Notes: Iowa Hosts Penn State for Weekend Series

MATCHUP	Penn State (12-18) at Iowa (19-13)
LOCATION	Duane Banks Field | Iowa City, Iowa
DATE	May 7-9, 2021
WATCH	BTN+ (All Games)
LISTEN	Hawkeye Radio Network | TuneIn Radio
LIVE STATS	Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
STARTING ROTATION
Game 1 | May 7 | 6:05 p.m.	UI: LHP Trenton Wallace (4-1, 2.76 ERA) PSU: RHP Bailey Dees (3-2, 5.44 ERA)
Game 2 | May 8 | 2:05 p.m.	UI: RHP Duncan Davitt (3-1, 4.54 ERA) PSU: RHP Conor Larkin (2-5, 4.72 ERA)
Game 3 | May 9 | 11:05 a.m.	UI: LHP Cam Baumann (4-3, 3.89 ERA) PSU: RHP Kyle Virbitsky (2-3, 4.91 ERA)

 

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team hosts Penn State from May 7-9 at Duane Banks Field in its second-to-last home series of the season. Friday’s series opener will begin at 6:05 p.m. (CT), Saturday’s game two is set for a 2:05 p.m. start, and Sunday’s finale will begin at 11:05 a.m.

The Hawkeyes will hold a Senior Day recognition for Justin Jenkins on Saturday. Jenkins’ senior season was cut short in 2020.

Fifty percent capacity (approximately 1,200) will be allowed at Duane Banks Field. Tickets must be pre-purchased online as no walk-up tickets will be sold.

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 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 has hit .270 or higher as a team in each of the last four weekends. The Hawkeyes hit .370, scored 39 runs and had 20 extra base hits in going 3-1 against Maryland and Northwestern from April 23-26 at Duane Banks Field. The .370 average was the highest weekend clip this season for the team.
• 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 16 of its last 24 games. The Hawkeyes have 10 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 15 of their last 20 starts. They have allowed two or fewer runs in 14 of the 20 starts.
• Iowa has 14 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 .303, while averaging 7.7 runs per game. Iowa has 36 extra-base hits during the stretch with 25 doubles, two triples, and nine home runs. Five Hawkeyes — Izaya Fullard (.432), Zeb Adreon (.350), Matthew Sosa (.344), Ben Norman (.333) and Austin Martin (.317)– are hitting .317 or higher.
• Iowa has had four or more extra base hits in 14 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.
• Senior Ben Norman is riding a 20-game reached base streak — the longest of his career. Izaya Fullard has reached in 15 straight games to go along with a seven-game hitting streak.
• 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.
• Williams did not play during the three-game series at Indiana because of an injury (quad) suffered in the series finale against Northwestern on April 26.

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.

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 .310 with 20 RBIs and 19 runs scored this season.

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 (37), runs (32), home runs (10), RBIs (42), slugging percentage (.672) and steals (1). He is leading the Big Ten in RBIs (42) and walks (24), while ranking third in runs (32) and home runs (10) and fourth in slugging percentage (.672).
• 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 .363 average. Norman has hit safely in 24 of 28 games since the opening weekend with 10 multi-hit and 11 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 22 of the last 28 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.

P-A-T-T-Y
• Redshirt junior Izaya Fullard has 19 hits (19-of-44) to post a team-leading .432 average over his last 10 games to see his average climb from .214 to a season-high .319. Fullard has seven multi-hit games, during the stretch, including three 3-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. He homered and had another three-hit game in the series finale at Indiana.

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 4-1 with a 2.76 ERA over 49 innings. He has five quality starts to his ledger and he has allowed zero earned runs in four starts.
• The Rock Island, Illinois, native ranks in the top six in the Big Ten in seven categories. He is leading the league in fewest runs allowed (16), is second in ERA (2.76), tied for third in fewest earned runs allowed (15), fourth in strikeouts (70), fifth in batting average against (.203) and wins (4), and sixth in strikeouts looking (18).
• 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 six starts, including a career-high 10 punch outs against Ohio State on March 12.

SUNDAY BAUMANN
Southpaw Cam Baumann has enjoyed a strong redshirt junior season as Iowa’s Sunday starter. The Fairfield, Iowa, native is 4-3 with a 3.89 ERA over nine appearances (eight 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 eight 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.
• Baumann tallied his third quality start of the season against Northwestern on April 25, allowing two runs on five hits over six innings. 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.

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 .273 (27-of-99) with 16 RBIs and 21 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 sixth in the Big Ten 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 32 starts this season and they have gone at least five innings in 20 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 13 quality starts this season with redshirt junior Trenton Wallace leading the way with five such starts.

THE HAWKEYES ARE…
• 15-2 when scoring first.
• 14-1 when out-hitting its opposition.
• 10-4 against left-handed starters and 9-9 against righties.
• 17-2 when limiting opponents to five or fewer runs.
• 15-1 when leading after six innings, 11-1 after seven, and 13-1 after eight.
• 11-1 when making zero errors.
• Out-scoring their opposition, 74-44, over the final three innings and in extra innings.

PITCHING NOTES
• Iowa’s pitching staff has eight 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 16 games.
• The Hawkeyes rank fifth in the Big Ten with a 4.79 staff ERA. Iowa is limiting hitters to a .245 average — fourth-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 4.50 ERA with seven saves over 14 appearances, spanning 26 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 5.40 ERA over 121 2/3 innings. Fifteen players have pitched in relief, limiting opposing hitters to a .259 average.
• Senior Trace Hoffman is tied for the team high with 14 appearances, allowing nine runs on 16 hits over 16 innings.
• Redshirt sophomore Ben Probst has a 2.45 ERA, allowing three hits over eight appearances, spanning 7 1/3 innings. Opponents are batting .100 against the right-hander. Probst didn’t allow a run and allowed a single hit over his first six outings.
• Redshirt sophomore Duncan Davitt is 1-0 with a 2.35 ERA in three relief appearances. He has allowed three runs (two earned) on nine hits and fanned seven over 7 2/3 innings.
• Freshman Will Semb had the best outing of his career, not allowing a hit and fanning two over 2 2/3 innings at Indiana. He is 0-0 with a 3.12 ERA in five appearances this season.
• Redshirt senior Grant Leonard is 0-1 with a 8.22 ERA in eight 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.

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 60 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 13 games in 2021. The team is 9-4 in such contests.

SCOUTING PENN STATE
• The Nittany Lions swept Michigan State last weekend in University Park and have won four straight games to improve to 12-18 overall. Penn State out-scored the Spartans, 39-13, in the three games.
• Penn State is fourth in the Big Ten with a .271 team batting average and it averages 5.3 runs per game. The Nittany Lions have two regulars hitting over .300 with Gavin Homer leading the way with a .350 clip. Johnny Piacentino has a team-best six home runs, 10 doubles and 25 RBIs.
• The Nittany Lions have a 5.40 team ERA to rank eighth in the Big Ten and their .963 fielding percentage is 10th.
• Former Hawkeye player and coach Sean Moore is in his third season on the Penn State staff, serving as the hitting coach. Moore was on Iowa’s staff in 2017 and 2018 after playing for the Hawkeyes in 2015.
• Jake Stone is in his second season as the Director of Operations/Player Development. Stone was a four-year manager for the Hawkeyes.

SERIES RECORD
• The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series, 39-36.
• The Hawkeyes have swept the past two series in 2017 and 2018. Both series were held in Iowa City.
• Penn State’s last win in the series came during the 2016 season in Happy Valley, winning 5-4 in 12 innings in the regular season finale.
• The Nittany Lions’ last series win over Iowa came in 2013, taking two of three games in University Park. Penn State’s last victory (and series win) in Iowa City came in 2012.

BANKS MAGIC
• The Hawkeyes are 102-30 at home since the start of the 2015 season.
• Iowa won 19 games in 2019, the third-most in a single-season in school history, trailing only the 22 wins in 1977 and 20 wins in 2018.
• Iowa has 17 walk-off victories at Duane Banks Field since the start of 2015.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN
• Iowa’s 41-man roster features seven redshirt seniors, eight redshirt sophomores, nine redshirt freshman, and 10 true freshman.
• The Hawkeye roster is made up of student-athletes from 11 different states: Iowa (24), Illinois (7), Wisconsin (2), Kansas (1), Georgia (1), Arizona (1), California (1), Colorado (1), Indiana (1), Missouri (1), and Nevada (1).
• Iowa had two sets of junior college teammates. Zeb Adreon, Austin Martin, and Trace Hoffman were teammates at Southeastern Community College, while Izaya Fullard, Hunter Lee, and Adam Ketelsen were teammates at Kirwkood Community College.
• The Hawkeyes also have six sets of teammates who played together in high school: Brendan Sher and Duncan Davitt (Indianola); Izaya Fullard and Connor McCaffery (Iowa City West); Trenton Wallace and Ben Beutel (Davenport Assumption); Jackson Vines, Peyton Williams, and Jack Dreyer (Johnston); DJ Heck and Brett McCleary (City High), Tyler Snep and Anthony Mangano (Lake Zurich).

#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 233 at Iowa, including the second (41) and fifth-most (39) in school history. He is three 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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