Notes: Iowa-IU to Meet in 3-Game Series

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team heads to Bloomington, Indiana, for a key three-game Big Ten Conference series against second-place Indiana from April 30-May 2 at Bart Kaufman Field. Friday’s opener is set for a 4 p.m. (CT) start, Saturday’s game will begin at 1 p.m. and Sunday’s finale at 11 a.m.

WATCH/LISTEN LIVE
• All three games will be streamed live on BTN+, a paid subscription service.
• All three 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
• After starting the season 4-8, Iowa has won 14 of its last 17 games to improve to 18-11 overall. The Hawkeyes are three games behind league-leading Nebraska and 1.5 games back of Indiana and Michigan for second place.
• The Hawkeyes have won five straight series — going 3-1 in Columbus (against Ohio State and Maryland), winning two of three games at Purdue, sweeping Minnesota, taking three of four games at Rutgers and going 3-1 in a home Big Ten pod against Maryland and Northwestern.
• Senior Zeb Adreon was named the Big Ten Player of the Week — Iowa’s second consecutive honor — after hitting .714 (10-of-14) with six RBIs and five runs scored against the Terps and ‘Cats. Adreon has reached base safely in 10 consecutive plate appearances (seven hits, two walks, one HBP) dating back to his final at-bat of the April 24 game against Maryland.
• Senior Ben Norman, who was the Big Ten Player of the Week on April 20, leads the Big Ten in RBIs (37) while ranking in the top six in six categories. He is third in slugging (.670), tied for fourth in home runs (9), tied for fifth in walks (19), fifth in runs (29) and sixth in steals (8).
• The Hawkeyes’ RPI sits at No. 42 — the highest mark in the Big Ten. Iowa is projected as an NCAA Regional team by D1Baseball.com and Baseball America for a second straight week.
• Iowa’s offense ranks in the top four of the Big Ten in 11 different categories, including leading the league in doubles (63), triples (9) and walks (148). The team is second in RBIs (176) and total bases (720) and third in runs (190) and slugging percentage (.441).
• Iowa’s pitching staff is second in the Big Ten in batting average against (.232) and fourth in ERA (4.26), while the Hawkeye defense is third in fielding percentage (.973).
• Two Iowa starting pitchers rank in the top four in the Big Ten in ERA. LHP Trenton Wallace is third with a 2.57 ERA, while LHP Cam Baumann is fourth (2.68).
• Iowa’s starting pitchers have tallied 12 quality starts this season. The starting pitchers are 11-7 with a 3.70 ERA this season and they are limiting hitters to a .216 average.
• Norman has started 104 consecutive games dating back to the 2018 season. He has played in 205 games in his Hawkeye career — the fifth-most all-time.
• Head coach Rick Heller is four wins shy of moving into third place on Iowa’s all-time wins list. He has 232 wins at Iowa.

HAWKEYE NOTABLES
• The Hawkeyes hit .370, scored 39 runs and had 20 extra base hits in going 3-1 against Maryland and Northwestern last weekend at Duane Banks Field. The .370 average was the highest weekend clip this season for the team.
• Iowa’s offense is rounding into form; six Hawkeye regulars are hitting .287 or above this season and three Hawkeyes have 23 or more RBIs.
• 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 14 of its last 21 games. The Hawkeyes have nine 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 17 times. The total is tied for fourth in a single-season in school history.
• Iowa’s starting pitchers have gone five or more innings in 14 of their last 17 starts. They have allowed two or fewer runs in 13 of the 17 starts.
• Iowa has 12 games with 10 or more hits this season, including a season-high 18 hits against Northwestern on April 25.
• Over the last 10 games, Iowa is hitting .338, while averaging 9.5 runs per game. Iowa has 42 extra-base hits during the stretch with 27 doubles, five triples, and 10 home runs. Five Hawkeyes — Zeb Adreon (.436), Izaya Fullard (.409), Austin Martin (.385), Dylan Nedved (.382) and Ben Norman (.368) — are hitting .368 or higher.
• Iowa has had four or more extra base hits in 13 games this season, including eight (6 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR) against Northwestern on April 25. Ben Norman tied a school record in the game with three doubles.
• Three Hawkeyes — Ben Norman (17), Izaya Fullard (12), and Austin Martin (6) — are riding season-best reached base streaks. Peyton Williams’ career-long 19 game on-base streak ended April 26 after he departed the game with an injury.
• 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.

WHOA… THE OFFENSE
The Hawkeye offense has come alive over the past three weeks, hitting .321 as a team and averaging 9.3 runs per game. Iowa has slugged .519, accumulating 44 (27 2B, 6 3B, 11 HR) extra base hits in the 11 games. Five Hawkeyes are hitting .349 or higher during the stretch.
• The Hawkeyes rank in the top four in the Big Ten in 11 offensive categories. Iowa is leading the league in doubles (63), triples (9) and walks (148), rank second in RBIs (176), total bases (420) and OBP (.385), third in runs (190), slugging (.441), and HBP (43), and fourth in batting average (.268) and hits (255). The team is also seventh in home runs with 28.

ZEB: B1G POW
Senior Zeb Adreon earned his second career Big Ten Player of the Week honor after hitting .714 (10-of-14) with five RBIs and seven runs scored against Maryland and Northwestern. Adreon had four multi-hit games on the weekend, moving him into the team lead with 11 multi-hit contests.
• Adreon reached base safely in each of his final 10 plate appearances dating back to his final at-bat against Maryland on April 24. He had seven hits, two walks and a hit by pitch.
• Adreon tripled in consecutive games, making him the first Hawkeye to do so since Ben Norman in 2018. He leads the Big Ten with four triples this season.
• He went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and four runs scored in the 15-4 win over Northwestern. He had career-bests in hits and runs, while tying his career-best RBI total.
• The Pleasantville, Iowa, native’s average rose from .259 to a team-leading .323 (32-of-99) in the four games.

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 (34), runs (29), home runs (9), RBIs (37), slugging percentage (.670) and steals (8). He is leading the Big Ten in RBIs (37), while ranking third in slugging (.670), tied for fourth in home runs (9) and fifth in runs (29).
• If you take away the season-opening four-game series, when Norman was working his way back following a COVID pause, the outfielder has posted a .370 average. Norman has hit safely in 21 of 25 games since the opening weekend with 10 multi-hit and nine 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 tied a school record with three doubles on April 25 in the 15-4 victory over Northwestern. He finished 3-for-6 with a career-high five RBIs.
• Norman has scored at least one run in 20 of the last 25 games with eight 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.

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 2.57 ERA over 42 innings. He has four quality starts to his ledger and he has allowed zero earned runs in four starts.
• The Rock Island, Illinois, native ranks in the top eight in the Big Ten in seven categories. He is second in fewest runs allowed (13), third in ERA (2.57), tied for third in earned runs allowed (12), fifth in strikeouts (61), tied for fifth in batting average against (.193), tied for seventh in strikeouts looking (16), and eighth in hits allowed (29).
• 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 six starts and has eight or more strikeouts in five starts, including a career-high 10 punch outs against Ohio State on March 12.
• Over his last two starts against Rutgers and Maryland, Wallace is 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA, allowing six runs on six hits over 8 1/3 innings. He has 14 strikeouts and 12 walks during the stretch.

ACE X 2
Redshirt junior Cam Baumann has established himself as one of the top starters in the Big Ten since struggling Week 1. The southpaw is 4-2 with a 2.68 ERA in eight appearances (seven 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 4-1 with a 1.45 ERA over 37 1/3 innings. He has allowed eight runs (six earned) and has 27 strikeouts to 10 walks, while limiting hitters to a .176 average. Baumann has won his last three starts in wins over Minnesota, Rutgers and Northwestern.
• Baumann has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last seven 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.
• The Fairfield, Iowa, native tallied his third quality start of the season against Northwestern, allowing two runs on five hits over six innings on April 25. It was his fifth career quality start.
• Baumann combined on a shutout in the 18-0 victory over Minnesota on April 11, scattering two hits over five shutout innings.
• Baumann is 4-2 with a 2.68 ERA over 40 1/3 innings this season with 33 strikeouts to 12 walks. He ranks in the top seven in the Big Ten in six categories, including being third in fewest runs allowed (13), tied for third in fewest earned runs (12), fourth in ERA (2.68), and tied for fifth in wins (4) and batting average against (.193).

IRVINE LOOKS TO REBOUND
Redshirt sophomore Drew Irvine put together consecutive strong starts, logging seven innings in consecutive wins over Minnesota and Rutgers. In his last start, Irvine went three innings, allowing four runs on five hits and issued a career-high six walks against Maryland.
• 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 2-3 with a 4.62 ERA over 39 innings with 37 strikeouts to 24 walks.

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 10 games, Nedved is hitting .382 (13-of-34) with four doubles, one triple and one home run with 11 RBIs and 10 runs scored.
• On the year, Nedved is hitting .291 (25-of-86) with 15 RBIs and 18 runs scored. He has started games at shortstop, second base and left field, while serving as the team’s closer.

THE BIG KAHUNAH
Redshirt freshman Peyton Williams has hit safely in 16 games with six multi-hit and seven multi-RBI games. He ranks third in the Big Ten in walks (20), fourth in doubles (10) and seventh in slugging percentage (.632).
• 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 19 of 29 starts this season and they have gone at least five innings in 19 starts.
• Iowa has used the same four starting pitchers in each of the first eight 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 12 quality starts this season with redshirt junior Trenton Wallace leading the way with four such starts.

THE HAWKEYES ARE…
• 14-1 when scoring first.
• 14-1 when out-hitting its opposition.
• 9-4 against left-handed starters and 9-7 against righties.
• 18-2 when limiting opponents to five or fewer runs.
• 14-1 when leading after six innings, 10-1 after seven, and 12-1 after eight.
• 10-1 when making zero errors.
• Out-scoring their opposition, 70-38, over the final three innings and in extra innings.

PATTY & A-MART
• Redshirt junior Izaya Fullard has 18 hits (18-of-40) to post a .409 average over his last 10 games to see it climb from .214 to a season-high .300. Fullard has seven multi-hit games over his last nine games, including two three-hit contests.
• The North Liberty, Iowa, native had the go-ahead two-run single in the ninth inning as Iowa rallied from four runs down to win 14-12 in the series opener at Rutgers and he hit his first home run of the season in game two. Fullard homered to straight-away center field for his second blast on April 26 against Northwestern and he finished 3-for-6 with two RBIs in the come-from-behind win.
• Redshirt senior Austin Martin is hitting .385 (15-of-39) with seven RBIs over his last 10 games. The Altoona, Iowa, native has hit safely in six straight games, including two three-hit contests. The catcher has seen his average climb to .287 (from .192 on April 11) over his last nine games. Martin was named to the Buster Posey Catcher of the Year Watch List for a second straight season.

PITCHING NOTES
• Iowa’s pitching staff has seven games with 10 or more strikeouts and 13 with nine or more Ks.
• Iowa’s pitching staff has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 15 games.
• The Hawkeyes rank fourth in the Big Ten with a 4.26 staff ERA. Iowa is limiting hitters to a .232 average — second-best in the league — and the team has three shutouts.

ACE IN THE ‘PEN
• Redshirt junior Dylan Nedved is Iowa’s closer and primary late-inning stopper. The right-hander is 3-0 with a 4.12 ERA with six saves over 13 appearances, spanning 24 innings.
• The right-hander has made multiple weekend appearances five times this season, including pitching both games of the doubleheader against Ohio State and Maryland on March 27 — where he notched two saves.
• Nedved earned wins against Michigan (2 IP), Purdue (3 1/3) and Northwestern (2 2/3). He has pitched more than one inning in nine appearances.
• 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.
• Nedved earned a win and save in Iowa’s Big Ten pod weekend against Maryland and Northwestern. He was 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in two appearances (5 2/3 innings).

BULLPEN NUMBERS
Iowa’s bullpen has been up and down, posting a 5.03 ERA over 107 1/3 innings. Fifteen players have pitched in relief, limiting opposing hitters to a .253 average.
• Senior Trace Hoffman is tied for the team high with 13 appearances, allowing nine runs on 14 hits over 15 1/3 innings.
• Redshirt sophomore Ben Probst has a 1.35 ERA, allowing two hits over seven appearances, spanning 6 2/3 innings. Opponents are batting .105 against the right-hander. Probst didn’t allow a run and allowed a single hit over his first six outings.

THE GRANT LEONARD FILE
• Redshirt senior Grant Leonard is 0-1 with a 6.14 ERA in seven appearances this season. Leonard blew his first save opportunity at Rutgers on April 18.
• 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.
• Iowa rallied from four runs down in the ninth inning to defeat Rutgers, 14-12, on April 16 in the series opener. Down to his final strike, Brendan Sher had a two-run single to close the gap to 10-9 and Izaya Fullard followed with a two-run single to give the Hawkeyes the lead.
• Redshirt junior Brett McCleary had a pinch-hit, walk-off three-run home run, sending the blast to right field to down Northwestern, 12-9, on April 26 at Banks. It completed a rally where Iowa was down four runs through seven and down one heading to the ninth.

DON’T COUNT ‘EM OUT
The Hawkeyes have overcome deficits to win 59 games since the start of the 2017 season and posted 15 walk-offs. Twenty-nine of those victories have come with Iowa trailing or being tied entering or through seven innings. Twenty have come in the final at-bat.
• The Hawkeyes have overcome deficits in 12 games in 2021. The team is 8-4 in such contests.

SCOUTING INDIANA
• The Hoosiers have won three straight series since being swept in a four-game set at Ohio State from April 2-4. Indiana walloped Minnesota, out-scoring the Gophers, 39-5, in a three-game sweep last weekend in Bloomington.
• Indiana is 11-1 at home this season with the only loss coming to Purdue (8-5) on March 20.
• The Hoosiers are tied for second in the Big Ten standings with Michigan, but Indiana will play 10 games against the current top four teams over the next four weeks.
• Indiana has the top pitching staff in the Big Ten with a 2.70 team ERA. The Hoosiers are second in the league with 285 strikeouts. Starters Tommy Sommer (69) and McCade Brown (63) are third and fourth in the league in strikeouts, while Gabe Bierman (2.21) and Brown (2.41) are 1-2 in the conference in ERA. Brown also leads the league with a .144 batting average against, while Bierman is third (.170).
• The Hoosiers hit .261 as a team and average 5.9 runs per game. Four players are hitting over .300 and six players have 14 or more RBIs. Drew Ashley is leading the way with a .330 clip.

SERIES RECORD
• Iowa leads the all-time series with Indiana, 82-76. The Hawkeyes won the last meeting, downing the top-seeded and 21st-ranked Hoosiers, 4-2, in the opening round of the 2019 Big Ten Tournament.
• Indiana has won two of the last three series over Iowa, taking two of three games in Bloomington in 2016 and sweeping a three-game set in 2019. The two teams split a weather-shortened two-game series in Iowa City in 2018.

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.
• The Hawkeyes have won 30 or more games in each of Heller’s six full 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 232 at Iowa, including the second (41) and fifth-most (39) in school history. He is four wins shy of moving into third place.
• 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
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