Game Notes -- Ohio State

Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | Fight For Iowa | Hawk Talk Monthly — April 2018 | Game Notes (PDF)

Date: April 7-9, 2018
Location: Iowa City, Iowa | Duane Banks Field
Game Notes: IOWA | Ohio State
Statistics IOWA | Ohio State
Radio/Streaming: Hawkeye Radio Network | Hawkeye All-Access ($)
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Television/Video Streaming: Game 1 (BTN Plus) | Game 2 (BTN Plus) | Game 3 (BTN Plus)
Game 1 | April 7 | 1 p.m. (CT)
Pitching Matchup: Iowa: LHP Nick Allgeyer (3-2, 2.45 ERA)
OSU: LHP Connor Curlis (4-1, 3.51 ERA)
Game 2 | April 7 | 4:30 p.m. (CT)
Pitching Matchup: Iowa: RHP Brady Schanuel (4-3, 4.06 ERA)
OSU: RHP Ryan Feltner (3-1, 5.18 ERA)
Game 3 | April 8/9 | TBA
Pitching Matchup: Iowa: RHP Cole McDonald (2-1, 3.52 ERA)
OSU: RHP Adam Niemeyer (2-2, 5.85 ERA)

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team will host Ohio State for a three-game series Saturday through Monday at Duane Banks Field.  The series schedule was altered due to the projected cold temperatures Friday. 

The two teams will play a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 1:05 p.m. (CT).  Game three is TBA on Sunday or Monday depending on the weekend weather.

FOLLOW ALONG
• All three games will be available on BTN Plus on BTN2Go. It is a paid subscription service.
• All Iowa games will also be available via the Hawkeye Radio Network with Zach Mackey on the call.  The games can be heard on Hawkeye All-Access and on select stations across the state. 
April 7: WDBQ-FM 107.5 Dubuque, KDEC-AM 1240 Decorah, KMJM-AM 1360 Cedar Rapids, KKFD-FM 95.9 Fairfield
April 8:WDBQ-FM 107.5 Dubuque, KMJM-AM 1360 Cedar Rapids, KKFD-FM 95.9 Fairfield
April 9: WDBQ-FM 107.5 Dubuque, KDEC-AM 1240 Decorah, KMJM-AM 1360 Cedar Rapids, KKFD-FM 95.9 Fairfield

LEADING OFF
• The Hawkeyes are 9-3 over their past 12 games with three straight series victories.  Iowa, who is receiving votes in the NCBWA rankings, has won five straight Big Ten series dating back to last season. 
• Iowa picked up its second and third ranked victories in the road series win at No. 22 Illinois.  The Hawkeyes also defeated No. 11 Indiana on March 23 in Iowa City.  Iowa is 3-5 against ranked foes this season.
• Iowa is 8-2 at Duane Banks Field this season, running its record to 60-16 at home since the start of the 2015 season.  The Hawkeyes have won six of their last seven home series.
• The Hawkeyes’ road series win in Champaign was its first over a ranked opponent since the 2015 season (at No. 18 Maryland).
• Iowa has used the same starting weekend rotation in each of the first seven weeks of the season.  The trio of Nick Allgeyer, Brady Schanuel, and Cole McDonald are a combined 9-6 with a 3.23 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 105 2/3 innings.
• The Hawkeyes rank in the top five in the Big Ten in hits (236), triples (6), home runs (18), slugging percentage (.392), on-base percentage (.376), and walks (124).
• Iowa’s pitching staff is leading the Big Ten in strikeouts (237) and strikeouts looking (70) and have the fifth-best batting average against (.249).  Defensively, Iowa has a league-best 25 double plays and ranks fourth with a .972 team fielding percentage.
• How big is it to have Chris Whelan back in the Iowa lineup? In just 12 games, the junior is fourth on the team in runs, tied for fourth in hits, and tied for sixth in total bases.  He is hitting .373 with five multi-hit games and just two strikeouts in 51 at-bats.
• Senior Tyler Cropley is currently riding a career-best 10-game hitting streak where he’s hitting .459 (17-37) with seven doubles, two home runs, 11 runs, and 10 RBIs.  The catcher has reached safely in a career-best 14 straight games.
• Sophomore Kyle Crowl has reached base safely in a career-best 14 straight games.  He is hitting .320 with 11 RBIs and nine runs scored during the stretch.
• The Hawkeyes have hit 14 home runs over their 13 games.  Iowa hit four home runs over the first 13 contests.
• Iowa has won 140 games over the past four seasons under head coach Rick Heller — the best four-year stretch in school history.  The Hawkeyes have advanced to NCAA Regional play in two of the last three seasons.

QUICK HITTERS
• The Hawkeyes are coming off a 4-2 victory over Grand View on Wednesday in Iowa City.  Iowa’s pitchers struck out 13 in the victory, which were tied for the team season-high.
• Iowa put up seven runs in the top of the ninth in its 13-12 game two loss at No. 22 Illinois.  The seven-run inning matched a season-best inning.  The Hawkeyes scored seven in the first in a 15-1 victory over Cornell College on Feb. 27 in Iowa City.
• Iowa is 5-1 against left-handed starters this season and 12-8 against righties.  
• The Hawkeyes are 16-5 when scoring three or more runs this season.
• Iowa’s 5-1 victory over No. 11 Indiana was the highest ranked opponent the Hawkeyes have defeated since 2008 (No. 8 Vanderbilt).
• Iowa had a season-high 15 hits in its 13-9 victory over Bradley on March 28.  Iowa’s top three guys in the order — Chris Whelan, Robert Neustrom, and Tyler Cropley — were 10-of-15 with seven runs and seven RBIs.
• Iowa is 7-3 in games decided by two runs or less  this season.   
• The Hawkeyes were crowned the team champions at the All-State Sugar Bowl Baseball Classic on Feb. 25 in New Orleans.  Iowa and New Orleans both posted 2-1 records, but the Hawkeyes won the head-to-head meeting.
• The Hawkeyes return two All-Big Ten selections — Neustrom and Tyler Cropley — and Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-Americans Kyle Shimp and Ben Norman.
• Iowa was ranked 44th in the College Sports Madness preseason rankings.  The Hawkeyes were also receiving votes in the USBWA preseason rankings.

ABOUT OHIO STATE
• The Buckeyes bring a 19-8 overall record into Iowa City with the 19 victories being tied with Indiana for the Big Ten lead.  They are receiving votes in the NCBWA rankings.
• Ohio State opened Big Ten play by taking two of three games from Nebraska last weekend in Columbus.  The Buckeyes are 3-1 in true road games and are 2-3 in games against ranked opponents with wins over No. 16 Southern Miss (W, 9-6) and at No. 21 Coastal Carolina (W, 7-5).
• The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten with a .309 batting average and they average 7.9 runs per game.  Ohio State also leads the league in on-base percentage (.399), runs (212), hits (297), total bases (434), and RBIs (196), while ranking second in slugging (.452), and home runs (24).
• Five Buckeyes hit over .333 with Noah McGowan leading the team with a .411 average — second-best in the Big Ten — with 12 doubles, one triple, and six home runs.  Seven different Ohio State players have 10 or more RBIs.
• Ohio State’s pitching staff boasts a 4.12 ERA with 221 strikeouts against 88 walks over 242 1/3 innings.  Reliever Seth Kinker is 4-1 with a 1.82 ERA with six saves.
• Iowa will face LHP Connor Curlis (4-1, 3.51 ERA) on Saturday, RHP Ryan Feltner (3-1, 5.18 ERA) on Sunday, and RHP Adam Niemeyer (2-2, 5.85 ERA) on Monday.

SERIES RESULTS
• Ohio State leads the all-time series, 75-54-1.  The two teams have split the past two regular-season series with the Hawkeyes winning two of three games in 2017 in Iowa City, and the Buckeyes winning two of three in 2016 in Columbus.
• The two teams also split two meetings at the 2016 Big Ten Tournament in Omaha with the Buckeyes winning the title with an 8-7 victory.

LAST SEASON’S SERIES
• Robert Neustrom’s 446-foot, two-run home run over the batter’s eye gave Iowa a 11-10 walk-off victory over Ohio State to clinch the series win and Big Ten Tournament berth.  The Hawkeyes rallied from a 9-2 sixth-inning deficit and Ohio State took a 10-9 lead in the ninth. 
• Connor Curlis earned the win for Ohio State in game two, allowing four runs (one earned) on six hits over six innings. Iowa roughed up Adam Niemeyer in the finale as he suffered the loss, allowing six runs on six hits in one inning of relief.
• Chris Whelan hit .467 (7-of-15) during the three-game series.

RPI UPDATE
Iowa is 40th in the latest RPI report by D1Baseball.com.  The Hawkeyes are the second-highest ranked team in the Big Ten behind Indiana.  Iowa has three wins against top 50 RPI teams and four against the top 100.

B1G SUCCESS
Iowa has won 18 of 25 (72 percent) of its Big Ten Conference series dating back to the 2015 season.  The Hawkeyes have won five straight league series heading into this weekend against Ohio State.

PLUG AND PLAY
Redshirt junior Chris Whelan has been instant offense for the Hawkeyes since making his season debut on March 17 against Evansville.  The Illinois native missed the first month (14 games) recovering from Tommy John surgery.
• Whelan has hit safely in 11-of-12 games and has five multi-hit contests.   He is hitting .373 (19-of-51) with 15 runs, six walks, and a .448 on-base percentage as Iowa’s leadoff hitter.
• Whelan had a career-high four hits, finishing 4-for-5 with a career-best four runs in Iowa’s 13-9 come-from-behind victory over Bradley on March 28.
• In 12 games, Whelan is already fourth on the team in runs, tied for fourth in hits, and tied for sixth in total bases

SCHANUEL EARNS BIG TEN HONOR
Junior Brady Schanuel was named the Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week on March 26 after tossing seven shutout innings in a win over No. 11 Indiana. It was his first career honor.  Schanuel struck out a career-high 11 and retired the final 10 Hoosiers he faced.  
• The 11 strikeouts are the most by a Hawkeye since 2004 (Nathan Johnson – 14 – at Indiana).

CROP SIZZLES
Senior Tyler Cropley has hit safely in a career-best 10 consecutive games where he has posted five multi-hit contests.  The McCook Lake, South Dakota, native is hitting .459 (17-of-37) with seven extra base hits (seven doubles, two home runs), 10 RBIs, and 11 runs scored during the stretch.  
• Cropley hit a walk-off grand slam to give Iowa a 13-9 victory over Bradley on March 28.  He finished with a career-high five RBIs in the game.  The walk-off homer was the first of Cropley’s baseball career and it was his second grand slam as a Hawkeye, ironically both coming against the Braves.
• Cropley is currently hitting .517 (15-of-29) with runners in scoring position.
• Cropley ranks in the top seven in the Big Ten in seven different offensive categories this season.  He is tied for third with 10 doubles, fourth in on-base percentage (.466), eighth in slugging percentage (.553), ninth in slugging percentage (.553), tied for ninth in walks (16), tied for 11th in RBIs (24), and 13th in hits (33).
• Cropley is second on the team with nine multi-hit games (seven 2-hit, two 3-hit) and he has a team-best six multi-RBI games.
• Cropley is on the Johnny Bench Award Watch List. The honor is given to the top catcher in Division I baseball.  

CROWL STEADY AT SHORT
Sophomore Kyle Crowl has reached safely in 14 straight games dating back to March 11. It is a career-long streak.
• Crowl has hit safely in 10 of the last 12 games, which includes hitting .500 and driving in six runs in the three-game sweep of Evansville. 
• He went 2-for-4 with a two-run double and two-run triple en route to a career-high four RBIs in the game two victory before going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs to complete the weekend sweep.
• Crowl is second on the team with four home runs this season.

COMEBACK KIDS
The Hawkeyes have posted eight come-from-behind victories in 2018, which includes four walk-off victories.
• Iowa trailed 9-8 through 7 1/2 innings before rallying for a 13-9 win.  Lorenzo Elion’s pinch-hit RBI single tied the game in the eighth before Iowa posted its fourth walk-off win in the ninth courtesy of a Tyler Cropley grand slam. 
• The Hawkeyes trailed 4-1 through 7 1/2 innings before Matt Hoeg tied the game with a two-out, three-run double in the eighth.  Iowa then posted its third walk-off victory of the season when Austin Guzzo connected on a two-run home run to right field, giving the team a 6-4 win.
• Ben Norman had the game-winning RBI single in the ninth, sending the Hawkeyes to a 4-3 win over Toledo in the season opener.  Norman also reached via error in the win over Virginia Tech, allowing the go-ahead run to score in the 2-1 walk-off victory.
• Iowa has overcome deficits to win 26 games since the start of the 2017 season and posted eight walk-off victories.
• Sixteen of those victories have come with Iowa trailing or being tied entering or through seven innings and 13 have come in the final at-bat.

BANKS MAGIC
• Iowa finished 19-4 at home during the 2017 season, running its record to 60-16 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 are 8-2 at home this season.
• Iowa has 12 walk-off victories at Duane Banks Field since the start of 2015.

ON THE OFFENSE
• The Hawkeyes have had 10 or more hits in 12 games this season.  Iowa had a season-high 15 hits against Bradley — a 13-9 win — on March 28.
• Iowa scored a season-high 15 runs in the midweek victory over Cornell College on Feb. 27. The Hawkeyes have fivegames with 10 or more runs.  
• The Hawkeyes have had 10 or more hits in four of their last five games with nine doubles, one triple, and four home runs.

STARTING & FINISHING
The Hawkeyes are out-scoring opponents, 27-12, in the first inning and 59-43 over the first three innings.  Iowa is also out scoring the opposition, 37-17, in the eighth and ninth innings. 
• Iowa is 13-0 when leading after six innings, 12-0 after seven, and 13-0 after eight.  

JUNIOR ROBERT NEUSTROM…
• has hit safely in 23-of-26 games this season and he has reached safely in 24-of-26 contests.  Neustrom has had hitting streaks of nine games and 10 games this season. 
• is hitting .343 with a team-best 10 multi-hit games.  Neustrom is leading the team with five home runs.
• ranks in the top 14 in the Big Ten in five categories… is tied for seventh in runs (25), eighth in home runs (5), tied for eighth in total bases (56), 10th in hits (36), and 14th in batting average (.343).
• has seven RBIs in Iowa’s last five games.
• was the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year by Baseball America and Perfect Game.

ON THE BUMP
• The Hawkeyes’ starting pitchers are 10-7 with a 3.27 ERA in  26 games. Iowa starters have 118 strikeouts to 48 walks and opponents are hitting .237.
• Iowa’s pitching staff has a pair of two-hitters in 2018.  The Hawkeyes two-hit Evansville on March 17 and limited the 11th-ranked Hoosiers to two hits on March 23.
• Iowa’s pitching staff is leading the Big Ten with 237 strikeouts, averaging 9.2 per game. 
• Iowa has 11 games with 10 or more strikeouts this season.

TOSSING BULLETS
• Junior Zach Daniels is 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA and two saves in 10 appearances, spanning 20 innings. He has 20 strikeouts and is limiting opposing hitters to a .176 average.  Daniels tossed 2 2/3 shutout innings at No. 22 Illinois in two appearances and he earned his third win, throwing two shutout innings against Bradley on March 28.
• Redshirt sophomore Grant Leonard is third in the Big Ten with 14 appearances.  He is 1-0 with a 3.97 ERA with two saves in 11 1/3 innings.

REDSHIRT JUNIOR NICK ALLGEYER…
• is 3-2 with a 2.45 ERA in seven starts. Allgeyer has 41 strikeouts, which are fourth in the Big Ten.
• ranks among the top-six in the Big Ten in four different pitching categories — ERA, innings, strikeouts, and strikeouts looking.
• has allowed six hits or fewer in  five of his seven starts… has allowed one or fewer earned runs in 4-of-7 starts.
• has six straight quality starts against Virginia Tech, at UAB, at UNLV, vs. Evansville, vs. No. 11 Indiana, and at No. 22 Illinois.
• notched his third victory — first Big Ten win — allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings at No. 22 Illinois… tied a career-high with eight strikeouts.
•  recorded his first career win as a starter (third of his career), allowing one run on four hits at UAB (3/2)… had four strikeouts against one walk over 6 2/3 innings… went six innings, allowing one run on four hits in the win over Evansville (3/17).
• had a career-high eight strikeouts (to zero walks) in the no-decision against Virginia Tech, where he went a career-long seven innings. 
• made his first career Friday start — his second career start — against Toledo (2/16) — allowing three unearned runs over five innings and fanning seven.
• is 5-2 with a 2.97 ERA in 39 career appearances, including eight starts… has 79 strikeouts in 91 innings.
• missed the 2017 season recovering from Tommy John surgery suffered during the fall of 2016.

JUNIOR BRADY SCHANUEL…
• Iowa’s Saturday starter… is 4-3 with a 4.06 ERA in seven starts with 37 strikeouts over 31 innings.
• is second in the Big Ten with a .195 opposing batting average and is tied for third with four wins.
• went a career-best seven innings, allowing one hit and fanning 11 in a 5-1 victory over No. 11 Indiana (3/23)… retired the final 10 batters he faced
• allowed a single hit over five shutout innings in a win against Evansville, where he fanned six… went a five innings in the road win at UAB — his second win of the season…allowed one hit and fanned a career-high seven.   
• earned his first career victory against Old Dominion (2/18), allowing two hits and fanning four in 3 2/3 innings… was on a predetermined 60-pitch pitch count.
• Two-time MLB Draft pick — selected in 20th round by Philadelphia in 2017 and 36th round by Oakland in 2015.
• Two-time All-American at Parkland College in Illinois… went 20-4 with 161 strikeouts in 164 innings.

JUNIOR COLE MCDONALD… 
• is 2-1 with a 3.52 ERA in six starts  — five coming as the Sunday starter.
• Notched his first Big Ten victory — second of the season — allowing two runs on five hits over 6 1/3 innings at No. 22 Illinois… finished with a season-high six strikeouts… it was his second quality start of the season.
• recorded his first career quality start and first win of the season, scattering three hits and allowing two unearned runs in seven innings in a victory over New Orleans.  McDonald had four strikeouts to one walk.
• is 8-6 with a 4.98 ERA in 29 appearances, including 25 starts.

FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
Iowa baseball fans can follow the Hawkeyes on Facebook/iowabaseball, Twitter: @UIBaseball, and Instagram/UIBaseball in addition to coverage on hawkeyesports.com.
 

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