With Big 10 play quickly approaching and the majority of Iowa baseball’s non-conference schedule behind it, it’s still hard to tell exactly what to expect from this team for the rest of the 2016 season.
The Hawkeyes concluded a three-game series on Sunday on the home field of the nationally-ranked Missouri State Bears. It was a series in which Iowa competed in all three games, but ultimately lost all three games, leaving us with few answers to our questions.
If the Hawkeyes had been blown out by the Bears, then we would have a better idea of how this team stacked up to competition on their level. That wasn’t the case, however.
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After a 4-1 loss on Friday, Iowa held leads on both Saturday and Sunday before losing both contests 5-4 and 8-6 respectively. The Bears, who averaged nine runs per game coming into the contest, failed to reach that mark in any of the contests against the Hawkeyes.
On both Saturday and Sunday, it was the Iowa bullpen that ultimately let the Hawkeyes down. In its defense, however, they had to do a lot of heavy lifting against a deep and talented lineup due to short starts.
Senior Tyler Peyton went just 4.2 innings on Saturday, and senior Calvin Mathews just three innings on Sunday. Sophomore CJ Eldred did last longer on Friday, but his 5.2 innings and four runs (three earned) allowed put him short of a quality start.
Altogether in all three games, Iowa’s bullpen pitched 11.1 innings, allowing seven runs on 10 hits. The Hawkeye relievers issued nine walks while striking out eight batters. Those aren’t bad numbers against a team whose batting average ranks in the top 15 of the nation, but not good either.
Offensively, there were some encouraging moments from the weekend.
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Iowa compiled eight hits in each game, out-hitting Missouri State on Friday and falling just one short of the Bears’ total on Saturday. Hanging the 10 combined runs on Saturday and Sunday was a great improvement from the last time that the Hawkeyes saw competition of this caliber. At Dallas Baptist in the season-opening series, Iowa managed just five runs in all three games.
Unfortunately, however, it wasn’t enough to gain a win. There are no moral victories in the Big 10 standings, or when it comes time to make at-large selections for NCAA regionals.
Iowa’s defense had to be the most encouraging thing about the weekend series. Facing the No. 12 ranked team in the nation on its home field, the Hawkeyes went the entire weekend without committing an error. That’s the first such three-game stretch for Iowa this season, and a sign that players are adjusting to each other and their new positions.
So with one more non-conference game at home on Wednesday against Bradley to play before the Maryland Terrapins come to Iowa City next weekend, there are many questions still unanswered:
- Has Peyton lost his edge on the mound?
- Is Eldred now the ace of this staff?
- Is Mathews still starting only because the Hawkeyes lack any better options right now?
- Can the defense and offense continue their recent upward trends?
All those questions might be answered this weekend at Duane Banks Field against Maryland, but it’s possible that the Terrapins might come and go without revealing any solid answers. It may take a while for Iowa to settle all these issues. Unfortunately for the Hawkeyes, each game that they take to figure things out is one fewer game left on the schedule to prove that they belong in the ranks with teams like Missouri State.