Dear Old Gold
Fansided

Iowa Baseball Looks To Stay Hot in Carbondale

By Derek Helling

facebooktwitterreddit

The University of Iowa baseball team is getting closer to home, and hopefully closer to its potential as well.

The Hawkeyes come into this weekend series at Southern Illinois on a two-game winning streak in which Iowa has outscored its opponents 22-4. The Hawkeyes will try to extend that winning streak against a Salukis team that has yet to lose at home.

Friday, March 4, 4 p.m. EST/3 p.m. CST: Iowa – CJ Eldred (1-0, 2.00 earned run average) vs. SIU – Joey Marciano (1-1, 2.61 ERA)

The pitching match-up is the story of this game. Iowa fans will notice that senior Tyler Peyton’s name isn’t listed here, despite his well-entrenched status as the Friday starter. The team has scratched him due to forearm tightness, and hopefully that won’t be a long-term issue.

On the other side, we’ll get to see how head coach Rick Heller will form his lineup against a left-handed starter for the first time this season.

Southern Illinois had a rough 2015, but the Salukis return 24 players from that 12-46 team. Among them is Marciano, who hasn’t had a bad start yet this season and will show the Hawkeye batters plenty of different looks.

Eldred getting this Friday start is a sign of the coaching staff’s confidence in him, and should further solidify his role in the weekend rotation if he can replicate his first start.

More from Dear Old Gold

Saturday, March 5, 3 p.m. EST/2 p.m. CST: Iowa – Ryan Erickson (0-0, 6.00 ERA) vs. SIU – Chad Witmer (1-0, 0.64 ERA)

Judging from the pitching match-up, Iowa looks to be at a disadvantage in this one. Not only has Erickson struggled in his last few outings, but this will be his first career start. Witmer is pitching well on this young season.

The Hawkeyes will need to continue their hot hitting in order to rattle Witmer early as well as provide Erickson run support. If this becomes a bullpen game, that’s no problem for Iowa. The Hawkeyes have three relievers who have yet to allow a run in two appearances a piece.

In order to put pressure on Witmer, look for Iowa to continue to be aggressive on the base paths, something we saw for the first time this season last weekend. Senior Joel Booker has yet to be caught stealing in three attempts, and the running game is an important part of Heller’s offense.

Sunday, March 6, 2 p.m. EST/1 p.m. CST: Iowa – Calvin Mathews (0-0, 2.25 ERA) vs. Michael Baird (1-1, 1.64 ERA)

Sunday represents some continuity in the Hawkeye pitching rotation with Mathews on the mound, but that hasn’t necessarily been a good thing for the Iowa bullpen so far this season. Mathews has yet to make it into the fifth inning of a start this season, and with the bullpen possibly already being taxed on Saturday, the Hawkeyes might need Mathews to buck that trend.

The narrative in this contest is the common theme of all three games this weekend. Can Iowa’s offense do damage to Southern Illinois’ starting pitchers who have had success so far this season and in turn make up for any possible deficiencies in its own starting pitching?

What should be taken into account is the level of competition that the Salukis have faced so far this season. This will be Southern Illinois’ first action against a team from a Power-5 conference, let alone a team that qualified for an NCAA regional in 2015.

As the March 8 home opener is quickly approaching for the Hawkeyes, opportunities to gather wins and gain confidence are vital for Iowa to take advantage of. Winning this series without Peyton on the bump or in the lineup would go a long way toward collecting confidence.

Home/Iowa Baseball