Preview of B1G Baseball tournament

[OnceAhawk]

No. 15-ranked Iowa (38-14) plays Ohio State (35-17) at 1 p.m. Wednesday in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament at Target Field.

The top six Iowa pitchers threw 91.4 percent of Iowa's Big Ten Conference innings (1942/3 of 213), compiling a 2.50 ERA.

The old adage that pitching and defense wins championships is certainly true for Iowa, which ranks seventh nationally in fielding percentage (.979), ninth in hits allowed per nine innings (7.57) and 10th in ERA (2.90).

Those figures are examples of why the Hawkeyes haven't fallen into any prolonged slumps. Wednesday's game is their 13th following a loss; they're 10-2 in such games this season.

Heller's 68 wins are more than any other Iowa coach in his first two seasons.

Another goal Heller and his players have discussed since the beginning of the season: winning a Big Ten championship. That didn't quite happen in the regular season, as top-seeded llinois (45-6-1) carries an unbelievable 26-game winning streak into Minneapolis. Iowa, at 19-5, had the highest Big Ten winning percentage (.792) for a second-place team since the conference returned to single-division play in 1988.

Other Quick hits — The Hawkeyes are entering the 10th Big Ten Tournament in school history and second in a row. Iowa went 1-2 last year in Omaha, Neb. ... The Hawkeyes are 10-2 against this year's entrants. They didn't face Illinois, Ohio State or Michigan State. ... With two wins, the Hawkeyes would earn their first 40-win season since 1985. ... Senior LF Kris Goodman is one of the hottest Hawkeyes. He's batting .363 in his last 19 games. ... In 52 games, Iowa has committed 43 errors, fewest in the Big Ten, and has turned 42 double plays. It ranks No. 7 nationally in fielding percentage (.979). ... Senior CF Eric Toole has reached safely in 50 of 52 games this season and ranks sixth in the Big Ten with 72 hits.

On the radio — KXIC-AM (800), Iowa City, and KMJM-AM (1360), Cedar Rapids, will broadcast the opener. It can also be heard on hawkeyesports.com (subscription required).

The whole story: http://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sp...k-heller-blake-hickman-tyler-peyton/27591609/

BIG TEN TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE, TV

Wednesday's games (All times CT)

9 a.m. — No. 3 Michigan (33-23) vs. No. 6 Indiana (32-20), BTN Plus

1 p.m. — No. 2 Iowa (38-14) vs. No. 7 Ohio State (35-18), BTN Plus

5 p.m. — No. 1 Illinois (45-6-1) vs. No. 8 Nebraska (34-21), BTN

9 p.m. — No. 4 Maryland (36-20) vs. No. 5 Michigan State (33-31), BTN

Thursday's games

9 a.m. — Michigan/Indiana loser vs. Iowa/Ohio State loser, BTN Plus (Game 5)

1 p.m. — Illinois/Nebraska loser vs. Maryland/Michigan State loser, BTN Plus (Game 6)

5 p.m. — Michigan/Indiana winner vs. Iowa/Ohio State winner, BTN (Game 7)

9 p.m. — Illinois/Nebraska winner vs. Maryland/Michigan State winner, BTN (Game 8)

Friday's games

3:30 p.m. — Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 5, BTN (Game 9)

7:30 p.m. — Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 6, BTN (Game 10)

Saturday's games

9 a.m. — Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 8, BTN (Game 11)

1 p.m. — Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 7, BTN (Game 12)

5 p.m. — Winner Game 11 vs. Loser Game 11, BTN (if necessary)

9 p.m. — Winner Game 12 vs. Loser Game 12, BTN (if necessary)

Sunday's game

1 p.m. — Championship, BT

 

[Kinnick 4 Prez]

Important Question: Will there be beer sales inside Target Field?

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

So Iowa should try harder to win...and Illinois should do everything in their power to lose. Got it.

 

[Hawk-A-Doodle-Doo]

Does anyone else think 9:00 AM baseball games are absurd?

 

[CoachoftheFuture1]

Of course, but so are 9 p.m. starts...and they do the same thing for basketball in some tournaments and for some Big Ten games. Once again, it's TV and MONEY that matter. Period. And when it comes to TV and MONEY, nothing is considered absurd...except failing to squeeze every penny out of every possible opportunity. As long predicted, this unrelenting greed will ultimately result in the demise of not only sports, but of American society. The Big Ten baseball tournament is merely another sign.