing his March 17 start at Kansas State.
• in five starts since, Gallagher is 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA. He has allowed 20 hits and fanned 21 over 28 1/3 innings against Purdue, UNLV, Northwestern, Nebraska, and Rutgers. 
• has six quality starts in 2017 in games against South Florida, Alabama State, Hawai’i, UNLV, Northwestern, and Rutgers.  He has logged at least seven innings in five of his nine 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.