Iowa Baseball Karbach Round Rock Classic Preview

The Iowa Baseball team travels to Texas this weekend to take part in the Karbach Round Rock Classic. The Hawkeyes got off to a 3-0 start last weekend down in Florida, but the competition ramps up this weekend with a trio of quality opponents. It will be a good measuring stick to see just how good this team is in the early stages of the season. Rick Heller said he expects the tournament to have a NCAA regional type feel, with the tournament being played at Dell Diamond, the home field for Texas Rangers Triple-A affiliate Round Rock Express.

With that, we take a look at the opponents the Hawkeyes will be facing…

FRIDAY vs SAM HOUSTON STATE (3-2)

The Bearkats finished with a 31-25 record last season and won the WAC Southwest division with a 21-9 conference record. They went 2-5 against NCAA Tournament participants and 5-4 against Power conference teams.

This year, Sam Houston State is off to a 3-2 start, including a season opening series win against Rhode Island. The Bearkats scored 25 in the series finale and then won 18-6 against McNeese State on Tuesday. They fell to Rice 3-1 on Wednesday to wrap up the midweek slate. It is a team that returns a lot of offensive pieces from last year’s squad that ranked 21st in the country in batting average and D1Baseball picked them to finish in second in the WAC.

Pitching Matchup – Jr RHP Ty Langenberg vs Jr RHP Coltin Atkinson

Ty Langenberg took the mound for his first ever Friday start last week against Indiana State and did enough to put the Hawkeyes in position to win. He faced an underrated Sycamores lineup and allowed two runs on five hits over 5.0 innings, while striking out six and walking two. This week, he faces an even tougher test against the dangerous Sam Houston State lineup.

Junior Coltin Atkinson will take the mound for the Bearkats. He was a preseason All-WAC selection last year and posted a 4-0 record in 11 starts with a 6.37 ERA. He was prone to allowing hits, as teams averaged 1.19 hits per inning. Atkinson struck out 51 and walked 24 in 53.2 innings. In his first start of the season against Rhode Island, Atkinson went 5.0 innings and allowed two runs on four hits. He struck out four and walked two.

Five Bearkats Players to Watch

1. LF Carlos Contreras- Last Week- 1 gm, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 R vs McNeese State

The reigning WAC Player of the Year and Golden Spikes Award semifinalist is the most dangerous hitter in the Bearkats lineup. He batted .400 last year, with a .468 on-base percentage. He finished with 92 hits, 18 2B and 14 HR, while finishing second in the country in RBI’s with 92. Contreras had 27 multi-hit games and 21 multi-RBI games. He missed the opening weekend against Rhode Island, but had two hits against McNeese State on Tuesday.

2. 3B Justin Wishkoski- Last Week- 1 gm, 2 H, 1 2B, 1 R vs McNeese State

Wishkoski was a Second Team All-WAC performer in his first year with the Bearkats last season. He batted .369 with a .455 on-base percentage, including 82 hits, 17 2B and 49 RBI’s. Wishkoski has good plate discipline, as he accumulated 39 walks/hit by pitches to 20 strikeouts. He had 26 multi-hit games.

3. CF Clayton Chadwick- Last Week- 4 gms, .385, 7 R, 5 H, 3 HR, 5 RBI vs Rhode Island/McNeese/Rice

Chadwick was third on the team last season in average (.332), hits (70), doubles (14). He led the team with 52 walks/hit by pitches and was second on the team with a .460 on-base percentage. Chadwick hit just three home runs in 55 games last season, but has already clubbed three home runs in four games this season.

4. C Walker Janek- Last Week- 4 gms, .385, 6 R, 5 H, 2 HR

Janek is a solid defender behind the plate for the Kats, as he was named to the All-WAC defensive team last season. At the plate, Janek batted .308 and was second on the team with seven home runs. He had 18 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI games.

5. LHP Braden Davis- Last Week- 1 app, 1.0 INN, 2 SO, 1 BB vs Rhode Island

Davis was a solid arm on a pitching staff that ranked just 111th in the country in ERA. He missed the beginning of the year, but appeared in 11 games, posting a 1.62 ERA. He struck out 20 and walked just five over 16.2 innings of work. Davis threw a scoreless inning against Rhode Island in the season opener.

SATURDAY vs #1 LSU (4-0)

The Tigers went 40-22 record last season and finished third in the SEC West with a 17-13 record. They made an NCAA Tournament appearance as the #2 seed in the Hattiesburg Regional, but fell in the regional final to host Southern Miss.

LSU came into this season as the consensus #1 team in the country and are off to a 4-0 start. They swept Western Michigan during the opening weekend and then picked up an 18-4 win over Southern on Tuesday. If the Hawkeyes were to pull off the surprise win, it would be one that would carry weight all the way to Selection Monday.

Pitching Matchup – Soph RHP Brody Brecht vs Jr LHP Riley Cooper

This is the matchup that Iowa fans were waiting for and hoping to see this weekend. Brody Brecht against LSU. After an up and down freshman season with the Hawkeyes, Brecht started the year off right last week against Quinnipiac. He went 5.0 perfect innings, striking out ten Bobcat hitters and was able to keep his pitch count to 68 pitches. Now, the intensity level will ramp up for his second start of the year.

The #1 ranked Tigers will send left-hander Riley Cooper to the mound for Saturday’s game. The junior appeared in 30 games last season, with 29 appearances coming out of the bullpen. He posted a 4.20 ERA over 40.2 innings, including 35 strikeouts. Cooper forced teams to get hits, a he allowed 1.21 hits per inning, but walked just eight. This year, he has moved to the starting rotation. Against Western Michigan, Cooper went 5.1 hitless innings, including seven strikeouts to two walks.

Five Tigers Players to Watch

1. OF Dylan Crews- Last Week- 4 gms, .400, .647 OBP, 7 R, 4 H, 1 HR vs WMU/Southern

Crews is one of the best players in the country. He was a consensus First-Team All-American, SEC Co-Player of the Year and a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist a year ago. D1Baseball named him their preseason SEC Player of the Year for this season. He is an elite hitter, posting a .349 batting average and .463 on-base percentage last season. Crews led the team with 73 runs, 87 hits, 37 extra base hits, 22 home runs, 42 walks and 72 RBI’s. He is one of the toughest outs in the country.

2. 1B Tre Morgan- Last Week- 4 gms, .308, 4 H, 1 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI

Morgan was an NCBWA Freshman All-American in 2021 and an SEC All-Defensive team selection last year as a sophomore. He committed just four errors on 407 plays at first base. Tre batted .324 with a .414 on-base percentage and was second on the team with 82 hits. He was also third on the team with 24 extra base hits and second on the team with 18 doubles. Morgan had 28 multi-hit games last season.

3. DH Jared Jones- Last Week- 4 gms, .600, .733 OBP, 6 H, 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI

Jared Jones is a highly-touted true freshman out of Marietta, Georgia. He was rated as the #4 catcher and #47 overall player in the country by Perfect Game. D1Baseball rates him as the #9 overall impact freshman in the SEC. Jones put together a successful first week with six hits in four games, including a home run against Southern on Tuesday.

4 OF Brayden Jobert- Last Week- 4 gms, .444, .615 OBP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 RBI

Jobert was an ABCA Second-Team All-South Region selection last year and was second on the team with 18 home runs. He batted .246 and was second on the team with 50 strikeouts. Jobert was second on the team with 29 extra base hits and fourth with a .578 slugging percentage.

5. INF Gavin Dugas- Last Week- 4 gms, .700, .769 OBP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 HR

Gavin Dugas is a veteran on this LSU squad, as he has appeared in 137 games over his now five-year career in Baton Rouge. He was a full-time starter in 2021 and accumulated 19 home runs over the course of the season. Dugas started 33 games last season and batted .306 with a team-leading .479 on-base percentage. He had ten multi-hit games. This year, he has gotten a hit in all four games, including a 3/3 game on Sunday against Western Michigan.

SUNDAY vs KANSAS STATE (4-1)

The Wildcats went 29-29 last season and finished seventh in the Big 12 with an 8-16 record. They went 5-18 against NCAA Tournament participants and 1-5 against non-conf Power conference teams.

This year, the ‘Cats are off to a 4-1 start, including a sweep of Stephen F Austin, where they scored 45 runs in the four game series. They fell 4-3 in a midweek matchup against Lamar on Wednesday.

Pitching Matchup – Soph RHP Marcus Morgan vs Jr RHP German Fajardo

Marcus Morgan, much like Brody Brecht, struggled in his true freshman season and was not a huge contributor on the Iowa pitching staff. He made big improvements over the offseason and showed off what he can do on the mound with a solid start against Quinnipiac last Sunday. Morgan went 4.0 scoreless innings and allowed just three hits, while striking out one. This week, the competition level takes a step up and Marcus will look to give the Hawkeyes another quality start.

The Wildcats will go with junior right-hander German Fajardo to wrap up the weekend against the Hawkeyes. Fajardo appeared in 16 games last season, including six starts. He posted a solid 3.91 ERA, including 64 strikeouts to 29 walks in 46.0 innings. He held opponents to a .204 batting average and allowed just 0.74 hits per inning. So far this season, Fajardo has appeared in two games. He allowed two runs on seven hits over 4.0 innings against Stephen F Austin and two runs on four hits in 2.0 innings against Lamar.

Four Wildcats Players to Watch

1. SS Nick Goodwin- Last Week- 5 gms, .333, 5 R, 6 H, 2 2B vs Stephen F Austin/Lamar

As a freshman in 2021, Goodwin was named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American. He was an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 selection as a sophomore last season. Goodwin batted .255 and was second on the team with 31 extra base hits. He finished with 18 doubles, 11 home runs and a team-leading 48 RBI’s. Goodwin also led the team with 35 walks/hbp, which gave him a .354 on-base percentage.

2. OF Cole Johnson- Last Week- 5 gms, .217, 4 R, 5 H, 3 HR, 11 RBI

Johnson was third on the team with a .292 batting average. He finished with third on the team in hits (61) and doubles (14), while also sluggling seven home runs. Johnson had seven 3+ hit games last season, so he has the ability to fill it up in any game. He has gotten off to a hot start with three home runs in the opening series against SFA.

3. 3B Kaelen Culpepper- Last Week- 5 gms, .316, 5 R, 6 H, 2 HR, 10 RBI

Culpepper was an All-Big 12 Freshman Team selection last year and was tabbed by D1Baseball, as a candidate for a breakout season. He batted .283 last season, with a .356 on-base percentage, as well as nine doubles and five home runs. Culpepper had 13 multi-hit games, while he reached base via a hit in 16 of the last 19 games of the season.

4. CF Brendan Jones- Last Week- 5 gms, .400, .480 OBP, 5 R, 8 H, 2 2B

Jones appeared in 29 games last season as a defensive replacement and a pinch runner. He accumulated just eight at bats, but did get four hits. So far this year, Jones has started five games in centerfield and has been the leadoff hitter for the Wildcats. He led the ‘Cats in hits in the series against SFA with seven.

5. 2B Roberto Pena- Last Week- 5 gms, .300, .417 OBP, 4 R, 6 H, 2 HR

The Wildcats are hoping South Florida transfer Roberto Pena can be a power bat in the lineup. In two years with the Bulls, Pena batted .236 over 88 games, including 14 doubles, 4 triples and 17 home runs. He did combine for 108 strikeouts and a strikeout rate of 28.9%.

FINAL THOUGHT

Set the over/under for wins at 1.5. This is going to be a challenging weekend for the Hawkeyes and there will be a lot learned about this team by the time Monday rolls around. The pitching staff will be challenged against some good offensive teams and some young arms will be tested. A 2-1 weekend would feel really good, especially if Sam Houston State and Kansas State can go on to have solid seasons. However, a 1-2 or 0-3 weekend would feel like a missed opportunity to adds some nice early wins to the resume. Nonetheless, it should be an exciting weekend of baseball.

The weekend opener against Sam Houston State is set for a 6:00pm first pitch. The game is being streamed by D1Baseball.com.