Tag: 2022 Iowa Hawkeyes Baseball

Iowa baseball’s Adam Mazur shines, Hawkeyes shutout Cornhuskers in series opener, 1-0

Iowa got a solo shot from Izaya Fullard and starting pitcher Adam Mazur shutout the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a 1-0 series-opening win.

When redshirt sophomore righty Adam Mazur is dealing the way he was Friday afternoon, it doesn’t take much to put the Iowa Hawkeyes into the winner’s circle. Mazur surrendered just a pair of hits and struck out six in a complete-game shutout of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the series opener.

Redshirt senior second baseman Izaya Fullard went opposite field and lifted a 3-2 pitch out of Hawks Field at Haymarket Park just past the right field fencing. That was all it took in a 1-0 series-opening win over the Huskers.

With the win, Iowa has now won for the ninth time in its past 10 games. Dating back a little further, the Hawkeyes have won 12 of their past 15 and 17 of their past 22 contests.

Mazur got into a bases-loaded jam in the third inning after a pair of walks to Nebraska’s Core Jackson and Cam Chick and a hit by pitch of the Huskers’ Garrett Anglim. The Woodbury, Minn., native made sure it was no big deal for the Hawkeyes as he struck out Griffin Everitt to thwart the threat.

Mazur and Iowa didn’t allow another Nebraska base runner to reach second base after the third inning. Jackson singled to right field for the Huskers’ first hit in the bottom of the fifth, but he was promptly caught stealing. Then, after allowing a seventh-inning single to Nebraska’s Brice Matthews, Mazur induced a Jackson fly out to end the inning.

Overall, Mazur induced 12 fly outs and eight groundouts to go along with his six strikeouts and the caught stealing. Mazur improves to 5-2 on the season and Iowa looks to capture the series over Nebraska on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. CT.

Rutgers downs Iowa Hawkeyes in series finale, 10-4

Rutgers put nine runs up on the board in the game’s first four innings and avoided a series sweep with a 10-4 Sunday win over Iowa.

Rutgers avoided a sweep with a 10-4 win over Iowa in the series finale on Sunday. The Scarlet Knights tagged Iowa for nine runs over the game’s first four innings en route to the win.

Hawkeye sophomore starter Ty Langenberg faced just eight batters and was chased by Rutgers in the second inning. After Iowa jumped out to a 1-0 lead behind redshirt senior Izaya Fullard’s RBI single, Rutgers quickly responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first.

Ryan Lasko got it started for the Scarlet Knights in the first with a leadoff double. Danny DiGeorgio’s RBI single plated Lasko. Josh Kuroda-Grauer then delivered a shot to left that one-hopped the wall for a double to score DiGeorgio. Tony Santa Maria brought home Chris Brito with an RBI groundout to stake Rutgers to an early 3-1 edge.

DiGeorgio added a two-run double to right center in the second to bring Cameron Love and Andy Axelson home and Rutgers was quickly in front 5-1. Fullard added another RBI for the Hawkeyes with his single to score sophomore Will Mulflur in the top of the third, but Rutgers responded in the bottom half of the third with Axelson’s double down the left field line to plate Mike Nyisztor and put the Scarlet Knights back in front by four runs, 6-2.

Iowa’s Sam Petersen scored a run on a Rutgers balk in the top of the fourth, but the Scarlet Knights worked themselves out of danger to strand a pair of Hawkeyes and keep the score, 6-3.

Then, in the bottom of the fourth, Rutgers added three more runs to break things open. With runners on the corners, Rutgers’ Chris Brito broke for second base. After Iowa threw to second base, DiGeorgio broke from third base, stole home and both runners were safe. Kuroda-Grauer then singled to score Brito and Santa Maria followed with an RBI triple to make it 9-3.

Iowa Hawkeyes hammer No. 8 Rutgers, 12-2, take series from the Scarlet Knights

Iowa ran its winning streak to seven straight and captured the series against Rutgers after routing the Scarlet Knights, 12-2, on Saturday.

Iowa ran its winning streak to seven straight after blasting Rutgers on Saturday, 12-2. With the win, the Hawkeyes secured the series over the Scarlet Knights, improved to 23-12 overall and 8-3 in Big Ten play.

Rutgers entered the week ranked No. 8 by Collegiate Baseball, No. 21 by Perfect Game, No. 26 in the USA TODAY Sports Baseball Coaches Poll and No. 28 in the NCBWA Poll. After the series with the Hawkeyes, Rutgers is set to take a tumble.

Iowa plated its first run in the first inning after a Rutgers fielding error brought Peyton Williams home. Then, in the third inning, Keaton Anthony doubled to right field to score Michael Seegers. Will Mulflur followed up that Anthony double with a single to center field to plate Williams for an early 3-0 lead. Sam Petersen brought Anthony home on a bunt single in the fifth to increase Iowa’s advantage to 4-0.

Then, in the sixth inning, the floodgates opened. First, Mulflur delivered a sacrifice fly to plate Seegers. Next, Ben Tallman drew a bases-loaded walk several batters later to plate Williams for a third time on the afternoon. Petersen then singled to left center to bring home Izaya Fullard and Anthony and Brendan Sher singled through the left side of the infield to plate Tallman. After all the damage was done, it was a five-run sixth inning for the Hawks to stake themselves to a 9-0 lead.

Iowa added another Seegers run on a wild pitch in the seventh and two more bases-loaded walks to Seegers and Williams in the eight to plate Brett McCleary and Petersen.

Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes got a tremendous start for the second straight day in the series. Connor Schultz pitched eight innings of shutout, two-hit baseball with six strikeouts and just the one walk issued.

Adam Mazur dazzles, Iowa tops No. 8 Rutgers in series-opening game, 4-1

Behind a sensational start from Adam Mazur, Iowa beat No. 8 Rutgers, 4-1, in the first game of their three-game Big Ten series.

Iowa entered this weekend’s series versus No. 8 Rutgers riding a season-best five-game winning streak and with the understanding that this three-game set against the Scarlet Knights held some serious gravitational pull in terms of the Hawkeyes’ potential postseason hopes.

After the series opener, it’s all roses for Iowa. Redshirt sophomore right-hander Adam Mazur delivered a gem, matching his career high in strikeouts with 11 and holding Rutgers to just one run over eight innings. Then, redshirt senior righty Dylan Nedved locked down the save in the ninth with only eight pitches to help the Hawkeyes earn the 4-1 series-opening win.

“Getting ahead and mixing and matching pitches was key. My curveball felt great today, which I hadn’t used too much this year. It was nice to get that and the slider felt good. Everything was clicking and having good defense behind me helped. After the second inning when we scored one and I wasn’t able to get the shutdown inning we needed, it lit a fire underneath me that I needed to keep going and push through,” Mazur said.

Along the way, a pair of Iowa players went yard. Redshirt junior third baseman Brendan Sher lifted a 3-2 pitch into left field for a solo shot to start the scoring in the second inning. Rutgers tied it up at one run apiece in the bottom half of the second when Garrett Callaghan tripled to score Mike Nyisztor.

A sacrifice fly from freshman left fielder Sam Petersen scored redshirt senior second baseman Izaya Fullard. Then, in the eighth inning after sophomore designated hitter Will Mulflur reached, Fullard delivered a two-run blast on a two-strike count to put the Hawkeyes in front 4-1 to stay. The homers were Sher’s third of the season and Fullard’s first.

With the win, Iowa improves its overall record to 22-12 and their Big Ten mark to 7-3.

Iowa Hawkeyes outfielder Keaton Anthony named Big Ten Freshman of the Week

Redshirt freshman outfielder Keaton Anthony picked up his fourth Big Ten weekly honor of the season.

Iowa’s redshirt freshman Keaton Anthony made history this week. The 6-foot-4, 210 pound outfielder became the first Hawkeye to earn a fourth weekly honor from the Big Ten in a single season.

Anthony was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Tuesday. The Hoschton, Ga., native also earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on Feb. 23, March 16 and April 5.

Despite missing the final two games of last weekend’s Minnesota series due to sickness, Anthony still picked up the award after a big start to last week. Anthony went 1-for-2 with a three-run blast and scored three times in a 16-2 runaway midweek win over Milwaukee. Then, in the first game against the Golden Gophers, Anthony went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, three RBIs and a run scored in Iowa’s 9-3 series-opening win over Minnesota. Anthony slashed .571/1.571/.700 and had a 2.271 OPS in the two games he played.

After batting 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in last night’s 15-8 win over Bradley, Anthony now has 16 doubles and 23 extra-base hits on the season. He leads the team with 32 RBIs and is second in home runs with seven on the season behind redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams’ team-leading nine blasts. Anthony is now holds a .362 batting average on the year.

Iowa heads to Big Ten-leading Rutgers this weekend. The Scarlet Knights just missed being ranked in the latest USA TODAY Sports Baseball Coaches Poll, sitting just outside the top 25 with 103 total points in the receiving votes category. Rutgers is 31-6 overall, 11-1 in Big Ten play and has won 16 consecutive games. Meanwhile, Iowa will head to New Jersey on a five-game winning streak of its own and sits at 21-12 overall and 6-3 in Big Ten play.

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Peyton Williams hits for the cycle, Iowa blasts past Bradley, 15-8

Iowa ran its winning streak to five straight and redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams hit for the cycle as the Hawkeyes beat Bradley, 15-8.

Iowa rode big third and seventh innings to keep its recent winning ways intact and blast past Bradley, 15-8. In the process, Iowa won its season-best fifth consecutive game to improve to 21-12 overall and complete a season sweep of the Braves.

Redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams stole the show as he hit for the cycle. The first baseman finished the game a perfect 5-for-5 from the plate with five RBIs and four runs scored and he reached base in all six of his plate appearances. Williams doubled in the first, singled in the third, homered in the fourth, was hit by a pitch in the sixth, doubled in the seventh and tripled down the right field line in the eighth.

The Hawkeyes scored one run in the first, four in the third, one in the fourth, one in the fifth, one in the sixth, six in the seventh and a final run in the eighth inning. Sophomore designated hitter Will Mulflur delivered a 3-for-5 day from the plate with a double and a three-run blast in the third that put the Hawks in front to stay.

Redshirt sophomore right-hander Luke Llewellyn got the start for Iowa but he lasted just one inning as he walked three and surrendered a pair of earned runs. From there, the Hawkeyes used a series of arms to close out the win.

Redshirt sophomore Jacob Henderson, redshirt junior Jared Simpson and freshman Chas Wheatley each pitched one inning. Redshirt senior Cam Baumann pitched 2/3 innings, redshirt sophomore Will Christophersen pitched two innings, redshirt senior Ben Beutel pitched 1/3 innings, freshman Marcus Morgan faced three batters but didn’t record an out and then freshman Brody Brecht came in to close the win with two innings of scoreless baseball.

Wheatley earned the win for the Hawkeyes. Now, Iowa can turn its attention to a big weekend series versus Big Ten-leading Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights just missed the top 25 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Baseball Coaches Poll. Rutgers is the first team ranked outside the top 25 in the latest edition. Iowa can do its postseason chances a great service by heading to New Jersey and winning the series.

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RPI rankings for Big Ten baseball teams following the April 17 games

Here’s a look at all of the Big Ten baseball teams’ RPI rankings after the April 17 games. Where do the Hawkeyes stand?

Iowa polished off a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, rallying with a monster seventh inning. It was a seven-hit, eight-run seventh inning that catapulted the Hawkeyes to a 9-3 series-sweeping victory.

Now, Iowa sits at 20-12 overall and improved to 6-3 in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes are tied fourth in the Big Ten standings but own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Michigan thanks to their series win over the Wolverines to open the month of April.

Iowa hosts Bradley on Tuesday night at 6:05 p.m. CT from Duane Banks Field in Iowa City where the Hawks will look to run their winning streak to a season-best five straight. Then, it’s an all-important series at Big Ten-leading Rutgers over the weekend.

With limited resume-enhancing opportunities ahead, Iowa needs to cash in on its opportunity to pick up several quality wins against the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers is currently on a 15-game winning streak, sits 30-6 overall and owns an 11-1 mark in Big Ten play. With games against Iona (1-29) on Tuesday and Princeton (4-24) on Wednesday, it’s likely that Rutgers will play host to Iowa on a 17-game winning streak.

To say that Rutgers has been a surprise would be an understatement. In the 2022 preseason coaches poll, the Scarlet Knights weren’t even voted one of the top six. Instead, Nebraska was the preseason favorite. The Huskers were followed by Michigan at No. 2, Iowa at No. 3, Maryland at No. 4, Ohio State at No. 5 and Indiana at No. 6.

Nebraska has been a big disappointment thus far. The Huskers are just 13-21 overall and 4-5 in Big Ten play. Ohio State hasn’t been what the coaches thought they would be either. The Buckeyes are currently 11-21 overall and 2-8 in Big Ten play. Here’s the full look at updated records and standings through the April 17 games.

Which teams are well positioned to make the postseason? Taking a peek at the updated RPI rankings following the April 17 games can give us a glimpse into answering that question. Below is a look at each team’s RPI ranking to start the week of April 18.

Big Ten baseball records, standings following April 17 contests

Iowa earned a series sweep of Minnesota. Here’s a look at the updated Big Ten records and standings following the April 17 games.

Iowa baseball has its second four-game winning streak of the season after rallying from a 3-0 deficit with an eight-run seventh inning in Sunday’s 9-3 win over Minnesota. The Hawkeyes completed a series sweep over the Golden Gophers for the second consecutive season and registered the program’s first three-game Big Ten sweep since winning all three games against Michigan State in last year’s regular season finale.

Iowa improved to 20-12 overall and 6-3 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes host Bradley at 6:05 p.m. CT at Duane Banks Field before traveling to Big Ten-leading Rutgers this weekend.

Here’s a look at the updated Big Ten baseball standings following this weekend’s slate of games.

Iowa Hawkeyes baseball rallies to sweep Minnesota, improves to 20-12

Iowa’s offense exploded for an eight-run seventh inning to rally back and top Minnesota, 9-3, on Sunday to earn the series sweep.

Through six innings, it looked and felt like Iowa’s offense might not be able to put it together to earn the series sweep of Minnesota from Duane Banks Field. Following a 9-3 win on Friday and a 2-1 triumph on Saturday, the Hawkeyes had mustered up just three hits over the game’s first six innings on Sunday and trailed 3-0.

Then, the dam burst loose in the seventh. After one-out singles from sophomore Kyle Huckstorf and freshman Ben Wilmes, sophomore Michael Seegers drove in the game’s first run for the Hawks with an RBI single to right field to cut the deficit to 3-1.

Redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams delivered an RBI groundout to score Wilmes and bring the Hawkeyes back within a run. Redshirt senior Izaya Fullard worked a two-out walk and then redshirt sophomore Ben Tallman tied the game up with an RBI single.

Suddenly, after seemingly being stuck in the mud offensively all afternoon long, Iowa had a chance to take the lead and sweep the series. Sophomore Will Mulflur gave Iowa its first lead of the day with a two-run double down the third base line, putting the Hawkeyes in front, 5-3.

“I was trying to go up there and keep fighting. I found myself in a lot of two strike counts this season. I wanted to see it deep with two strikes and get a good swing on it. I got it past the third baseman,” Mulflur said.

Iowa didn’t stop there in the seventh. Freshman Sam Petersen added an RBI single and Wilmes’ two-run single gave the Hawkeyes a five-run lead at 8-3. All told, it was an eight-run seventh inning on seven hits. Iowa added an insurance run in the eighth after Williams doubled and then scored on a wild pitch.

After Minnesota scratched three runs off sophomore right-hander Ty Langenburg over the game’s first three innings, Iowa turned to redshirt sophomore lefty Benjamin DeTaeye. DeTaeye responded with a pair of spotless innings of relief.

Redshirt senior righty Dylan Nedved took Iowa the rest of the way in relief, delivering four innings of one-hit, scoreless baseball for the Hawkeyes.

“It feels good to give your team a chance. It was big to get those shut down innings so it could give our team a chance to come back and win. We were able to get it done, so it was nice,” Nedved said.

Iowa wound up winning on Sunday by the same score as Friday, 9-3. In the process, the Hawkeyes earned their first Big Ten series sweep since winning all three games at Michigan State in last year’s regular season finale.

“Getting a sweep is big, especially at home. It is good momentum for everyone on the team, especially going into a tough one on the road next week. We have to take care business during the midweek, too, against Bradley.

“It was a good confidence booster with everybody. The pitchers coming out and throwing strikes, always giving us a chance, the offense coming through. It felt like we were able to be who we are this weekend and it worked out,” Mulflur said.

Iowa head baseball coach Rick Heller said the comeback illustrated what this team wants to be about.

“To get a win today, especially coming back late like that, it was good for the confidence and psyche of the team. To do it with a bunch of guys out of the lineup, it says a lot about our culture and the toughness of the group we have. It was a lot of guys stepping up and getting the job done. It was a good team win today,” Heller said.

Iowa hosts Bradley on Tuesday night at 6:05 p.m. CT from Duane Banks Field before a three-game weekend series at Rutgers.

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Iowa at Bradley: Game details, how to watch, stream Hawkeye baseball

After back-to-back series wins, Iowa heads to Bradley for a midweek date. Here’s game details and how to watch and stream the game.

Iowa travels to Bradley to take on the Braves at 6 p.m. from Dozer Park in a midweek contest before this weekend’s series against Illinois. The Hawkeyes (14-10, 2-1 Big Ten) travel to Peoria, Ill., to face the Braves (8-14, 1-2 Missouri Valley Conference) after splitting their Saturday doubleheader at Michigan and then winning the rubber match on Sunday with an offensive explosion.

Iowa redshirt freshman Keaton Anthony picked up his third Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor after slashing .462/.769/.500 last weekend against Michigan. The Hoschton, Ga., native went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double in game two of the series versus the Wolverines. Then, in the series finale, Anthony batted 3-for-5 with four RBIs, including a three-run homer.

On the season, Anthony is hitting a team-best .364 and leads the Hawkeyes in doubles (12), RBIs (21), walks (13) and is tied for the team lead with 32 hits. He’s also second on the team with 19 runs scored and four home runs.

Iowa’s pitching staff was tremendous at Michigan. The Hawkeyes limited Michigan to just seven runs on 15 hits over 26 innings. Iowa pitchers had a 2.42 ERA, racked up 32 strikeouts and held the Wolverines hitters to a .163 average in the three-game series. Iowa leads the nation in strikeouts per nine innings with 12.7 and is second in hits allowed per nine innings with just 6.1 surrendered.