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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa baseball team opens its season long nine-game homestand with a Tuesday afternoon matchup against Bradley. The game will begin at 4:05 p.m. (CT) at Duane Banks Field.
The Hawkeyes are currently 11-10 overall after dropping all three games at Indiana in their opening Big Ten Conference series last weekend in Bloomington, Indiana.
Bradley has won three straight and five of its last seven games to sit at 11-6 overall. The Braves took two of three games against Dartmouth from March 19-21 before downing Rowan University, 3-0, on March 23. All four games were played in Kissimmee, Florida.
Iowa will send freshman Duncan Davitt to the hill for his first career start. The right-hander is 1-0 with a 3.46 ERA in six appearances — all in relief. He has allowed eight runs (five earned) on 10 hits over 13 innings and he has fanned 14.
Bradley will counter with LHP Cole Cook. The senior is 2-0 with a 1.73 ERA in seven appearances (one start) this season. In 26 innings of work, Cook has 18 strikeouts and has allowed five runs (all earned) on 25 hits and nine walks.
The Braves are hitting .264 as a team with 44 extra base hits (28 doubles, nine triples, and seven home runs). Junior infielder Luke Shadid is hitting .400 (32-of-80) with 17 RBIs and 15 runs. He has a team-leading three home runs and a .575 slugging percentage.
The Hawkeyes are hitting .262 as a team, but they are coming off a weekend where they scored four runs and hit .219 in a three-game loss at Indiana. Sophomore Izaya Fullard is riding a six-game hitting streak and he has a team-best .353 (12-of-34) average over Iowa’s last 10 games.
Iowa has won two straight and three of the last four meetings against Bradley, including a 13-9 victory in Iowa City last season. The Hawkeyes are 44-41-2 all-time in the series.
Tuesday’s game will be streamed live on BTN Plus on BTN2Go — a paid subscription service. The game will also be broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network with Zach Mackey on the call.
The Hawkeyes resume their homestand Friday, hosting No. 25 Illinois in the first of a three-game series at 6:05 p.m. at Duane Banks Field.
