Game Notes -- at No. 25 Minnesota

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

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team heads north to Minneapolis for a three-game series at No. 25 Minnesota from April 20-22.  The first two games of the series will be played at Target Field — the home of the Minnesota Twins — while the finale will be played on campus at Siebert Field.  The game times are 4 p.m. (CT) Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday.
    Tickets at Target Field will be general admission and will be available via walk-up to the ticket window.  Pre-purchased tickets will be honored at the new location.

FOLLOW ALONG
• The first two games of the series will be streamed live on BTN Plus on BTN2Go.  Sunday’s series finale will be televised on BTN with Kevin Kugler and Jeff Niese 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.  

LEADING OFF
• The Hawkeyes are 7-3 over their last 10 games and 14-5 over their past 19 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 split weather-shortened series against Indiana and Nebraska.)
• Iowa will play its fourth series against a ranked opponent this weekend at 25th-ranked Minnesota. Iowa is 3-5 against ranked foes with two wins against No. 22 Illinois and one against No. 11 Indiana. 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.
• Redshirt junior Nick Allgeyer was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on April 16 after notching his fourth win of the season in Iowa’s 7-1 win at Nebraska.  The southpaw allowed one unearned run over seven innings, scattering five hits and fanning four.
• The Hawkeyes posted their first shutout of the season, downing Northern Illinois, 2-0, on Tuesday at Banks Field. Iowa no-hit the Huskies for seven innings and finished with a one-hitter with seven pitchers taking the mound.  
• 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 12-3 at Duane Banks Field this season, running its record to 64-17 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 nine weeks of the season.  The trio of Nick Allgeyer, Brady Schanuel, and Cole McDonald are a combined 11-8 with a 3.16 ERA with 132 strikeouts in 133 2/3 innings.
• The Hawkeyes rank in the top five in the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.397), on-base percentage (.374), total bases (463), and walks (154).
• Iowa’s pitching staff leads the Big Ten in strikeouts (296) (by 20 over Ohio State) and is second in strikeouts looking (85), while boasting the fourth-best opposing batting average (.244) and fifth-best ERA (3.84). 
• Defensively, Iowa has turned a league-best 38 double plays, which is eighth-best nationally.  The Hawkeyes’ 1.15 double plays per game are fifth in the NCAA.  Iowa is fifth in the Big Ten with a .969 fielding percentage.
• 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 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.
• Junior Zach Daniels will be the birthday boy on Saturday.  He’ll turn 21.
• 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.  
• Sophomore Lorenzo Elion has 16 RBIs over Iowa’s last 11 games, where he’s hitting .310 (13-of-42) with four extra base hits.  Elion is tied for second on the team with 22 RBIs.
• Iowa is 5-2 against left-handed starters this season and 17-9 against right-handers.  
• The Hawkeyes are 19-6 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 9-4 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 MINNESOTA
• Minnesota has won seven straight games to improve to 23-10 overall and 7-1 in Big Ten play.  The Gophers made their debut in the D1Baseball.com rankings, coming in at No. 25.
• The Gophers haven’t lost since March 29 — an 11-5 loss at St. John’s.  Minnesota’s lone Big Ten loss came at Nebraska on March 24.
• The Gophers are the Big Ten’s best offensive team, leading the league in batting average (.311), on-base percentage (.409), runs (253), and hits (362).  Minnesota averages 7.7 runs per game and has six regulars hitting over .300. 
• Minnesota has scored 17, 22, and 18 runs in three of its last four games.  
• Shortstop Terrin Vavra has a team-best .411 average with 53 hits, 35 runs, and 33 RBIs.  Four Gophers have four home runs apiece.
• Minnesota has a 3.65 team ERA and allow 4.6 runs per game.  The Gophers have 261 strikeouts and hold opposing hitters to a .234 batting average.  
• The Gophers will start RHP Reggie Meyer (3-2, 3.58 ERA) in the opener, RHP Patrick Fredrickson (4-0, 1.96 ERA) in game two, and RHP Sam Thoresen (1-1, 5.09 ERA) in the finale.  
• Reliever Brett Schulze is 7-0 with a 1.95 ERA, allowing six earned runs in 27 2/3 innings, while closer Max Meyer has eight saves with 24 strikeouts  (against five walks) in 13 appearances.

SERIES RESULTS
• Minnesota leads the all-time series over Iowa, 182-118.  
• The Gophers won two of three games last season, although the two teams didn’t play a Big Ten series.  Minnesota downed Iowa in a nonconference matchup, 6-3, at the DQ Classic and handed the Hawkeyes their only loss in the Big Ten Tournament (9-3).  Iowa won an elimination game in 13 innings, 7-5, to advance to the tournament title game.  Tyler Cropley hit two home runs in the game, including a go-ahead solo shot in the 13th.
• Iowa head coach Rick Heller is 9-5 against Minnesota during his Iowa tenure, claiming series victories in 2014 and 2015.  

JOINING THE RECORD BOOKS
• Junior Robert Neustrom has 123 career singles, which rank 14th all-time in school history.
• Junior Zach Daniels has appeared in 53 career games, which are the 11th-most all-time.

TURNING 2
Iowa is leading the Big Ten with 38 double plays in 2018, a figure that is eighth-best nationally.  The Hawkeyes’ 1.15 double plays per game rank fifth 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.

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 44th in the latest RPI report by D1Baseball .com (As of April 18).  The Hawkeyes are one of five Big Ten teams in the top 44 along with Indiana (24, Illinois (35), Minnesota (38), and Ohio State (40).  Iowa has five wins against top 50 RPI teams and six 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 Minnesota. (Iowa split two weather-shortened series against Indiana and Nebraska this season.)

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.
• 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 6.5 runs per contest.
• Whelan has hit safely in 16-of-18 games since his return with seven multi-hit contests.   He is hitting .342 (26-of-76) with 19 runs, six walks, and a .412 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 18 games, Whelan is third on the team in batting average, fourth in runs, fifth in hits and total bases.  He is also tied for second in on-base percentage. 

A SOLID BACKSTOP
Senior Tyler Cropley is leading the team with a .350 average with team-highs in RBIs (30) and doubles (13).  He had a career-best 12-game hitting streak and 16-game reached base streak this season.  
• The South Dakota native ranks in the top 14 in the Big Ten in eight different categories.  He is third in the league in doubles (13), tied for fourth in hit by pitches (9), and is seventh in batting average (.350).
• 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 .486 (18-of-37) with runners in scoring position.  He has a .875 average with a runner on third base with less than two outs.
• Cropley is second on the team with 12 multi-hit games (nine 2-hit, three 3-hit) and he has a team-best eight 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 27 games this season.
• The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native has committed just four errors in 144 chances.  He has been a part of 28 double plays in helping Iowa be the Big Ten’s top double play unit.
• Crowl is second on the team with five home runs this season and his 22 RBIs are tied for second on the team.

COMEBACK KIDS
The Hawkeyes have posted 10 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 28 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 12-3 at Duane Banks Field this season, running their record to 64-17 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 14 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, 43-14, in the first inning and 82-51 over the first three innings.  Iowa is also out-scoring the opposition, 46-20, in the eighth and ninth innings.
• Iowa is 10-3 when it scores in the first inning and 15-3 when it scores the game’s first run.   
• The Hawkeyes are 17-0 when leading after six innings, 16-0 after seven, and 18-0 after eight this season.  

JUNIOR ROBERT NEUSTROM…
• has hit safely in 29-of-33 games this season and he has reached safely in 31-of-33 contests.  Neustrom has had hitting streaks of nine games and 10 games this season.
• has started 96 consecutive games dating back to the 2016 season. 
• is hitting .348 with a team-best 14 multi-hit games.  Neustrom is leading the team with six home runs.  
• has a .417 average over his last six games with four multi-hit contests.  
• ranks in the top 12 in the Big Ten in six categories, sitting seventh in hits (46) and total bases (71), eighth in batting average (.348), tied for ninth in home runs (6), 11th in runs (29), and 12th in slugging (.538). 
• was the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year by Baseball America and Perfect Game.

ON THE BUMP
• The Hawkeyes’ starting pitchers are 12-9 with a 3.14 ERA in 33 games. Iowa starters have 152 strikeouts to 64 walks and opponents are hitting .233.
• 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 296 strikeouts, averaging 9.0 per game. 
• Iowa has 14 games with 10 or more strikeouts this season.

IN RELIEF
• Over the team’s last nine games, Iowa’s bullpen is 4-0 with a 1.99 ERA with three saves.  The Hawkeye relievers have allowed nine earned earned runs over 40 2/3 innings and have 37 strikeouts.
• Iowa’s bullpen is 10-2 with a 4.60 ERA this season.  The relievers have logged 139 innings, where they average more than a strikeout an inning (144).

1-2-3 PUNCH
The Hawkeyes don’t have a designated closer, but coach Rick Heller has three strong late-inning options.
• Junior Zach Daniels is 4-1 with a 1.38 ERA and three saves in 13 appearances, spanning 26 innings. He has 27 strikeouts and is limiting opposing hitters to a .172 average.  
• Daniels hasn’t allowed a run since March 23 against Bradley.  He has given up five hits and has 10 strikeouts over his last 10 2/3 innings (six 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).
• Senior Nick Nelsen is 1-0 with a 0.81 ERA with two saves over his last 11 innings, spanning nine appearances. He has allowed two hits and one run since March 17 and he has 11 strikeouts to four walks during the stretch.  Nelsen has 19 strikeouts against five walks this season.
• Redshirt sophomore Grant Leonard is tied for fourth in the Big Ten with 16 appearances.  The walk-on from Mokena, Illinois, is 1-0 with a 3.46 ERA with two saves in 13 innings.

REDSHIRT JUNIOR NICK ALLGEYER…
• is 4-3 with a 2.05 ERA in nine starts. Allgeyer has 53 strikeouts, which are third-most in the Big Ten.
• ranks among the top-11 in the Big Ten in five different pitching categories — tied for second in innings (57.0), third in strikeouts (53), fourth in ERA (2.05), tied for sixth in strikeouts looking (15), and 11th in batting average against (.237). 
• was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on April 16 after allowing one unearned run and scattering five hits in a road win at Nebraska (April 13).
• has allowed six hits or fewer in  seven of nine eight starts… has allowed one or fewer earned runs in 6-of-9 starts.
• has eight 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 6-3 with a 2.68 ERA in 41 career appearances, including 10 starts… has 91 strikeouts in 104 innings.
• missed the 2017 season recovering from Tommy John surgery suffered during the fall of 2016.

JUNIOR BRADY SCHANUEL…
• Iowa’s Saturday starter… is 5-4 with a 4.72 ERA in nine starts with 49 strikeouts over 40 innings.
• is fifth in the Big Ten in wins (5), sixth in batting average against (.222), and tied for seventh in strikeouts (49).
• 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 2-1 with a 3.19 ERA in seven starts  — six coming as the Sunday starter… has missed two starts because of weather cancellations (Indiana, Nebraska).
• 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.

30 X 4
Iowa posted its fourth straight 30-win season in 2017.  The program hasn’t enjoyed a better stretch since posting seven consecutive 30 win campaigns from 1979-85.
• Iowa won 39 games last season — the fifth-most in a single season in program history.  The Hawkeyes won 41 games in 2015, the second-most wins in program history. 

TEAM CAPTAINS
Iowa’s team captains for the 2018 season are senior Tyler Cropley, redshirt junior Nick Allgeyer, junior Robert Neustrom, and redshirt sophomore Kyle Shimp. 

SILVER MEDALISTS IN TAIWAN
Iowa made history when it represented the United States at the 2017 World University Games in Taiwan.  Competing as the USA Team, Iowa claimed the silver medal, becoming the first American team to medal in Universiade history.   Iowa went 5-2 during the two-week stretch before falling to Japan in the gold medal game.

DEFENDING B1G TOURNEY CHAMPS
• Iowa went 4-1 during a four-day stretch to claim the program’s first Big Ten Tournament title in school history in 2017.  It was the second straight year the team advanced to the title game.
• The Hawkeyes won three games over higher seeded teams — fourth-seeded Maryland, top-seeded Nebraska, and third-seeded Minnesota — to reach the title game.  Iowa defeated eighth-seeded Northwestern, 13-4, to claim the title.

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.