Baseball / July 6, 2016

Final Game Notes -- 2016

Final Game Notes – 2016

LEADING OFF
• Iowa finished the 2016 season with a 30-26 overall record — its third consecutive 30-win season. It is a first for the program since 1983-85.
• The Hawkeyes advanced to their third straight Big Ten Tournament — a first for the program in school history — and advanced to the tournament title game for the first time since 2010.
• The Hawkeyes had two first-team All-Big Ten selections in Joel Booker and Nick Roscetti — a first for the program since 2007.
• Booker was also tabbed as an ABCA first-team All-Mideast Region selection. He was the fourth Hawkeye in three seasons to earn all-region honors.
• UI head coach Rick Heller won his 100th game as a Hawkeye in the team’s 5-4, 10-inning victory over Ohio State at the Big Ten Tournament. Heller is the winningest coach in his first three seasons, sitting at 101-67.
• Iowa had three players selected in the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, pushing the three-year total to 11 draftees. The 11 players drafted are the most for the program in a three-year stretch since 1991-93.

IOWA ADVANCES TO B1G TOURNEY TITLE GAME
• The Hawkeyes won their first three games at the 2016 Big Ten Tournament, advancing to the title game as the No. 8 seed. Iowa defeated top-seeded Minnesota, 8-2, rallied from a 4-0, ninth-inning deficit to top Ohio State, 5-4, in 10 innings in game two, before routing Maryland, 11-0, to advance to the championship game for the first time since 2010.
• Iowa rallied from a 7-4 deficit to tie the game at seven in the bottom of the eighth, but Ohio State plated the game-winning run in the top of the ninth to claim the championship.
• The Hawkeyes won three games at the conference tournament for the second time in program history.
• Iowa was the first No. 8 seed to advance to the Big Ten Tournament title game.
• Five Hawkeyes — seniors Joel Booker and Tyler Peyton, junior Mason McCoy, and sophomores Nick Gallagher and Austin Guzzo — were named to the All-Tournament team.

2 HAWKEYES EARN FIRST-TEAM ALL-BIG TEN HONORS
Seniors Joel Booker and Nick Roscetti became the first set of Iowa teammates to garner first-team All-Big Ten honors in the same season since 2007. Booker was a first-team outfielder; Roscetti was a first-team shortstop.
• The honor was the first of Booker’s career and he was the first Hawkeye outfielder to garner first-team honors since Ryan Durant in 2009.
• Roscetti became the second Iowa shortstop in three seasons to earn a first-team nod, joining Jake Yacinich (2014). Roscetti was a third-team All-Big Ten selection as a junior.

3 HAWKEYES SELECTED IN 2016 MLB DRAFT
Iowa had three players selected in the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The program has 11 draftees in UI head coach Rick Heller’s tenure — the most in a three-year stretch since 1991-93.
• Joel Booker was selected in the 22nd round (656th pick) by the Chicago White Sox.
• Nick Roscetti was taken in the 26th round (771st pick) by the Milwaukee Brewers.
• Tyler Peyton was drafted in the 29th round (884th pick) by the Chicago Cubs. It was Peyton’s second time being drafted.

BALLS & STRIKES
Iowa’s pitching staff posted a 3.54 ERA during the 2016 season — the second-best team ERA in program history.
• The ERA was fourth in the Big Ten for the year. Iowa has been in the top four of the league in ERA in each of the past two seasons under pitching coach Scott Brickman.
• The Hawkeyes finished 2016 with a school-record 382 strikeouts, breaking the record of 379 that had stood since 1999.
• Sophomore Nick Gallagher led the team with eight wins, going 8-2 with a 2.57 ERA. The eight victories were tied for the second most in the Big Ten, while his ERA was seventh.

STAYING THE COURSE
The Hawkeyes were fighting an uphill battle with two weeks remaining in the regular season, sitting at 22-23 overall and 8-10 in Big Ten play. After dropping the series opener against Michigan State, Iowa reeled off a season-best five straight victories to clinch a spot in the Big Ten Tournament. The team posted back-to-back series victories over Michigan State and Penn State to earn its postseason bid.

BOOKER HITS HIS WAY TO RECORD BOOKS
Senior Joel Booker finished with 87 hits — tying Justin Toole for the second most in a single-season in school history and the most since 2008. He was four hits shy of tying John Knapp’s school record.
• Booker finished with 19 doubles, which are tied for the third most all-time and the most since 1989.
• In the Big Ten Tournament opener against Minnesota, Booker tied a school, Big Ten Tournament, and TD Ameritrade Park record with five hits, going 5-for-5 in Iowa’s 8-2 victory.

NEVER SAY DIE HAWKEYES
Iowa rallied from a 4-0, ninth-inning deficit to defeat Ohio State, 5-4, on May 27 in game two of the Big Ten Tournament. It was the team’s 13th come-from-behind victory this season and its third walk-off win.
• Junior Mason McCoy had the game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning, sending a base hit into the right centerfield gap.
• Redshirt junior Devin Pickett had his first career RBI to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs.

IOWA TIDBITS
• Iowa went 8-2 in its final 10 games, its best stretch of the season.
• The Hawkeyes’ offense came to life at season’s end to finish the year ranked in the top six in the Big Ten in virtually every offensive category. Iowa had five players reach double-digits in doubles and had 134 extra base hits, including 26 home runs.
• Three players — Joel Booker, Nick Roscetti, and Mason McCoy — started every game this season. Booker started every game of his Hawkeye career.
• McCoy had the No. 3 play on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays May 15 when he made a diving grab on a lined shot that ricocheted off senior pitcher Ryan Erickson in a game against Michigan State.
• The Hawkeyes ran early and often at Penn State, stealing 11 bases in 13 attempts. It was a season-high for a weekend series. Iowa stole nine bases against Western Illinois on May 3, the most in a Big Ten game and the second-most in program history.
• The Hawkeyes hit 26 home runs in 56 games with 10 different players hitting at least one home run. Senior Joel Booker finished with a team-high five home runs.
• The Hawkeyes had a +95 run differential this season. Iowa went 20-3 when scoring at least six runs and 1-16 when scoring 0-2 runs. The team went 7-6 in one-run games and 10-8 in games decided by two runs or less.
• Iowa was 23-2 when leading after six innings, 25-2 after seven, and 26-0 after eight innings. The Hawkeyes were 5-22 when trailing after six, 4-22 after seven, and 2-23 after eight.

ON THE DEFENSE
The Hawkeyes finished the 2016 season with a .978 team fielding percentage to rank 14th nationally. Iowa has been in the top 14 in consecutive years under UI head coach Rick Heller. The Hawkeyes were 11th in the NCAA in 2015.

PITCHING STAFF EMERGED
Over the last month of the season, Iowa’s pitching staff was lights out, posting a 2.59 team ERA and limiting opposing hitters to a .232 average. Iowa has allowed just 51 runs (47 earned) over 163 1/3 innings.
• The Hawkeyes posted a 1.53 ERA in its road series win at Penn State — a season-best weekend performance. Iowa had a staff weekend ERA of less than 2.50 four times this season — three coming in the last five series.
• Iowa had a 2.00 ERA in a series win over Maryland and Kansas State and had a 2.33 staff ERA in the home series win over Michigan State.

LOCKED IN
Senior Tyler Peyton was locked in down the stretch for the Hawkeyes going 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA over his final four starts. The right-hander won three straight starts with a spotless ERA in victories over Ohio State, Michigan State, and Penn State to pitch the Hawkeyes into the postseason.
• Peyton threw 26 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings during the stretch. He allowed eight hits in his final three regular season starts, which included his second career complete game at Penn State, where he scattered three hit, fanned four and needed just 98 pitches to complete the shutouts.

BOOKER NAMED GREGG OLSON AWARD SEMIFINALIST
Senior Joel Booker was a semifinalist for the Gregg Olson Breakout Player of the Year Award, which is presented to a top amateur baseball player who elevates his game to an elite level throughout the season. After hitting just .235 as a junior, Booker led Iowa in virtually every offensive category as a senior. He had team-bests in average (.370), runs (47), hits (87), doubles (19), home runs (5), and steals (23) and was second in RBIs (37).

ROSCETTI NAMED A BROOKS WALLACE AWARD SEMIFINALIST
Senior Nick Roscetti was a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award. He was one of 11 players (the only from the Big Ten Conference) remaining for an award that is presented to the best shortstop in collegiate baseball. The Illinois native hit .305 with 72 hits, 43 runs, and a team-leading 39 RBIs in 2016.
Defensively, Roscetti was one of the nation’s top shortstops, committing just five errors in 249 chances for a .980 fielding percentage.

PEYTON SIZZLES
After seeing his average dip to .244 on April 3, senior Tyler Peyton rebounded in a big way. The first baseman had 17 (of his 23) multi-hit games and saw seen his average climb 91 points to .335 for the season. Peyton hit .400 (50-of-125) during the stretch and had hits in 26 of the 31 games.
• Peyton hit .400 (50-of-125) with hits in 26-of-31 games over the final two months of the season. He had 13 doubles, four triples, and two home runs, while scoring 29 runs and driving in 14.
• The first baseman had a career-best 23 multi-hit games in 2016, giving him 54 in his Hawkeye career.

BANKS MAGIC
Iowa has posted a 33-10 record at home since the start of the 2015 season. The Hawkeyes went 17-3 last season — the most home victories since 1996 — and followed it up with 16 home wins in 2016. Iowa has six walk-off victories at Duane Banks Field since the start of 2015.

GALLAGHER: ACE IN RELIEF
Sophomore Nick Gallagher went 4-0 with a 0.38 ERA in his final four relief appearances, posting victories over Michigan, Kansas State, Penn State, and Maryland.
• The right-hander went seven innings in back-to-back wins against No. 18/21 Michigan and Kansas State before tossing 3 2/3 innings in relief in a road victory at Penn State.
• Gallagher allowed just one hit and struck out a career-high nine batters in six innings of relief to earn the win in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal victory over Maryland. He faced just three batters over the minimum.
• Gallagher retired the first 13 batters he faced and pitched seven shutout innings in a 2-1 win over K-State to record his sixth victory on May 1. He had five strikeouts without issuing a walk.
• It came on the heels of a seven inning outing in a win over the Wolverines. He tossed six shutout innings before surrendering his only run in the ninth. He fanned seven batters and scattered six hits over seven innings.
• The Iowa City, Iowa, native was superb in relief this season. He went 7-1 with a 1.07 ERA over 50 1/3 innings in 10 appearances, striking out 49 while issuing just 10 walks.
• In Big Ten play, Gallagher went 4-1 with a 3.03 ERA in seven appearances (three starts). He had 28 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings.
• Overall, Gallagher went 8-3 with a 2.57 ERA in 14 appearances (four starts) . The eight wins were tied for second in the Big Ten and the sixth-most in a single-season in school history, while his ERA was seventh-best in the league.

BOOKER’S BREAKOUT
Senior Joel Booker tied for the Big Ten Conference lead in hits (87) and ranked in the top 12 in the league in eight categories. He was tied for second in doubles (19), third in steals (23), tied for fourth in total bases (125), tied for fifth in batting average (.370), seventh in slugging percentage (.532), tied for ninth in runs (47), and 12th in on-base percentage (.421)
• Booker led the team with 26 multi-hit games — a career-most — including seven three-hit, four four-hit, and one five-hit contest.
• He went 23-of-25 on the base paths as a senior, which included a string of 14 straight successful swipes before being caught May 13 against Michigan State.
• He had a career-best 14-game hitting streak and reached safely in 18 consecutive games earlier this season. He has hit safely in 44 games and reached safely in 51-of-56 contests.
• Booker hit a Big Ten Tournament-best .650 (13-of-20) in four games with five RBIs and four runs scored en route to All-Tournament team honors.

THINGS WERE “ROSEY”
• Senior Nick Roscetti finished second on the team with 25 multi-hit games and had a team-best 13 multi-RBI contests. He had a career-best 15-game hitting streak from Feb. 26-March 22.
• Roscetti was good of a defensive shortstop as there was in the Big Ten. He committed just five errors in 249 chances for a .980 fielding percentage. Roscetti had three errors in his last 51 games and there was a span of 29 games between errors two and three.
• The shortstop had 13 games with two or more RBIs, including a four-RBI performance, tying a career-high, in Iowa’s 7-6 walk-off victory over Bradley on March 22.

OF NOTE…
• Junior Mason McCoy closed out the season on a career-best 13-game hitting streak, where he hit .417 (25-of-60) with 12 RBIs during the span. McCoy hit .381 with six RBIs during the Big Ten Tournament en route to earning All-Tournament team honors.
• Freshman Robert Neustrom posted a .462 average during the postseason. The outfielder finished his first collegiate season with a .307 average — third-best on the team — with 21 RBIs and 24 runs. He had 10 extra base hits.

BALLS & STRIKES
• Iowa’s pitching staff posted five shutouts in 2016 — the most since 2001.
• Freshman Cole McDonald went 4-1 with a 3.33 ERA in 10 appearances, including eight starts as Iowa’s midweek starter. He had 29 strikeouts to six walks in 24 1/3 innings. McDonald had a career-high six strikeouts May 17 at Western Illinois.
• Senior Calvin Mathews left it all on the field for the Hawkeyes. The right-hander allowed just two hits over 6 2/3 innings in his final two career starts. He retired the first 11 batters he faced and allowed one walk and a hit before leaving after 3 2/3 innings May 15 against Michigan State. The Bloomfield, Iowa, native took the ball in the Big Ten Tournament title game, allowing one hit in three shutout innings against Ohio State.

THE REAL MCCOY
Junior Mason McCoy hit Iowa’s first cycle since 2007 when he finished 5-for-7 with three runs and six RBIs in a 22-2 victory over Air Force on April 13. The third baseman had a bunt single in the first, an RBI triple in the second, an RBI double in the fourth, and a two-run home run in the sixth. He added a two-run double in the seventh to tie the program record for hits in a game.
• Jason White was the last Hawkeye to hit for the cycle on April 22, 2007, against Illinois. That occurred 3,276 days and 479 games before McCoy’s cycle.
• McCoy was the second documented player to hit for the cycle in program history and the first by a Big Ten player since 2013 (Justin Parr, Illinois).

SOPHOMORE C.J. ELDRED…
• went 3-8 with a 3.43 ERA in 16 appearances, including a team-high 14 starts. He took over as Iowa’s Friday night starter on March 4 at Southern Illinois after starting the season in the bullpen.
• had 63 strikeouts to 25 walks in 94 1/3 innings — the 10th-most innings in school history.
• had a team-best seven quality starts, three coming in Big Ten play. He allowed three runs or fewer in 10 of his 14 starts and he went at least seven innings in five starts.
• pitched back-to-back complete games against Maryland and at Minnesota — the first Hawkeye to accomplish the feat since 2011.
• earned the win in the opening game of the Big Ten Tournament, allowing two runs on six hits over seven innings.
• pitched his first career complete game against the Terps, allowing one run on six hits and striking out nine to out duel Maryland All-American Mike Shawaryn. He went eight innings at Minnesota, allowing four runs on seven hits in a 4-1 loss.
• posted back-to-back quality starts against Southern Illinois and Omaha… threw nine innings of two-hit, one run ball against the SIU. He had a no-hitter through 7 2/3 innings, but wasn’t involved in the decision. He allowed three runs in six innings in a 3-2 loss to Omaha.
• picked up his first career win against Dartmouth in his first career start, allowing one run on four hits over five innings, fanning five.

SENIOR TYLER PEYTON…
• went 4-5 with a 4.24 ERA in 13 appearances (12 starts)… the right-hander had five quality starts this season — four coming in his final four starts.
• threw 26 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings in his final four starts against — in wins at Ohio State, vs. Michigan State, at Penn State, and vs. Ohio State in Big Ten Tournament.
• Earned his first victory of the season at Minnesota on April 3, allowing one run on five hits over five innings.
• logged a quality start at Dallas Baptist, going 6 1/3 innings, scattering two hits, and striking out six. Both runs were unearned, as he took the loss.
• finished his career with a 16-10 record with a 3.95 ERA in 42 starts. Peyton had 19 quality starts and has pitched into the seventh inning 18 times in his career.

IN RELIEF…
Iowa’s relief corps was the strength of the 2016 pitching staff. The Hawkeye relievers went 18-6 with a 2.73 ERA and 11 saves over 254 innings. The relievers had 201 strikeouts, while limiting opposing hitters to a .231 average.
• Redshirt junior Josh Martsching shared Iowa’s closer duties. He went 2-1 with a 2.41 ERA with four saves in 16 appearances, fanning 16 in 18 2/3 innings.
• Freshman Zach Daniels went 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA in 16 appearances, fanning 15 in 18 innings. Daniels, who had a team-best five saves, didn’t surrender a run in his final 10 appearances, spanning 11 innings.

20-PLUS RUNS
Iowa scored 22 runs on 16 hits in its 22-2 victory over Air Force on April 12 to complete the two-game series sweep. It was the team’s second 20+ run game this season as the Hawkeyes scored 28 runs — the second-most in program history — in a 28-0, seven-inning win over Northwestern College on March 8. It is the first time since 1996 Iowa has had two 20-run games in a season.

6 X 2
Iowa had two players finish with six RBIs in its 22-2 rout of Air Force on April 13. Junior Mason McCoy finished 5-for-7 with three runs and six RBIs, while senior Daniel Aaron Moriel was 3-for-5 with four runs and six RBIs. Moriel had career-highs in runs and RBIs, and tied a career-best in hits. McCoy had career-best numbers across the board.
• It was Iowa’s first six RBI game since 2010 — Mike McQuillan (vs. Illinois State, 2/20/10). The school record for RBIs in a game is 10 by Brian Wujcik.

BIG TEN HONORS
• Zach Daniels earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on March 14 after hitting .571 with five RBIs and three runs scored in two Iowa victories. He had four RBIs in a 28-0 win over Northwestern College and went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI in a win over Savannah State.
• Robert Neustrom was honored as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on March 28 after hitting .500 in helping Iowa to a 3-1 record last week. Neustrom had hits in three of four games, including two multi-hit contests, and posted a .667 slugging and .462 on-base percentage.
• Tyler Peyton was the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week and Mason McCoy was the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on May 24 after leading Iowa to a series win at Penn State.
• Peyton was dominant in a road victory, a win that clinched Iowa’s postseason berth. He scattered three hits and faced four batters over the minimum in a complete-game shutout and needed just 98 pitches.
• McCoy hit .500 (10-of-20) with a .500 on-base and .550 slugging percentage in leading Iowa to a 3-1 week. He hit safely in all four games and posted three multi-hit contests, scored six runs, and stole four bases.

TEAM CAPTAINS
Seniors Jimmy Frankos, Calvin Mathews, Tyler Radtke, and Nick Roscetti served as Iowa’s team captains for the 2016 season. Radtke was a two-year team captain.

#HELLERBALL
• UI head coach Rick Heller is one of nine coaches all-time (one of four active) to lead three different NCAA Division I
teams to regional play.
• The Hawkeyes finished the 2015 season ranked No. 20 by Collegiate Baseball, 25th by Baseball America, and 28th by the NCBWA. It was the program’s first end of season rankings in school history.
• Iowa finished as the runner-up in Big Ten play, winning 19 games during the regular season — the most for the program since 1990.
• The Hawkeyes won 41 games — the second-most in a single season in school history. It was Iowa’s fourth 40-win season in program history.
• Heller has led Iowa to three straight Big Ten Tournaments — a first in school history — and three consecutive 30-win seasons, a first for the program since 1983-85. He is the winningest coach in his first three seasons in program history, winning 101 games.
• Iowa had a school-record six All-Big Ten selections in 2015. The Hawkeyes have had 13 All-Big Ten honorees in three seasons under Heller, including four first-team selections.
• Eleven players have been selected in the MLB Draft, the most in a three-year stretch since 1991-93.
• Iowa has posted winning streaks of nine games (in 2015) and seven games (in 2014) — 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.

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