LEADING OFF
• The Hawkeyes won seven of their final 10 series to finish the regular season with a 26-18 record in Big Ten-only competition. Iowa tied for fourth in the league standings, its third top five finish in the Rick Heller era.
• Iowa’s 26 Big Ten victories 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.
• Iowa collected five wins against the top two teams in the regular season standings, winning twice against Nebraska and three times against Maryland.
• Redshirt junior Trenton Wallace earned All-America honors by Collegiate Baseball and ABCA/Rawlings while also being the first Hawkeye to be named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. The southpaw had a team-leading eight quality starts as Iowa’s Friday starter and finished 7-1 with a 2.34 ERA. He led the Big Ten in ERA (2.34) and wins (7), while ranking third in strikeouts (106).
• Wallace had 54 strikeouts (9, 9, 10, 9, 8, 9) over his final six starts. He had eight or more strikeouts in 10 starts and his 106 strikeouts for the season were 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, led the Big Ten in RBIs (53) and triples (4), while ranking in the top 10 in six categories.
• Iowa’s offense ranked in the top five in nine different offensive categories during the 2021 season. The Hawkeyes led the league in doubles (93), triples (12), walks (243), on-base percentage (.385) and sacrifice flies (21), while ranking fourth in hit by pitch (61) and fifth in runs (277), RBIs (256), and steals (44).
• Iowa’s starting pitchers tallied 19 quality starts in 2021 and the Hawkeyes used the same four starting pitchers for the duration of the season. Iowa ranked fourth in the league in ERA (4.68), fewest runs (220) and fewest earned runs (200) allowed and fifth in fewest hits allowed (366).
• Iowa’s defense did not commit an error in its final seven games of the season. The Hawkeyes committed the second-fewest errors in the league (37) and finished second in the league (and 33rd nationally) with a .977 team fielding percentage.
• Norman started the final 119 games of his career dating back to the 2018 season. He played in 220 games in his Hawkeye career, tying Craig Conti for the most games played in school history.
• 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 240 victories as a Hawkeye.
WALLEY – THE ALL-AMERICAN
Redshirt junior Trenton Wallace earned two All-America distinctions following his stellar 2021 campaign. The Rock Island, Illinois, native earned second-team honors from Collegiate Baseball and ABCA/Rawlings to become the ninth Hawkeye All-American under head coach Rick Heller.
• In his first season in the weekend rotation, Wallace finished 7-1 with a 2.34 ERA and 106 strikeouts over 73 innings. He led the Big Ten in ERA, fewest runs allowed, and wins, while ranking third in strikeouts.
• Wallace is the second Iowa pitcher (along with Tyler Peyton) to earn two All-America nods in the same season.
NORM, WALLEY EARN ALL-REGION HONORS
Redshirt junior Trenton Wallace earned a chance to be an ABCA/Rawlings All-American by garnering first-team All-Midwest Region honors. Wallace was one of our players selected as a starting pitcher, while redshirt senior Ben Norman was one of four first-team outfielders.
POY = PITCHER OF YEAR
Redshirt junior Trenton Wallace made Hawkeye history, becoming the first player in school history to earn Big Ten Pitcher of the Year honors. Iowa was almost unbeatable with Wallace on the bump in series openers. The Hawkeyes won nine consecutive series openers to close out the season and the team was victorious in 11 of 13 series openers on the year.
3 HAWKEYES EARN ALL-B1G HONORS
Three Hawkeyes earned All-Big Ten recognition for the 2021 season, including two first-team honorees.
• Redshirt junior Trenton Wallace was a first-team starting pitcher after going 7-1 with a 2.34 ERA during the regular season. Wallace led the league in wins and ERA.
• Redshirt senior Ben Norman put up monster numbers in his super senior season to earn first-team outfield honors. Norman led the league in RBIs (53) and triples (4), while ranking in the top 10 in the league in six categories.
• Redshirt junior Izaya Fullard earned third-team All-Big Ten honors as a second baseman. The North Liberty, Iowa, native hit .296 with 48 hits, including nine doubles, and 21 RBIs.
SCHOOL RECORDS
Team Single Game Records
HBP, 7 at Michigan State, 5/30/21
Sacrifice Flies, 4 vs. Northwestern, 4/26/21
Team Single Season Records
Strikeouts – 4th-Most – 390
Individual Single Season Records
Strikeouts – 106, Trenton Wallace – 2nd
HBP – 19, Matthew Sosa – t3rd
Saves – 9, Dylan Nedved – t4th
Individual Game Records
Ben Norman – 2B – 3 vs. Northwestern, 4/25/21
Peyton Williams – 2B, 3 at Michigan State, 5/29/21
Brayden Frazier – 2B, 3 at Michigan State, 5/30/21
Peyton Williams – BB, 4 at Purdue, 4/4/21
Individual Career Records
Games Played – 220, Ben Norman – t1st
Saves – 21, Grant Leonard – 2nd
At-Bats – 750, Ben Norman – 3rd
Appearances – 70, Grant Leonard – 5th
Total Bases – 390, Ben Norman – t5th
Doubles – 46, Ben Norman – 6th
RBIs – 125, Ben Norman – 9th
Strikeouts – 182, Trenton Wallace – 9th
Saves – 9, Dylan Nedved – t10th
Hits – 203, Ben Norman – 11th
Steals – 46, Ben Norman – 11th
Runs – 133, Ben Norman – t11th
Singles – 131, Ben Norman – t12th
Appearances – 52, Trace Hoffman – t15th
Appearances – 50, Cam Baumann – t20
HAWKEYE NOTABLES
• Redshirt junior Izaya Fullard closed out the season riding a career-long 27 game reached base streak. It was the longest streak by a Hawkeye in 2021.
• 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.
• Redshirt seniors Ben Norman and Matthew Sosa were the only two Hawkeyes to start every game this season.
• Sosa was plunked a Big Ten-high 19 times. The total was 14th nationally and tied for third in a single-season in school history. Sosa’s 0.43 HBP per game ranked 11th nationally.
• Iowa had 17 games with 10 or more hits this season, including a season-high 18 hits against Northwestern on April 25.
• Iowa had four or more extra base hits in 18 games this season, including eight (6 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR) against Northwestern on April 25.
• Ben Norman, Peyton Williams and Brayden Frazier all tied a single-game school record by ripping 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) were 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 were the only two non-Iowa starters on the roster.
SIT ‘EM DOWN WALLEY
Redshirt junior Trenton Wallace led the Big Ten during the regular season with 106 strikeouts. He finished the season third in the league. Wallace ranked 45th nationally in strikeouts, but his 13.07 strikeouts per nine innings was 17th in the country.
• Wallace’s total ranks second in the single-season record books, trailing only Jim Magrane’s 110 strikeouts in 1999.
WALLEY: THE ACE
Redshirt junior Trenton Wallace was Iowa’s ace in 2021. The southpaw went 7-1 with a 2.34 ERA over 73 innings. He had eight quality starts to his ledger and he allowed zero earned runs in six starts.
• Iowa won nine straight series openers from April 2-May 28 . The Hawkeyes won the opening game of the series in all but two weekends on the season.
• The Rock Island, Illinois, native led the Big Ten in ERA (2.34), fewest runs allowed (20) and tied for the league lead in wins (7). He also was second in fewest earned runs allowed (18), was third in strikeouts (106) and strikeouts looking (33), 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 allowed two or fewer runs in 10 starts and had eight or more strikeouts in 10 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 enjoyed a breakout “super senior” season. The outfielder led the team in runs (36), home runs (10), RBIs (53), hits (52), total bases (104) and steals (12), while ranking second in slugging percentage (.612) and walks (27). He led the Big Ten in RBIs and triples (4) en route to first-team All-Big Ten honors.
• 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 had a career-high 10 home runs and he surpassed his home run total from his first four seasons where he had seven blasts in his first 176 career games. He was 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 played in 220 games in his Hawkeye career to tie Craig Conti’s all-time record. He is also third in career at-bats (750), tied for fifth in total bases (390), sixth in doubles (46), ninth in RBIs (125), 11th in hits (203) and steals (46), tied for 11th in runs (133) and tied for 12th in singles (131). He started the final 119 games of his career.
P-A-T-T-Y
• Redshirt junior Izaya Fullard hit .324 (33-of-102) over his final 24 games. He had multi-hit contest in 13 of the 24 games with 20 RBIs and 18 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 enjoyed a strong redshirt junior season as Iowa’s Sunday starter. The Fairfield, Iowa, native went 5-5 with a 4.19 ERA over 13 appearances (12 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 won three straight starts in wins over Minnesota, Rutgers and Northwestern.
• Baumann allowed two runs or fewer in seven of his last 12 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 had six quality starts, including three in his last four 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.
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 hit .279 with 25 RBIs and 28 runs scored this season.
THE BIG KAHUNAH
Redshirt freshman Peyton Williams hit safely in 23 games with eight multi-hit and eight multi-RBI games. He led the Big Ten in walks (34), while ranking third in OBP (.470). Williams closed out the season hitting safely in each of the final six contests.
• The Johnston, 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.
• He tied a school record in the second-to-last game of the season when he finished 3-for-5 with three doubles on May 29 at Michigan State.
ROTATION NOTES
• Iowa’s starting pitchers allowed two or fewer earned runs in 24 of 44 starts this season and they went at least five innings in 28 starts.
• Iowa used the same four starting pitchers for the duration of the season. Redshirt junior Cam Baumann and redshirt sophomore Duncan Davitt have shared the No. 3 spot on three-game weekends.
• Iowa’s starters notched 19 quality starts with redshirt junior Trenton Wallace leading the way with eight such starts.
THE HAWKEYES WERE…
• 20-2 when scoring first.
• 17-1 when out-hitting its opposition.
• 11-5 against left-handed starters and 15-13 against righties.
• 24-4 when limiting opponents to five or fewer runs.
• 22-1 when leading after six innings, 18-1 after seven, and 20-1 after eight.
• 17-4 when making zero errors.
• Out-scoring their opposition, 97-64, over the final three innings and in extra innings.
PITCHING NOTES
• Iowa’s pitching staff had 14 games with 10 or more strikeouts and 22 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 allowed three earned runs or fewer in 22 games.
• The Hawkeyes finished with 390 strikeouts, which are the fourth-most in a single season in school history.
ACE IN THE ‘PEN
• Redshirt junior Dylan Nedved was Iowa’s closer and primary late-inning stopper. The right-hander went 4-1 with a 4.19 ERA with nine saves over 20 appearances, spanning 34 1/3 innings.
• The nine saves were second in the Big Ten Conference and ranked 27th nationally. The nine saves are tied for the fourth most in a single season in school history.
• The right-hander made multiple weekend appearances seven times, 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 13 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
• Senior Trace Hoffman was second on the team with 18 appearances, allowing 12 runs on 24 hits over 23 2/3 innings. Hoffman pitched three shutout innings, scattering two hits against Penn State on May 7.
• Redshirt senior Grant Leonard went 0-1 with one save and a 4.72 ERA in 12 appearances this season. Leonard struck out the side, needing only 10 pitches, for his first save on May 8 against Penn State. He allowed one hit and fanned seven over his last four appearances, spanning 5 2/3 innings.
• Leonard finished his career with 21 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 63 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 overcame deficits in 19 games in 2021. The team was 12-7 in such contests.
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.
30 WINS X 6
Since head coach Rick Heller’s first season in 2014, the Hawkeyes have reached the 30-win plateau in six seasons. It ws the program’s longest stretch since posting seven straight 30-win seasons from 1979-85.
2014: 30-23
2015: 41-18 (2nd-most wins all-time)
2016: 30-26
2017: 39-22 (5th-most wins all-time)
2018: 33-20
2019: 31-24
2020: 10-5 (*pandemic shortened)
2021: 28-16 (Big Ten-only schedule)
BANKS MAGIC
• The Hawkeyes are 105-33 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.
#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 240 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 six of his first eight 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 26 All-Big Ten honorees in eight 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.
