Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, May 11
Evanston, Ill.
3:30 p.m.
Northwestern
vs
Iowa
Photo by: Carolyn Katz - CKatz Photography
Northwestern Closes Out Big Ten Play by Hosting Iowa
5/10/2018 5:26:00 PM | Baseball
NORTHWESTERN NOTES
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern returns home this weekend for its final series of Big Ten play as it takes on Iowa in a three-game set. Friday's game is set for a 3:30 p.m. CT start, while Saturday and Sunday's games will begin at 2 p.m. CT.
Sunday's matchup will air on Big Ten Network, and all games can be heard via WNUR Sports.
Saturday marks the first-ever installment of Bark at the Park at Northwestern, an event that allows fans to bring their dogs to the ballpark for the afternoon game. Fans can find more information on the event here. In addition to Bark at the Park on Saturday, Northwestern will have a Mac 'n Cheese bar at the concessions stand – free for students.
Mother's Day is on Sunday and the Wildcats are inviting all fans to spend the day at the park. The Wildcats will have their mothers throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game and all mothers in attendance on Sunday will have the option to take advantage of Brunch at the Ballpark (Breakfast Sandwich, Herb Roasted Potatoes, Fruit). The buffet is available to all other fans for $10.
Northwestern (14-28, 4-17 B1G) returns home following a weekend series at Purdue in which the Boilermakers came out victorious in each contest. The Wildcats tallied at least 10 hits in the first two contests, led by junior shortstop Jack Dunn, who recorded multi-hit games in both. His average and OBP sit at .317 and .402, respectively, both leading the team. Sophomore reliever Matt Gannon led the pack on the mound, tossing four innings Sunday, blanking the Boilermakers and fanning three.
Northwestern enters the weekend series against Iowa having played no midweek games. It's the first time NU hasn't played any midweeks since it went into the series against Illinois (March 23-25).
THE OPPONENT
Iowa enters the weekend sixth in the conference standings with a 28-16 overall record and a 9-7 record in conference play. The Hawkeyes 16 conference games are tied for fewest in the league. The Hawkeyes sport a 17-6 record on their home turf, while their away schedule has returned a 7-8 result. The team is led by C/OF Tyler Cropley, who is hitting .383 with a .654 slugging percentage.
LHP Nick Allgeyer (5-4, 2.71 ERA) is slated to get the ball in the opener. Allgeyer leads the team with 76.1 innings pitched and has collected 76 strikeouts. Oppenents are batting .244 against him this season.
LHP Jack Dreyer (3-2, 4.79 ERA) will pitch for the Hawkeyes on Sunday. Dreyer has made 12 appearances this season with only a pair of starts. The Southpaw has pitched 20.2 innings and has surrendered 20 hits, including four doubles and two home runs.
Iowa has not yet named a starter for Saturday's game.
LAST MEETING
The Wildcats and Hawkeyes met four times in the 2017 season: three times in the regular season and once in the Big Ten Tournament title game. The teams split the four games, with Northwestern winning two of three in a series at Miller Park on April 7-9, then dropping to the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten title game. Northwestern met Iowa in the title game following a run in the tournament as the seven-seed, defeating No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Minnesota, and No. 4 Maryland on the way to the championship game, the program's first since 1984.
ON THE BUMP
Associate head coach/pitching coach Josh Reynolds has tabbed LHP Quinn Lavelle for Friday's game and RHP Hank Christie for Saturday's contest. Sunday's starter has yet to be determined.
Quinn Lavelle (3-5, 4.73 ERA) will make his 12th start of the season on Friday. The rookie left-hander has tossed 59.0 innings this season and is holding opposing hitters to a .270 clip. Lavelle has gone at least 5.0 innings in eight of his 11 starts. Last time out, he threw 5.1 innings at Purdue and held the Boilermakers to just four hits.
Hank Christie (2-5, 5.40 ERA) has made 12 starts this season. The sophomore has 31 strikeouts in 55.0 innings and has gone at least 5.0 innings in five of his seven Big Ten starts. Christie faced Iowa in 2017 and posted 5.0 innings, allowing five runs, while striking out four.
TEMPS, OFFENSE HEATING UP
Northwestern's offense has picked up as the temps have picked up. The Wildcats are averaging 7.3 runs per game in their last eight contests. As a team, Northwestern is batting .321 during the stretch with three players batting over the .400 mark: Ben Dickey (.440), Jack Claeys (.432) and Alex Erro (.424).
STEAL YOUR BAG
Northwestern has been a threat to run all season. The Wildcats rank 12th nationally and third in the Big Ten with 1.90 stolen bases per game and the team's 80 stolen bases this season is the third most in the Big Ten Conference.
Six different Wildcats have seven or more stolen bases this season. Jack Dunn's 18 stolen bases lead the team and rank sixth among Big Ten players. Alex Erro ranks second on the team with 14 steals and Ben Dickey owns 12 swiped bags.
TOUGH OUT
Alex Erro is one of the toughest outs in the conference for Big Ten pitchers. The sophomore second baseman has only fanned 16 times in 165 at-bats, his 10.3 mark ranks fifth in the league.
BIG TEN KNOCKS
The Wildcats also boast a trio of players that are among the best in the conference in getting hits against conference opponents. Senior Jack Claeys, junior Jack Dunn and sophomore Alex Erro are all in an elite class of Big Ten players that find gaps in the defense. Claeys and Dunn are tied for fifth with 26 conference hits while Erro sits at 13th with 23. Claeys particularly has been a different beast against conference opponents. He is among the Big Ten's best in all of the following categories: hits, slugging percentage (.543, 15th), RBI (16, 9th), home runs (5, 4th), and total bases (44, 5th).
HERE FOR THE CHARLIE PARTY
Sophomore third baseman Charlie Maxwell, an Evanston product, has emerged as a threat in the middle of the order over the past 10 games. Since April 22, Maxwell is batting .333 at the dish with a .667 slugging percentage. He has 11 hits, six of which went for extra bases, including a pair of home runs, and nine RBI. Maxwell picked up the go-ahead hit on a 2-RBI triple in the top of the ninth to give NU a 7-6 win in the series opener at Penn State. He has homered in back-to-back Big Ten series.
CAPTAIN CLUTCH
Jack Claeys has been Northwestern's clutch hitter all season. The senior is hitting .358 (19-for-53) with runners in scoring position and owns a .700 clip (7-for-10) with a runner on third and less than two outs. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, native has 12 two-out RBI, the most on the team.
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern returns home this weekend for its final series of Big Ten play as it takes on Iowa in a three-game set. Friday's game is set for a 3:30 p.m. CT start, while Saturday and Sunday's games will begin at 2 p.m. CT.
Sunday's matchup will air on Big Ten Network, and all games can be heard via WNUR Sports.
Saturday marks the first-ever installment of Bark at the Park at Northwestern, an event that allows fans to bring their dogs to the ballpark for the afternoon game. Fans can find more information on the event here. In addition to Bark at the Park on Saturday, Northwestern will have a Mac 'n Cheese bar at the concessions stand – free for students.
Mother's Day is on Sunday and the Wildcats are inviting all fans to spend the day at the park. The Wildcats will have their mothers throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game and all mothers in attendance on Sunday will have the option to take advantage of Brunch at the Ballpark (Breakfast Sandwich, Herb Roasted Potatoes, Fruit). The buffet is available to all other fans for $10.
Northwestern (14-28, 4-17 B1G) returns home following a weekend series at Purdue in which the Boilermakers came out victorious in each contest. The Wildcats tallied at least 10 hits in the first two contests, led by junior shortstop Jack Dunn, who recorded multi-hit games in both. His average and OBP sit at .317 and .402, respectively, both leading the team. Sophomore reliever Matt Gannon led the pack on the mound, tossing four innings Sunday, blanking the Boilermakers and fanning three.
Northwestern enters the weekend series against Iowa having played no midweek games. It's the first time NU hasn't played any midweeks since it went into the series against Illinois (March 23-25).
THE OPPONENT
Iowa enters the weekend sixth in the conference standings with a 28-16 overall record and a 9-7 record in conference play. The Hawkeyes 16 conference games are tied for fewest in the league. The Hawkeyes sport a 17-6 record on their home turf, while their away schedule has returned a 7-8 result. The team is led by C/OF Tyler Cropley, who is hitting .383 with a .654 slugging percentage.
LHP Nick Allgeyer (5-4, 2.71 ERA) is slated to get the ball in the opener. Allgeyer leads the team with 76.1 innings pitched and has collected 76 strikeouts. Oppenents are batting .244 against him this season.
LHP Jack Dreyer (3-2, 4.79 ERA) will pitch for the Hawkeyes on Sunday. Dreyer has made 12 appearances this season with only a pair of starts. The Southpaw has pitched 20.2 innings and has surrendered 20 hits, including four doubles and two home runs.
Iowa has not yet named a starter for Saturday's game.
LAST MEETING
The Wildcats and Hawkeyes met four times in the 2017 season: three times in the regular season and once in the Big Ten Tournament title game. The teams split the four games, with Northwestern winning two of three in a series at Miller Park on April 7-9, then dropping to the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten title game. Northwestern met Iowa in the title game following a run in the tournament as the seven-seed, defeating No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Minnesota, and No. 4 Maryland on the way to the championship game, the program's first since 1984.
ON THE BUMP
Associate head coach/pitching coach Josh Reynolds has tabbed LHP Quinn Lavelle for Friday's game and RHP Hank Christie for Saturday's contest. Sunday's starter has yet to be determined.
Quinn Lavelle (3-5, 4.73 ERA) will make his 12th start of the season on Friday. The rookie left-hander has tossed 59.0 innings this season and is holding opposing hitters to a .270 clip. Lavelle has gone at least 5.0 innings in eight of his 11 starts. Last time out, he threw 5.1 innings at Purdue and held the Boilermakers to just four hits.
Hank Christie (2-5, 5.40 ERA) has made 12 starts this season. The sophomore has 31 strikeouts in 55.0 innings and has gone at least 5.0 innings in five of his seven Big Ten starts. Christie faced Iowa in 2017 and posted 5.0 innings, allowing five runs, while striking out four.
TEMPS, OFFENSE HEATING UP
Northwestern's offense has picked up as the temps have picked up. The Wildcats are averaging 7.3 runs per game in their last eight contests. As a team, Northwestern is batting .321 during the stretch with three players batting over the .400 mark: Ben Dickey (.440), Jack Claeys (.432) and Alex Erro (.424).
STEAL YOUR BAG
Northwestern has been a threat to run all season. The Wildcats rank 12th nationally and third in the Big Ten with 1.90 stolen bases per game and the team's 80 stolen bases this season is the third most in the Big Ten Conference.
Six different Wildcats have seven or more stolen bases this season. Jack Dunn's 18 stolen bases lead the team and rank sixth among Big Ten players. Alex Erro ranks second on the team with 14 steals and Ben Dickey owns 12 swiped bags.
TOUGH OUT
Alex Erro is one of the toughest outs in the conference for Big Ten pitchers. The sophomore second baseman has only fanned 16 times in 165 at-bats, his 10.3 mark ranks fifth in the league.
BIG TEN KNOCKS
The Wildcats also boast a trio of players that are among the best in the conference in getting hits against conference opponents. Senior Jack Claeys, junior Jack Dunn and sophomore Alex Erro are all in an elite class of Big Ten players that find gaps in the defense. Claeys and Dunn are tied for fifth with 26 conference hits while Erro sits at 13th with 23. Claeys particularly has been a different beast against conference opponents. He is among the Big Ten's best in all of the following categories: hits, slugging percentage (.543, 15th), RBI (16, 9th), home runs (5, 4th), and total bases (44, 5th).
HERE FOR THE CHARLIE PARTY
Sophomore third baseman Charlie Maxwell, an Evanston product, has emerged as a threat in the middle of the order over the past 10 games. Since April 22, Maxwell is batting .333 at the dish with a .667 slugging percentage. He has 11 hits, six of which went for extra bases, including a pair of home runs, and nine RBI. Maxwell picked up the go-ahead hit on a 2-RBI triple in the top of the ninth to give NU a 7-6 win in the series opener at Penn State. He has homered in back-to-back Big Ten series.
CAPTAIN CLUTCH
Jack Claeys has been Northwestern's clutch hitter all season. The senior is hitting .358 (19-for-53) with runners in scoring position and owns a .700 clip (7-for-10) with a runner on third and less than two outs. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, native has 12 two-out RBI, the most on the team.
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballBaseball - 'Cats Even Series with 7-6 Victory over Rutgers (5/15/26)
Friday, May 15
Baseball - 'Cats Ground Redbirds in 7-1 Midweek Victory (5/5/26)
Tuesday, May 05
Baseball - 'Cats Take Series with 9-6 Victory over Hoosiers (5/3/26)
Sunday, May 03
Baseball - 'Cats Even Series with 7-4 Victory over Indiana (5/2/26)
Saturday, May 02
