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After going 1-2 last weekend against Illinois, the Iowa Hawkeyes (17-12) travelled to Franklin, Wisconsin, to take on Milwaukee (11-14). The Hawks did pretty much what they wanted in a 16 to 2 win. Iowa improved to 5-1 on the season in mid-week games. The Hawkeyes host Minnesota (10-20) for a three-game series this weekend. This is a series that I expect the Hawks to sweep.
Iowa vs Illiniois Recap
- The Hawks had quality starts from pitchers Dylan Nedved (5 IP, 1 ER, 6 K’s) and Adam Mazur (6 IP, 1 ER, 9 K’s)
- Ty Langenberg had a rare rough outing on the mound (6 1⁄3 IP, 4 ER) - He still is 4-0 w/ an ERA of 2.55
- Iowa’s hurlers allowed 22 bases on balls for the 3-game series
- The Hawk defense committed three errors for the series, which led to six unearned runs (that was the difference in the series)
- The Hawks hit 4 long balls, including two by Peyton Williams (he leads the team with 7 HR’s)
B3 | 2 innings, 2 BOMBS!@peyton_w2 joins the party with a 418-shot to LC! His 7th of the year! #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/MLbTSmpgv5
— Iowa Baseball (@UIBaseball) April 10, 2022
Hawks vs. Milwaukee Highlights
- The Hawkeyes pounded out 18 hits and scored a staggering 16 runs
- Anthony Keaton, Peyton Williams, and Will Mulflur each had three hits on the day.
- Izaya Fullard has a four game streak of 2-hit games; Fullard has been on fire since returning from injury
- The Hawkeyes drew 10 bases on balls
- Iowa played 16 position players; mid-week blowouts and building depth go hand-in-hand
- Iowa’s pitchers gave up only 2 hits; 10 Milwaukee batters were given free passes, however
- Of the Hawks’ 9 pitchers, only 1 gave up an earned run.
- Brody Brecht is gaining the confidence of skipper Rick Heller - Brecht pitched 1 1⁄3 innings with 3 K’s.
Brody Brecht was worth the wait, 97-99, touched 100 once, 95-97 from the stretch and a 87-90 mph SL on a chilly night, here he fans a pair of batters, one on a SL, one with high heat for @UIBaseball pic.twitter.com/ZfdRKGSB5j
— Patrick Ebert (@PatrickEbert44) April 13, 2022
- On the season Brecht has an ERA of 3.00 with 30 strikeouts in 15 innings. Yahtzee!
Gophers On Deck
Before we touch on this weekend’s series, let’s give some love to Iowa’s uniforms. Pure gold (literally)!
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The Minnesota Gophers are led offensively by Jack Kelly. Kelly is slashing (.370/.444/.720). As a comparison, Iowa’s slugging percentage leader is Peyton Williams at .632. Chase Stanke is feast or famine for the Rodents. He’s knocked 9 out of the park but is only hitting at a .219 clip. As a team Minnesota is slashing (.246/.345/.414).
The Gophers’ pitching staff is struggling with an ERA of 6.33 (the Hawks’ team ERA is 3.57). The Gophers have a true ace in Sam Ireland. Ireland is 3-2 with an ERA of 3.53. After that the Gophers have reliever Tom Skoro (ERA of 3.29) and not much else; the Hawks should be able to put the bat on the ball and get some runs across the plate.
This Weekend’s Schedule:
Friday, April 15 7pm BTN
Saturday, April 16 2pm BTN+
Sunday, April 17 1pm BTN+
Expect a bounce-back game from starter Ty Langenberg. Also, the Hawkeyes need to increase the role of flamethrower Brody Brecht out of the bullpen. The Hawkeyes have some good, young arms; throwing strikes and getting solid defense behind them will dictate how the rest of this season plays out. A sweep is not an easy task regardless of the opponent. The Hawkeyes need to get a game back from the Illinois series. Putting all three facets together, hitting, pitching, and fielding, over the course of a weekend can lead to sweeping the Gophers back up north. The Hawkeyes need to gain some momentum this second half of the season if they hope to make the postseason. As always, Go Hawks!