Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | Fight For Iowa | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2017-18 | Hawk Talk Monthly — February 2018 – http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/935355-february-2018
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Three University of Iowa baseball players — senior Tyler Cropley, junior Zach Daniels, and junior Robert Neustrom — have been named to the Big Ten preseason honors list, the conference announced Wednesday.
The Hawkeyes were selected to finish sixth in the preseason coaches’ poll. Indiana was tabbed to finish first in the league, followed by Nebraska, Minnesota, Maryland, and Michigan. Only the top six were released.
Cropley, a native of McCook Lake, South Dakota, was a 2017 second-team All-Big Ten selection at catcher, while starting 59 games, 56 of which were behind the plate. As a junior, Cropley hit .268 with 41 runs and 36 RBIs.
Daniels, a right-handed pitcher from Robins, Iowa, went 7-3 with a 3.22 ERA in 24 appearances in 2017. The junior had 55 strikeouts over 50 1/3 innings — tying for seventh in the Big Ten with seven victories. Daniels was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on March 27 last season.
Neustrom, an outfielder from Souix City, Iowa, started all 61 games as a sophomore, where he hit .319 with 79 hits, 41 runs, and 55 RBIs. Neustrom has also been tabbed as the Perfect Game and Baseball America Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year.
The Hawkeyes open the 2018 season Feb. 16 in Kissimmee, Florida, for the Diamond 9 Sunshine State Classic Series, where they will face Toledo in the regular-season opener.
