Game Notes -- Big Ten Tournament

Hawk Talk Monthly — May 2018 | Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | Fight For Iowa | 2018 Big Ten Tournament Bracket | Game Notes (PDF)

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team heads to Omaha, Nebraska, for the 2018 Big Ten Tournament at TD Ameritrade Park.  The sixth-seeded Hawkeyes face third-seeded Michigan on Wednesday at 9 a.m. (CT) in the opening game of the tournament.
    The Hawkeyes will face either No. 2 Purdue or No. 7 Ohio State in its second game Thursday.

FOLLOW ALONG
• The duration of the Big Ten Tournament will be televised live on BTN.  Brandon Gaudin and Danan Hughes will be  on the call for Wednesday’s opener. 
• 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 or by searching Iowa Hawkeyes on the Tune In Radio app.

QUICK HITTERS
• Iowa currently has an RPI of 66 and is 8-8 against current top-50 RPI teams and 10-12 against top-100.
• Iowa has five wins against top-12 ranked teams this season (No. 7 Michigan (2), No. 11 Indiana (1), No. 12 Oklahoma State (2).
• The Hawkeyes posted a 2.00 ERA in its three-game sweep of Penn State last weekend in Iowa City, allowing just 18 hits over 27 innings and six earned runs.  The staff had 34 strikeouts against just five walks in three games.
• Mitchell Boe stole home with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning in Iowa’s 5-4 road victory at Western Illinois on May 15. Iowa stole a season-high seven bases in the road win, including three from Robert Neustrom and two from Boe.
• 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. 
• 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 8-5 against left-handed starters this season and 25-13 against right-handers.  
• The Hawkeyes are 30-10 when scoring three or more runs this season.
• Iowa is 15-8 in games decided by two runs or less  this season.  
 
IOWA B1G TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Hawkeyes are making their fifth straight Big Ten Tournament appearance — a program record — and the 13th in school history.  Iowa is 16-22 in the tournament, including win its first-ever Big Ten Tournament title in 2017.  The Hawkeyes advanced to the championship game in 1983, 2010, 2016, and 2017. 
• Iowa has won at least one tournament game in each of the past four seasons and the team is 7-2 over the past two Big Ten Tournaments.
• This is the first time Iowa is the No. 6 seed.  The Hawkeyes advanced to the title game as a No. 8 seed in 2016 and a No. 5 seed last season.
• Iowa hasn’t played Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament since 2015 when the Wolverines handed the Hawkeyes an 8-5 defeat at Target Field in Minneapolis. The Hawkeyes are 2-7 all-time against Michigan in tournament play.

IOWA VS. B1G FIELD
Iowa played five of the other seven Big Ten Tournament qualifiers this season, going 8-5 against the tournament field (at Minnesota (1-2), Michigan (2-1), at Illinois (2-1), Indiana (1-1), Ohio State (2-1).  The Hawkeyes did not face Purdue or Michigan State.

IOWA VS. MICHIGAN RECAP
The Hawkeyes took two of three games from Michigan from April 27-29 in Iowa City.  Iowa’s series-opening 4-2 victory snapped the Wolverines’ 20-game winning streak.
• Wednesday’s game is a rematch of the series opener with LHP Nick Allgeyer and LHP Tommy Henry dueling on the mound.  Allgeyer earned the victory, allowing one run on five hits and fanning eight over seven strong innings.  Henry suffered the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings.
• Senior Tyler Cropley was one of three Hawkeyes to hit .300 or better in the series win, along with Matt Hoeg (.364) and Mitchell Boe (.300).  Cropley finished with a .400 average, including a walk-off two-run home run to give Iowa a 7-5 victory and series win.

30 X 5
Iowa has won 30 or more games in each of head coach Rick Heller’s five seasons. It is the program’s longest such stretch since posting seven straight 30-win seasons from 1979-85.

2014: 30-23
2015: 41-18 (2nd-most wins all-time)
2016: 30-26
2017: 39-22 (5th-most wins all-time)
2018: 33-18

CROPLEY NAMED BENCH SEMIFINALIST
Senior Tyler Cropley is one of 16 players named a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, an honor given to the nation’s top Division I catcher.  The McCook Lake, South Dakota, native ranks in the top-11 in the Big Ten in 10 offensive categories, including leading the league with 20 doubles.

4 HAWKEYES EARN ALL-BIG TEN HONORS
Four Hawkeyes garnered All-Big Ten honors, including three first-team selections.  It is the first time since 1990 (five selections) that Iowa has had three or more first-team honorees.
• Nick Allgeyer was a first-team starting pitcher after ranking in the top four in the Big Ten in strikeouts, innings, and ERA.  He is the second pitcher under Rick Heller to be a first-team selection.
• Tyler Cropley was a first-team catcher after ranking in the top-11 in the Big Ten in 10 categories.  He is the first Hawkeye catcher since Jim Freese in 1963 to be a first-teamer.
• Robert Neustrom was a first-team outfielder after tying for fourth in home runs and ranking in top-12 in six categories.  It is the fifth straight year Iowa has had an outfielder earn All-Big Ten recognition.
• Junior Chris Whelan garnered third-team honors as  a designated hitter despite missing 14 games because of injury.  Whelan hit .315 during the regular season and was third in hits (47) and fourth in runs (36).

KKKKKKKKKKKKKK
The Hawkeyes are leading the Big Ten with a school record 481 strikeouts (9.6 per game) — 58 more than second-place Ohio State.  Iowa’s 204 strikeouts in Big Ten action also led the league.
• The 481 strikeouts have shattered the single-season school record.  Iowa had 470 strikeouts in 61 games last season. 

A-HOEG
Senior Matt Hoeg broke out of a 4-for-32 month-long slump with a double against Milwaukee on April 25 in Iowa City.  In the 14 games since:
• Hoeg is hitting a team-best .345 (20-of-58) with 10 extra base hits, including seven doubles, one triple, and two home runs.  He has 17 RBIs in the 14 games.
• The Waukee, Iowa, native has eight multi-hit games during the stretch.  He went 2-for-6 with a career-high six RBIs in Iowa’s 16-14 slugfest victory over Oklahoma State on May 5 before going 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs in the series-clinching victory.  Hoeg had three straight two-hit games at Northwestern (May 11-13).

DREYER: 1-2-3
Freshman Jack Dreyer has given the Iowa pitching staff a late season spark.  The southpaw is 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA in three weekend starts, pitching the Hawkeyes to victories over No. 12 Oklahoma State, Northwestern, and Penn State.
• In his first career weekend start (and second career start overall), Dreyer scattered two hits and allowed one run in five innings against No. 12 Oklahoma State to pick up his third victory of the season.  He tied a career-high with six strikeouts.
• Dreyer went five innings, allowing three unearned runs on four hits and fanned six in a road victory at Northwestern on May 13 and went a career-long six innings, allowing two runs on two hits against Penn State on May 19.  He struck out six.

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.

JOINING THE RECORD BOOKS
• Junior Robert Neustrom has 130 career singles, which are 13th all-time in school history.
• Junior Zach Daniels has appeared in 64 career games, which are the fifth-most all-time, while Nick Nelsen’s 52 appearances are tied for 11th.  Daniels also has 11 career saves, which are eighth-most all-time.
• Senior Tyler Cropley has 20 doubles in 2018, which are tied for the second-most in a single-season in school history.

• Junior Nick Allgeyer has 86 strikeouts this season, which are fifth-most in a single season.  Allgeyer’s 90 innings are 14th-most in a single-season. With a seven-inning outing, Allgeyer would move into fifth place in single-season innings.

B1G SUCCESS
Iowa has won 21 of 30 (70 percent) of its Big Ten Conference series dating back to the 2015 season.  The Hawkeyes have won seven of their last nine Big Ten series. 

WHELAN: THE CATALYST 
Third-team All-Big Ten designated hitter 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. 
• He played in his first game in the field May 4 against No. 12 Oklahoma State, starting at first base, and he started the final two games in left field.
• 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 6.6 runs per contest.
• Whelan has hit safely in 30-of-36 games with 13 multi-hit contests.  He is hitting .315 with 36 runs and 16 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 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 slugfest loss against Missouri.

CROPLEY PRODUCES
First-team All-Big Ten catcher Tyler Cropley is leading the team with a .351 average with team-highs in RBIs (50) and doubles (20) and ranking second in home runs (9).  
• The South Dakota native ranks in top-11 in the Big Ten in 10 different categories.  He is leading the league in doubles (2), fourth in on-base percentage (.460) and RBIs (50), fifth in slugging (.597), sixth in hit by pitch (11), seventh in total bases (114), eighth in home runs (9), 10th in batting average (.351), and hits (67), and 11th in runs (43).  
• 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-run shot — to give the Hawkeyes a 7-5 win over No. 7 Michigan on April 29.
• 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.
• He tied a career-high with five RBIs, finishing 2-for-5 with a double in Iowa’s series-clinching win over Penn State (5/18).
• Cropley is currently hitting .448 (26-of-58) with runners in scoring position.  He has a .727 average with a runner on third base with less than two outs.

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 38 games this season.
• Crowl has 10 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI games.
• The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native missed his first game of the season May 15 at Western Illinois with the flu.
• Crowl is third on the team with six home runs this season and 33 RBIs.  He tied a school record in consecutive games against Penn State, drawing four walks in games one and two.  The walks came in eight consecutive plate appearances.
• Went a perfect 4-for-4 with one double, three runs, and two RBIs in Iowa’s 16-14 victory over No. 12 Oklahoma State on May 5.  The four hits were a career-high.

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 15 come-from-behind victories in 2018, which includes five walk-off victories.  The five walk-off victories are tied for the second most in the nation this season.
• 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 33 games since the start of the 2017 season and posted nine walk-off victories.
• Twenty 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 finished 20-6 at Duane Banks Field this season, running their record to 72-20 at home since the start of the 2015 season.  
• The 20 victories are the second-most in a single-season in school history, trailing only the 22 wins in 1977. 
• 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 21 games this season.  Iowa’s has scored 16 runs in a game three times.   
• Iowa has scored 10 or more runs in 11 games this season.  
• The Hawkeyes are 24-3 when out-hitting their opposition.

STARTING & FINISHING
The Hawkeyes are out-scoring opponents, 55-26, in the first inning and 125-85 over the first three innings.  Iowa is also out-scoring the opposition, 61-48, in the eighth and ninth innings.
• Iowa is 13-5 when it scores in the first inning and 22-7 when it scores the game’s first run.   
• The Hawkeyes are 25-1 when leading after six innings, 25-1 after seven, and 27-1 after eight this season.  

JUNIOR ROBERT NEUSTROM…
• has hit safely in 42-of-51 games this season and he has reached safely in 46-of-51 contests.  Neustrom has had hitting streaks of nine games and 10 games this season.
• has started 114 consecutive games dating back to the 2016 season. 
• is hitting .322 with 19 multi-hit games.  The first-team All-Big Ten outfielder has 11 home runs, which are the fourth-most in the Big Ten this season. He had his second career two-homer game May 5 against Oklahoma State.  He finished the contest 3-for-5 with five RBIs and three runs scored. 
• Ranks in the top 13 in the Big Ten in six categories — fourth in home runs (11), seventh in total bases (114), eighth in doubles (15), 11th in runs (43), 12th in slugging (.556), and 13th in hits (63)
• was the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year by Baseball America and Perfect Game. 

ON THE BUMP
• The Hawkeyes’ starting pitchers are 17-13 with a 3.49 ERA in 51 games. Iowa starters have 244 strikeouts to 97 walks and opponents are hitting .238.
• 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 481 strikeouts, averaging 9.6 per game to rank 19th nationally. 
• Iowa has 25 games with 10 or more strikeouts this season, including a stretch of eight straight games from April 25-May 6. The Hawkeyes had a season-high 15 strikeouts in a win over Milwaukee on April 25 and Penn State on May 18.
• Iowa’s bullpen is 16-5 with a 4.91 ERA this season.  The relievers have logged 218 innings, where they average more than a strikeout an inning (237).
• Senior Nick Nelsen has appeared in 10 of Iowa’s last 13 games, including all three games of the series against No. 12 Oklahoma State.  Nelsen is 2-1 with three saves and a 3.72 ERA in 26 appearances. He has 30 strikeouts over 29 innings.

DANIELS DOES IT
Junior Zach Daniels is Iowa’s most important piece in its relieving corps.  The right-hander is 6-1 with a 2.49 ERA in 24 appearances, striking out 46 over 43 1/3 innings.  He has five saves.
• Daniels went 3-0 with a 2.59 ERA in 13 Big Ten appearances, allowing seven runs on 20 hits over 24 1/3 innings.  He has 26 strikeouts and is limiting hitters to a .227 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.
• He has made multiple weekend appearances six times this season.

REDSHIRT JUNIOR NICK ALLGEYER…
• is 5-4 with a 2.50 ERA in 14 starts. Allgeyer has 86 strikeouts, which are second-most in the Big Ten and fifth-most in a single season in school history.
• ranks among the top-six in the Big Ten in four categories — second in strikeouts (86) and innings (90), fourth in ERA (2.50), and tied for sixth in strikeouts looking (23).
• was second in the Big Ten in conference games in strikeouts (49), and third in innings (53 1/3) and ERA (2.19).
• 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.
• has allowed six hits or fewer in  11 of 14 starts… has allowed one or fewer earned runs in eight starts.
• has 12 quality starts, including a stretch of 10 consecutive quality starts from Week 2-12… had a career-high nine strikeouts against No. 12 Oklahoma State — his fifth game with eight or more strikeouts.
• pitched seven shutout innings, scattering five hits and fanning six in a no-decision against Penn State (5/17)… recorded his fifth win against No. 7 Michigan, allowing one run on five hits over seven innings and fanning eight… 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.
• 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… finished 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 7-4 with a 2.82 ERA in 46 career appearances, including 15 starts… has 124 strikeouts in 137 innings.
• missed the 2017 season recovering from Tommy John surgery suffered during the fall of 2016.

JUNIOR BRADY SCHANUEL…
•is 5-7 with a 6.06 ERA in 13 starts with 64 strikeouts over 52 innings… made his first relief appearance against Penn State (5/19), tossing a perfect inning with one strikeout.
• 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 3.33 ERA in 10 starts  — eight coming as the Sunday starter… missed two starts because of weather cancellations (Indiana, Nebraska) and two more because of injury.
• returned to the starting rotation after missing two weeks against Penn State (5/18)… tossed four shutout innings, allowing one hit and fanning seven.
• 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 4.64 ERA in 33 appearances, including 29 starts.

#HELLERBALL
• UI head coach Rick Heller is one of nine coaches all-time to lead three different NCAA Division I teams to regional play.  
• Heller recorded his 800th career win against Lehigh on March 12 at the Snowbird Classic in Florida.
• The Hawkeyes have won 30 or more games in each of Heller’s five seasons as the helm of the program.  It’s a first for the team since winning 30 or more in seven straight seasons from 1979-85.
• Heller has led the Hawkeyes to two NCAA Regional appearances in three seasons; the program had three regional appearances in its history prior to his arrival.
• Heller is fourth in school history in career wins with 173 in his five seasons at Iowa, including the second (41) and fifth-most (39) in school history.
• Heller led Iowa to its first Big Ten Tournament title in 2017 — the first conference title since 1990 — and he guided the Hawkeyes to the Big Ten Tournament title game in consecutive seasons.  Iowa has advanced to the league tournament in five straight years for the first time in program history.
• Heller has coached at least one first-team All-Big Ten selection each season, and has 15 Major League Baseball Draft picks in four seasons — the most in a four-year stretch in school history.
• Iowa had a school-record six All-Big Ten selections in 2015 and five in 2017.  The Hawkeyes have had 23 All-Big Ten honorees in four seasons under Heller.
• Iowa has posted winning streaks of nine games (in 2015) and eight games (in 2017) — the longest streaks for the program since 2012.