Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch – 2017-18 | Fight For Iowa | Hawk Talk Monthly — April 2018
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa baseball team hosts Milwaukee on Wednesday at Duane Banks Field in the first of nine consecutive home games. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. (CT).
The Hawkeyes are 23-13 overall after going 1-2 last weekend at 25th-ranked Minnesota. Iowa won the series finale, 5-3, behind seven strong innings from junior Cole McDonald. He allowed one run on four hits to notch his third victory of the season.
Senior Tyler Cropley leads the Hawkeyes with a .364 batting average driving in 26 runs off 48 hits and leads the team with 31 RBIs and 15 doubles. Designated hitter Chris Whelan follows with a .337 batting average driving in 20 runs off 30 hits.
Milwaukee brings a 15-18 overall record to Iowa City. The Panthers have five players hitting over .300, led by Zach Nogalski, who is batting .381 with nine RBIs, two doubles, and two home runs. The freshman owns a .571 slugging percentage with 24 total bases on the season.
The Panthers will send right-hander Matt Vanek to the mound on Wednesday. The sophomore has a 3.00 ERA and is 0-0 in two starts. He has pitched a total of six innings, allowing two hits, while walking six and fanning six.
The Hawkeyes will counter with freshman left-hander Trenton Wallace for his seventh start this season. The Rock Island, Illinois, native is 1-0 with a 3.79 ERA. Wallace has tallied 21 strikeouts across 19 innings pitched.
Iowa has won its last two meetings against Milwaukee. The Hawkeyes downed the Panthers, 9-1, in 2016, before taking a 4-3 victory in Iowa City last season.
The Hawkeyes have won five straight midweek games, moving their record to 6-2 this season.
Wednesday’s game will be streamed live on BTN Plus/BTN2Go. The game will also be broadcast across the Hawkeye Radio Network and be available on Hawkeye All-Access with Zach Mackey on the call.
Following the midweek game, the Hawkeyes host Michigan for a three-game series at Duane Banks Field. Friday’s series opener is scheduled for a 6:05 p.m. (CT) start.
