Game Notes -- at Illinois (May 18-20)

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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team closes out the regular season with a three-game series at Illinois from May 18-20 at Illinois Field in Champaign, Illinois.  Thursday and Friday’s games begin at 6 p.m. (CT), while Saturday’s finale is set for 1 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 Fighting Illini Productions at fightingillini.com.
• Live statistics will be available at www.hawkeyesports.com and fans can follow the action via Twitter/UIBaseball.

LEADING OFF
• The Hawkeyes clinched a berth in the Big Ten Tournament for a school record fourth straight season with their 11-10 come-from-behind victory over Ohio State on May 14.  Iowa is fifth in the league standings with three games remaining in the regular season — two games back of league-leading Minnesota.
• Iowa has won seven of its last nine Big Ten series dating back to the 2016 season.  The Hawkeyes have won three straight league series and five of seven this season.
• The Hawkeyes have posted four straight 30-win seasons for the first time since winning 30 or more games in seven consecutive seasons from 1979-85.
• Iowa finished with a 19-4 record at Duane Banks Field this season — the most home wins since 1989 (19-2).  The Hawkeyes are 52-14 at home dating back to the 2015 season. Iowa won eight straight home games from March 24-April 21.
• Junior Jake Adams earned his second Big Ten Player of the Week honor of the season after hitting .500 and homering in three straight games in the series win over Ohio State.  Adams was also selected as the College Sports Madness Big Ten Player of the Week on May 15.
• Adams has hit five home runs over his last four games, giving him 21 blasts this season — one off tying the school record.  The home run total is the most by a Hawkeye since 1999 and tied for the second most all-time with Tim Costo and Brad Carlson.
• All-America candidate?!  Adams is third nationally in home runs, fourth in total bases (146), sixth in slugging percentage (.734), and 17th in RBIs (59).
• Junior Nick Gallagher, who was the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on May 1, is 5-0 with a 1.61 ERA over his last eight starts.  In Big Ten play, Gallagher is 4-0 with a 1.87 ERA, posting a quality start in five of his seven starts.
• The Hawkeyes rank in the top five in the Big Ten in nine different offensive categories, including ranking second in doubles (96) and slugging percentage (.441), third in runs (307), RBIs (282), home runs (51), and on-base percentage (.375), fourth in batting average (.286) and hits (487), and fifth in total bases (752).
• Iowa is 10th nationally with 54 double plays this season and the team ranks 30th with a .978 team fielding percentage.   
• In Big Ten play, Iowa is second in team batting average (.299), third in team fielding percentage (.978), and sixth in ERA (4.21). Mason McCoy is tied for the league lead in runs (23), while Jake Adams is tied for first in home runs (7) and doubles (10).

IOWA TIDBITS
• Iowa has scored seven or more runs in each of its last five games and have at least nine hits in all five contests.  The Hawkeyes had an 11 run outburst May 14 against Ohio State, the most runs scored since April 7 (14 at Northwestern).
• The Hawkeyes have Big Ten series victories against Purdue, at Nebraska, Penn State, at Michigan State, and Ohio State. The road series win in Lincoln was the first in program history.
• Iowa has won 20 of its last 22 midweek games dating back to the 2015 season.  The Hawkeyes closed out midweek play with a 9-8 victory over Omaha on May 16 in Iowa City. Iowa went 8-2 in midweek contests in 2017.
• 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 27 games this season and have scored 10 or more runs in seven contests.  Iowa has scored seven or more runs in 21 games.  
• Iowa won its first 13 games when finishing with 10 or more hits. The team is 21-6 when reaching the 10-hit mark.

ILLINOIS NOTABLES
• The Fighting Illini have won two of their last three Big Ten series, taking 2-of-3 games against Minnesota and Maryland before dropping 2-of-3 games at Rutgers last weekend.  Illinois is 22-26 overall and 8-13 in Big Ten play.
• Illinois is 4-6 against ranked opponents this season, posting wins over No. 21 Coastal Carolina, No. 18 Michigan, and two victories over No. 24 Maryland.
• The Fighting Illini are hitting .259 as a team and average 5.7 runs per game. Three players hitting over .300 with Jack Yalowitz hitting .340 with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs.  Pat McInerney is hitting .308 with 14 home runs and 40 RBIs.
• Illinois has a 5.73 team ERA and surrender 6.3 runs per contest.  The Illini have give up 438 hits over 422 1/3 innings and have 326 strikeouts to 240 walks.
• Illinois will start RHP Ty Weber (2-6, 5.16 ERA) on Thursday, RHP Cyrillo Watson (3-4, 5.92 ERA) on Friday, and RHP Matthew James (1-1, 5.15) ERA on Saturday.
• Closer Joey Gerber is 2-1 with a 4.60 ERA with eight saves. He has 40 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings.

SERIES RECORD
• Illinois leads the all-time series, 126-84-2.  The Hawkeyes won 2-of-3 games last season in Iowa City.  
• This is Iowa’s first trip to Champaign since 2011 when the Fighting Illini took 2-of-3 games.   

ADAMS EARNS 2 WEEKLY HONORS
Junior Jake Adams was selected as the Big Ten Player of the Week for a second time this season and as the College Sports Madness Big Ten Player of the Week after batting .500 and hitting home runs in three straight games in Iowa’s series win over Ohio State.

4 x 30
Iowa secured its fourth straight 30-win season with its 9-5 series-opening victory over Ohio State on May 12 in Iowa City.  The program hasn’t enjoyed a better stretch since posting seven consecutive 30 win campaigns from 1979-85.
• The Hawkeyes won 30 games in Heller’s first season, 41 in 2015 en route to the program’s first NCAA Regional appearance since 1990 before winning 30 games last season in a run to the Big Ten Tournament title game.  

OFF TO BLOOMINGTON
Iowa clinched its school-record fourth straight Big Ten Tournament berth with its 11-10 come-from-behind victory over Ohio State on May 14.  The tournament will be held May 24-28 in Bloomington, Indiana. Minnesota, Nebraska, Michigan, and Maryland have also clinched berths.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Iowa is out-scoring its opponents, 40-26, in the first inning this season.  The Hawkeyes are 17-5 when scoring first.
• Over the first three innings, Iowa is out-scoring its opposition, 108-76.
• The Hawkeyes are 23-2 when scoring six or more runs this season.  Iowa is 9-16 when scoring five runs or less.
• Iowa is 20-9 when hitting a home run this season.  The team is 12-4 when hitting two or more long balls.
• The Hawkeyes are 23-3 when leading after six innings, 24-2 after seven innings, and 24-1 after eight innings this season.
• Twenty-five games have been decided by two runs or less this season; Iowa is 15-10.

BANKS MAGIC
• Iowa finished 19-4 at home this season running its record to 52-14 at Banks Field since the start of the 2015 season.   The 19 wins are the most by the team since winning 1989 (19-2).
• 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 10 walk-off victories at Duane Banks Field since the start of 2015.

COMEBACK KIDS
The Hawkeyes have overcome deficits in 17 of their 32 victories this season.  Iowa has posted walk-off victories in four games this season.
• Chris Whelan had the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning in Iowa’s 6-5 victory over UNLV on April 1.
• Mason McCoy had the game-winning RBI single in the Hawkeyes’ 4-3 victory over Milwaukee on April 25.
• Robert Neustrom had a walk-off two-run home run — a ball that traveled 446-feet over the batter’s eye in center field at Banks Field — to give Iowa an 11-10 win over Ohio State on May 14.
• McCoy hit a laser at the Maverick shortstop in the ninth inning May 16, allowing Corbin Woods to score the game-winning run in a 9-8 victory in the home finale.

NO DEFICIT IS TOO BIG
Iowa rallied from a 9-2, sixth-inning deficit in the 11-10 come-from-behind win over Ohio State on May 14.  It was the largest deficit the Hawkeyes have overcome since rallying from an 8-1 hole to defeat second-seeded Michigan, 11-8, in the semifinals of the 2010 Big Ten Tournament.
• The Hawkeyes railled from an 8-3, sixth-inning deficit in their 9-8 victory over Omaha on May 16.

IOWA SETS SINGLE-SEASON K RECORD
The Iowa pitching staff has set the single-season strikeout record for a second straight season in 2017.  Iowa has 400 strikeouts in 50 games, averaging eight punch outs per contest.  The squad has shattered the previous record of 382 strikeouts set in 2016.

BIG BLAST BOB
Sophomore Robert Neustrom hit a walk-off 446-foot, two-run home run over the batter’s eye in center field in Iowa’s 11-10 victory over Ohio State on May 14.  It was Neustrom’s first career walk-off home run and the first by a Hawkeye since Nick Day’s blast in the opening round of the 2015 Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis (which also downed Ohio State). It was Iowa’s first walk-off home run at Banks Field since Jason White in 2007 (against Illinois).

#SWINGFASTER
The Hawkeyes are tied for third in the Big Ten with 51 home runs this season. Ten different players have hit at least one home run.
• The 51 home runs are the most for the team in the Rick Heller era and the most for the Hawkeyes since 1999 when the team had 73 blasts.
• Iowa had 26 home runs in 56 games during the 2016 season.

GOING, GOING…
Junior Jake Adams is leading the Big Ten with 21 home runs this season. The South Dakota native has hit five home runs in his last four games, including two May 16 against Omaha.  He is believed to be the first Hawkeye to homer in four straight contests.
• Adams is third nationally with 21 home runs. Morehead State’s Niko Hulsizer is the national leader with 24.
• Adams’ 21 home runs are the most by a Hawkeye since Brad Carlson in 1999 and are tied for the second-most in a single-season in program history.  John Knapp hit 22 home runs in 1986.
• Iowa is 15-3 when Adams hits a home run this season.  
• Adams has two multi-homer games this season. He hit three home runs (and had seven RBIs) in Iowa’s 12-11, 10-inning victory at Kansas State on March 19, becoming the first Hawkeye since Jason White in 2007 to hit three home runs in the same game.  Adams hit two solo home runs in Iowa’s 9-8 victory over Omaha on May 16.
• In his three collegiate seasons, Adams has 63 home runs. He hit a school-record 25 home runs last year during his All-America season at DMACC and 42 in his two-year junior college career — a school record.

MORE THAN A HOME RUN HITTER
Sure, Jake Adams has a Big Ten-best 21 home runs, but he’s more than a home run hitter.  Adams has hit safely in 39 games, reached safely in 44 contests, and posted 24 multi-hit games.  He is tied for sixth in the Big Ten with a .347 batting average.
• Adams also leads the Big Ten in RBIs (59), slugging percentage (.734), and total bases (146), while ranking second in hits (69) and third in runs (45).  His 14 doubles are tied for seventh in the league.

RBI KINGS
Junior Jake Adams and sophomore Robert Neustrom are first and fourth in the Big Ten in RBIs.  Adams is leading the league with 59 RBIs — the most by a Hawkeye since 2008. Adams has driven in at least one run in 31 games.  Neustrom is fourth with 49 RBIs; he had the game-winning RBI double in Iowa’s 4-3 win over South Dakota State on April 4 and a walk-off two-run home run in Iowa’s 11-10 victory over Ohio State.
• 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 17th nationally in RBIs.
• Iowa is 26-6 when Adams has at least one RBI.  
• Adams is on pace for 65 RBIs this season, which would tie for the eighth-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 seven games with three or more RBIs.

CONSISTENT SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Robert Neustrom has hit safely in 41 games this season and 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 67 hits are tied for fifth in the Big Ten, he  is tied for third in the conference with 15 doubles, and has 21 multi-hit games. He has 11 games this season with two or more RBIs and has driven in at least one run in 28 games.  Iowa is 20-8 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 five home runs.

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 the Big Ten lead in doubles (16), is second in runs (46), and fourth in hits (68),  while ranking 13th in the league with a .335 batting average.
• McCoy tied a career-high with a 15-game hitting streak from April 4-28.  He has reached base safely in a career-best 24 straight games — the longest streak by a Hawkeye since Eric Toole’s 31-game reached base streak in 2015.
• McCoy has 21 multi-hit games this season and has hit safely in 42 contests.  He has scored at least one run in 30 games.  He tied a career-high, scoring four runs in Iowa’s 9-4 series-clinching victory at Michigan State and he had a solo home run — his third of the year — in game two.
• 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. He has just Iowa has just six errors in a Big Ten-leading 285 chances this season. 

WAY TO GO WHELAN
Sophomore Chris Whelan is hitting .331 with 32 runs and 19 RBIs.  He also has five home runs and nine doubles. 
• Whelan connected on a leadoff home run in Iowa’s 9-8 victory over Omaha on May 16.  It was the Hawkeyes’ first leadoff home run since Eric Toole at the 2015 Big Ten Tournament.
• The  Illinois native is hitting .500 over his last five games with three-hit games in four contests.  Whelan hit two home runs in Iowa’s 5-3 loss to Rutgers on April 22.
• Whelan has 19 multi-hit games this season and he reached base safely in a career-best 14 straight games from April 1-23.

IMPRESSIVE FRESHMAN
As Iowa’s every day center fielder, freshman Ben Norman is hitting  .302 with 15 multi-hit games.  He has scored 27 runs and has 14 RBIs and eight doubles, one triple, and one home run.
• Norman is Iowa’s top base-stealing threat, swiping 14 bags in 18 chances this season.  He is tied for 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 May, he has improved 64 points to a .267 clip.  
• Cropley hit .308 with four home runs and four doubles in April, while driving in 12 runs and scoring 15 times. Since the UNLV series (March 31-April-1), Cropley is hitting a .326 average with eight doubles and four home runs. He has 10 multi-hit games during the stretch and has 21 RBIs.
• Cropley had the game-winning RBI single in the top of the ninth in the series opener at Michigan State before tying a career-high with four RBIs in the series-clinching victory in East Lansing.
• Over his last 10 games, Cropley is second on the team with a .364 (12-of-33) average with nine RBIs and five multi-hit games.  

AROUND, AROUND THE MULBERRY BUSH
Iowa has batted around the lineup eight times during the 2017 season.  The Hawkeyes batted around twice in an April 7, 14-2 victory at Northwestern.  Iowa is 6-1 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
• May 7 – at Michigan St. – 9 batters – 9th – 4 runs

OFFENSIVE TIDBITS
• Senior Corbin Woods hit a game-tying, three-run home run in the eighth inning of Iowa’s 11-10 victory over Ohio State on Senior Day on May 14.  It was Woods’ third hit and first three RBIs of the season.  It was his second career home run.  The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native also scored the game-winning run in Iowa’s walk-off win over Omaha on May 16.

BALLS & STRIKES
• The Hawkeyes are sixth in the Big Ten with a 4.21 team ERA. Iowa’s staff ranks fifth in the league with 400 strikeouts, averaging 8.0 per game.   
• Iowa’s pitching staff has had 10 or more strikeouts in a game 15 times this season, including in three of the last four games.
• Senior Josh Martsching factored into both victories at Michigan State, earning the win in the series opener and the save in the series finale.  He is 3-0 with a 3.13 ERA this season with 36 strikeouts (to seven walks) over 31 2/3 innings and leads the team with five saves.  Martsching has made two weekend appearances six times during the 2017 season.
• Martsching’s 67 career appearances are the fourth-most in school history and his 10 career saves are seventh all-time.
• Sophomore Zach Daniels is second in the Big Ten with seven victories.  He is 7-3 with a 3.72 ERA in 20 relief appearances.  Daniels went a career long 4 2/3 innings against Ohio State on May 16. He finished with a career-best eight strikeouts.
• Redshirt freshman Kyle Shimp made his return May 2 at Western Illinois after missing three weeks with mono.   Shimp earned his fourth victory at Michigan State, allowing one run on one hit in two innings and his fifth win, tossing a perfect inning against Omaha.  Shimp hasn’t allowed a run in nine of his 12 appearances, where he is 5-0 with a 2.70 ERA.  Opponents are hitting .162 against the southpaw this season and he has surrendered more than one hit just twice in 12 appearances.

JUNIOR NICK GALLAGHER…
• is 15-4 with a 2.40 ERA in 35 career appearances, including 21 starts.  He has 148 strikeouts against 48 walks in 161 innings.
• is 7-1 with a 2.32 ERA in 2017 — his ERA is third in the Big Ten and wins are tied for second.  He has 72 strikeouts to rank sixth and his 77 1/3 innings are fourth despite missing his March 17 start at Kansas State.
• In Big Ten play, Gallagher is 4-0 with a 1.87 ERA — third-best in the league. He has 40 strikeouts over 43 1/3 innings and is limiting batters to a .245 average. He has had a quality start in five of his seven Big Ten starts.
• is 5-0 with a 1.61 ERA over his last eight starts. He has allowed 41 hits and fanned 46 over 50 1/3 innings.
• has nine quality starts in 2017 and has logged at least seven innings in eight of his 12 starts.  Gallagher has five games with seven or more strikeouts this season.
• was the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on May 1 after scattering three hits over eight innings and fanning a career-high 10 batters (without issuing a walk) against Penn State on April 28. It was 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.
• punched out nine batters (to one walk) in his seventh win — a 9-5 victory over Ohio State — on May 12.
• went eight innings in Iowa’s 7-6 victory over Hawai’i at the DQ Classic where 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 10th consecutive start this weekend at Illinois. The southpaw is 2-3 with a 3.04 ERA since joining the starting rotation March 17 at Kansas State.  He is 2-3 with a 3.30 ERA this season; ERA is ninth in the Big Ten.  In league games, Erickson is 2-2 with a 3.32 ERA — tied for the 11th-best ERA in the conference.
• has allowed 58 hits over 57 1/3 innings and fanned 38.  He is 8-5 in his career with a 3.43 ERA, fanning 90 batters over 147 innings.
• Has three quality starts on the season, including two in back-to-back games against Penn State and Michigan State.
• 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.

#HELLERBALL
• UI head coach Rick Heller is one of nine coaches all-time to lead three different NCAA Division I teams to regional play.  
• Heller recorded his 800th career win against Lehigh on March 12 at the Snowbird Classic in Florida.
• The Hawkeyes have won 30 or more games in each of Heller’s four seasons as the helm of the program.  It’s a first for the team since winning 30 or more in seven straight seasons from 1979-85.
• Heller is the winningest coach in his first three seasons in program history, winning 101 games.
• Iowa has advanced to the Big Ten Tournament in four straight years for the first time in program history.
• Heller has coached at least one first-team All-Big Ten selection each season, and has 11 Major League Baseball Draft picks in three seasons — the most in a three-year stretch since 1991-93.
• Iowa had a school-record six All-Big Ten selections in 2015.  The Hawkeyes have had 13 All-Big Ten honorees in three seasons under Heller.  
• Iowa has posted winning streaks of nine games (in 2015) and seven games (in 2014) — the longest streaks for the program since 2012.