Iowa Baseball Series Preview: Ohio State

WEEKEND SERIES: AT OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (15-14)

Last weekend, the Iowa Baseball team welcomed Michigan to Iowa City for a three-game series. A walk-off single from Merrick Mathews on Friday put the Hawkeyes in a good position to win the series. However, on Saturday, they were swept in a doubleheader and the Wolverines left Duane Banks Field with a series win. For Iowa, they are now 5-4 in Big Ten play and have not been able to string wins together to build momentum leaving them with a 17-13 record.

The Buckeyes come into the weekend with a 15-14 overall record, including a 3-3 mark in Big Ten play. It’s been an interesting first half of the season for OSU, as they have wins over California, Oklahoma and a series win over West Virginia. On the other hand, they also lost three of four against Cal Poly and were swept by Georgetown. The Buckeyes did defeat Bowling Green and Morehead State in their midweek action ahead of this weekend.

Ohio State Last 10 Games (5-5)

March 23-24 vs Georgetown: L 8-5, L 4-2 (10) March 29-31 vs Purdue: W 8-2, W 12-10, L 7-1 April 5-7 at Nebraska: L 3-0, L 7-3, W 9-3 April 9 vs Bowling Green: W 6-4 April 10 vs Morehead State: W 13-7

IOWA HAWKEYES PROJECTED STARTING ROTATION

LHP Cade Obermueller (Friday) – For the second straight week, Cade Obermueller will be the Friday starter for the Hawkeyes. When he is on, he is very hard to hit. Opponents are batting just .153 against him, including just .225 on balls in play. Both numbers are even better than last season. However, his control is still an issue, giving up 41 free bases over 37.2 innings. Last time out against Michigan, Cade allowed two runs on two hits over 4.2 innings, with six strikeouts and seven free bases.

RHP Brody Brecht (Saturday) – After a decent start to the season, Brody Brecht has really seen things go by the wayside over his last three starts. The free bases have gone down a touch (10 in 13.2 INN), but opponents have really started to hit him, which is something that no team has been able to consistently do during his career. He has given up 18 hits over his last 13.2 innings and opponents are now shockingly batting .397 on balls in play. Last time out against Michigan, Brecht allowed five runs on six hits over 5.2 innings, including 11 strikeouts to three free bases.

TBA (Sunday) – Will this be Marcus Morgan, or will it be someone else? If it is someone else, who will it be and how many innings will they go? A lot of questions to answer on Sunday. If it isn’t Marcus, you could see Rick Heller go with a bullpen arm and try to get 3.0 innings out of them. Unless the Hawkeyes start the weekend 2-0, the starter on Sunday could be setting the tone for a series win or a series loss.

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES PROJECTED STARTING ROTATION

LHP Landon Beidelschies (Friday) – After serving as a workhorse in the Buckeyes bullpen last season (24 app), Landon Beidelschies has taken over the role of the ace arm this season. He has posted a 3.63 ERA over 44.2 innings, including 54 strikeouts to 15 walks. Opponents are batting .221 against him and .305 on balls in play. Beidelschies has given them length, completing 6.0 innings in five of his eight outings. Last time out against Nebraska, Landon allowed three runs on six hits over 4.1 innings, including four strikeouts to three walks.

LHP Gavin Bruni (Saturday) – A starter for OSU last season, Gavin Bruni has made eight starts this season with a 5.45 ERA over 33.0 innings pitched. Bruni is not a huge strikeout arm, averaging just 8.5 K/9 and gives up 7.4 free bases per nine innings. Opponents are batting .240 against him, but just .286 on balls in play. Last time out against Nebraska, Bruni allowed three runs on three hits over 4.1 innings, including three strikeouts to two walks.

RHP Gavin DeVooght (Sunday) – A true freshman out of Walled Lake, Michigan, Gavin DeVooght is set to make his third start of the season. DeVooght has appeared in 12 games, posting a team-best 1.86 ERA over 19.1 innings. He has totaled 16 strikeouts to 11 walks, so pitches to contact most of the time, but opponents are batting just .255 on balls in play. He has not gone beyond 3.0 innings this season, so the Hawkeyes can expect to see several arms in the final game of the series.

TOP PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR THE BUCKEYES

1. OF Mitchell Okuley – You could have gone with a couple of names in this spot. Outfielder Mitchell Okuley has been an average hitter for most of his OSU career, but has jumped up to .305 this season, with a .422 on-base percentage. Okuley is third on the team with 32 hits, including nine doubles, three home runs and a team-high 30 RBI’s. His 26.6% strikeout rate is a welcoming number for Hawkeye pitchers, but he is third on the team with 22 walks/hit by pitches drawn.

2. SS Henry Kaczmar – A Big Ten All-Freshman selection last season, shortstop Henry Kaczmar racked up 18 extra base hits last season. This season, Kaczmar is batting a team-high .325, with a .430 on-base percentage, including 28 runs scored, five doubles and two home runs. He leads the team with 37 hits, totaling ten multi-hit games, while he has recorded a hit in 25 of 29 games.

3. 3B Tyler Pettorini – Another talented bat in the Ohio State lineup, Tyler Pettorini batted over .300 last season in his first year as the full-time starter. This season, Pettorini is batting .315, with a 4.15 on-base percentage, including five doubles, four home runs and 29 RBI’s. He is tied for second on the team with 35 hits, including nine multi-hit games. In three games last year, Tyler was 5 for 10 at the plate, including three walks and six runs scored.

4. C Matthew Graveline – A Big Ten All-Freshman selection last season, Matthew Graveline totaled 56 hits, including eight doubles and four home runs last season. In his second year with the Buckeyes, Graveline is batting .315, with a .430 on-base percentage, including 26 run scored, ten doubles and three home runs. He is second on the team with 23 walks/hit by pitches and is tied for second on the team with eight stolen bases. Graveline has racked up ten multi-hit games, which is one short of his total from last season.

5. 2B Joseph Mershon – A transfer from College of Charleston, Joseph Mershon was a two-time All-CAA selection for the Cougars. This season, he is batting .264, including four doubles, three triples and just two home runs. Where he has made his money has been with his plate discipline. Mershon leads the team with 28 walks/hit by pitches, which gives him a team-leading .443 on-base percentage. Against an Iowa pitching staff that gives up free bases, he will be a tough out. Mershon also leads the team with nine stolen bases.

6. LF Trey Lipsey – Don’t be fooled by his .239 batting average, Trey Lipsey has the ability to be a game-changer this weekend. Lipsey is fifth on the team with 27 hits, including five doubles, three triples, four home runs and 20 RBI’s. His speed can get him an extra base on a hit or a stolen base, as he has 30 of those during his now 2.5 year career.

7. RHP Jacob Morin – A transfer from Tennessee Tech, Jacob Morin has been the best arm in the Buckeyes bullpen to this point in the season. He has appeared in 13 games, with a 2.51 ERA over 14.1 innings. Opponents are hitting just .189 against him and while that number jumps to .313 on balls in play, he has racked up 21 strikeouts to just four walks. Outside of one wayward outing against Nebraska (3 ER), Morin has allowed just one run in his other 12 outings (13.2 INN).

MIDWEEK: VS BRADLEY (10-19)

These two teams were supposed to play back on April 2nd, but rainy conditions canceled the matchup set to be played in Peoria. Now, the Hawkeyes and Braves will meet up just one time this season, coming at Duane Banks Field on Wednesday. Bradley comes into this week with a 10-19 record, including a series win over Illinois State, but that is the only thing that stands out on their schedule. The Braves are set to face Indiana State on the road for a three-game series this weekend, while they will play Eastern Illinois on Tuesday.

TOP PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR THE BRAVES

1. 1B Timmy O’Brien – The leader on the team in extra base hits, total bases and RBI’s, Timmy O’Brien is arguably the most dangerous bat in the Braves lineup. He is batting .293, with a .356 on-base percentage, including nine doubles, three home runs and 30 RBI’s. His 27.5% strikeout rate to 3.8% walk rate is pretty stark, but he has been hit by a pitch eight times. O’Brien has totaled nine multi-hit games this season.

2. 2B Beau Durbin – A transfer from Illinois Central College, Beau Durbin has made a large impact in his first year with the Braves. Durbin leads the team with a .379 batting average and a .459 on-base percentage, including eight doubles and a home run. He has racked 12 multi-hit games and has multiple hits in ten of his last 15 games.

3. C Logan Delgado – A Second Team All-MVC selection last season, Logan Delgado is batting .347, with a .436 on-base percentage, including eight doubles, two home runs and 19 RBI’s. He’s a tough out, owning a 15.4% strikeout rate, while he has a hit in 13 of his last 14 games.

4. CF Ryan Vogel – Last season you could have made an argument that Ryan Vogel was the best hitter the Hawkeyes faced in midweek play. Vogel batted .382 on the season, with 22 extra base hits and 31 RBI’s. This season, his average has dipped to .278, but he has earned a team-high 24 walks/hit by pitches for a .409 on-base percentage. Vogel has hit three home runs, but his four extra base hits ranks ninth on the team. When he does get on base, he is a threat to steal, with 54 career stolen bases, including ten this season.

FINAL THOUGHT

Set the over/under for the week at 3 wins. Coach Rick Heller was hoping that the walk-off win over Michigan last Friday would spark something with his team, but losing both games on Saturday was a disappointment. It’s still a little early to panic about making the Big Ten Tournament, but with the way the standings look through three weeks, a .500 record feels like a must. Taking two out of three would relieve some pressure, but another series loss would make things a bit more worrisome.