It’s been quite the season already for Iowa baseball. The Hawkeyes won their final six Big Ten series and head to Omaha, Neb., as the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Baseball Tournament.
One of the key cogs in the Hawkeyes’ 33-17 overall mark, 17-7 march through Big Ten play and 25-9 finish to the regular season was redshirt freshman Keaton Anthony. Thanks in part to his stellar play, Iowa is well positioned to lock down an at-large NCAA Tournament berth with a strong showing in the Big Ten Tournament.
After a hamstring injury late in last year’s preseason limited Anthony to one game in 2021, the 6-foot-4, 210 pound redshirt freshman has taken flight in 2022. Anthony ended the regular season hitting .360 with 20 doubles, 14 home runs, 53 RBIs and 43 runs scored.
Ten of Anthony’s home runs came in Big Ten play and his 20 doubles are the second-most in program history. As a result, Anthony was a no-brainer decision for the league’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
The Hoschton, Ga., native became just the second Hawkeye in program history to capture the award, joining second baseman C.J. Thieleke in 1994. Anthony also earned second-team All-Big Ten and Freshman All-Big Ten honors.
The redshirt freshman hit safely in 40 games, reached safely in 45 contests and posted 21 multi-hit games. He earned a Big Ten record six Freshman of the Week honors during the regular season.
The outfielder ranked third in the Big Ten in doubles (20), fourth in slugging percentage (.694) and OPS (1.135), seventh in batting average (.360) and 10th in home runs (14) during the regular season. In league games, Anthony tied for fourth with 10 home runs, ranked fifth in slugging (.768), tied for sixth in RBIs (30) and seventh in OPS (1.193).
The Hawkeyes open Big Ten Tournament play as the No. 3 seed and will play sixth-seeded Penn State at 9 a.m. from Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Neb. Every game will be televised on the Big Ten Network, with each game also available on the FOX Sports App.
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