University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Play Host to Iowa at Target Field
4/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Minnesota baseball team plays host to Iowa on Friday, Apr. 29 at 3:05 p.m. (CT), Saturday, Apr. 30 at 1:05 p.m., and Sunday, May 1 at 1:05 p.m. All three games are set to take place at Target Field, and the weekend series is being sponsored by Dairy Queen. All three games this weekend can be heard live in the Gold Zone for free.
The Gophers (14-16, 6-6 Big Ten) dropped a mid-week game at South Dakota State by a score of 9-6. In Big Ten play, Minnesota is coming off a three-game sweep last weekend at Indiana, winning by scores of 3-2 and 12-1 in a Saturday doubleheader, and then completing the perfect weekend with a 5-2 victory on Sunday.
Iowa enters the week with a record of 15-23 overall and 4-8 in the Big Ten after winning the first game of its three-game weekend series at home versus Michigan and then losing by a score of 7-3 at Nebraska on Tuesday. Just three games separate the first-place and 10th-place teams in the Big Ten standings heading into this weekend's games.
Minnesota's junior shortstop AJ Pettersen has collected hits in 29 of 30 contests for the Gophers this season. Pettersen had hits in each of the first 19 games of the 2011 season, and had a 22-game hitting streak dating back to 2010 during that stretch. He enters the weekend batting .376 with 25 runs scored, nine doubles and seven RBI. Pettersen went 7-for-15 (.467) with five runs scored, two doubles, a triple, and a home run in last weekend's three-game sweep at Indiana. He is third in the Big Ten in batting average.
Iowa is led by Mike McQuillan, who has nine doubles and a team-high 24 RBI, while batting .333. Chett Zeise is the only other regular player batting over .300, at .302, and has 15 runs scored and 14 RBI. Trevor Willis has a team-best 26 runs scored, seven triples, and 11 stolen bases, and is batting .295 with 23 runs batted in on the season.
On the mound, the Hawkeyes are expected to open the weekend series with a pair of left-handers. Jarred Hippen is the probable starter for the opener, and enters with a record of 2-4, a 3.68 ERA and 44 strikeouts against just 14 walks in a team-high 63.2 innings. Matt Dermody is the probable starter for the middle game of the series. He has a record of 4-4 with a 4.26 ERA, while recording a team-best 55 strikeouts in 61.1 innings pitched. Nick Brown has also started six games for the Hawkeyes, and is 3-2 with a 2.85 ERA.
Out of the bullpen, Tim Fangman leads the way with 16 appearances, a record of 0-1 with two saves, and a 3.67 ERA.
Iowa is coached by head coach Jack Dahm, who is 185-239 in his eighth season with the program. Minnesota leads the all-time series with Iowa, 171-106. Last year, the Gophers won two out of three during the regular-season, and then defeated Iowa, 15-5, in the Big Ten Tournament title game.
