Game Notes -- No. 12 Oklahoma State

Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | Fight For Iowa | Hawk Talk Monthly — April 2018

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team will welcome No. 12 Oklahoma State to Iowa City for a three-game weekend series at Duane Banks Field.  Friday’s series opener will begin at 6:05 p.m. (CT) followed by 2:05 p.m. and 12:05 p.m. starts Saturday and Sunday.

FOLLOW ALONG
• All three games will be streamed live 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 and Steve Duncan on the call.  The games can be heard on Hawkeye All-Access and on select stations across the state.  
Friday: WDBQ-FM 107.5 (Dubuque), KDEC-AM 1240 (Decorah), KKFD-FM 95.9 (Fairfield), KMJM AM 1360 (Cedar Rapids)
Saturday: WDBQ-FM 107.5 (Dubuque), KKFD-FM 95.9 (Fairfield), KMJM AM 1360 (Cedar Rapids)
Sunday: KXIC-AM 800 (Iowa City), WDBQ-FM 107.5 (Dubuque), KKFD-FM 95.9 (Fairfield)

WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
• Friday – Military Appreciation Night, Baseball Bingo
• Saturday: Yoga Day, “Have a Catch” Day, All-American Michael Kemerer throwing out first pitch
• Sunday: Scout Day, Sunday-Run Day

LEADING OFF
• The Hawkeyes are 18-9 over their last 27 games. Iowa took two of three games from No. 7 Michigan last weekend at Duane Banks Field.  It was the Hawkeyes’ first win over a top-10 opponent since 2008.  
• Iowa has won nine of its last 10 home series.
• The Hawkeyes are playing their third straight series against a ranked opponent and their sixth such series this season.  Iowa posted series wins over No. 22 Illinois and No. 7 Michigan and it split a series against No. 11 Indiana.  
• Iowa is 6-8 against top-25 ranked opponents this season. 
• Junior Nick Allgeyer earned his second Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honor April 30 after allowing one run on five hits in a series-opening victory over No. 7 Michigan.  Allgeyer tied a career-high with eight strikeouts.  
• Allgeyer is second in the Big Ten in strikeouts (67), third in innings pitched (70 1/3), and fifth in ERA (2.18) in 11 starts.  He has 10 straight quality starts dating back to Week 2.
• The Hawkeyes hit a season-high and Big Ten-best seven home runs in the May 1 loss to Missouri.  The seven home runs are the second-most in a single game in school history.  
• Iowa’s pitching staff leads the Big Ten in strikeouts with 379 — 36 more than second place Ohio State.  The Hawkeyes also lead the Big Ten in double plays (40) to rank 29th in the country.
• 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 on April 11 against Coe College. The five hits tied a single-game school record.
• Iowa is 15-5 at Duane Banks Field this season, running its record to 67-19 at home since the start of the 2015 season.
• The Hawkeyes will use a different starting rotation for the first time this season against No. 12 Oklahoma State.  Junior Cole McDonald left his last start because of injury.  
• Iowa is tied for third in the Big Ten with 36 home runs coming from 10 different Hawkeyes.  Iowa has four players with 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 has three wins against top-11 ranked teams this season (No. 7 Michigan-2, No. 11 Indiana).
• Iowa has played four doubleheaders this spring where it has posted a 5-3 record. The Hawkeyes swept their twin bill against Evansville on March 17 and split doubleheaders against No. 11 Indiana, Ohio State and Nebraska.
• Iowa tied a season-high, scoring 16 runs in a 17-16 loss to Missouri on May 1 in Iowa City. 
• 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 is 6-3 against left-handed starters this season and 20-12 against right-handers.  
• The Hawkeyes are 23-8 when scoring three or more runs this season.
• Iowa is 12-6 in games decided by two runs or less  this season.  
 
ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE
• The Cowboys have won seven of their last eight games to improve to 27-15-1 overall this season.  Oklahoma State has won five straight Big 12 series and sits in first place in the conference with a 15-3 record.
• OSU’s last series loss came March 23-25 at Texas.  The Cowboys had their seven-game winning streak snapped Tuesday at Oral Roberts, falling 6-5.
• Oklahoma State is ranked 12th by Collegiate Baseball, 17th by D1Baseball.com, and 19th by Baseball American, the NCBWA and in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll.  The Cowboys have an RPI of 25.
• The Cowboys are hitting .263 as a team with one regular hitting over .300.  Michael Neustifter has a team-leading .312 average. Colin Simpson has a .298 clip with 14 home runs, 12 doubles, and 43 RBIs.
• Oklahoma State has a 4.67 team ERA with 362 strikeouts over 378 innings.  The Cowboys will start RHP Joe Lienhard (5-1, 4.10 ERA) on Friday, LHP Carson Teel (6-2, 2.86 ERA) on Saturday, and RHP Jonathan Heasley (3-3, 6.63 ERA on Sunday).
SERIES RESULTS
• This is the first ever meeting between Iowa and Oklahoma State.
• The Hawkeyes will travel to Stillwater for a three-game series next season.

7 BOMBS
Iowa hit a season and Big Ten-high seven home runs in its 17-16 loss to Missouri on May 1.  The seven home runs are the second-most in a game in school history, behind the eight home runs in 1986 against Murray State.
• The seven jacks are tied for the third-most in a single game in the nation this season.  Tennessee Tech hit 11 home runs in February against Illinois State.
• It is the first time Iowa has even hit five home runs in a game since the 2009 season.
• Six different Hawkeyes hit a home run in the game… the most notable? Mitchell Boe, who hit his first career shot to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth.

ON A TEAR
Senior Tyler Cropley has six hits in his last 10 at-bats with three home runs, six RBIs, and five runs scored.  Cropley homered in consecutive at-bats — a walk-of two-run home run to give Iowa a 7-5 win over No. 7 Michigan on April 29 and a first-inning solo shot against Missouri on May 1.
• Cropley hit two home runs against Mizzou for his second career two-home run game.  He also did it against Minnesota last season in the Big Ten Tournament.

JOINING THE RECORD BOOKS
• Junior Robert Neustrom has 125 career singles, which rank 14th all-time in school history.
• Junior Zach Daniels has appeared in 57 career games, which are tied for the 10th-most all-time.
• Senior Tyler Cropley has 16 doubles in 2018, which are tied for the 15th-most in a single-season in school history.

TURNING 2
Iowa is leading the Big Ten with 40 double plays in 2018, a figure that is 29th-best nationally.  The Hawkeyes’ 0.96 double plays per game ranks 20th in the nation.
• The Hawkeyes have two games this season where they have turned four doubles plays — Indiana, at Nebraska.
• Iowa had a school record 67 double plays last season.

RPI UPDATE
Iowa is 51st in the latest RPI report by D1Baseball .com (As of May 2). Four Big Ten teams are in the top 50 — Indiana (21), Minnesota (29), Illinois (44), and Ohio State (47). Iowa has six wins against top 50 RPI teams and 10 against the top 100.

B1G SUCCESS
Iowa has won 20 of 28 (71.4 percent) of its Big Ten Conference series dating back to the 2015 season.  The Hawkeyes had won six straight league series prior to dropping two of three games at No. 25 Minnesota.

WHELAN: THE CATALYST 
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. He was cleared to throw and play in the field April 24.
• The Hawkeyes averaged 5.0 runs per game in the 14 games before Whelan was cleared. Since inserting Whelan into the lineup, Iowa is averaging 6.3 runs per contest.
• Whelan has hit safely in 22-of-26 games since his return with 10 multi-hit contests.   He is hitting .321 (35-for-109) with 24 runs, and nine walks 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.  He hit is second home run of the season on April 22 in the win at Minnesota, finishing 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
• Whelan has homered in back-to-back games, hitting the game-tying home run in the come-from-behind win over No. 7 Michigan on April 29 and hitting a solo shot in the slug-fest loss against Missouri.

CROPLEY PRODUCES
Senior Tyler Cropley is leading the team with a .375 average with team-highs in RBIs (38) and doubles (16) and tying for team lead in home runs (8). He had a career-best 12-game hitting streak and 16-game reached base streak this season.   Cropley is currently riding a 12-game reached-base streak.
• The South Dakota native ranks in the top-12 in the Big Ten in 10 different categories.  He’s tied for second in on-base percentage (.473), his 16 doubles are third, he’s fourth in slugging (.638), and fifth in total bases (97).
• 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 has two walk-off home runs this season.  He 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.  He hit is second walk-off — a two-runs hot — to give the Hawkeyes a 7-5 win over No. 7 Michigan on April 29.
• Cropley is currently hitting .488 (21-of-43) with runners in scoring position.  He has a .750 average with a runner on third base with less than two outs.
• Over his last 10 games, Cropley is hitting .436 (17-of-39) with five home runs, three doubles, 11 RBIs, and 12 runs scored.  He has six multi-hit games during the stretch, including his second career two home run game May 1 against Missouri.
• 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 33 games this season.
• Crowl has been a part of 30 double plays in helping Iowa be the Big Ten’s top double play unit.
• Crowl is third on the team with six home runs this season and his 26 RBIs are tied for second.

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.

COMEBACK KIDS
The Hawkeyes have posted 12 come-from-behind victories in 2018, which includes five 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 trailed 5-0 through 1 1/2 innings and 5-4 through 6 1/2 before Chris Whelan’s solo home run tied the game at 5.  In the bottom of the ninth, Cropley hit a two-run home run to left field, giving Iowa a 7-5 series-clinching victory over No. 7 Michigan.
• Iowa has overcome deficits to win 30 games since the start of the 2017 season and posted nine walk-off victories.
• Eighteen of those victories have come with Iowa trailing or being tied entering or through seven innings and 14 have come in the final at-bat.

BANKS MAGIC
• The Hawkeyes are 15-5 at Duane Banks Field this season, running their record to 67-19 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 13 walk-off victories at Duane Banks Field since the start of 2015.

ON THE OFFENSE
• The Hawkeyes have had 10 or more hits in 16 games this season.  Iowa’s has scored 16 runs in a game twice this season — April 11 against Coe College and May 1 against Mizzou.  
• Iowa has scored 10 or more runs in eight games this season.  
• The Hawkeyes are 19-2 when out-hitting their opposition.

STARTING & FINISHING
The Hawkeyes are out-scoring opponents, 48-19, in the first inning and 106-63 over the first three innings.  Iowa is also out-scoring the opposition, 50-37, in the eighth and ninth innings.
• Iowa is 11-5 when it scores in the first inning and 17-6 when it scores the game’s first run.   
• The Hawkeyes are 20-1 when leading after six innings, 19-1 after seven, and 21-1 after eight this season.  

JUNIOR ROBERT NEUSTROM…
• has hit safely in 34-of-41 games this season and he has reached safely in 37-of-41 contests.  Neustrom has had hitting streaks of nine games and 10 games this season.
• has started 104 consecutive games dating back to the 2016 season. 
• is hitting .321 with 15 multi-hit games.  Neustrom has homered in two of the last three games.  He had two doubles and a home run and a season-high four RBIs in Iowa’s 17-16 loss to Missouri on May 1.
• is tied for the team lead with eight home runs to rank seventh in the Big Ten.
• was the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year by Baseball America and Perfect Game.

ON THE BUMP
• The Hawkeyes’ starting pitchers are 14-11 with a 3.38 ERA in 41 games. Iowa starters have 191 strikeouts to 76 walks and opponents are hitting .243.
• Iowa’s pitching staff has three games where it has allowed two or fewer hits.  The Hawkeyes one-hit Northern Illinois on April 17 and had a pair of two hitters against Evansville on March 17 and No. 11 Indiana on March 23.
• Iowa’s pitching staff is leading the Big Ten with 379 strikeouts, averaging 9.2 per game. 
• Iowa has 19 games with 10 or more strikeouts this season, including a stretch of five straight games dating back to April 25 when the Hawkeyes had a season-high 15 strikeouts in a win over Milwaukee.
• Iowa’s bullpen is 12-4 with a 5.00 ERA this season.  The relievers have logged 176 1/3 innings, where they average more than a strikeout an inning (188).

DANIELS DOES IT
Junior Zach Daniels is Iowa’s most important piece in its relieving corps.  The right-hander is 5-1 with a 1.78 ERA in 17 appearances, striking out 38 over 35 1/3 innings.  He has three saves.
• Daniels is 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA in nine Big Ten appearances, allowing four runs on 12 hits over 19 innings.  He has 19 strikeouts and is limiting hitters to a .182 average.
• Daniels made two appearances against No. 7 Michigan, earning a save and a win in the series.  He pitched four shutout frames, scattering two hits and fanning a season-high six in Iowa’s series-clinching victory.

???????REDSHIRT JUNIOR NICK ALLGEYER…
• is 5-3 with a 2.18 ERA in 11 starts. Allgeyer has 67 strikeouts, which are second-most in the Big Ten.
• ranks among the top-11 in the Big Ten in four different pitching categories — second in strikeouts (67), third in innings (70.1), fifth in ERA (2.18) and strikeouts looking (19), and 11th in batting average against (.236).
• leads the Big Ten in conference games in innings (39 2/3) and strikeouts (39), and tied for third in wins (3).
• has been named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week twice this season — April 16 following a road win at Nebraska and April 30 following a win over No. 7 Michigan.
• notched his fourth win at Nebraska, allowing one unearned run over seven innings and fanning four… earned his fifth win, allowing one run on five hits over seven innings against No. 7 Michigan.
• has allowed six hits or fewer in  nine of 11 starts… has allowed one or fewer earned runs in seven starts.
• has 10 consecutive quality starts.
• has four games with at least 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).
• 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 7-3 with a 2.68 ERA in 43 career appearances, including 12 starts… has 105 strikeouts in 117 1/3  innings.
• missed the 2017 season recovering from Tommy John surgery suffered during the fall of 2016.

JUNIOR BRADY SCHANUEL…
• Iowa’s Saturday starter… is 5-6 with a 5.12 ERA in 11 starts with 57 strikeouts over 45 2/3 innings.
• 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 on March 25 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 3-1 with a 3.61 ERA in nine starts  — eight coming as the Sunday starter… has missed two starts because of weather cancellations (Indiana, Nebraska).
• departed after 3+ innings in his April 29 start against Michigan with elbow tightness.
• tallied his third win, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings in a road win at No. 25 Minnesota… had six strikeouts to two walks for his third straight quality start.
• 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 9-6 with a 4.80 ERA in 32 appearances, including 28 starts.

HAWKEYES IN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL
Jake Adams – Quad Cities River Bandits — Class A (Astros)
Joel Booker – Winston-Salem Dash – Class A Advanced (White Sox)
Matt Dermody – Buffalo Bison – Triple-A (Blue Jays)
Ryan Erickson – Great Falls Voyagers – Rookie (White Sox)
Nick Gallagher – Lake County Captains – Class A (Indians)
Blake Hickman – Winson Salem Dash – Class A Advanced (White Sox)
Mason McCoy – Delmarva Shorebirds – Class A (Orioles)
Tyler Peyton – Myrtle Beach Pelicans – Class A Advanced (Cubs)
Nick Roscetti – Wisconsin Timber Rattlers – Class A (Brewers)
Jake Yacinich – Indland Empire 66ers – Class A Advanced (Angels)

FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
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