Some huge games for Iowa baseball and softball this weekend.
Iowa baseball and softball always begin the season playing several games away from home, given the less-hospitable conditions you tend to find around Iowa City in February. Trips out west (or south) offer opportunities to play in warmer weather; they also offer chances to see different opponents than the midwestern mid-major and Big Ten opponents that comprise the majority of Iowa's schedules in baseball and softball. Occasionally, those trips across the country even provide the opportunity for the Hawkeyes to pit themselves against top-tier opponents.
That's the case this weekend, as both Iowa baseball and Iowa softball will be taking on the #1-ranked team in their respective sports. Those games figure to be enormous challenges for these Iowa teams -- but they're also enormous opportunities to score potentially huge, resume-building wins. And if nothing else, they're an excellent chance to see how Iowa stacks up against the best of the best.
Iowa got off to a 3-0 start at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, FL, last weekend. Iowa outscored Indiana State and Quinnipiac 23-3, and the pitching staff really excelled, posting a 0.96 ERA over the opening weekend. Iowa's pitchers struck out 35 batters and allowed just three runs on 16 hits. Brody Brecht had a brilliant season debut: throwing five perfect innings (15 batters up, 15 batters down) and striking out 10. He was named D1 Baseball Pitcher of the Week and Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week.
He'll get a chance to follow up that excellent debut with a massive test from #1 LSU's lineup on Saturday. (More on them in a moment.)
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday: RHP Ty Langenberg (0-0, 3.60 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Brody Brecht (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Sunday: RHP Marcus Morgan (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
OF Kyle Huckstof leads the team in hitting (.455), slugging percentage (.727), hits (5), RBI (6), and HR (1). Utility player Brennan Dorighi is also hitting .400 with a home run among four hits. OF Brayden Frazier only played in two of Iowa's first three games, but went 4/6 with a pair of doubles and 5 RBI in his appearances.
LSU
Iowa and LSU have played nine times previously, though this is the first meeting since 1947 (a 6-3 LSU win). LSU rolled through Western Michigan to start the season, then beat Southern 18-4 in seven innings earlier in the week. On the season, LSU has outscored opponents 42-9 thus far. LSU, who made the NCAA Regionals a year ago, were the unanimous preseason #1 team and features four preseason All-America picks (CF Dylan Crews, 1B Tre' Morgan, 3B Tommy White, and RHP Paul Skernes).
The Tigers' projected starter on Saturday is LHP Riley Cooper, who threw 5.1 no-hit innings while striking out seven and walking two against Rhode Island. In fact, LSU's top three starting pitchers (Cooper, Skernes, and RHP Christian Little) have combined to give up four hits and zero runs over 17 innings so far this season. Right-handed IF/OF Gavin Dugas leads the team in hitting (.700), slugging percentage (1.400), hits (7), and home runs (2). Three other Tigers are hitting .400 or better, including Crews (.400), OF Brayden Jobert (.444), and C/1B Jared Jones (.600).
MORE HERE: https://iowa.rivals.com/news/iowa-baseball-softball-to-face-1-teams
Iowa baseball and softball always begin the season playing several games away from home, given the less-hospitable conditions you tend to find around Iowa City in February. Trips out west (or south) offer opportunities to play in warmer weather; they also offer chances to see different opponents than the midwestern mid-major and Big Ten opponents that comprise the majority of Iowa's schedules in baseball and softball. Occasionally, those trips across the country even provide the opportunity for the Hawkeyes to pit themselves against top-tier opponents.
That's the case this weekend, as both Iowa baseball and Iowa softball will be taking on the #1-ranked team in their respective sports. Those games figure to be enormous challenges for these Iowa teams -- but they're also enormous opportunities to score potentially huge, resume-building wins. And if nothing else, they're an excellent chance to see how Iowa stacks up against the best of the best.
BASEBALL
Iowa baseball is headed south, to the Karbach Round Rock Classic in Round Rock, TX on February 24-26. Iowa is set to face Sam Houston (3-2) on Friday, 2/24 at 6 PM CT, #1 LSU (4-0) on Saturday, 2/25 at 12 PM CT, and Kansas State (4-1) on Sunday, 2/26 at 12 PM CT. Iowa's game against #1 LSU is the Hawkeyes' first game against a top-ranked opponent in over 50 years, since a 3-2 loss to #1 Arizona State at the 1972 College World Series.Iowa got off to a 3-0 start at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, FL, last weekend. Iowa outscored Indiana State and Quinnipiac 23-3, and the pitching staff really excelled, posting a 0.96 ERA over the opening weekend. Iowa's pitchers struck out 35 batters and allowed just three runs on 16 hits. Brody Brecht had a brilliant season debut: throwing five perfect innings (15 batters up, 15 batters down) and striking out 10. He was named D1 Baseball Pitcher of the Week and Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week.
He'll get a chance to follow up that excellent debut with a massive test from #1 LSU's lineup on Saturday. (More on them in a moment.)
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday: RHP Ty Langenberg (0-0, 3.60 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Brody Brecht (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Sunday: RHP Marcus Morgan (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
OF Kyle Huckstof leads the team in hitting (.455), slugging percentage (.727), hits (5), RBI (6), and HR (1). Utility player Brennan Dorighi is also hitting .400 with a home run among four hits. OF Brayden Frazier only played in two of Iowa's first three games, but went 4/6 with a pair of doubles and 5 RBI in his appearances.
LSU
Iowa and LSU have played nine times previously, though this is the first meeting since 1947 (a 6-3 LSU win). LSU rolled through Western Michigan to start the season, then beat Southern 18-4 in seven innings earlier in the week. On the season, LSU has outscored opponents 42-9 thus far. LSU, who made the NCAA Regionals a year ago, were the unanimous preseason #1 team and features four preseason All-America picks (CF Dylan Crews, 1B Tre' Morgan, 3B Tommy White, and RHP Paul Skernes).
The Tigers' projected starter on Saturday is LHP Riley Cooper, who threw 5.1 no-hit innings while striking out seven and walking two against Rhode Island. In fact, LSU's top three starting pitchers (Cooper, Skernes, and RHP Christian Little) have combined to give up four hits and zero runs over 17 innings so far this season. Right-handed IF/OF Gavin Dugas leads the team in hitting (.700), slugging percentage (1.400), hits (7), and home runs (2). Three other Tigers are hitting .400 or better, including Crews (.400), OF Brayden Jobert (.444), and C/1B Jared Jones (.600).
MORE HERE: https://iowa.rivals.com/news/iowa-baseball-softball-to-face-1-teams
