Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — May 2017
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The honors keep coming for University of Iowa junior Jake Adams. He earned two more All-America distinctions Wednesday.
The first baseman from Brandon, South Dakota, earned second-team honors from Perfect Game and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Adams has now earned five All-America distinctions this season (second team by Collegiate Baseball and College Sports Madness and third-team by Baseball America).
Adams, who was selected Tuesday (and has since signed) in the sixth round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros, earned the distinction 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 leads the NCAA lead with 29 home runs in his first season of Division I baseball, while ranking first in home runs per game (.48), third in total bases (183), fourth in slugging percentage (.747), and seventh in RBIs (72).
Adams was named a semifinalist for USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award on May 31, 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.
In 61 games, Adams led the Big Ten Conference in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage, runs (55), and total bases, while also ranking second in hits (82), sixth in batting average, 12th in on-base percentage (.417), and 14th in doubles (14). Adams hit .335, having hit safely in 46 games and reached safely in 53 contests. He had 27 multi-hit and 16 multi-RBI games this season.
Adams shattered Iowa’s single-season home run record of 22, which had stood since 1986, and he broke the all-time single-season Big Ten Conference record. He had 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 won 39 games, the fifth most in a single season in program history.
