Notes: Iowa Hosts No. 12/17 Texas Tech for 2-Game Series

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team will open a season-long seven game home stand with a two-game series against No. 12/17 Texas Tech from March 19-20 at Duane Banks Field. Saturday’s series opener will start at 3:05 p.m. (CT) followed by a 1:05 p.m. start Sunday.
• The series was scheduled to begin Friday, but a unfavorable weather forecast forced the cancellation of the contest.
• Admission is $7 for adults and $3 for youth. University of Iowa students are free with a valid student ID.

PROMOTIONS
• Saturday – Koozie Giveaway… Have a Catch Saturday… first pitch by head tennis coach Sasha Schmid.
• Sunday – Tigerhawk tatoo giveaway… Sunday Runday… first pitch head volleyball coach Jim Barnes.

WATCH/LISTEN LIVE
• Both games against Texas Tech will be streamed online via BTN+ ($).
• All three games will be broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network with John Evans on the call. Fans can access the stream free by downloading The Varsity Network app.
• A majority of Iowa games can be heard on the radio on 800 AM KXIC (Iowa City), 1360 AM KMJM (Cedar Rapids), 95.9 FM KKFD (Fairfield) and 101.1 FM & 1220 AM KJAN (Atlantic).
• Live stats will be available on hawkeyesports.com and live updates will be available on Twitter (@UIBaseball).

LEADING OFF
• This is Iowa’s first home series against a ranked foe since 2019 when it welcomed No. 18 UC Irvine to Duane Banks Field for a three-game series. The Hawkeyes took two of three games from the Anteaters.
• Head coach Rick Heller is 29-31 against ranked opponents during his Hawkeye tenure. Iowa has posted at least one win over a ranked foe in each of the last seven seasons.
• The Red Raiders are the highest ranked opponent to come to Duane Banks Field since No. 12 Oklahoma State in 2018.
• Iowa opens up a season-long eight game home stand. The Hawkeyes are 106-34 (.757 winning percentage) at home since the start of the 2015 season.
• Redshirt freshman Keaton Anthony earned his second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor on March 16. The outfielder hit .500 (5-of-10) with five runs and four RBIs during the three-game series at UC Irvine.
• Redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams ranks in the top seven in the Big Ten in eight categories. He is slashing .417/.750/.507 with a 1.257 OBP. The first baseman has eight doubles and four home runs.
• Iowa’s pitching staff ranks in the top 35 in the NCAA in four different categories — third in strikeouts per nine innings (12.8), fourth in hits per nine innings (5.98), 30th in ERA (3.20) and 35th in WHIP (1.20).
• The Hawkeyes rank in the top three in the Big Ten in eight pitching categories — first in fewest hits allowed (88), strikeouts (188) and batting average against (.186), second in ERA (3.20), shutouts (2), fewest runs (58) and earned runs (42) and third in saves (5).
• Iowa is 24th nationally in doubles per game (2.47) and 25th in doubles (37).
• Friday starter Adam Mazur, a two-time Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honoree, is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA with 28 strikeouts in four starts. He is leading the Big Ten in batting average against (.157), third in innings (24.0), fifth in fewest hits allowed (13) and sixth in strikeouts (28) and wins (2).
• Ten of Iowa’s 15 games have been decided by two runs or fewer. The Hawkeyes are 4-6 in such contests.
• Iowa has advanced to the postseason in six of Heller’s eight seasons (there was no Big Ten/NCAA Tournament in 2020 and no Big Ten Tournament in 2021 because of COVID). He has led the Hawkeyes to two NCAA Regional appearances (2015, 2017).

OF NOTE
• Nineteen players on the 2022 roster have made their Hawkeye debuts during the first four weeks of the season.
• The Hawkeyes have used six different starting pitchers in their weekend rotation during the first month of the season.
• Iowa has scored 10 or more runs in three games this season. The Hawkeyes have six games with 10 or more hits.
• Iowa’s pitching staff has allowed four runs or fewer in 11 of its 15 games and five or fewer hits in seven games.
• The Hawkeyes have played errorless baseball in six games this season. Iowa is 5-1 in such contests.
• The Hawkeyes are picked as an NCAA Regional team by D1Baseball.com and Baseball America in 2022 and are tabbed to finish in the top four of the Big Ten standings. Mazur is a preseason All-Big Ten selection by Perfect Game, while RHP Marcus Morgan was tabbed as D1Baseball’s Preseason Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
• Senior Dylan Nedved and redshirt sophomores Adam Mazur and Peyton Williams were named Big Ten Players to Watch. The Hawkeyes were picked to finish third in a vote of the league’s head coaches.
• Redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams will play with the Cotuit Kettleers in June in the Cape Cod League.
• Iowa’s 2022 newcomer class (transfers and freshman) is rated as the 23rd-best recruiting class in the country by D1Baseball.com.

BEWARE OF BANKS
The last two ranked nonconference opponents to come to Duane Banks Field have departed Iowa City with a series loss. The Hawkeyes took two of three games from No. 12 Oklahoma State in 2018 and No. 18 UC Irvine in 2019.

IOWA’S BIG BASHER
Redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams is hitting .475 (19-of-40) with six double, three home runs, 11 RBIs and 13 runs scored over his last 10 games. The Johnston, Iowa, native has a .850 slugging and .553 on-base percentage during the stretch.
• Williams has hit safely in all but three games this season and he has six multi-hit games, including three four-hit contests. He went 4-for-4 with a three-run homer in his most recent game — a 6-4 win at San Diego State.
• On the year, Williams is hitting .417 (25-of-60) with 17 runs and 14 RBIs. He has eight doubles and four home runs.
• Williams ranks in the top seven in the Big Ten in eight categories — third in batting average (.417), hits (25) and doubles (8), fourth in OBP (.507) and OPS (1.257), fifth in slugging (.750) and runs (17) and seventh in home runs (4).
• Williams has a team-high four home runs, including a 422-foot blast with a 110 mph exit velocity against Washington State at the Frisco Classic.

ANTHONY IN THE MIDDLE
Peyton Williams has been putting up impressive numbers in part because redshirt freshman Keaton Anthony has been providing him protection in the Hawkeye batting order.
• The Georgia native has hit safely in 12 games this season with a team-high seven multi-hit games. Anthony is hitting below .400 for the first time since Feb. 18 as he is hitting .396 (21-of-53) with 15 runs and 13 RBIs. His nine doubles lead the Big Ten and rank 11th nationally.
• Anthony had a career performance in his third career game in Iowa’s 11-1 victory over Ball State on Feb. 19, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, two home runs, four runs and five RBIs.
• Anthony hit .444 (4-of-9) with five runs and five RBIs in the three games at the Swig & Swine Classic and finished with a .583 on-base and 1.333 slugging percentage en route to being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Feb. 23.
• He earned his second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor on March 16 after hitting .500 (5-of-10) with five runs and four RBIs at UC Irvine.

DYL & TY JOIN ROTATION
Senior Dylan Nedved and sophomore Ty Langenberg made their first career starts last weekend at UC Irvine.
• Nedved was a tough-luck loser, after allowing just two runs on four hits over seven innings in a 2-1 defeat. The right-hander is 0-1 with a 2.12 ERA in five appearances. He is 18 strikeouts and has allowed just nine hits over 17 innings.
• Langenberg notched his third win after tossing five innings of two-run ball against the Anteaters. Langenberg’s three wins are 17th nationally. He is 3-0 with a 2.51 ERA with 14 strikeouts (to three walks) over 14 1/3 innings.

MAZUR: THE ACE
Redshirt sophomore Adam Mazur had a strong first month as a Hawkeye, going 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA with 28 strikeouts over 24 innings. He has seven or more strikeouts in three of his four starts.
• Mazur was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 23 and March 2. He is the first Hawkeye pitcher to earn the distinction in consecutive weeks.
• The right-hander went six innings, allowing one run — a solo home run — over six innings in his debut against Air Force before retiring the final 16 batters he faced on Feb. 18.
• He logged a career-best 7 2/3 innings against Pepperdine on Feb. 25, allowing zero runs on three hits and fanning nine. He retired 10 straight at one point in the contest.
• Mazur carried a no-hitter into the sixth against Wichita State on March 4 and he retired 15 straight batters at one point.
• Mazur, who has two quality starts this season, has three streaks of 10 or more consecutive batters retired in four starts.
• The Minnesota native is leading the Big Ten in batting average against (.157), while ranking third in innings (24), fifth in fewest hits (13), and sixth in strikeouts (28) and wins (2).

ONE OF THE B1G’s BEST
The Hawkeye pitching staff has been superb through the first month of the 2022 season. Iowa ranks in the top three in the Big Ten in eight different categories, including leading the league in strikeouts (188), batting average against (.186) and fewest hits allowed (88). The team is second in ERA (3.20), shutouts (2), fewest runs and earned runs allowed (58/42) and is third in saves (5).
• Iowa is third nationally, striking out 12.8 batters per nine innings and fourth in hits allowed per nine innings at 5.98.
• Iowa’s starting pitchers are 5-2 with a 3.41 ERA, fanning 78 over 63 1/3 innings. Opponents are hitting just .194.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
Iowa’s pitching staff has the top three strikeout games in the conference this season. The Hawkeyes fanned 20 against Ball State on Feb. 19 and 20 against San Diego State on March 15. The 20 punch outs are tied for the sixth-most in a single game in the nation this season.
• The Hawkeyes also fanned 19 on March 2 in an 8-0 victory over Cornell College. Iowa has 10 or more strikeouts in 11 of 15 games this season, including four games with 16 or more strikeouts.

THE MEN IN RELIEF
• Redshirt sophomore Will Christophersen struck out the side plus one in his first appearance as a Hawkeye. He fanned four batters in the ninth in the win over Ball State on Feb. 19. The Bettendorf, Iowa, native has 13 strikeouts to two walks over 7 2/3 innings.
• With Dylan Nedved moving to the starting rotation, Iowa has been going with the closer by committee approach. Redshirt sophomore Casey Day has notched two saves and redshirt sophomore Luke Llewellyn one over the past five games.
• Nedved has two four-out saves this season and his two saves are tied for third in the Big Ten (with Day). Nedved has 11 career saves, which are tied for ninth-most in program history.
• Senior Ben Beutel and redshirt sophomore Jacob Henderson have each made a team-high seven appearances this season. Beutel has 11 strikeouts over six innings, while Henderson has seven Ks over four innings.
• Iowa’s relievers are 3-5 with a 3.00 ERA this season, allowing 33 runs (23 earned) on 44 hits over 69 innings. The staff has 110 strikeouts to 41 walks and is limiting hitters to a .180 average.

HEAT ALERT
Freshman RHP Brody Brecht had a blazing debut in his first career appearance at Duane Banks Field. The Ankeny, Iowa, native hit triple digits on his first three pitches, going 101, 101 and 100 in a 1-2-3 inning against Cornell College on March 2.

EARLY OFFENSE
• The Hawkeyes have scored 84 runs in 15 games, averaging 5.6 runs per contest. Iowa has three games with 10 or more runs and six games with 10 or more hits.
• Iowa is 5-3 when scoring first this season and 5-5 when out-hitting its opponent.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
• The Hawkeyes rank in the top five in the Big Ten in three offensive categories, sitting third in triples (4) and fifth in batting average (.277) and doubles (37). The 37 doubles are 25th nationally.
• Sophomore Anthony Mangano has hit safely in seven of the last eight games with three extra base hits. The Illinois native has started six games as the DH and he is hitting .323 with five of his 10 hits going for extra bases.
• Senior Brett McCleary has hit safely in three straight games after enduring a 0-for-14 slump. The Iowa City native had his first multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs in the road win at San Diego State on March 15.

FRISCO HONORS
Three Hawkeyes – Keaton Anthony, Peyton Williams and Dylan Nedved — were named to the Frisco Classic All-Tournament Team on March 6.
• Anthony hit .385 (5-of-13) in three games with three doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored.
• Williams had a .333 (4-of-12) average with three extra base hits, including two home runs. The first baseman also made a key defensive play against Washington State, making a catch in foul territory before going into the stands. The play was a top-10 play for the week by D1Baseball.com.
• Nedved pitched a career-long 4 2/3 innings in relief against Texas A&M. He entered in the first inning with one out and the bases loaded and got out of the jam by inducing an inning-ending double play. The right-hander allowed two unearned runs and fanned a career-high nine in the outing.

ODD STAT LINE
The Hawkeye pitching staff’s unique stat line to open the season came to a halt on March 2 (thankfully so).
Game 1 – 1 hit vs. Air Force
Game 2 – 2 hits vs. Ball State
Game 3 – 3 hits vs. Bucknell
Game 4 – 4 hits vs. Pepperdine
Game 5 – 5 hits vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Game 6 – 6 hits vs. Wichita State
Game 7 – 7 hits vs. Loras College
Game 8 – 2 hits vs. Cornell College

1-2-3-4-5-6-7
• The Hawkeye pitching staff posted a one-hitter against Air Force on Feb. 18 — the first for the program since 2019 (vs. Simpson, 7-2 win).
• Iowa has four games, allowing three or fewer hits, surpassing the total from the 2021 season (in 44 contests).
• The Hawkeyes have allowed five or fewer hits in eight games this season.

FRONTLINE TRANSFERS
Iowa added a pair of Friday night starters to the 2022 roster as transfers in RHP Adam Mazur (South Dakota State) and RHP Connor Schultz (Butler).
• Mazur, who was tabbed as a first-team All-Big Ten selection by Perfect Game, went 3-9 with a 5.50 ERA in 16 starts in two seasons with the Jackrabbits. The Minnesota native had a breakout season in the Cape Cod League, going 3-0 with a 1.55 ERA in six starts en route to Cape Cod All-League honors.
• Mazur is rated as the No. 89 player on MLB.com’s top-100 draft prospects, while being the No. 2 draft prospect in Big Ten and No. 61 nationally by D1Baseball.com.
• Schultz is a graduate pitcher from Butler University where he went 13-9 with a 3.79 ERA in four collegiate seasons. The Cedar Falls, Iowa, native was a first-team All-Big East selection in 2019 and was the Big East Preseason Pitcher of the Year in 2020. Schultz battled hip injuries in each of the past two seasons.

FRESHMEN PHENOMS
The Hawkeyes signed a pair of high-end pitchers in freshman right-handers Brody Brecht and Marcus Morgan. Brecht is from Ankeny, Iowa; Morgan is from Iowa City.
• Brecht is rated as the top incoming recruit in the Big Ten and No. 9 nationally by Perfect Game, while being tabbed as the No. 4 impact recruit in the Big Ten by D1Baseball.com.
• Morgan was named D1Baseball.com’s Preseason Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the top impact freshman in the league.
• Morgan is the first freshman to be in the starting rotation to start the season under head coach Rick Heller. (LHP Jack Dreyer started four games (late in the season) during his true freshman season in 2018.)

NEDVED NAMED TO CLOSER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Senior Dylan Nedved has been named to the NCBWA Closer of the Year Watch List for the 2022 season. The Kansas native went 4-1 with a 4.19 ERA with nine saves over 20 appearances last season. The nine saves ranked second in the Big Ten Conference.

IOWA BY THE NUMBERS
• Iowa returns four starters, its designated hitter, one weekend starter, eight pitchers, and 20 letterwinners in 2022.
• Offensively, the Hawkeyes return 67.1 percent (49-93) of doubles, 47.2 percent of home runs (17-36), 44 percent of runs (122-277), 43 percent of hits (163-379), 39.8 percent of RBIs (102-256), 18.1 percent of steals (8-44) and eight percent of triples (1-12).
• Iowa welcomes back third-team All-Big Ten selection Izaya Fullard (.296, 48 H, 9 2B, 21 RBIs) and redshirt sophomore first baseman Peyton Williams (.295, 15 2B, 6 HR, 27 RBIs) to headline the offense. Redshirt sophomore Brayden Frazier had 10 doubles in 31 games, while hitting .325 in 80 at-bats.
• On the mound, Iowa returns weekend starter LHP Cam Baumann, who went 5-5 with a 4.19 ERA as the team’s Sunday starter in 2021.
• Senior RHP Dylan Nedved has shifted solely to the mound after being a two-way player last season. Nedved led the team and ranked second in the Big Ten with nine saves. He finished the season with a 4-1 record and a 4.19 ERA over 34 1/3 innings.
• Iowa has 81.8 percent of its saves (9-11), 53.8 percent of its wins (14-26), 53.4 percent of its innings (186 1/3-384 2/3) and 42.1 percent of its strikeouts (164-390) returning.

SCOUTING TEXAS TECH
• The Red Raiders are ranked 17th by both D1Baseball.com and Collegiate Baseball and 23rd by Baseball America.
• Texas Tech has won six straight and 15 of its last 16 games to improve to 16-3 overall. The Red Raiders beat Michigan, 7-6, in their season opener and beat No. 23 Mississippi State, 7-2, in Biloxi on March 9.
• The Red Raiders average 9.9 runs per game and the squad has scored 20 or more three times in 2022. Preseason All-American Jace Jung is hitting .386 with six doubles, one triple, three home runs, 19 RBIs and 22 runs scored. Parker Kelly has six of TTU’s 20 home runs to go along with a .371 average and 26 RBIs.
• Ten different Red Raiders have 11 or more RBIs and four regulars are hitting .350 or better. Texas Tech is leading the nation in walks (134), is third in runs (188), is 14th in hits (188), 16th in OBP (.431) and 17th in scoring (9.9).
• Texas Tech’s pitching staff has a 4.02 ERA with 211 strikeouts over 170 innings.

SERIES RECORDS
• Iowa is 0-2 all-time against the Red Raiders, dropping two games during the 2011 season.
• Texas Tech won 9-7 and 6-4 in two games in Lubbock.
• Iowa’s last meeting with a Big 12 foe was in 2020, sweeping a midweek series against Kansas. The Hawkeyes’ last weekend series against a Big 12 opponent was at Kansas State in 2017.

TEAM CAPTAINS
Seniors Cam Baumann, Brett McCleary and Nedved, redshirt junior Brendan Sher and redshirt sophomores Brayden Frazier and Ty Snep were voted team captains for the 2022 season.

DON’T COUNT ‘EM OUT
The Hawkeyes have overcome deficits to win 65 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.

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 was 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 106-34 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 42-man roster features one graduate transfer, five seniors, three juniors, 14 sophomores, two redshirt freshman and nine freshman.
• The Hawkeyes have 21 newcomers (12 transfers), including Division I transfers in Adam Mazur (South Dakota State), Connor Schultz (Butler), Jared Simpson (Missouri), Casey Day (Wichita State) and Will Christophersen (Michigan State).
• The Hawkeye roster is made up of student-athletes from 10 states and Canada — Iowa (28), Illinois (4), Wisconsin (2), Arizona (1), Georgia (1), Kansas (1), Minnesota (1), Missouri (1), Montana (1), Washington (1), Canada (1).
• Iowa has two sets of college teammates and six sets of high school teammates — Kyle Huckstorf and Jared Simpson (Iowa Western CC); Luke Llewellyn, Casey Day and Cade Moss (Kirkwood CC); Brendan Sher and Duncan Davitt (Indianola); Brett McCleary and DJ Heck (Iowa City High); Anthony Mangano and Ty Snep (Lake Zurich); Brody Brecht and Weston Fulk (Ankeny); Ty Langenberg and Gehrig Christensen (Urbandale); Peyton Williams, Cade Moss and Ben Wilmes (Johnston).

#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 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 246 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
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