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LEADING OFF
• Iowa finished the 2017 season with a 39-22 overall record — the fifth most victories in a single season in program history. The Hawkeyes won the first Big Ten Tournament title in school history to claim the program’s second NCAA Regional appearance in three seasons.
• The Hawkeyes won their final four Big Ten Conference series to finish 15-9 overall and tie for fourth in the regular season. The 15 wins are the second-most since 2008 and the program’s fourth top-four finish since 2000. Iowa has advanced to the Big Ten Tournament in a record four straight seasons.
• Junior Jake Adams earned seven All-America distinctions and was the first Hawkeye all-time to be named a semifinalist for USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award. Adams was also the unanimous Big Ten Player of the Year — the second player in school history to earn the distinction.
• Ben Norman and Kyle Shimp were tabbed as freshmen All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball. Adams, Norman, and Shimp are the 17th, 18th, and 19th All-Americans in program history and the third, fourth, and fifth Iowa All-Americans under Rick Heller.
• The Hawkeyes had five players earn All-Big Ten honors. Adams was the lone unanimous first-team selection, while Tyler Cropley, Nick Gallagher, Mason McCoy, and Robert Neustrom were second-team honorees. Adams and McCoy were also ABCA/Rawlings Mideast first-team all-region selections.
• UI head coach Rick Heller has guided the Hawkeyes to the best four-year stretch in program history. Iowa has won 140 games over the past four seasons, which includes two of the top-five win totals during the stretch.
• The Hawkeyes have won 30 or more games in four straight seasons for the first time since winning 30 or more games in seven consecutive seasons from 1979-85.
HAWKEYES HOIST THE TROPHY
• Iowa went 4-1 during a four-day stretch to claim the program’s first Big Ten Tournament title in school history. It was the second straight year the team advanced to the title game.
• The Hawkeyes won three games over higher seeded teams — fourth-seeded Maryland, top-seeded Nebraska, and third-seeded Minnesota — to reach the title game. Iowa defeated eighth-seeded Northwestern, 13-4, to claim the title.
• Sophomore Chris Whelan was voted as the Big Ten Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and a member of the Big Ten All-Tournament team. He was joined on the All-Tournament team by Josh Martsching, Tyler Cropley, and Ryan Erickson.
IOWA COMPETES IN NCAA REGIONAL
The Hawkeyes went 1-2 at the NCAA Houston Regional. Iowa won its opener, 6-3, over top-seeded and 15th-ranked Houston in the opener before falling falling to Texas A&M and Houston in back-to-back games. The two losses were by a combined three runs (3-2, 7-5).
• Iowa has made two NCAA Regional appearances in three seasons under Rick Heller. The Hawkeyes made three regional appearances in their history prior to his arrival. Iowa was one win away from making it three straight; Iowa lost the Big Ten Tournament title game to Ohio State in 2016.
ALL-AMERICA ADAMS
Junior Jake Adams had the most prolific season in school history and for his efforts he was recognized across the board. The South Dakota native earned All-America honors from seven different outlets in 2017, while being a semifinalist for USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award — an honor presented to the top amateur baseball player in the United States.
• Adams earned second-team All-America honors from D1Baseball.com, ABCA/Rawlings, Perfect Game, National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association, Collegiate Baseball, and College Sports Madness. He was a third-team All-American by Baseball America.
• The second-team honors are the highest by a Hawkeye since Brad Carlson earned second-team All-America honors by Baseball America in 1999.
5 HAWKEYES EARN ALL-BIG TEN HONORS
• Junior Jake Adams was named first-team All-Big Ten at first base after leading the conference in home runs (24), RBIs (65), hits (73), slugging percentage (.750), and total bases (159) during the regular season. Adams was the first Hawkeye first baseman to earn first-team honors since 1980.
• Juniors Tyler Cropley (C) and Nick Gallagher (SP), senior Mason McCoy (SS), and sophomore Robert Neustrom (OF) were all named second-team All-Big Ten.
• Cropley earned his first career All-Big Ten honor after hitting .302 in Big Ten play and by throwing out a league-best 17 would-be base stealers. He was the first Hawkeye catcher since 2011 to earn All-Big Ten honors.
• Gallagher earned his first career accolade after tying for the league lead in wins (8) during the regular season. He was the third starting pitcher under Heller to earn all-league honors.
• McCoy continued Iowa’s All-Big Ten run at shortstop after tying for third in the league in hits and leading the league in runs. Iowa has had a shortstop earn all-conference honors in four straight seasons.
• Neustrom garnered his first career honor after ranking third in the Big Ten in RBIs and tying for the league lead in hits. The Hawkeyes have had an outfielder earn All-Big Ten honors in three straight seasons.
4 HAWKEYES SELECTED IN 2017 MLB DRAFT
Iowa had four players selected in the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, running its four-year total to 15 selections — the most in school history.
• Jake Adams was selected in the sixth round (181st pick) by the Houston Astros. He was Iowa’s highest draft pick since 1999 and the highest position player selected since 1992.
• Mason McCoy was taken in the sixth round (188th pick) by the Baltimore Orioles.
• Nick Gallagher was selected with the 492nd pick in the 16th round by the Cleveland Indians.
• Ryan Erickson was drafted with the 897th pick in the 30th round by the Chicago White Sox.
IOWA TIDBITS
• Iowa was ranked 28th by Collegiate Baseball and was receiving votes in the USBWA and USA Today Coaches Poll on May 29.
• The Hawkeyes were one of a record-tying five Big Ten NCAA Regional qualifiers. Five teams were also selected in 2015. Michigan, Indiana, Nebraska, and Maryland are also in the field.
• Iowa went 2-1 against ranked opponents in 2017, downing No. 21 Nebraska and No. 15 Houston.
• Iowa won eight of its last 10 Big Ten series dating back to the 2016 season. The Hawkeyes won four straight league series to close out the regular season and six of eight series in 2017.
• The Hawkeyes hit at least one home run in 12 straight games and in 14 of 15 contests to close out the year. The team hit 29 home runs during the 15-game stretch.
• Iowa had four players have multi-home run games in 2017. Jake Adams had a three home run and three two home run games, while Tyler Cropley, Robert Neustrom, and Chris Whelan each had had a two home run contest.
• The Hawkeyes posted Big Ten series victories against Purdue, at Nebraska, Penn State, at Michigan State, Ohio State, and at Illinois. The road series win in Lincoln was the first in program history.
• Dating back to the 2015 season, Iowa has won 20 of its last 22 midweek games. Iowa went 8-2 in midweek contests in 2017.
• The Hawkeyes had 10 or more hits in 33 games in 2017 and scored 10 or more runs in eight contests. Iowa scored seven or more runs in 26 games.
• Iowa won its first 13 games when finishing with 10 or more hits. The team was 26-7 when reaching the 10-hit mark.
2017 TEAM RECORDS
At-bats – 2,089 – 1st
Putouts – 1,631 – 1st
Assists – 683 – 1st
Double Plays – 67 – 1st
Innings – 543 2/3 – 1st
Strikeouts – 470 – 1st
INDIVIDUAL SINGLE SEASON TOP-15s
Jake Adams — Home Runs — 29 — 1st
Nick Gallagher – Strikeouts – 87 – 4th
Mason McCoy – Hits – 83 – t5th
Mason McCoy – 2B – 18 – t5th
Jake Adams – RBIs – 72 – 6th
Chris Whelan – HBP – 15 – t6th
Nick Gallagher – Wins – 8 – t6th
Nick Gallagher – Innings – 95 2/3 – 7th
Robert Neustrom – Hits – 79 – t10th
Robert Neustrom – 2B – 16 – t15th
Matt Hoeg – 2B – 16 – t15th
INDIVIDUAL CAREER TOP-15s
Jake Adams – Slugging Percentage – .747 – 1st
Josh Martsching – Appearances – 74 – 4th
Josh Martsching – Saves – 13 – 6th
Jake Adams – Home Runs – 29 – 11th
Nick Gallagher – Strikeouts – 163 – t11th
Ryan Erickson – Appearances – 50 – 14th
OFFENSIVE PROWESS
• Iowa’s big three finished 1-2-3 in the Big Ten in hits. Mason McCoy led the league with 83 hits, Jake Adams was second with 82, and Robert Neustrom was third with 79.
• The Hawkeyes finished the season ranked in the top three in the Big Ten in nine offensive categories. Iowa led the league in slugging percentage (.449), hits (594), RBIs (346), and total bases (938), while being second in runs (376), doubles (113), and home runs (71), and third in batting average (.284) and on-base percentage (.377).
• Iowa finished in the top 50 nationally in double plays (t2nd), fielding percentage (24th), home runs (25th), home runs per game (28th), slugging percentage (40th), doubles (44th), walks (45th), hits (48th), and winning percentage (48th).
• In Big Ten play, Iowa was second in team batting average (.297), third in team fielding percentage (.979), and seventh in ERA (4.25). Mason McCoy led the league in runs (26), Jake Adams paced the conference in home runs (10) and doubles (10), and Nick Gallagher tied for the lead in wins (5).
ADAMS — UNANIMOUS PLAYER OF YEAR
Junior Jake Adams was voted as the unanimous Big Ten Player of the Year. Adams was the first Hawkeye since 1992 and just the second player in school history to be named the league’s top player. Brett Backlund, an infielder/pitcher, shared the honor with Mike Smith of Indiana in 1992.
• Adams is head coach Rick Heller’s fifth league Player of the Year. He had three MVPs at Northern Iowa and one at Indiana State.
30 X 4
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 39 victories are the fifth-most in a single season in program history. Two of those win totals have come under UI head coach Rick Heller’s watch.
• 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.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Iowa out-scored its opponents, 48-33, in the first inning this season. The Hawkeyes were 22-7 when scoring first.
• Over the first three innings, Iowa out-scored its opposition, 139-99.
• The Hawkeyes went 29-3 when scoring six or more runs this season. Iowa was 10-19 when scoring five runs or less.
• Iowa went 26-13 when hitting a home run this season. The team went 17-4 when hitting two or more long balls.
• The Hawkeyes went 29-4 when leading after six innings, 29-2 after seven innings, and 29-1 after eight innings this season.
• Thirty-one games were been decided by two runs or less this season; Iowa was 19-12.
GOING, GOING…
Junior Jake Adams led NCAA with 29 home runs during the 2017 season. The 29 blasts are a Big Ten Conference and Iowa single-season record.
• The South Dakota native was the Big Ten home run champion, connecting on 10 long balls during league action. He is the first Hawkeye since Jason White in 2008 (eight home runs) to win the home run crown.
• Adams hit eight home runs in a seven-game stretch from May 12-20. He hit a home run in five straight contests (believed to be the first in school history to accomplish the feat), including two two-home run games.
• Adams set the new standard in the Big Ten in the BBCOR era (since 2011) and the third-most home runs in that span. Kris Bryant hit 31 home runs in 2013 and Victor Roache hit 30 in 2011.
• Adams broke the Iowa school record when he hit two home runs in the regular season finale at Illinois to take down John Knapp’s school record of 22, which had stood since 1986.
• Iowa was 19-5 when Adams hit a home run in 2017.
• Adams had four multi-homer games. 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, two solo blasts in the regular season finale at Illinois (5/19), and two home runs in the Big Ten Tournament title game against Northwestern.
• In his three collegiate seasons, Adams hit 71 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 hit a Big Ten and NCAA-best 29 home runs in 2017, but he was more than a home run hitter. Adams hit safely in 46 games, reached safely in 53 contests, and posted 27 multi-hit games. He finished sixth in the Big Ten with a .335 batting average.
• Adams also led the Big Ten in RBIs (72), runs (55), slugging percentage (.747), and total bases (183), while ranking second in hits (82), 13th in on-base percentage (.417), and 15th in doubles (14).
• In the NCAA, Adams was first in home runs and home runs per game, third in total bases, fourth in slugging percentage, eighth in RBIs, and 16th in RBIs per game.
BANKS MAGIC
• Iowa finished 19-4 at home during the 2017 season, running its record to 52-14 at Banks Field since the start of the 2015 season. The 19 wins were the most by the team since winning 1989 (19-2).
• The Hawkeyes went 17-3 in 2015 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 overcame deficits in 21 of their 39 victories this season. Iowa posted walk-off victories in four games.
• The Hawkeyes had 13 wins when either trailing or being tied entering or through seven innings, while nine wins came in their final at-bat.
• 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 rallied from an 8-3, sixth-inning deficit in their 9-8 victory over Omaha on May 16.
DEFENSE DOES IT
• Freshman Justin Jenkins entered in the ninth inning as a defensive replacement May 18 at Illinois. With two outs and the game-tying run at third, Jenkins made a diving catch in the right center field gap to save the Hawkeyes’ victory.
• Sophomore Robert Neustrom made a home run-saving catch in Iowa’s Big Ten Tournament semifinal victory over Minnesota. He robbed Eduardo Estrada of a three-run home run in the fifth inning; Iowa won 7-5 in 13 innings.
• Iowa finished in a tie for second nationally with 67 double plays — an Iowa school record — in 2017 and the team ranked 24th with a .978 team fielding percentage.
IOWA SETS SINGLE-SEASON K RECORD
The Iowa pitching staff set the single-season strikeout record for a second straight season in 2017. Iowa finished with 470 strikeouts in 61 games, averaging 7.7 punch outs per contest. The squad 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 finished second in the Big Ten with 71 home runs this season. Eleven different players hit at least one home run.
• The 71 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.
• Iowa went back-to-back-to-back in the second inning at Illinois on May 18 with Mason McCoy, Jake Adams, and Robert Neustrom hitting blasts.
RBI KINGS
Junior Jake Adams and sophomore Robert Neustrom finished first and fourth in the Big Ten in RBIs. Adams led the league with 72 RBIs — the most by a Hawkeye since 1999. Adams drove in at least one run in 38 games. Neustrom was fourth with 55 RBIs.
• 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 finished eighth nationally in RBIs.
• Iowa went 31-8 when Adams had at least one RBI.
• Neustrom had a career-best four hits and five RBIs to complete Iowa’s doubleheader sweep of Lehigh on March 12. Neustrom had seven games with three or more RBIs.
CONSISTENT SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Robert Neustrom hit safely in 49 games in 2017 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 79 hits were third in the Big Ten and he tied for third in the conference with 16 doubles. Neustrom had 25 multi-hit games. He had 12 games this season with two or more RBIs and drove in at least one run in 35 games. Iowa went 26-9 when Neustrom had 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, had a career-best nine home runs; he hit home runs in three straight contests from May 19-25.
MCCOY: THE SHORTSTOP
After being Iowa’s primary third baseman as a junior, Mason McCoy moved back at his natural position at shortstop in 2017. The Illinois native led the Big Ten in runs (55), hits (83), and was second in doubles (18), while ranking 15th in the league with a .328 batting average.
• McCoy tied a career-high with a 15-game hitting streak from April 4-28. He reached base safely in a career-best 26 straight games — the longest streak by a Hawkeye since Eric Toole’s 31-game reached base streak in 2015 — from April 4-May 19.
• McCoy had 26 multi-hit games this season and hit safely in 50 contests. He has scored at least one run in 36 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.
• The Illinois native had two three-hit games at the Big Ten Tournament, going 3-for-4 against No. 21 Nebraska and 3-for-5 with three runs in the title game against Northwestern. He hit a two-run home run in the semifinal loss to Minnesota — his fifth of the year.
• McCoy went 2-for-5 with two RBIs in the series opener at Illinois, which included his fourth home run, leading off Iowa’s back-to-back-to-back jack performance.
• McCoy was one of the top all-around shortstops in the Big Ten. He had just nine errors in a Big Ten-leading 340 chances this season.
WAY TO GO WHELAN
Sophomore Chris Whelan hit .309 with 41 runs and 25 RBIs. He also had seven home runs and 11 doubles. He was fifth in the Big Ten with a .435 on-base percentage.
• The Naperville, Illinois, native was named the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player after hitting .333 with two home runs, two doubles, four runs, and three RBIs. He also had 17 putouts in left field.
• Whelan went 3-for-4 with a double and home run in the 9-8 win over Maryland and he went 2-for-4 with a home run and scored both runs in the 2-0 win over No. 21 Nebraska.
• 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.
• Whelan had two two-home run games, connecting on a pair April 22 against Rutgers and two against Maryland at the Big Ten Tournament.
• Whelan had 22 multi-hit games 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, Ben Norman earned Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America honors after hitting .296 with 18 multi-hit games. He scored 34 runs and had 20 RBIs and 12 doubles, one triple, and one home run.
• The Des Moines, Iowa, native hit a team-best .600 (6-for-10) at the NCAA Regionals and went 2-for-4 with a career-high three RBIs in the Big Ten Tournament title game against Northwestern.
• Norman was Iowa’s top base-stealing threat, swiping 14 bags in 19 chances this season. He tied for 13th 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 HEATED 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.
• 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 hit .311 with eight doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. He had 13 multi-hit games during the stretch and has 27 RBIs.
• The McCook Lake, South Dakota, native was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team after hitting a team-best .412 (7-of-17) with three home runs, seven runs, and five RBIs. He hit safely in all five games. Cropley hit two home runs in the elimination semifinal game against Minnesota, including the go-ahead solo home run in the top of the 13th inning.
• 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.
• Defensively, Cropley gunned out 19 base runners to lead the Big Ten. He started 56 games behind the plate.
AROUND, AROUND THE MULBERRY BUSH
Iowa 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.
• Junior Matt Hoeg had a career-high four hits, finishing 4-for-5 with two doubles and four runs in game two at Illinois. Hoeg had 15 multi-hit games this season. Hoeg hit .277 with 38 RBIs and 32 runs scored. His 16 doubles were second-most on the team and tied for third in the Big Ten.
• Hoeg hit .375 with a team-best six RBIs in the Big Ten Tournament with two doubles and a home run. His home run was a two-run, fourth-inning blast in the elimination semifinal against Minnesota.
• Sophomore Mitchell Boe hit .500 (5-of-10) with a double and a team-best four RBIs in three NCAA Regional contests. Boe hit safely in all three games and had two multi-hit contests. He was 2-for-3 with two RBIs in the game one win over No. 15 Houston and went 2-for-4 with an RBI against Texas A&M.
MARTSCHING ON
Senior Josh Martsching was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team after going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and posting a save in three appearances. Martsching allowed two hits over 7 2/3 innings, including a career-long 5 2/3 innings in the extra-inning win over Minnesota. Martsching got out of three bases loaded jams unscathed in the tournament.
• The fifth-year senior went 5-1 with a 2.54 ERA with eight saves in a career-high 29 appearances in 2017. He had 46 strikeouts to 10 walks over 46 innings.
• Martsching made two weekend appearances eight times during the 2017 season, and he pitched in three consecutive days at the Big Ten Tournament.
• Martsching’s 74 career appearances are fourth-most all-time and his 13 career saves are sixth.
BALLS & STRIKES
• The Hawkeyes finished sixth in the Big Ten with a 4.39 team ERA. Iowa’s staff ranked third in the league with 470 strikeouts, averaging 7.7 per game.
• Iowa’s pitching staff had 10 or more strikeouts in a game 16 times in 2017.
• Sophomore Zach Daniels tied for seventh in the Big Ten with seven victories. He went 7-3 with a 3.22 ERA in 24 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. The Robins, Iowa, native didn’t allow a run in two Big Ten Tournament appearances, spanning 2 1/3 innings.
• Redshirt freshman Kyle Shimp made his return May 2 at Western Illinois after missing three weeks with mono. Shimp didn’t allowed a run in 10 of his 18 appearances, where he went 5-1 with a 3.18 ERA. Opponents are hitting .186 against the southpaw in 2017 this season and he surrendered more than one hit just four times in 18 appearances.
• Junior Elijah Wood had his best appearance as a Hawkeye, notching a quality start in a May 19 win at Illinois. After surrendering three first-inning runs, Wood tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his first career win. He allowed three runs on 10 hits and had three strikeouts without issuing a walk. Wood went 1-1 with a 5.26 ERA in 15 appearances, including seven starts.
• Senior Drake Robison came through in the clutch, tossing seven innings of four-hit, one-run ball in a Big Ten Tournament-clinching victory over Northwestern. It was Robison’s fourth victory of the season — first since April 25. The Illinois native went 4-2 with a 6.10 ERA this season.
JUNIOR NICK GALLAGHER…
• went 16-5 with a 3.01 ERA in 39 career appearances, including 24 starts. He had 163 strikeouts against 54 walks in 179 1/3 innings.
• went 8-2 with a 3.48 ERA in 2017 — the win total tied for the league lead, while the ERA tied for 11th. He had 87 strikeouts to rank fifth and his 95 2/3 innings were second despite missing his March 17 start at Kansas State.
• The eight wins tied for the sixth-most in a single-season in program history. Gallagher also had eight victories in 2016.
• In Big Ten play, Gallagher tied for the Big Ten wins lead, going 5-0 with a 2.37 ERA — fifth-best in the league. He had 45 strikeouts over 49 1/3 innings and limited batters to a .249 average. He had a quality start in five of his eight Big Ten starts.
• had nine quality starts in 2017 and logged at least seven innings in eight of his 15 starts. Gallagher had 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.
SENIOR RYAN ERICKSON…
• went 4-3 with a 2.78 ERA after joining the starting rotation March 17 at Kansas State. He went 4-3 with a 3.00 ERA this season; ERA was seventh in the Big Ten. In league games, Erickson went 2-2 with a 3.32 ERA — tied for the 11th-best ERA in the conference.
• allowed 78 hits over 75 innings and fanned 48. He is 10-5 in his career with a 3.28 ERA, fanning 100 batters over 164 2/3 innings.
• earned the opening game start against No. 15 Houston at the NCAA Regionals… notched the win, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits over five innings.
• named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team after tossing a career-high 7 2/3 shutout innings in the win over No. 21 Nebraska… scattered 10 hits and had a career-high six strikeouts to two walks.
• Had four quality starts, 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.
MISSING HAWKEYES
The Hawkeyes dealt with adversity on the mound for much of the 2017 season. Left-handed pitchers Kole Kampen and Nick Allgeyer missed the entire season following Tommy John surgery, and junior C.J. Eldred had season-ending surgery for a partial repair of the UCL on March 15 after making just one start in 2017.
• Sophomore Derek Lieurance didn’t log an inning because of a season-ending injury. Freshman Kyle Shimp missed three weeks in April with mono.
IOWA’S BACKBONE
The Hawkeyes have been built on pitching and defense under UI head coach Rick Heller.
• Iowa has ranked in the top 24 nationally in the nation in team fielding percentage in each of the past three seasons. The Hawkeyes have been in the top four in the Big Ten throughout Heller’s tenure.
• Iowa has posted team ERA records in 2015 and 2016 (2.95 in 2015, 3.56 in 2016), ranking in the top four in the conference in both seasons. The Hawkeyes set school strikeout records in 2016 and 2017.
TEAM CAPTAINS
Iowa’s team captains for the 2017 season were seniors Josh Martsching, Mason McCoy, and Corbin Woods, and junior C.J. Eldred.
#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 has led the Hawkeyes to two NCAA Regional appearances in three seasons; the program had three regional appearances in its history prior to his arrival.
• Heller is fourth in school history in career wins with 140 in his four seasons at Iowa, including the second (41) and fifth-most (39) in school history.
• Heller led Iowa to its first Big Ten Tournament title in 2017 — the first conference title since 1990 — and he guided the Hawkeyes to the Big Ten Tournament title game in consecutive seasons. Iowa has advanced to the league 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 15 Major League Baseball Draft picks in four seasons — the most in a four-year stretch in school history.
• Iowa had a school-record six All-Big Ten selections in 2015 and five in 2017. The Hawkeyes have had 18 All-Big Ten honorees in four seasons under Heller.
• Iowa has posted winning streaks of nine games (in 2015) and eight games (in 2017) — the longest streaks for the program since 2012.
