THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team will host a three team Big Ten pod from April 23-26 at Duane Banks Field. The Hawkeyes will face Maryland at 7:02 p.m. (CT) Friday and 1:05 p.m. Saturday before squaring off against Northwestern at 4:02 p.m. Sunday and 3:02 p.m. Monday.
Northwestern and Maryland will also play neutral site games at 5:05 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.
Fifty percent capacity (approximately 1,200) will be allowed at Duane Banks Field. Tickets must be pre-purchased online as there will be no walk-up tickets available.
WATCH/LISTEN LIVE
• Friday, Sunday, and Monday’s games will be televised live on BTN with Chris Vosters and Jeff Leise on the call.
• Saturday’s game and both Maryland/Northwestern contests will be streamed on BTN+, a paid subscription service.
• All for games will be available on the Hawkeye Radio Network with Miles Klotz and Steve Duncan on the call. Fans can access the stream via TuneIn Radio.
• Fans can follow along for live updates via Twitter/@UIBaseball.
HAWKEYE NOTABLES
• Iowa was on its way to its eighth straight win and second consecutive sweep on April 18 at Rutgers, leading 7-1 through 7 1/2 innings. The Scarlet Knights scored seven in the final two frames to hand the Hawkeyes their first loss since April 3 and their first loss when leading after six innings this season.
• The Hawkeyes scored a season-high 18 runs on April 11 in the 18-0 victory over Minnesota. They are the team’s 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.
• Iowa has hit at least one home run in 12 of its last 17 games. The Hawkeyes have 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.
• Sosa has been plunked a Big Ten-high 14 times.
• Iowa’s starting pitchers have gone five or more innings in 12 of their last 13 starts. They have allowed two or fewer runs in 11 of the 13 starts.
• Iowa has 10 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 .273, while averaging 8.3 runs per game. Iowa has 34 extra-base hits during the stretch, including 11 home runs.
• Iowa has had four or more extra base hits in 11 games this season, including seven (3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR) against Maryland on March 28.
• Iowa out-scored Minnesota, 31-2, in its three-game series from April 9-11 in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes hit .320 as a team with 13 extra base hits and the pitching staff posted a 0.67 ERA.
• Three Hawkeyes — Peyton Williams (16), Ben Norman (13), and Izaya Fullard (8) — are riding season-best reached base streaks.
• Fullard and Williams tied the Iowa single game walks record in consecutive games. Williams had four walks in the series finale at Purdue, and Fullard drew four walks in the series opener against Minnesota.
• 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 re-aggravated it at Purdue. Snep hit .324 with three home runs and eight RBIs, while posting a .490 on-base percentage.
SUPER SENIOR SUCCESS
University of Iowa redshirt senior Ben Norman is enjoying a breakout “super senior” season. The outfielder is leading the team in hits (29), runs (25), home runs (9), RBIs (30), slugging percentage (.692) and steals (7). He is second in the Big Ten in RBIs and third in home runs and currently ranks among the top eight in six different categories.
• Norman is currently two home runs and one RBI behind Maryland’s Benjamin Cowles for the Big Ten lead.
• If you take away the season-opening four-game series, when Norman was working his way back following a COVID pause, the outfielder has been even better, posting a .377 average. Norman has hit safely in 18 of 21 games since the opening weekend with nine multi-hit and seven multi-RBI games.
• Norman was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on April 20 after hitting .400 with two home runs, eight RBIs, and six runs scored in the road series at Rutgers.
• Norman has scored at least one run in 17 of the last 21 games with seven games scoring two or more runs.
• Norman has a career-high nine home runs and has surpassed 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.
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 2.87 ERA over 37 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 nine in the Big Ten in seven categories. He is second in fewest runs allowed (12), fourth in strikeouts (52) and fewest earned runs allowed (12), fifth in ERA (2.87), seven in batting average against (.200), eighth in fewest hits allowed (27) and tied for ninth in wins (3).
• 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 starts, including a career-high 10 punch outs against Ohio State.
ACE X 2
Redshirt junior Cam Baumann has established himself as one of the team’s top starters since struggling Week 1. The southpaw overtook Trenton Wallace for the team ERA lead following his last start at Rutgers. He is 3-2 with a 2.62 ERA in seven appearances (six starts) this season.
• 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 has been almost unhittable. He is 3-1 with a 1.15 ERA over 31 1/3 innings. He has allowed six runs (four earned) and has 23 strikeouts to eight walks, while limiting hitters to a .162 average.
• Baumann has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last six outings. He went a career-long seven innings twice during the span, scattering three hits and allowing a single run in a road win at Ohio State on March 27 and scattering three hits and allowing one run in a win at Rutgers on April 17. They were his third and fourth career quality starts.
• Baumann combined on a shutout in the 18-0 victory over Minnesota on April 11, scattering two hits over five shutout innings.
• Baumann is 3-2 with a 2.62 ERA over 34 1/3 innings this season with 29 strikeouts to 10 walks. He is tied for second in fewest runs (10) and earned runs allowed (12), third in ERA (2.62), fourth in batting average against (.184), fifth in fewest hits allowed (23), and tied for ninth in wins (3).
BACK-TO-BACK STRONG STARTS
Redshirt sophomore Drew Irvine has put together consecutive strong starts, logging seven innings in consecutive wins over Minnesota and Rutgers.
• Irvine scattered two hits and allowed one run over seven innings against the Gophers on April 11 for his first win. He followed it up with a seven-inning complete game — the first by a Hawkeye since Jack Dreyer in 2020. He allowed one run on six hits and fanned five without issuing a walk in a 3-1 win at Rutgers.
• Irvine is 2-2 with a 4.00 ERA over 36 innings with 33 strikeouts to 18 walks.
• The Waukee native will be making his second start against the Terps. In his first outing — a no decision — he allowed two runs on three hits over six innings. Iowa won the game, 6-4.
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.
• Nedved, who has started the last seven games in left field, is hitting .284 with nine RBIs and 15 runs scored. He has hit safely in 10 games with seven multi-hit contests.
THE BIG KAHUNAH
Redshirt freshman Peyton Williams is hitting .313 (10-of-32) over his last 10 games with three home runs, two doubles, 10 RBIs, and 12 runs scored.
• Williams has hit safely in 13 games with four multi-hit and seven 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.
ROTATION NOTES
• Iowa’s starting pitchers have allowed two or fewer earned runs in 17 of 25 starts this season and they have gone at least five innings in 17 starts.
• Iowa has used the same four starting pitchers in each of the first seven 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 11 quality starts this season with redshirt junior Trenton Wallace leading the way with four such starts.
THE HAWKEYES ARE…
• 14-1 when scoring first.
• 11-0 when out-hitting its opposition.
• 8-4 against left-handed starters.
• 14-2 when limiting opponents to five or fewer runs.
• 11-1 when leading after six innings.
• 8-1 when making zero errors.
• Out-scoring their opposition, 54-27, over the final three innings and in extra innings.