Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — May 2017
IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa junior Jake Adams earned his second All-America distinction in as many days Friday when he was selected as a College Sports Madness second-team All-American.
The Brandon, South Dakota, native was tabbed a second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball on Thursday. He is the 17th All-American in Iowa history and the third under UI head coach Rick Heller (Blake Hickman and Tyler Peyton, 2015). It is the highest honor by a Hawkeye since Brad Carlson was a second-team All-American by Baseball America in 1999.
Adams earned the All-America nod after being tabbed as the unanimous Big Ten Player of the Year and the only unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2017. He is tied for the NCAA lead with 27 home runs in his first season of Division I baseball, while ranking first in home runs per game (.47), third in total bases (174), fourth in slugging percentage (.747), and seventh in RBIs (70).
Adams was named a semifinalist for USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award on Wednesday, an honor that is given to the top amateur player in the United States. He is the first Hawkeye to be selected to the prestigious list.
The first baseman has started all 58 games for the Hawkeyes and he leads the Big Ten Conference in home runs, RBIs, hits (79), slugging percentage and total bases, while also ranking second in runs (52), sixth in batting average, 12th in on-base percentage (.422), and 14th in doubles (14). Adams is hitting .339, having hit safely in 44 games and reached safely in 50 contests. He has 26 multi-hit and 16 multi-RBI games this season.
Adams has shattered Iowa’s single-season home run record of 22, which had stood since 1986, and he is tied for the single-season Big Ten Conference record. He has four multi-home run games, including a three home run game at Kansas State on March 19, where he went 3-for-4 with four runs and seven RBIs.
Adams’ presence in the middle of Iowa’s lineup helped guide the Hawkeyes to the first Big Ten Tournament title in school history and the program’s second NCAA Regional appearance in three seasons. Iowa has won 38 games, the fifth-most in a single season in program history.
Iowa opens NCAA Regional play Friday, facing top-seeded Houston at Schroeder Park in Houston, Texas. First pitch is set for 7:04 p.m. (CT) and the game will be televised on ESPNU.
