Game Notes -- Nebraska

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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team travels to Lincoln for a second straight year for a three-game weekend series at Nebraska from April 13-15.  The two teams will play a Friday doubleheader at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park beginning at 2:05 p.m. (CT). Game three is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Sunday, but the time could change if the weather provides a better window to play the game earlier.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
• Games one and two will be streamed live on BTN Plus on BTN2Go.  It is a paid subscription service.  
• Sunday’s game is slated to be televised on ESPNU with Steve Lenox and Jay Walker on the call.  
• 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.  
• Both games of Friday’s doubleheader will be on KMJM-AM 1360 in Cedar Rapids, WDBQ-FM 107.5 in Dubuque, KJAN-AM/FM 1220 and 101.1 in Atlantic, KDEC-FM 100.5 in Decorah, and KKFD-FM 95.9 in Fairfield.  KXIC-AM 800  in Iowa City will join in progress.

LEADING OFF
• The Hawkeyes are 8-2 over their last 10 games and 12-4 over their past 16 games.  Iowa has four straight series victories this season and the Hawkeyes have won six straight Big Ten series dating back to last season.
• Iowa is coming off a 16-1 victory over Coe College on April 11 — a win that was Rick Heller’s 850th of his career — where it scored a season-high 16 runs on a season-high 17 hits.  Sophomore Lorenzo Elion became the second Hawkeye in the last decade to hit for the cycle, finishing 5-for-6 with two home runs, six RBIs, and four runs.  The five hits tie a single-game school record.
 • Iowa is 3-5 against ranked opponents this season.  The Hawkeyes won two of three games at No. 22 Illinois and also defeated 11th-ranked Indiana on March 23 in Iowa City.  The road series win at Illinois was the team’s first over a ranked opponent since taking two of three at No. 18 Maryland in 2015.
• Iowa is 11-3 at Duane Banks Field this season, running its record to 63-17 at home since the start of the 2015 season.  The Hawkeyes have won eight of their last nine home series. 
• Iowa has used the same starting weekend rotation in each of the first eight weeks of the season.  The trio of Nick Allgeyer, Brady Schanuel, and Cole McDonald are a combined 10-7 with a 3.13 ERA with 123 strikeouts in 123 2/3 innings.
• The Hawkeyes rank in the top six in the Big Ten in 10 different offensive categories.  Iowa is fourth in walks (145) and on-base percentage (.380), fifth in batting average (.274). slugging percentage (.398), and total bases (398), tied for fifth in triples (7), and sixth in hits (274), RBIs (161), home runs (20), and doubles (50).
• Iowa’s pitching staff leads the Big Ten in strikeouts (278) and is second strikeouts looking (80), while boasting the fourth-best opposing batting average (.247) and sixth-best ERA (3.87). 
• Defensively, Iowa has turned a league-best 29 double plays and ranks fourth with a .970 team fielding percentage.
• How big is it to have Chris Whelan back in the Iowa lineup? In 15 games, the junior is tied for fourth on the team in runs, fifth in hits, and tied for seventh in total bases.  He is hitting .344 with 17 runs and he has posted six multi-hit games.
• Over the team’s last six games, Iowa’s bullpen is 3-0 with a 1.01 ERA with two saves.  The Hawkeye relievers have allowed three earned runs over 26 2/3 innings and have 30 strikeouts to seven walks.
• Nine different Hawkeyes have hit a home run this season and three players have 20 or more RBIs.
• 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
• Iowa will be playing its fourth doubleheader of the season Friday against Nebraska.  Iowa 4-2 in doubleheader games, sweeping its twin bill against Evansville on March 17 and splitting doubleheaders against No. 11 Indiana and Ohio State.  Iowa lost game one against the Hoosiers and Buckeyes.
• The Hawkeyes put up eight runs in the first inning in their 16-1 victory over Coe College on April 11 in Iowa City.  It was Iowa’s biggest scoring inning of the season.  
• Iowa had seven doubles, two home runs, and one triple against the Kohawks, finishing with 32 total bases. The seven doubles and 32 total bases are tied for the high water marks in the Big Ten this season.
• Sophomore Lorenzo Elion has 13 RBIs over Iowa’s last six games, where he’s hitting .400 (10-of-25) with four extra base hits.  Elion is tied for second on the team with 21 RBIs.
• Iowa is 5-2 against left-handed starters this season and 15-8 against right-handers.  
• The Hawkeyes are 18-5 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 is 8-4 in games decided by two runs or less  this season.   
• The Hawkeyes have two returning All-Big Ten selections — Robert 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 NEBRASKA
• The Huskers are 3-7 over their last 10 games, dropping the team’s record to 15-16 overall.  Nebraska hit three home runs to defeat Kansas State, 11-9, on Tuesday in Manhattan.
• Nebraska is 2-6 in Big Ten play, dropping two of three games against Minnesota and at Ohio State and dropping two games at Michigan State.
• The Huskers are hitting .263 in the Big Ten with two players hitting over .300.  First baseman Scott Schreiber has a .416 average with 11 home runs, 10 doubles, 36 runs, and 30 RBIs.  Schreiber is second in the Big Ten in batting average and home runs.
• The Huskers have a 5.30 ERA, which ranks 11th in the Big Ten.  Nebraska has given up 326 hits over 270 innings and is allowing opponents to hit .301.
• Nebraska will start RHP Luis Alvarado (2-3, 3.00 ERA) in game one, RHP Matt Waldron (2-2, 3.94 ERA) in game two, and RHP Matt Warren (3-2, 5.60) in game three.

SERIES RESULTS
• Iowa leads the all-time series against Nebraska, 19-18.  The Hawkeyes have won the last three series over the Cornhuskers, winning two of three games in 2014, sweeping the series in 2015, and claiming two of three games last season in Lincoln.  
• Iowa also shut out top-seeded Nebraska, 2-0, in the second round of the 2017 Big Ten Tournament in Bloomington, Indiana.
• Iowa head coach Rick Heller is 8-2 against Nebraska since becoming the Hawkeye head coach in 2014.

HAVE YOURSELF A DAY ZO
Sophomore Lorenzo Elion became the second Hawkeye in the last decade to hit for the cycle when he finished 5-of-6 with two home runs, six RBIs, and four runs scored in a 16-1 win over Coe College on April 11.  The two home runs were the first of his career.
• Elion tripled in the first, homered in the second, doubled in the fifth,  singled in the sixth, and capped the night with a first-pitch, three-run home run in the eighth.
• The five hits tied a school record that has happened now 18 times.  It was last done by Joel Booker in 2016 at the Big Ten Tournament.  The five hits are tied for the most in the Big Ten this season.
• Mason McCoy was the last Hawkeye to hit for the cycle against Air Force in 2016.

#SCTOP10
Sophomore Lorenzo Elion appeared in SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays on April 8 after making a spectacular defensive play, diving to his right and throwing a dart to first to rob Ohio State of extra bases.  The play was No. 8.

RPI UPDATE
Iowa is 34th in the latest RPI report by D1Baseball.com.  The Hawkeyes are the third-highest ranked team in the Big Ten behind Indiana (16) and Illinois (29).  Iowa has five wins against top 50 RPI teams and seven against the top 100.

B1G SUCCESS
Iowa has won 19 of 26 (73 percent) of its Big Ten Conference series dating back to the 2015 season.  The Hawkeyes have won six straight league series heading into this weekend’s road series at Nebraska.

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 13-of-15 games since his return with six multi-hit contests.   He is hitting .344 (22-of-64) with 17 runs, six walks, and a .417 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 15 games, Whelan is already tied for fourth on the team in runs, fifth in hits, and tied for seventh in total bases.

CROP SIZZLES
Senior Tyler Cropley is leading the team with a .364 average with team-highs in RBIs (27) and doubles (13).  He had a career-best 12-game hitting streak and 16-game reached base streak this season.  
• Over the past 10 games, Cropley is hitting .457 (17-of-38) with eight doubles and two home runs.  He has 12 RBIs during the stretch  and 13 runs scored.  
• Cropley tied a school record in the 16-1 win over Coe College on April 11, finishing 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs.  All three of his hits were doubles, as he became the ninth Hawkeye — first since Nate Yoho in 2004 — to hit three in a single game.
• 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 .500 (18-of-36) with runners in scoring position.
• Cropley ranks in the top 11 in the Big Ten in eight different offensive categories, which includes being third in doubles (13), fifth in on-base percentage (.471) and sixth in batting average (.364).
• Cropley is tied for the tema lead with 12 multi-hit games (nine 2-hit, three 3-hit) and he has a team-best seven 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 had a career-best 14-game reached base streak from March 11-April 4.  He has reached safely in 25 games this season.
• The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native has committed just four errors in 122 chances.  He has been a part of 21 doubles plays in helping Iowa be the Big Ten’s top double play unit.
• Crowl has hit safely in 12 of the last 16 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 and his 21 RBIs are tied for second on the team.

COMEBACK KIDS
The Hawkeyes have posted nine 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 27 games since the start of the 2017 season and posted eight walk-off victories.
• Seventeen 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
• The Hawkeyes are 11-3 at Duane Banks Field this season, running their record to 63-17 at home since the start of the 2015 season.  
• Iowa went 19-4 at home last season, the most wins by the team since 1989 (19-2). 
• 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 13 games this season.  Iowa had a season-high 16 runs on 17 hits in its 16-1 victory over Coe College on April 11. 
• Iowa has scored 10 or more runs in six games this season.  

STARTING & FINISHING
The Hawkeyes are out-scoring opponents, 42-13, in the first inning and 77-46 over the first three innings.  Iowa is also out scoring the opposition, 41-19, in the eighth and ninth innings. 
• Iowa is 15-0 when leading after six innings, 14-0 after seven, and 16-0 after eight this season.  

JUNIOR ROBERT NEUSTROM…
• has hit safely in 28-of-30 games this season and he has reached safely in 28-of-30 contests.  Neustrom has had hitting streaks of nine games and 10 games this season.
• has started 93 consecutive games dating back to the 2016 season. 
• is hitting .345 with a team-best 12 multi-hit games.  Neustrom is leading the team with five home runs.
• ranks in the top 13 in the Big Ten in six categories, being eighth in batting average (.345) and tied for eighth in hits (41), home runs (5), and total bases (62).
• was the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year by Baseball America and Perfect Game.

ON THE BUMP
• The Hawkeyes’ starting pitchers are 11-8 with a 3.15 ERA in 30 games. Iowa starters have 141 strikeouts to 56 walks and opponents are hitting .234.
• 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 278 strikeouts, averaging 9.3 per game. 
• Iowa has 14 games with 10 or more strikeouts this season.

IN RELIEF
• Over the team’s last six games, Iowa’s bullpen is 3-0 with a 1.01 ERA with two saves.  The Hawkeye relievers have allowed three earned runs over 26 2/3 innings and have 30 strikeouts to seven walks.
• Junior Zach Daniels is 4-1 with a 1.57 ERA and two saves in 11 appearances, spanning 23 innings. He has 25 strikeouts and is limiting opposing hitters to a .169 average.  
• Daniels hasn’t allowed a run since March 23 against Bradley.  He has given up three hits and has eight strikeouts over his last 7 2/3 innings (four appearances).  He went 2 2/3 shutout innings in two appearances at Illinois and earned his fourth win, tossing three shutout innings against Ohio State (4/8).  Opponents are hitting .169 against Daniels.
• Senior Nick Nelsen is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA with two saves over his last eight innings, spanning seven appearances. He has allowed one hit since March 17 and he has 10 strikeouts to three walks.
• Redshirt sophomore Grant Leonard is third in the Big Ten with 15 appearances.  The walk-on from Mokena, Illinois, is 1-0 with a 3.65 ERA with two saves in 12 1/3 innings.

REDSHIRT JUNIOR NICK ALLGEYER…
• is 3-3 with a 2.34 ERA in eight starts. Allgeyer has 49 strikeouts, which are third-most in the Big Ten.
• ranks among the top-eight in the Big Ten in four different pitching categories — fifth in ERA (2.34), tied for fifth in innings (50.0), strikeouts, and strikeouts looking (14).
• has allowed six hits or fewer in  six of his eight starts… has allowed one or fewer earned runs in 5-of-8 starts.
• has seven consecutive quality starts.
• suffered the tough luck loss against Ohio State (4/7) after allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits over six innings in the 2-1 defeat… tied a career high with eight strikeouts.
• 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 5-3 with a 2.88 ERA in 40 career appearances, including nine starts… has 87 strikeouts in 97 innings.
• missed the 2017 season recovering from Tommy John surgery suffered during the fall of 2016.

JUNIOR BRADY SCHANUEL…
• Iowa’s Saturday starter… is 5-3 with a 4.14 ERA in eight starts with 44 strikeouts over 37 innings.
• is second in the Big Ten with a .207 opposing batting average and is tied for third with five wins.
• notched his fifth win, allowing three runs on six hits against Ohio State (4/7)… had seven strikeouts — his fourth game with six or more strikeouts.
• was named the Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week after going 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.  The 11 strikeouts were the most by a Hawkeye pitcher since Nathan Johnson’s 14 at Indiana in 2004.
• 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 3.19 ERA in seven starts  — six coming as the Sunday starter.
• recorded his second straight quality start in a no-decision against Ohio State (4/8)… allowed one run on three hits over six innings and had a career-high eight strikeouts.
• 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 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 4.77 ERA in 30 appearances, including 26 starts.