Game Notes -- at Michigan State (May 5-7)

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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team travels to East Lansing for a three-game weekend series at Michigan State at McClane Baseball Stadium at Kobs Field.  Friday’s series opener will begin at 2:05 p.m. (CT), while Saturday and Sunday’s contests start at 12:05 p.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 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.  
• The duration of the series will also be video streamed online via BTN Plus on BTN2Go.
• Live statistics will be available at www.hawkeyesports.com and fans can follow the action via Twitter/UIBaseball.

LEADING OFF
• Iowa has won five of its last seven Big Ten series dating back to the 2016 season.  The Hawkeyes are in a four-way tie for third place in the conference standings with nine games remaining in the regular season.
• Junior Nick Gallagher is the reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Week. He earned the distinction May 1 after scattering three hits and allowing one earned run over eight innings April 28 against Penn State. Gallagher had a career-high 10 strikeouts as he became the first Hawkeye since 2014 to strike out 10 in a game.
• Gallagher is 4-0 with a 1.49 ERA over his last six starts. He has allowed 23 hits and fanned 31 over 36 1/3 innings.
• The Hawkeyes rank in the top five in the Big Ten in nine different offensive categories, including ranking second in slugging percentage (.434) and doubles (83), third in hits (415), RBIs (239) and total bases (635), fourth in home runs (41), runs (258), batting average (.284), and on-base percentage (.373).
• Friday’s series opener will be senior Mason McCoy’s 100th game as a Hawkeye.
• In Big Ten play, Iowa is second in team ERA (3.59) and third in team batting average (.304). Gallagher is second in the league with a 1.84 ERA and is limiting hitters to a .192 average.  McCoy is sixth in league games with a .377 average.
• The Hawkeyes are 16-3 at Duane Banks Field this season and 49-13 at home dating back to the 2015 season. Iowa won eight straight home games from March 24-April 21.
• Iowa is third nationally with 50 double plays this season and the team ranks 30th with a .978 team fielding percentage. 
• Junior Jake Adams ranks among the national leaders in four different offensive categories. He is sixth in home runs (16), 13th in total bases (117), 20th in slugging percentage (.680), and 23rd in RBIs (51).
• Adams hit his Big Ten-leading 16 home runs — five off the NCAA lead — April 29 against Penn State.  Adams is the third Hawkeye since 2000 to hit 10 or more home runs in a season.  The 16 blasts are the most by an Iowa player since 2002 and tied for the seventh-most in a single season in program history.  Adams is on pace to hit 20 home runs; Iowa’s school record is 22 by John Knapp in 1986.
• Sophomore Zach Daniels is second in the Big Ten and tied for 17th nationally with seven victories.  He is 7-2 with a 3.82 ERA in 18 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 21 midweek games dating back to the 2015 season.  The Hawkeyes lost for just the second time in 21 contests, falling 7-5 at Western Illinois on May 2.  
• Sophomore Chris Whelan has missed four of Iowa’s last five games after injuring his wrist/elbow while making a diving catch against Rutgers on April 23. He is day-to-day.
• The Hawkeyes have overcome deficits in 15 of their 27 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 23 games this season and have scored 10 or more runs in six contests.  Iowa has scored seven or more runs in 16 games.  
• Iowa won its first 13 games when finishing with 10 or more hits. The team is 17-6 when reaching the 10-hit mark.

MICHIGAN STATE NOTABLES
• The Spartans are 23-17 overall and 7-8 in the Big Ten after taking 2-of-3 games from Northwestern last weekend in Evanston.  Michigan State has Big Ten series wins over Illinois and Ohio State this season.
• Michigan State is 7-5 at home this season, having one six of its last seven games.
• The Spartans have a .286 team batting average and average 6.9 runs per game.  Michigan State has five players hitting over .300 with Bryce Kelley leading the way with a .343 average.  
• Twelve different Spartans have hit at least one home run and Dan Durkin, Zack McGuire, and Marty Bechina lead the team with six blasts.  Durkin and Brandon Hughes lead the team with 31 RBIs.
• The Spartans have a 3.68 team ERA, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten.  Michigan State will start LHP Alex Troop (6-3, 2.49 ERA) on Friday, RHP Jake Lowery (2-2, 3.29 ERA) on Saturday, and RHP Andrew Gonzalez (3-3, 4.35 ERA) on Sunday. 

SERIES RECORD
• The Spartans lead the all-time series over Iowa, 77-63-1.  Iowa won 2-of-3 games last season in Iowa City — its second straight in the series.
• This is Iowa’s first trip to East Lansing since the 2012 season.  Michigan State won 2-of-3 games in the series.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Iowa is out-scoring its opponents, 34-21, in the first inning this season.  The Hawkeyes are 15-5 when scoring first.
• Over the first three innings, Iowa is out-scoring its opposition, 99-64.
• The Hawkeyes are 19-1 when scoring six or more runs this season.  Iowa is 8-15 when scoring five runs or less.
• Iowa is 16-8 when hitting a home run this season.  The team is 10-3 when hitting two or more long balls.
• The Hawkeyes are 20-3 when leading after six innings, 21-2 after seven innings, and 22-1 after eight innings this season.
• Twenty-one games have been decided by two runs or less this season; Iowa is 12-9.

BANKS MAGIC
• Iowa is 16-3 at home this season running its record to 49-13 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.
• Iowa hasn’t won 20 games at home since the 1996 season when it won a school-record 25 home contests.

SET THEM UP, SIT THEM DOWN
The Hawkeyes are third in the Big Ten with 344 strikeouts in 2017, averaging 8.0 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 424 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 41 home runs this season. Ten different players have hit at least one home run.
• The 41 home runs are the most for the team in the Rick Heller era and the most for the Hawkeyes since 2002.  Iowa hit 46 home runs in 2002.
• Iowa had 26 home runs in 56 games during the 2016 season.

GOING, GOING…
Junior Jake Adams is leading the Big Ten with 16 home runs this season. The South Dakota native hit his 16th blast — a solo shot — in Iowa’s 9-1 victory over Penn State on April 29. Adams’ 15th home run came 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 16 home runs. Morehead State’s Niko Hulsizer is the national leader with 21 blasts.
• Adams’ 16 home runs are the most by a Hawkeye since Brad Carlson hit 16 in 2002 and are tied for the seventh-most in a single-season in program history.  Just three Iowa players have reached 10 home runs since 2002.
• Iowa is 12-2 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 16 home runs, but he’s more than a home run hitter.  Adams has hit safely in 33 games, reached safely in 38 contests, and posted 20 multi-hit games.  He is tied for 12th in the Big Ten with a .331 batting average and 15th with a .408 on-base percentage.
Adams leads the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.680), RBIs (51), and total bases (117), is tied for fifth in hits (57) and doubles (12), and tied for 11th in runs (34).

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 .337 with eight home runs, 23 runs, and 23 RBIs since moving to the three hole.  Neustrom has a .323 average as Iowa’s cleanup hitter with 11 doubles, one home run, one triple, and 19 RBIs.

RBI KINGS
Junior Jake Adams and sophomore Robert Neustrom are first and third in the Big Ten in RBIs.  Adams is leading the league with 51 RBIs — the most by a Hawkeye since 2008. Adams has driven in  he has driven in at least one run in 26 games.  Neustrom is third with 42 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 23rd nationally in RBIs.
• Iowa is 21-5 when Adams has at least one RBI.  
• Adams is on pace for 62 RBIs this season, which would be the 11th-most in a single-season in program history.
• 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 six games this season (37-of-43 games).  The outfielder had a career-best 14-game hitting streak from April 4-28.  He has two 10-plus game hitting streaks, as he opened the year with an 11-game hitting streak.
• Neustrom’s 63 hits are second in the Big Ten, he leads the conference with 14 doubles, and has a team-best 21 multi-hit games.  His .348 average is sixth in the conference and he has 29 runs and 42 RBIs. He has nine games this season with two or more RBIs and has driven in at least one run in 24 games.  Iowa is 18-6 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. The Illinois native is tied for third in the Big Ten in doubles (13) and runs (37).
• McCoy tied a career-high with a 15-game hitting streak from April 4-28.  He has reached base safely in a career-best 17 straight games. 
• McCoy has 17 multi-hit games this season and has hit safely in 35 contests.  He has scored at least one run in 24 games.  
• He is tied for 14th in the conference with a .329 batting average and his 57 hits are tied for fifth-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 is hitting .333 over his last 10 games with seven RBIs and six runs scored.  He has missed four of the last five games after injurying his wrist/elbow while making a diving catch April 23 against Rutgers.   
•  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.
• Whelan has 15 multi-hit games this season and he reached base safely in a career-best 14 straight games from April 1-23.
• As Iowa’s leadoff hitter, Whelan is hitting .348 with 39 hits and 19 runs scored.

IMPRESSIVE FRESHMAN
As Iowa’s every day center fielder, freshman Ben Norman is hitting  .306 with 13 multi-hit games, including three in his last four games.  
• Norman is Iowa’s top base-stealing threat, swiping 14 bags in 18 chances this season.  He is ninth in the Big Ten.
• 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.  

CROP HEATS UP
Junior Tyler Cropley was hitting as low as .105 midway through March before clawing himself out of his early-season hole.  Cropley started April with a .203 average and through the first game in March, he has improved 58 points to a .261 clip.  
• Cropley hit .308 with four home runs and four doubles in April, while driving in 12 runs and scoring 15 times. Over the team’s last 20 games, the South Dakota native has a team-best .333 average with 15 RBIs, seven doubles, and four home runs

OY HOEG
On April 9, junior Matt Hoeg was hitting .241 following a three-game series at Northwestern. In the 13 games since, Hoeg is Iowa’s top hitter, posting a .356 average with four doubles, two home runs, and 15 RBIs.  He has hit safely in 11-of-13 games with five two-hit games.

AROUND, AROUND THE MULBERRY BUSH
Iowa has batted around the lineup seven times during the 2017 season.  The Hawkeyes batted around twice in an April 7, 14-2 victory at Northwestern.  Iowa is 5-1 in such games.
• Feb. 24 – vs. Alabama St. – 9 batters – 3rd – 3 runs
• Feb. 26 – vs. Morehead St. – 10 batters – 2nd – 6 runs
• March 7 – N. Illinois – 10 batters – 1st – 5 runs 
• April 7 – at N’western – 9 batters – 2nd – 5 runs
• April 7 – at N’western – 13 batters – 8th – 7 runs
• April 9 – at N’western – 9 batters – 4th – 3 runs
• April 29 – Penn State – 10 batters – 8th – 5 runs

OFFENSIVE TIDBITS
• Sophomore Mitchell Boe has hit safely in four of Iowa’s last five games.  He had two hits — his sixth multi-hit game of the season April 28 against Penn State — when he finished 2-for-4 with a double, triple, and three RBIs. 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.
• Freshman Grant Judkins has hit a home run in two of Iowa’s last three games.  The Pella, Iowa, native hit a solo shot April 29 against Penn State for his first career home run before connecting on a solo shot May 2 at Western Illinois.  Judkins is the 10th Hawkeye to hit a home run this season.
• Iowa’s 3-4-5 hitters are all hitting above .330 with runners in scoring position.  Neustrom has a team-best .450 (27-of-60) clip, Jake Adams is hitting .375 (24-of-64), and Ben Norman has a .333 (12-of-36) average.
• Adams has 19 two-out RBIs; Neustrom has 16.

BALLS & STRIKES
• The Hawkeyes are sixth in the Big Ten with a 4.14 team ERA. Iowa’s staff ranks third in the league with 344 strikeouts, averaging 8.0 per game.  
• Junior Elijah Wood will make his second weekend start at Michigan State on Sunday.  He went a career-long 3 1/3 innings against Penn State, scattering seven hits, but not allowing a run.  Wood is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA over 24 innings. 
• Senior Josh Martsching has allowed three earned runs over his last 11 appearances, spanning 16 2/3 innings, and has 23 strikeouts during the stretch. The right-hander tied a career-high with five strikeouts April 25 against Milwaukee.  Martsching is 1-0 with a 2.10 ERA in 18 appearances and is tied for the team lead with four saves.  Martsching’s 63 career appearances are tied for the fourth-most in school history and his nine career saves are tied for seventh all-time.
• Redshirt freshman Kyle Shimp made his return May 2 at Western Illinois after missing three weeks with mono.   Shimp hasn’t allowed a run in eight of his 10 appearances, where he is 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA.  Opponents are hitting .151 against the southpaw this season.
• Sophomore Shane Ritter has allowed two runs over his last 13 appearances, spanning 16 1/3 innings. He has allowed 14 hits during the stretch and fanned 16. Ritter notched his team-leading fourth save at Nebraska on April 15 via his first career three-inning save.  

JUNIOR NICK GALLAGHER…
• is 14-4 with a 2.45 ERA in 33 career appearances, including 19 starts.  He has 133 strikeouts against 46 walks in 147 innings.
• is 6-1 with a 2.42 ERA in 2017 — his ERA ranks third in the Big Ten and wins are tied for fifth.  He has 57 strikeouts to tie for seventh and his 63 1/3 innings are tied for fifth despite missing his March 17 start at Kansas State.
• in six starts since, Gallagher is 4-0 with a 1.49 ERA. He has allowed 23 hits and fanned 31 over 36 1/3 innings against Purdue, UNLV, Northwestern, Nebraska, Rutgers, and Penn State.
• has seven quality starts in 2017 and has logged at least seven innings in six of his 10 starts.
• was the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on May 1 after scattering three hits and fanning a career-high 10 batters (without issuing a walk) against Penn State on April 28 to earn his sixth win. He struck out eight of the first 10 batters he faced.  He is the first Hawkeye since 2014 to strike out 10 in a game.
• went a career-high eight innings in Iowa’s 7-6 victory over Hawai’i at the DQ Classic. He had 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.

SENIOR RYAN ERICKSON…
• will make his eighth consecutive start this weekend at Michigan State. The southpaw is 2-2 with a 2.52 ERA since joining the starting rotation March 17 at Kansas State.  He is 2-2 with a 2.91 ERA this season; ERA is eighth in Big Ten.
• has allowed 37 hits over 39 1/3 innings and fanned 25.  He is 8-4 in his career with a 3.31 ERA, fanning 84 batters over 136 innings.
• 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.
• went a career-long 7 1/3 innings in a victory over Penn State on April 28.  He tied a career-high with five strikeouts.

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hawkeyesports.com.