Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — May 2017
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa baseball team closes its home slate Tuesday, hosting Omaha at 6:05 p.m. (CT) at Duane Banks Field. It is $2 Tuesday at the ballpark and there will be a postgame fireworks show.
The Hawkeyes sit at 31-18 overall after taking 2-of-3 games from Ohio State last weekend in Iowa City. Iowa won the opener 9-5 and series finale 11-10 to claim its first series over the Buckeyes since 2011. Iowa is 13-8 in Big Ten play, sitting fifth in the league standings.
It is Iowa’s fourth straight 30-win season — a first for the program since winning 30 or more games in seven consecutive years from 1979-85. The Hawkeyes are 18-4 at Duane Banks Field, the most home victories since winning 19 games in 1989.
Omaha has lost its last five games to drop to 12-36 overall and 9-16 in The Summit League. Last weekend, the Mavericks were swept in a road series at Oral Roberts, falling 8-0, 6-0, and 6-5. (The Hawkeyes defeated Oral Roberts, 7-5, on March 4 in Minneapolis).
The Mavericks are hitting .242 as a team and they do not boast a .300 hitter. Sam Palensky leads the team with a .285 average; Ryan Cate is hitting .253 with 14 doubles and 30 RBIs.
The Hawkeyes will start senior right-hander Drake Robison for the seventh time this season. The Illinois native is 3-2 with a 6.46 ERA in 17 appearances and over 46 innings. He is third on the team with 46 strikeouts.
Omaha will counter with junior right-hander David Flattery, who is 0-2 with a 6.91 ERA in 10 appearances (two starts). The Fort Dodge, Iowa, native has allowed 15 runs on 22 hits over 14 1/3 innings.
Iowa is 7-5 all-time against Omaha; the teams have split the past two meetings at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Florida. The Hawkeyes won 14-1 in 2014; the Mavericks won 3-2 in 2016.
Tuesday’s game will be streamed on BTN Plus on BTN2Go. The game will also be available via the Hawkeye Radio Network with Zach Mackey on the call.
Following the home finale, Iowa closes out Big Ten action with a three-game series at Illinois from May 18-20.
