Notes: Iowa Heads to East Coast to Face Rutgers

MATCHUP	Iowa (12-9) at Rutgers (11-9)
LOCATION	Bainton Field | Piscataway, N.J.
DATE	April 16-18, 2021
WATCH	BTN+ (All Games)
LISTEN	Hawkeye Radio Network | TuneIn Radio
LIVE STATS	Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4
STARTING ROTATION
Game 1 | April 16 | 1 p.m.	UI: LHP Trenton Wallace (3-1, 1.87 ERA) RU: Harry Rutkowski (2-2, 2.90 ERA)
Game 2 | April 17 | 10 a.m.	UI: RHP Drew Irvine (1-2, 4.66 ERA) RU: LHP Ben Wereski (4-1, 3.21 ERA)
Game 3 | April 17 | 2 p.m.	UI: LHP Cam Baumann (2-2, 2.96 ERA) RU: RHP Brent Teller (1-2, 5.56 ERA)
Game 4 | April 18 | 10 a.m.	UI: RHP Duncan Davitt (3-1, 5.06 ERA) RU: LHP Justin Sinibaldi (0-0, 3.38 ERA)

 

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team heads to the East Coast for a four-game weekend series at Rutgers from April 16-18 at Bainton Field. Friday’s series opener is set to begin at 1 p.m. (CT). The Hawkeyes will play a seven-inning and nine-inning game Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. and Sunday’s finale is set for a 10 a.m. first pitch.

WATCH/LISTEN LIVE
• The duration of the four-game series will be streamed live via BTN+, a paid subscription service.
• All for games will be available on the Hawkeye Radio Network with Zach Mackey on the call. Fans can access the stream via TuneIn Radio.
• Fans can follow along for live updates via Twitter/@UIBaseball.

LEADING OFF
• Iowa has won eight of its last nine games to improve to a season-high three games over .500 at 12-9. The Hawkeyes are on a four-game winning streak — tying a season high — to move into fifth place in the Big Ten standings.
• The Hawkeyes have won three straight series — going 3-1 in Columbus (against Ohio State and Maryland), winning two of three games at Purdue and sweeping Minnesota.
• Iowa out-scored Minnesota, 31-2, in its three-game series from April 9-11 at Duane Banks Field. The Hawkeyes hit .320 as a team with 13 extra base hits and the pitching staff posted a 0.67 ERA.
• Redshirt junior Trenton Wallace (3-1, 1.87 ERA) is leading the Big Ten in ERA at 1.87. The southpaw ranks in the top eight in the Big Ten in seven different categories. Wallace has a team-best four quality starts this season.
• Iowa’s starting pitchers have tallied nine quality starts this season. The starting pitchers are 8-6 with a 3.65 ERA this season.
• Redshirt junior Dylan Nedved is slashing .579/1.105/.636 over his last five games. He has four multi-hit games with three doubles, two triples, and one home run. Nedved hit for the cycle across both games of a Sunday doubleheader against Minnesota on April 11.
• Senior Ben Norman is hitting .303 with team highs in hits (23), home runs (7), RBIs (22) and runs scored (19). The outfielder’s seven home runs are a career high. Norman has scored at least one run in 13 of the last 17 games.
• Norman has started 96 consecutive games dating back to the 2018 season. He has played in 197 games in his Hawkeye career.
• Redshirt junior Dylan Nedved is 5-for-5 in save opportunities this season. The Shawnee, Kan., native opened the season with 14 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. He is 2-0 with a 1.56 ERA and ranks second in the league with five saves.
• The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten in ERA (3.72) and fourth in team fielding (.973).

HAWKEYE NOTABLES
• The Hawkeyes scored a season-high 18 runs on April 11 in the 18-0 victory over Minnesota. They are the most scored in a Big Ten game since 2011 in a 19-7 win over Michigan State and the most in a shutout since beating Northwestern College, 28-0, in 2016.
• Two Hawkeyes — Dylan Nedved and Brett McCleary — hit their first career home runs against Minnesota. Iowa hit a season-high four home runs in game two against the Gophers.
• Iowa has eight games with two or more home runs.
• Redshirt seniors Ben Norman and Matthew Sosa are the only two Hawkeyes to start every game this season.
• Redshirt freshman Brayden Frazier, who has started six games and has a .344 average, is unavailable due to COVID-19 protocols. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, did not play during the three-game series at Purdue or against Minnesota.
• Iowa’s starting pitchers have gone five or more innings in nine consecutive starts. They have allowed two or fewer runs in eight of the nine starts.
• Iowa has eight games with 10 or more hits this season, including a season-high 17 hits against Minnesota on April 11.
• Over the last 10 games, Iowa is hitting .270, while averaging 7.5 runs per game. Iowa has 38 extra-base hits during the stretch.
• Iowa has had four or more extra base hits in 10 games this season, including seven (3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR) against Maryland on March 28.
• Five Hawkeyes — Peyton Williams (12), Ben Norman (9), Dylan Nedved (6) and Brett McCleary (6) — are riding season-best reached base streaks.
• Redshirt junior Izaya Fullard became the second Hawkeye in as many games to tie the single game walks record. Fullard drew four walks in the series opener against Minnesota, while Peyton Williams had four walks in the series finale at Purdue.
• Iowa went 3-1 at the Columbus Big Ten pod, becoming the second team to escape the pod format with a winning record (Indiana). The Hawkeyes did it while facing Ohio State and Maryland’s No. 1 and No. 2 starters.
• Redshirt freshman Tyler Snep will miss the remainder of the season with a back injury. He suffered the injury in the preseason and reaggravated it at Purdue. Snep hit .324 with three home runs and eight RBIs, while posting a .490 on-base percentage.

WALLEY: THE ACE
Redshirt junior Trenton Wallace is Iowa’s ace and is one of the top pitchers in the Big Ten Conference. The southpaw is 3-1 with a Big Ten-best 1.87 ERA over 33 2/3 innings. He has four quality starts to his ledger and he has allowed zero runs in three starts.
• The Rock Island, Illinois, native ranks in the top eight in the Big Ten in seven categories. He is first in ERA (1.87) and second in fewest runs/earned runs (7). Wallace also is fourth in strikeouts (47), tied for sixth in wins (3), seventh in batting average against (.193), and eighth in strikeouts looking (12).
• Wallace had 18 2/3 consecutive scoreless frames spanning two-plus starts against Ohio State, Nebraska, and Ohio State. He allowed five hits during the streak and fanned 24.
• He was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on March 24 after scattering two hits over seven shutout innings in a 3-0 victory over Nebraska on March 19. The southpaw struck out eight Huskers in his career long outing.
• Wallace has allowed two or fewer runs in five starts and has eight or more strikeouts in four of five starts, including a career-high 10 punch outs against Ohio State.

WHAT A SUNDAY
Redshirt junior Dylan Nedved enjoyed a stellar Sunday on April 11 in the doubleheader sweep of Minnesota. The Kansas native hit for the cycle across the two games and recorded his fifth save (in as many chances) to clinch the series win.
• Nedved went 4-for-4 with a home run — the first of his career — and a triple in game one. The four hits were a career-high. He also got the final six outs, scattering a pair of hits over two shutout frames.
• He completed the cycle with his first inning double in game two, finishing 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
• Nedved hit .600 (6-for-10) with three extra base hits and five runs scored in the series. Over his last five games, Nedved has four multi-hit games, where he is hitting .579 (11-of-19) with three doubles, two triples, and a home run, while scoring seven times.

B-NORM EMERGES
If you take away the season-opening four-game series, when Ben Norman was working his way back following a COVID pause, the outfielder has been Iowa’s best hitter. The Des Moines, Iowa, native has posted a .373 average (22-of-59) with seven home runs, 22 RBIs, and 18 runs scored. He has hit safely in 14 of 17 games since the opening weekend with seven multi-hit games.
• Norman has scored at least one run in 13 of the last 17 games with six games scoring two runs.
• Norman has a career-high seven home runs and has matched his home run total from his first four seasons where he had seven blasts in his first 176 career games.
• He went 2-for-5 with a home run and a career-best four RBIs in series finale against Nebraska. Norman hit a second home run in the game, but was called out after mistakenly passing a teammate on the base paths.
• Norman tied a career-high with four RBIs — with three coming on a three-run home run — at Purdue on April 3 and he was 2-for-3 with two doubles in the series finale.
• He ranks sixth in the Big Ten in RBIs (22), tied for seventh in home runs (7), and 10th in slugging (.658). He is also tied for fourth in steals (7).

ZEBULUN
Redshirt senior Zeb Adreon had three straight multi-hit games in the three-game series against Minnesota. He is tied for the team lead with seven multi-hit games this season.
• Adreon hit .500 (7-of-14) in the three games with a home run and five RBIs. He went 3-for-6 with three RBIs in the series finale, an 18-0 rout.
• Over the weekend, Adreon saw his average climb 54 points from .232 to .286, which is second-best on the team among qualified hitters. He is third on the team with seven extra base hits on the year.

THE BIG KAHUNAH
Redshirt freshman Peyton Williams is hitting .353 (12-of-34) over his last 10 games with five home runs, three doubles, 13 RBIs, and 12 runs scored. Williams has a .882 slugging percentage in the 10 games.
• Williams has hit safely in 11 games with three multi-hit and six multi-RBI games.
• Williams finished with a .500 (4-for-8) average in the three-game series at Purdue. In game two, he had a career game, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored. He doubled and then homered in consecutive at-bats, for his first career multi-home run game. He is the first Hawkeye since Tanner Wetrich in 2019 to have a multi-home run contest.
• In the series finale in West Lafayette, Williams reached base in all five plate appearances. He drew Barry Bonds treatment, being intentionally walked twice in the game, and he walked a total of four times to tie the Iowa single-game school record. He also reached via a hit by pitch.
• Williams homered in consecutive games, hitting a two-run blast and finishing 2-for-4 with two RBIs in a 6-4 win over Maryland on March 27 and 2-for-4 with four RBIs — and a three-run shot — in the 11-2 win over the Terps on March 28.
• Williams hit his first career grand slam in Iowa’s 7-1 victory over Minnesota on April 9. He sent the no-doubt blast down the right field line and per metrics, it was estimated to go 430 feet with a 109 mph exit velocity.

BAUMANN SETTLES IN
Redshirt junior Cam Baumann has strung together five strong outings. Over his last five appearances (four starts), Baumann has been one of the team’s top pitchers.
• If you take away Baumann’s first start, where he gave up six runs over three innings in a loss to Michigan, the Fairfield, Iowa, native is 2-1 with a 1.11 ERA over 24 1/3 innings. He has allowed five runs (three earned) and has 19 strikeouts to six walks, while limiting hitters to a .169 average.
• Baumann has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last five outings. He had a career-best start in a road win at Ohio State, scattering three hits and allowing one run over seven innings to notch his third career quality start.
• He followed it up with five innings of one run ball in a no-decision at Purdue, where he allowed five hits and five shutout innings in the combined shutout victory over Minnesota.
• Baumann is 2-2 with a 2.96 ERA over 27 1/3 innings this season with 25 strikeouts to eight walks. He ranks eighth in the Big Ten in ERA (2.96), batting average allowed (.194), and hits allowed (20). He is also tied for third in runs allowed (11) and tied for fourth in earned runs allowed (9).

ROTATION NOTES
• Iowa’s starting pitchers have allowed two or fewer earned runs in 14 of 21 starts this season and they have gone at least five innings in 14 starts.
• Iowa has used the same four starting pitchers in each of the first six weeks. Redshirt junior Cam Baumann and redshirt sophomore Duncan Davitt have shared the No. 3 spot on three-game weekends.
• Iowa’s starters have notched nine quality starts this season with redshirt junior Trenton Wallace leading the way with four such starts.
• Redshirt sophomore Drew Irvine notched his second quality start and first win as a starter, scattering two hits and allowing one run over seven innings in a 6-1 victory over Minnesota on April 11.

THE HAWKEYES ARE…
• 11-0 when scoring first.
• 9-0 when out-hitting its opposition.
• 6-3 against left-handed starters.
• 12-2 when limiting opponents to five or fewer runs.
• 9-0 when leading after six innings.
• 6-1 when making zero errors.
• Outscoring their opposition, 38-17, over the final three innings and in extra innings.

SO-SAAAA
Redshirt senior Matthew Sosa has hit safely in 13 games this season, which included a career-best eight-game hitting streak to start the season. The third baseman is hitting .244 (19-of-78) with five doubles and 14 RBIs. He has five multi-hit games.
• Sosa has also been plunked a Big Ten-leading 12 times.
• The California native had a career game, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored in Iowa’s 11-2 win over Maryland on March 28. He had a first-inning home run and a double among his three hits. It was his second career blast.

PITCHING NOTES
• Iowa’s pitching staff has six games with 10 or more strikeouts and nine with nine or more Ks.
• Iowa’s pitching staff has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 12 games.

BULLPEN STRENGTH
Iowa’s bullpen has been a strength, posting a 3.81 ERA over 80 1/3 innings. Fifteen players have pitched in relief, limiting opposing hitters to a .245 average.
• Redshirt junior Dylan Nedved has taken over as Iowa’s closer and primary late-inning option. The right-hander is 2-0 with a 1.56 ERA over nine appearances and 17 1/3 innings. He recorded his first two saves against Ohio State (3/12) and Nebraska (3/14) and had his third and fourth saves in a split doubleheader against Ohio State and Maryland on March 27 and his fifth save against Minnesota on April 11.
• Nedved allowed a single hit over a career-high 3 1/3 shutout innings en route to his second win of the season in the series opener at Purdue. He extended his scoreless innings streak to 14 1/3 innings before surrendering three runs in the series finale against the Boilermakers.
• Senior Trace Hoffman has made nine appearances, allowing two runs on seven hits over 8 1/3 innings. Hoffman (1-0, 2.16 ERA) picked up his first save of the season, pitching two innings in the 3-0 three-hit shutout of Nebraska on March 19. His first win came against Maryland, when he allowed one run on one hit, on March 27. He did not pitch against Purdue due to contract tracing.
• Redshirt sophomore Ben Probst has a spotless ERA, allowing one hit over five appearances, spanning 4 2/3 innings. Opponents are batting .067 against the right-hander.

THE GRANT LEONARD FILE
• Redshirt senior Grant Leonard is 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA in five appearances this season.
• For his career, Leonard has 20 career saves, which are tied for the second most in Hawkeye history with Tim Gudex (2004-06). Kurt Belger (1993-97) holds the program record with 22 career saves.
• Leonard also earned a “save” off the field as he and Iowa softball pitcher Allison Doocy became engaged in January.

HAWKEYE HIGHLIGHTS
• Redshirt senior Zeb Adreon hit a two-run, opposite field home run to break a four-all tie in the ninth inning to send the Hawkeyes to a 6-4 victory over Maryland on March 27. Adreon, who was 2-for-4 in the game, also had a triple in the contest.
• Redshirt junior Brett McCleary hit a two-run, 10th-inning single to send the Hawkeyes to a 6-4 victory over Purdue on April 2 in West Lafayette.
• Redshirt freshman Peyton Williams hit his first career grand slam in Iowa’s 7-1 victory over Minnesota on April 9. He sent the no-doubt blast down the right field line and per metrics, it was estimated to go 430 feet with a 109 mph exit velocity.

DON’T COUNT ‘EM OUT
The Hawkeyes have overcome deficits to win 55 games since the start of the 2017 season and posted 14 walk-offs. Twenty-seven of those victories have come with Iowa trailing or being tied entering or through seven innings. Eighteen have come in the final at-bat.
• The Hawkeyes have overcome deficits in eight games in 2021. The team is 4-4 in such contests.

SCOUTING RUTGERS
• The Scarlet Knights are 11-9 overall — one game behind Iowa in sixth place in the league standings. Rutgers is 5-5 over its last 10 games, which includes winning two of three games last weekend at Northwestern.
• Rutgers is hitting .258 as a team with three players hitting over .300. Mike Nyisztor has a .370 average, Ryan Lasko is at .323 with six home runs, and Chris Brito is hitting .300 with nine home runs and 27 RBIs.
• The Scarlet Knights are fifth in the league with a 4.33 ERA. Friday night starter Harry Rutkowski is 2-2 with a 2.90 ERA. The staff has 174 strikeouts to just 50 walks.

SERIES RECORD
• Iowa leads the all-time series over Rutgers, 8-7.
• The Scarlet Knights have won the last three series over Iowa, winning two of three game in Iowa City in 2017 and 2019 and two of three in Piscataway during the 2015 season.

TEAM CAPTAINS
Iowa’s team captains for the 2021 season are seniors Trace Hoffman, Grant Leonard, Austin Martin, and Ben Norman and junior Trenton Wallace.

#HELLERBALL
• Head coach Rick Heller recorded his 900th career win against Grand View in a 15-2 victory on March 3, 2020, at Duane Banks Field
• 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. Heller won his 200th game at Iowa on May 1 in a victory over Western Illinois.
• The Hawkeyes have won 30 or more games in each of Heller’s six 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; the program had three regional appearances in its history prior to his arrival.
• Heller is fourth in school history in career wins with 204 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 six straight years for the first time in program history.
• Heller has coached at least one first-team All-Big Ten selection in five of his first seven seasons, and has 21 Major League Baseball Draft picks in seven seasons — the most in a six-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 six 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.

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.