Notes: Iowa Closes Out Regular Season at Michigan State

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team closes out the regular season with a three-game road series at Michigan State from May 28-30 at McLane Baseball Stadium at Kobs Field. Friday’s series opener will begin at 5:35 p.m. (CT) followed by 3:05 p.m. and noon starts on Saturday and Sunday.

WATCH/LISTEN LIVE
• Game two of the series will be televised on BTN with Connor Onion and Danan Hughes on the call.
• Friday and Sunday’s 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
• The Hawkeyes have won six of their last nine series and sit at 23-18 overall heading into the final series of the regular season at Michigan State.
• Iowa has won 23 Big Ten games, which are the most in a single-season in school history. The Hawkeyes went 22-6 during the 1990 season en route to the Big Ten regular season title.
• Redshirt junior Trenton Wallace has a team-leading seven quality starts this season as Iowa’s Friday night starter. The southpaw is 6-1 with a 2.45 ERA. He is leading the Big Ten in ERA (2.45), strikeouts (97) and fewest runs allowed (19), while being tied for second in wins (6).
• Wallace has 45 strikeouts (9, 9, 10, 9, 8) over his last five starts. He has eight or more strikeouts in nine starts. His 97 strikeouts are the second-most in a single season in school history, only trailing Jim Magrane’s 110 strikeouts in 1999.
• Senior Ben Norman, who was the Big Ten Player of the Week on April 20, leads the Big Ten in RBIs (50) and ranks in the top seven in six categories. He is tied for second in triples (3), fifth in slugging (.617) and steals (12) and tied for seventh in home runs (10) and walks (26).
• Iowa’s offense is ranked in the top seven in seven different categories. The Hawkeyes are leading the Big Ten in triples (11) and walks (211), while ranking third in doubles (82), fourth in hit by pitch (53) and OBP (.376) and fifth in steals (41) and runs (247).
• Iowa’s starting pitchers have tallied 17 quality starts this season. Iowa has used the same four starting pitchers for the duration of the season.
• Iowa’s defense did not commit an error in the three-game series at Northwestern. The Hawkeyes’ .976 fielding percentage is second-best in the Big Ten.
• Norman has started 116 consecutive games dating back to the 2018 season. He has played in 217 games in his Hawkeye career — the second-most all-time, three behind Craig Conti.
• Head coach Rick Heller moved into third place on Iowa’s all-time wins list with 236 victories in Iowa’s 5-4 win over Illinois on May 14. He has 237 victories as a Hawkeye.

HAWKEYE NOTABLES
• Redshirt junior Izaya Fullard is riding a career-long 24 game reached base streak. It’s the second longest streak by a Hawkeye this season (Ben Norman – 25).
• 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 18 of its last 33 games. The Hawkeyes have 12 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 18th nationally and tied for fourth in a single-season in school history.
• Iowa’s starting pitchers have gone five or more innings in 21 of their last 29 starts. They have allowed two or fewer runs in 18 of the 29 starts.
• Iowa has 15 games with 10 or more hits this season, including a season-high 18 hits against Northwestern on April 25.
• Iowa has had four or more extra base hits in 16 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.
• Fullard and redshirt freshman Peyton 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.

STRONG APRIL
The Hawkeyes posted a 12-3 record during the month of April. Iowa hit .297 as a team during the month, averaging 8.5 runs per game with 34 doubles, seven triples and 15 home runs. Senior Zeb Adreon hit a team-best .379 with 14 RBIs, while senior Ben Norman drove in 26 runs.

I-O-W-A
Eight of Iowa’s starters (including DH) are native Iowans, while all four starting pitchers (who have started a game in 2021) are Iowans.
• Third baseman Matthew Sosa and utility/closer Dylan Nedved are the only two non-Iowa starters on the roster.

SIT ‘EM DOWN WALLEY
Redshirt junior Trenton Wallace is leading the Big Ten (and ranks 43rd nationally) with 97 strikeouts this season. The southpaw has 45 strikeouts over his last five starts.
• Wallace’s total ranks second in the single-season record books, trailing only Jim Magrane’s 110 strikeouts in 1999.
• Wallace is 18th nationally, averaging 13.23 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.

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 6-1 with a 2.45 ERA over 66 innings. He has seven quality starts to his ledger and he has allowed zero earned runs in five starts.
• Iowa has won eight straight series openers dating back to April 2. The Hawkeyes have won the opening game in all but two weekends this season.
• The Rock Island, Illinois, native ranks in the top five in the Big Ten in seven categories this season. He is leading the ERA (2.45), strikeouts (97), and fewest runs allowed (19), while ranking second in wins (6) and earned runs allowed (18), third in strikeouts looking (31), and fifth in batting average against (.202).
• 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 nine starts and has eight or more strikeouts in nine starts. He matched a season-high in the win over Penn State on May 7, fanning 10 over five innings. (He also punched out 10 against Ohio State on March 12.)

SUPER SENIOR NORM
University of Iowa redshirt senior Ben Norman is enjoying a breakout “super senior” season. The outfielder is leading the team in runs (33), home runs (10), RBIs (50), hits (47) and steals (12), while ranking second in slugging percentage (.617) and third in OBP (.427). He is leading the Big Ten in RBIs and is tied for second in triples (3).
• 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 23 of the last 37 games with nine games scoring two or more runs.
• Norman has a career-high 10 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 is the first Hawkeye since Robert Neustrom in 2018 (11 home runs) to reach double figures in the category.
• 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 has played in 217 games in his Hawkeye career to rank second all-time. Craig Conti (1983-86) holds the school record, playing in 220 career games. He also is tied for seventh all-time in career doubles (44), 11th in career steals (46) and 14th in career singles (129).

P-A-T-T-Y
• Redshirt junior Izaya Fullard is hitting a team-best .371 (31-of-89) over his last 21 games. He has had multi-hit contest in 12 of the 21 games with 17 RBIs and 14 runs scored.
• 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. He homered and had another three-hit game in the series finale at Indiana.
• Fullard had an RBI single (and potential game-tying two-run single) in the bottom of the ninth inning against Penn State on May 8, but the tying run was thrown out at the plate in a 5-4 loss.

SUNDAY BAUMANN
Southpaw Cam Baumann has enjoyed a strong redshirt junior season as Iowa’s Sunday starter. The Fairfield, Iowa, native is 4-5 with a 4.16 ERA over 12 appearances (11 starts).
• During a seven-week stretch from Week 2 to Week 8, Baumann went 4-1 with a 1.45 ERA over 37 1/3 innings. He allowed eight runs (six earned) and had 27 strikeouts to 10 walks, while limiting hitters to a .176 average. He wont three straight starts in wins over Minnesota, Rutgers and Northwestern.
• Baumann has allowed two runs or fewer in seven of his last 11 outings. He went seven innings three times 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, and allowing three runs on four hits at Northwestern on May 22.
• Baumann has five quality starts this season, including two in his last three outings.
• Baumann combined on a shutout in the 18-0 victory over Minnesota on April 11, scattering two hits over five shutout innings.

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.
• On the year, Nedved is hitting .246 (30-of-122) with 20 RBIs and 25 runs scored. He has started games at shortstop, second base and left field, while serving as the team’s closer.

ZEB: B1G POW
Senior Zeb Adreon earned his second career Big Ten Player of the Week honor on April 27 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.
• Adreon reached base safely in 11 straight plate appearances from April 24-30. He had eight 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 is hitting .282 with 22 RBIs and 23 runs scored this season.

THE BIG KAHUNAH
Redshirt freshman Peyton Williams has hit safely in 20 games with seven multi-hit and seven multi-RBI games. He is leading the Big Ten in walks (32), while ranking sixth in OBP (.459).
• The Johnson, Iowa, native hit a team-best .455 with three runs and two RBIs in the road series at Northwestern. He went 3-for-5 in the opener, his first multi-hit game in nearly a month.
• 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 23 of 41 starts this season and they have gone at least five innings in 26 starts.
• Iowa has used the same four starting pitchers in each of the first nine 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 17 quality starts this season with redshirt junior Trenton Wallace leading the way with seven such starts.

THE HAWKEYES ARE…
• 18-2 when scoring first.
• 16-1 when out-hitting its opposition.
• 10-5 against left-handed starters and 13-13 against righties.
• 21-4 when limiting opponents to five or fewer runs.
• 19-1 when leading after six innings, 15-1 after seven, and 17-1 after eight.
• 14-4 when making zero errors.
• Out-scoring their opposition, 87-64, over the final three innings and in extra innings.

PITCHING NOTES
• Iowa’s pitching staff has 13 games with 10 or more strikeouts and 20 with nine or more Ks. The Hawkeyes had a season-high 15 strikeouts May 7 in the win over Penn State.
• Iowa’s pitching staff has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 20 games.

ACE IN THE ‘PEN
• Redshirt junior Dylan Nedved is Iowa’s closer and primary late-inning stopper. The right-hander is 4-1 with a 4.36 ERA with eight saves over 19 appearances, spanning 33 innings.
• The eight saves are leading the Big Ten Conference and rank 27th nationally and they are tied for the sixth most in a single season in school history. Nedved is two saves shy of being in the top three in school history.
• The right-hander has made multiple weekend appearances seven 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), Northwestern (2 2/3) and Illinois (1 1/3). He has pitched more than one inning in 12 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 5.31 ERA over 156 innings. Seventeen players have pitched in relief, limiting opposing hitters to a .257 average.
• Senior Trace Hoffman is second on the team with 17 appearances, allowing 12 runs on 22 hits over 22 2/3 innings. Hoffman pitched three shutout innings, scattering two hits against Penn State on May 7.
• Freshman Will Semb has put together four strong outings, allowing two runs on five hits over his last 10 innings in appearances against Northwestern, Penn State, Illinois and Northwestern. The Wisconsin native has 11 strikeouts during the stretch. He pitched a career-long 3 1/3 innings at Northwestern on May 23. He is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in seven appearances this season.
• Redshirt senior Grant Leonard is 0-1 with one save and a 5.40 ERA in 11 appearances this season. Leonard struck out the side, needing only 10 pitches, for his first save on May 8 against Penn State. He has allowed one hit and fanned seven over his last three appearances, spanning four innings.
• For his career, Leonard has 21 career saves, which are the second most in Hawkeye history. Kurt Belger (1993-97) holds the program record with 22 career saves.

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 62 games since the start of the 2017 season and posted 15 walk-offs. Thirty 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 18 games in 2021. The team is 11-7 in such contests.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
• The Spartans have won back-to-back road series, taking two of three games at Ohio State and Rutgers. Michigan State scored 34 runs in the three games in Piscataway.
• Michigan State is 17-24 overall, which includes a 5-8 record at home. The Spartans have home series losses to Indiana, Nebraska and Michigan and they went 2-2 in their home pod against Purdue and Penn State.
• The Spartans hit .259 as a team with one regular hitting over .300. Zaid Walker hits .312 with a team-best 30 RBIs. Bailey Peterson, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, is hitting .266 with six home runs and 14 RBIs.
• Michigan State has a 5.61 team ERA and it has 324 strikeouts over 358 innings. Friday starter Mason Erla is 5-5 with a 3.42 ERA.

SERIES RECORD
• Michigan State leads the all-time series over Iowa, 80-66-1.
• Iowa has won two of the last three series over Michigan State. The Hawkeyes won two of three in Iowa City in 2016 and two of three in East Lansing in 2017. The Spartans won the most recent series, winning two of three games in Iowa City in 2019.

#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 third in school history in career wins with 237 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
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