THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa baseball team heads to the East Coast for a three-game series at No. 8 Rutgers from April 22-24 at Bainton Field in Piscataway, New Jersey. Friday’s series opener is set for 1 p.m. (CT) followed by noon and 11 a.m. starts on Saturday and Sunday.
WATCH/LISTEN LIVE
• All three games of the weekend series at Rutgers 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.
• 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 a season-best five straight games, eight of 10 and 10 of their last 13 to improve to 21-12 overall, which is a season-best nine games over .500. Iowa is 6-3 in the Big Ten, sitting in a tie for fourth place.
• Iowa has won three of its last four series, taking two of three from Central Michigan and Michigan and sweeping Minnesota.
• This week’s series at No. 8 Rutgers is the first against a top-10 ranked foe since 2018 against No. 7 Michigan. Iowa took two of three games against the Wolverines in Iowa City.
• 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 and his 950th game on April 17 against Minnesota. Heller is third all-time on the program’s career wins list.
• Redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams hit for the cycle against Bradley on April 19, finishing 5-for-5 with two doubles, a triple, home run, five RBIs and four runs scored. It is the first cycle by a Hawkeye since Lorenzo Elion in 2018.
• Williams’ five hits also tie a single-game school record (last set by Elion) and his five RBIs and four runs scored are career highs.
• Keaton Anthony earned his school-record fourth Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor on April 19 after slashing .571/1.571/.700 with a 2.271 OPS and two home runs in wins over Milwaukee and Minnesota.
• Iowa is averaging 10.2 runs and hitting .352 as a team during its five-game winning streak. The Hawkeyes have 19 extra-base hits (12 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR) during the stretch. Peyton Williams is hitting .579 (11-of-19) with nine RBIs.
• The Hawkeyes have overcome deficits in 15 games this season. Iowa is 11-4 in such contests.
• Iowa’s pitching staff has been remarkable through the first two-plus months of the 2022 season, allowing just 202 hits and fanning 411 over 299 1/3 innings, while limiting hitters to a .180 average.
• Iowa leads the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (12.4) and is second in hits allowed per nine innings (6.07). The Hawkeyes are also 12th in ERA (3.49) and 18th in WHIP (1.25).
• The pitching staff ranks in the top four in the Big Ten in six categories. Iowa leads the Big Ten in strikeouts (411), fewest hits allowed (202) and batting average against (.190), while ranking second in ERA (3.49), fewest runs (132) and earned runs allowed (116).
• Seventeen of Iowa’s 33 games have been decided by two runs or fewer. The Hawkeyes are 9-8 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.
• Four Hawkeyes — Keaton Anthony (14), Peyton Williams (13), Ben Wilmes (12) and Izaya Fullard (11) — are riding double-digit reached base streaks. Anthony’s streak matches a season and career best.
• Iowa has scored 14 runs during its last two seventh innings — against Minnesota and Bradley. The Hawkeyes’ eight runs against the Gophers matched a season-high inning scoring output (at Milwaukee, 4/12).
• The Hawkeyes have used six different starting pitchers in their weekend rotation during the first nine weeks of the season.
• Iowa has scored 10 or more runs in six games this season. The Hawkeyes have 13 games with 10 or more hits.
• The Hawkeyes have 10 or more hits in five of their last seven games.
• Iowa’s pitching staff has allowed four runs or fewer in 20 of its 33 games and five or fewer hits in 16 games.
• The Hawkeyes have played errorless baseball in 13 games this season. Iowa is 12-1 in such contests. The team hasn’t committed an error in three straight games, tying a season-long stretch.
• 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.
• Iowa won two of three games at Michigan from April 2-4. It was the program’s first road series win in Ann Arbor since 2015.
• 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.
MR. CYCLE
Redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams hit for the cycle in Iowa’s 15-8 midweek win over Bradley on April 19. The Johnston, Iowa, native doubled in the first, singled in the third, homered in the fourth — a 410 foot blast with a 112 mph exit velocity — was hit by a pitch in the sixth, doubled again in the seventh and tripled down the right field line in the eighth.
• Williams tied a school record with his five hits and his five RBIs and four runs scored were career-highs.
• The cycle was the first for a Hawkeye since Lorenzo Elion in 2018. Williams is the third player at Iowa to hit for the cycle under head coach Rick Heller (Mason McCoy).
COMING TO LIFE
The Hawkeyes’ offense is coming to life to the tune of a .352 batting average, while averaging 10.2 runs per game during the five-game winning streak. Iowa has 19 extra base hits during the stretch and eight different Hawkeyes are hitting .300 or above.
• Iowa’s team batting average has climbed 14 points (from .262 to .276) during the stretch. The Hawkeyes are now in the top six in the Big Ten in five offensive categories (batting average, hits, doubles, walks, hit by pitch).
OOC
The Hawkeyes are down several 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.
• Sher returned to the lineup as a defensive replacement April 16, albeit in a limited capacity.
NEDVED: A WEAPON IN RELIEF
After making four starts, redshirt senior Dylan Nedved returned to the bullpen during the Minnesota series as a swing reliever/closer. The Kansas native is 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA in six relief appearances this season with two saves. He has allowed eight hits over 19 innings with a 26-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
• Nedved made two appearances against the Gophers, allowing zero runs over five innings. He logged four innings, allowing one hit, to earn the win on April 17 to complete the Minnesota sweep.
• 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 won as Iowa’s Friday starter against Michigan and Illinois in consecutive starts. He was 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in the two wins.
• On the year, Nedved is 4-2 with a 3.51 ERA in 10 appearances. He has allowed 23 hits over 41 innings with 47 strikeouts to 18 walks.
• He is leading the Big Ten in fewest hits allowed (23), second in batting average against (.168), eighth in fewest runs allowed (23), tied for eighth in strikeouts looking (16) and tied for ninth in fewest earned runs allowed (16).
RANKED OPPONENTS; RANKED WIN
Iowa will play its third, fourth and fifth games against ranked foes this weekend in Piscataway. The Hawkeyes are 1-1 in 2022, having 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.
WELCOME BACK PATTY
Redshirt senior Izaya Fullard, a.k.a. Meat Patty, is hitting .319 (15-of-47) 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 eight of the 11 games with seven two-hit contests and he has reached base in all 11 contests. Fullard has two hits in six of the team’s last eight games.
IOWA’S BIG BASHER
Redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams has hit safely in all but 10 games this season and he has 12 multi-hit games (second most on the team), including one five hit and three four-hit contests.
• Williams went 4-for-4 with a three-run homer at San Diego State on March 15 and he had a career game April 19 against Bradley, finishing 5-for-5 with five RBIs and four runs scored. He became the first Hawkeye to hit for the cycle since 2018.
• On the year, Williams is hitting .368 (46-of-125) with 33 runs and 29 RBIs. The Johnston, Iowa, native has 24 extra-base hits, including 14 doubles, one triple and nine home runs.
• Williams ranks in the top seven in the Big Ten in six categories. He is leading the league in slugging (.712) and is second in OPS (1.193), third in doubles (14), fifth in batting average (.368), sixth in on-base percentage (.481) and tied for seventh in home runs (9).
• Williams has a team-high nine home runs, including a 422-foot blast with a 110 mph exit velocity against Washington State at the Frisco Classic and a 410 foot shot with a 112 mph exit velocity against Bradley.
• He homered in back-to-back games against Illinois on April 9 and 10 and he has four blasts in his last seven games.
OUR GEORGIA PEACH
Redshirt freshman Keaton Anthony is posting impressive numbers in his first season of collegiate baseball. The outfielder, who has been honored a school record four times this season as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week this season, is hitting .362 (42-of-116) with 16 doubles, seven home runs, 32 RBIs and 27 runs scored.
• The Georgia native has hit safely in 25 games this season with a team-high 13 multi-hit games. Anthony is second in the Big Ten in doubles (14) — a figure that ranks 13th nationally — and he has 23 extra base hits for a .681 slugging percentage.
• Anthony has homered in three of his last five games. He hit a three-run blast in Iowa’s 16-2 road win at Milwaukee on April 12 and hit a two-run homer in the series opener against Minnesota (4/15).
• 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 has earned four Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors — Feb. 23, March 16, April 5 and April 19. They are the most weekly honors in a single season in program history (Jake Adams earned three Big Ten Player of the Week honors in 2017).
MR. WASHINGTON STEPS UP
Redshirt sophomore Will Mulflur has taken an opportunity and run with it. The Washington native is hitting .450 (9-of-20) with three doubles, one home run, seven RBIs and five runs.
• Mulflur has made five straight starts, hitting safely in four of the five contests. He went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs at Milwaukee on April 12 and he had the go-ahead two-run double in the series finale against Minnesota (4/17).
• He tallied his second three-hit game, finishing 3-for-5 with a home run, double, three RBIs and two runs in the win over Bradley on April 19.
TALL (MAN) AT THE DISH
Redshirt sophomore Ben Tallman has four multi-hit games over his last five contests and he is hitting .455 (10-of-22) over the last six contests with two doubles, one home run, seven RBIs and seven runs scored.
• Tallman hit a towering 458-foot home run in the series finale against Illinois to kick start his hot streak. He followed with four straight multi-hit games.
• The catcher had the game-winning RBI single in Iowa’s 2-1 win over Minnesota on April 16 and the game-tying single in the come-from-behind win on April 17 to secure the sweep.
SUNDAY LANGENBERG
Sophomore Ty Langenberg has settled into weekend rotation as Iowa’s Sunday starter. He has made six straight Sunday starts. The Urbandale, Iowa, native is 4-0 with a 3.05 ERA on the season, giving up just 13 runs on 37 hits over 38 1/3 innings. Langenberg has 50 strikeouts to 12 walks on the year.
• The right-hander had the shortest outing of the season in his most recent start against Minnesota on April 17, allowing three runs on six hits over three innings.
• 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 had 34 strikeouts (10 vs. Texas Tech, 7 vs. Central Michigan, 11 at Michigan, 6 vs. Illinois) in four starts from March 20-April 10. He has eight or more Ks in three appearances this season.
• Langenberg is leading the Big Ten in fewest runs allowed (13), tied for third in fewest earned runs (13) and is tied for sixth in wins (4).
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 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA with 62 strikeouts over 54 innings. He has seven or more strikeouts in five starts.
• The right-hander started the first six weeks on Friday before making two Saturday starts. Mazur returned to Friday on April 15 against Minnesota.
• Mazur went a career-long eight innings on April 15 against Minnesota, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits and fanning 11 (without walking a batter). After allowing four hits in the first two innings, he retired 21 of the next 24 batters he faced.
• Over his last four starts, Mazur has posted a 2.08 ERA, allowing nine runs (six earned) on 13 hits over 26 innings, where he has 29 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .143 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 five quality starts this season, has three streaks of 10 or more consecutive batters retired this season.
• Mazur has four games this season where he has fanned nine or more batters (9 vs. Air Force, 9 vs. Pepperdine, 9 vs. Illinois, 11 vs. Minnesota).
• The Minnesota native is leading the Big Ten in batting average against (.157), is third in innings (54) and fewest hits allowed (30), fourth in strikeouts (62), tied for sixth in wins (4) and 10th in ERA (3.00).
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