Notes: Hawkeyes-Gophers Set for 3-Game Series

MATCHUP	Minnesota (10-20, 1-5) at Iowa (17-12, 3-3)
LOCATION	Duane Banks Field | Iowa City, Iowa
DATE	April 15-17, 2022
WATCH	BTN+
LISTEN	Hawkeye Radio Network | The Varsity Network
LIVE STATS	Live Stats
STARTING ROTATION
Game 1 | April 15 | 7:02 p.m. (CT)	UI: RHP Adam Mazur (2-2, 3.33 ERA) MINN: RHP Sam Ireland (3-2, 3.53 ERA)
Game 2 | April 16 | 2:05 p.m. (CT)	UI: RHP Connor Schultz (1-0, 2.79 ERA) MINN: RHP J.P. Massey (2-4, 6.55 ERA)
Game 3 | April 17 | 1:05 (CT)	UI: RHP Ty Langenberg (4-0, 2.55 ERA) MINN: RHP Aidan Maldonado (1-3, 5.02 ERA)

 

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team will host its second straight Big Ten series, welcoming Minnesota to Duane Banks Field for three games from April 15-17. Friday’s series opener will begin at 7:02 p.m. (CT) followed by 2:05 p.m. and 1:05 p.m. starts on Saturday and Sunday.
• Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth (18 and younger). University of Iowa students get in free of charge with a valid UI ID.

PROMOTIONS
• Saturday is Junior Hawk Club Day. Junior Hawk Club members get free admission and will be recognized throughout the game. It will also be “Have a Catch Saturday”.
• On Easter Sunday, there will be a Hawkeye Egg Hunt on the field following the game. Iowa head rowing coach Jeff Garbutt will throw out the first pitch.

WATCH/LISTEN LIVE
• Friday’s game will be televised on BTN with Kevin Kugler and Scott Pose on the call. Saturday and Sunday’s contests will be streamed online via BTN+ ($).
• All three games will be broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network with Zach Mackey on the call. Fans can access the stream free by downloading The Varsity Network app.
• All 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
• The Hawkeyes have won nine of their last 13 games to improve to 17-12 overall. Iowa is a season-high five games over .500 heading into the three-game weekend series against Minnesota.
• Iowa has won two of its last three series, winning two of three games against Central Michigan (3/25-27) and at Michigan (4/2-3). The road series win in Ann Arbor was the first since 2015.
• Head coach Rick Heller won his 250th game as Iowa’s head coach in the Hawkeyes’ 6-5 victory over St. Thomas on March 21. Heller is third all-time on the program’s career wins list. Heller is three wins shy of 950.
• The Hawkeyes have overcome deficits in 11 games this season. Iowa is 7-4 in such contests.
• Iowa finished with season highs in runs (16) and hits (18) in its midweek win at Milwaukee on Tuesday. Six Hawkeyes had multi-hit games and seven had multi-RBI games in the victory. They were the most runs by the team since last season’s 18-0 win over Minnesota.
• Iowa’s pitching staff has been remarkable through the first two months of the 2022 season, allowing just 175 hits and fanning 371 over 263 1/3 innings, while limiting hitters to a .187 average.
• Iowa leads the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (12.7) and is second in hits allowed per nine innings (5.98). The Hawkeyes are also 16th in ERA (3.59) and 26th in WHIP (1.26).
• The pitching staff ranks in the top four in the Big Ten in seven categories. Iowa leads the Big Ten in strikeouts (371), fewest hits allowed (175) and batting average against (.187), while ranking second in ERA (3.52), fewest runs (113) and earned runs allowed (103) and tied for fourth in saves (9).
• Redshirt freshman Keaton Anthony has earned three Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors this season. The Georgia native is second in the Big Ten and 21st nationally with 14 doubles.
• Redshirt senior Izaya Fullard has four straight multi-hit games. He is hitting .355 (11-of-33) since returning to the lineup April 2 at Michigan.
• Sophomore Michael Seegers has a team-best 14 hits over his last 10 games, where he is hitting .341 (14-of-41) with 10 RBIs.
• Sixteen of Iowa’s 29 games have been decided by two runs or fewer. The Hawkeyes are 8-8 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
• Iowa has had six games canceled/altered because of weather this season.
• The Hawkeyes are 111-38 (.740) at home since the start of the 2015 season.
• Redshirt freshman Keaton Anthony is riding a 12-game on-base streak dating back to March 21 against St. Thomas. It is Anthony’s second 10+ streak this season as he had a 14-game reached base streak from Feb. 15-March 18.
• Redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams and freshman Ben Wilmes — both Johnston, Iowa, natives — both have season-long nine-game reached base streaks.
• The Hawkeyes have used six different starting pitchers in their weekend rotation during the first eight weeks of the season.
• Iowa has scored 10 or more runs in five games this season. The Hawkeyes have 10 games with 10 or more hits.
• Iowa’s pitching staff has allowed four runs or fewer in 17 of its 29 games and five or fewer hits in 15 games.
• The Hawkeyes have played errorless baseball in 10 games this season. Iowa is 9-1 in such contests.
• Head coach Rick Heller is 30-32 against ranked opponents during his Hawkeye tenure. Iowa has posted at least one win over a ranked foe in each of the last eight seasons.
• 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.

OOC
The Hawkeyes are down three position players — all infielders — because of injury. Sam Hojnar hasn’t played since April 3 because of mono, while senior Brendan Sher and sophomore Andy Nelson both suffered hamstring injuries in game two of the April 9 doubleheader against Illinois.
• Freshman Ben Wilmes has started at third base the last two games after limited action (game or practice) at the position this season.
• Senior Dylan Nedved made his first appearance as a position player at Bradley, entering as a defensive replacement at second base.

ROTATION JUGGLING
The Hawkeyes will use their fourth different combination of starting pitchers this weekend against Minnesota.
• Redshirt sophomore Adam Mazur will move to Friday (where he pitched from Week 1 through Week 6), while graduate student Connor Schultz will return to Saturday. Ty Langenberg will remain in his Sunday role.
• Schultz made two starts in Week 1 and Week 2 before being sidelined with shoulder soreness. The Cedar Falls, Iowa, native was 0-0 with a 2.00 ERA in the two starts, allowing two runs on four hits and fanning 16.

NEDVED RETURNS TO THE PEN
After making four starts, redshirt senior Dylan Nedved is returning to the bullpen as the Hawkeyes’ closer. The Kansas native is 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in five relief appearances this season with two saves. He has allowed six hits over 14 innings with a 21-to-4 strikeout to walk ratio.
• The move comes following a week where the Hawkeyes blew three saves in games against Bradley and Illinois.
• Nedved, who was named to the preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List, has 11 career saves as a Hawkeye, which are tied for the ninth most all-time.
• Nedved has won as Iowa’s Friday starter in each of the past two weekends, downing Michigan and Illinois in consecutive starts. He was 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in the two wins.
• On the year, Nedved is 3-2 with a 4.00 ERA in nine appearances. He has allowed 21 hits over 36 innings with 42 strikeouts to 16 walks. Nedved is leading the Big Ten in fewest hits allowed (21) and is third in batting average against (.174).

RANKED WIN
The Hawkeyes posted a 6-3 victory over No. 12 Texas Tech on March 20 in Iowa City.
• It was the team’s first win over a ranked opponent this season and the highest ranked foe Iowa has defeated since winning two of three games over No. 12 Oklahoma State in 2018.
• Head coach Rick Heller has defeated at least one ranked foe in each season as Iowa’s head coach.

A STRONG SERIES IN MICHIGAN
The Hawkeyes won two of three games in Ann Arbor for the first time since 2015. Iowa was strong in all three phases:
• hitting .291 on the weekend, averaging six runs per game.
• posting a 2.42 ERA, allowing just seven runs on 15 hits and fanning 32. Michigan batted just .163. Iowa’s starters logged 19 2/3 innings and the staff used just eight pitchers on the weekend.
• committing just one error and posting a .990 fielding percentage. They were the team’s first errorless game in nearly a month (March 6).

WELCOME BACK PATTY
Redshirt senior Izaya Fullard, a.k.a. Meat Patty, is hitting .355 (11-of-31) since returning to the starting lineup after missing the first six weeks of the season after breaking his hamate bone.
• The North Liberty, Iowa, native has hit safely in six of the seven games with five two-hit contests. He has two hits in each of the team’s last four games.

IOWA’S BIG BASHER
Redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams has hit safely in all but nine games this season and he has 10 multi-hit games (second most on the team), including three four-hit contests. He went 4-for-4 with a three-run homer at San Diego State on March 15.
• On the year, Williams is hitting .339 (38-of-112) with 26 runs and 20 RBIs. The Johnston, Iowa, native has 18 extra-base hits, including 11 doubles and seven home runs.
• Williams ranks in the top 10 in the Big Ten in four categories. He is tied for fifth in doubles (11), seventh in OBP (1.073), ninth in slugging (.625) and tied for 10th in home runs (7).
• Williams has a team-high seven home runs, including a 422-foot blast with a 110 mph exit velocity against Washington State at the Frisco Classic. The first baseman homered in back-to-back games against Illinois on April 9 and April 10.

OUR GEORGIA PEACH
Redshirt freshman Keaton Anthony is posting impressive numbers in his first season of collegiate baseball. The outfielder, who has been honored three times as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week this season, is hitting a team-best .343 (37-of-108) with 14 doubles, six home runs, 28 RBIs and 24 runs scored.
• The Georgia native has hit safely in 23 games this season with a team-high 11 multi-hit games. Anthony is second in the Big Ten in doubles (14) — a figure that ranks 21st nationally — and he has 20 extra base hits for a .639 slugging percentage.
• Anthony has homered in two of his last three and three of his last six games. He hit a three-run homer in Iowa’s 16-2 road win at Milwaukee on Tuesday.
• Anthony had a career day 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.
• Anthony hit .462 (6-of-13) with four RBIs in series win at Michigan en route to his third Freshman of the Week honor. He was 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and four RBIs in the series-clinching win.

LANGENBERG SHINES
Sophomore Ty Langenberg has settled into weekend rotation as Iowa’s Sunday starter. He has made five straight Sunday starts. The Urbandale, Iowa, native is 4-0 with a 2.55 ERA on the season, giving up just 10 runs on 31 hits over 35 1/3 innings. Langenberg has 48 strikeouts to 11 walks on the year.
• The right-hander went a career-long 6 1/3 innings against Illinois, but wasn’t involved in the decision. He allowed four runs on six hits and fanned six in the game.
• Langenberg notched his fourth win, tossing 5 2/3 shutout innings at Michigan. He scattered five hits and had a career-high 11 strikeouts.
• He has 34 strikeouts (10 vs. Texas Tech, 7 vs. Central Michigan, 11 at Michigan, 6 vs. Illinois) over his last four starts and has eight or more Ks in three appearances this season.
• Langenberg is third in the Big Ten in fewest runs allowed (10), fourth in fewest earned runs (10), fifth in ERA (2.55), tied for sixth in wins (4), tied for 10th in fewest hits allowed (31) and 10th in strikeouts (48).

MAZUR ON THE MOUND
Redshirt sophomore Adam Mazur has a steady piece of Iowa’s rotation through the first two months of the season, going 2-2 with a 3.33 ERA with 51 strikeouts over 46 innings. He has seven or more strikeouts in four starts.
• The right-hander has started the first six weeks as the game one starter before making two Saturday starts. Mazur will return to Friday against Minnesota.
• Over his last three starts, Mazur has allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits over 18 innings, where he has 18 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .115 during the stretch.
• 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 four quality starts this season, has three streaks of 10 or more consecutive batters retired this season.
• Mazur has three games this season where he has fanned nine batters (vs. Air Force, vs. Pepperdine, vs. Illinois.
• The Minnesota native is leading the Big Ten in batting average against (.149), is second in fewest hits allowed (24), sixth in innings (46) and tied for seventh in strikeouts (51).

ONE OF THE B1G’s BEST
The Hawkeye pitching staff has been superb this season as Iowa leads the Big Ten in strikeouts (371), batting average against (.187) and fewest hits allowed (175), while ranking second in ERA (3.52) and fewest runs (113) and earned runs (103) allowed.
• The Hawkeyes have given up just 175 hits over 263 1/3 innings with just 48 going for extra bases.
• Iowa is leading the nation, striking out 12.7 batters per nine innings and rank second in hits allowed per nine innings at 5.98.
• Iowa’s starting pitchers are 9-5 with a 3.85 ERA, fanning 157 over 126 1/3 innings. Opponents are hitting just .200.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
Iowa’s pitching staff has the top four strikeout games (and six of the top 10) in the Big Ten this season. The Hawkeyes fanned 22 in the 13-inning contest against Illinois on April 9, 20 against Ball State on Feb. 19 and 20 against San Diego State on March 15. The 22 punch outs are tied for the ninth-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 and 17 against Bradley on April 6.
• Iowa has 10 or more strikeouts in 22 games this season, including eight games with 16 or more strikeouts.
• The Hawkeyes have 371 strikeouts over 29 games. The staff is on pace to shatter the school record of 499 strikeouts set in 2018.

LIMITING 1Bs
• The Hawkeyes have allowed five or fewer hits in 15 games this season.
• Iowa posted a one-hitter against Air Force on Feb. 18 — the first for the program since 2019 (vs. Simpson, 7-2 win).
• Iowa has six games, allowing three or fewer hits this season. The Hawkeyes have four games allowing two or fewer hits.

THE MEN IN RELIEF
• The Hawkeyes have five difference relievers that have tallied at least one save this season. Iowa is tied for fourth in the Big Ten with nine saves.
• Redshirt sophomore Luke Llewellyn has a team-best three saves, which are tied for fifth-most in the Big Ten. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 0.90 ERA in 10 appearances, spanning 10 innings. He has allowed five hits and has eight strikeouts (but has issued eight walks).
• Senior Ben Beutel notched his first win as a Hawkeye in Iowa’s 6-5 victory over St. Thomas on March 31. The southpaw is 1-0 with a 2.51 ERA in a team-high 15 appearances this season. Beutel has allowed four runs on nine hits over 14 1/3 innings where he has 20 strikeouts to two walks.
• Beutel hasn’t allowed a run in 12 of his 15 appearances and he has made multiple weekend appearances five times this season.
• Freshman Brody Brecht has 15 strikeouts over his last 6 1/3 innings, giving him 30 Ks over 15 innings this season. He is 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 10 appearances.
• Redshirt junior Duncan Davitt is 3-1 with a 3.18 ERA in 10 appearances as a swing reliever. He has allowed seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits and has 31 strikeouts over 17 innings.
• Iowa’s relievers are 8-7 with a 3.22 ERA this season,
allowing 70 runs (49 earned) on 83 hits over 137 innings. The staff has 214 strikeouts to 94 walks and is limiting hitters to a .173 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.
• Brecht has hit 100 or higher on the radar gun 20 times this season.

ON THE OFFENSIVE
• The Hawkeyes have scored 168 runs in 29 games, averaging 5.8 runs per contest. Iowa has five games with 10 or more runs and 10 games with 10 or more hits.
• Iowa is 11-5 when scoring first this season and 12-7 when out-hitting its opponent.
• The Hawkeyes are outscoring opponents, 58-32, over the first three innings.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
• Leadoff hitter Michael Seegers has hit safely in 12 of the team’s last 14 games with five multi-hit games, which includes a 4-for-4, three-RBI game in the series opener at Michigan and a 2-for-4, 3-RBI game in the road win at Bradley.
• Redshirt sophomore Kyle Huckstorf has hit safely in 21 games this season and he is 7-of-9 on the base paths to lead the team. The outfielder is hitting .271 with 14 RBIs and 15 runs scored.
• In his second start of the season, redshirt sophomore Will Mulflur went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in the road win at Milwaukee on April 12.
• Freshman Sam Petersen has five multi-hit games over his last nine contests, where he is hitting .342 during the stretch with seven RBIs and nine runs scored. The Huxley, Iowa, native hit a three-run homer in the series opener against Central Michigan and had the go-ahead two-run single in the eighth inning in the series finale against the Chippewas.
• Redshirt sophomore Ben Tallman is hitting .500 (3-for-6) over his last two games with three RBIs and three runs scored. The Montana native hit a 458-foot blast against Illinois on April 10 for his first career home run.

SCOUTING MINNESOTA
• The Gophers bring a 10-20 overall and 1-5 Big Ten record into the weekend series. Minnesota has dropped back-to-back series against Rutgers and Maryland.
• Minnesota is 12th in the Big Ten with a .246 team batting average and the Gophers average 5.2 runs per game. Jack Kelly leads the team and ranks sixth in the Big Ten with a .370 batting average. Kelly leads the team in doubles (11), triples (3), home runs (6), RBIs (31), total bases (72), slugging (.720) and on-base percentage (.444).
• The Gophers’ pitching staff also is second-to-last in the league with a 6.33 team ERA. The staff has allowed 282 hits over 260 1/3 innings and have 268 strikeouts to 150 walks. Friday starter Sam Ireland is 3-2 with a 3.53 ERA with 51 strikeouts over 43 1/3 innings.
• Former Hawkeye Will Semb is in his first season with the Gophers. The right-hander is 1-3 with a 4.67 ERA over 15 appearances.

SERIES RECORDS
• Minnesota leads the all-time series 185-122.
• Iowa swept the Gophers last season in Iowa City, out-scoring Minnesota, 31-2, in the three-game series. It was the program’s second sweep of the Gophers under head coach Rick Heller.

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 69 games since the start of the 2017 season and posted 15 walk-offs. Thirty-three of those victories have come with Iowa trailing or being tied entering or through seven innings. Twenty have come in the final at-bat.

BANKS MAGIC
• The Hawkeyes are 111-38 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 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 257 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.