This Weekend in Peacock Baseball... Upper Iowa will finally get onto the diamond this Friday to open their 2019 schedule. The team had their first four games wiped away by winter weather in Kansas two weeks ago and while this weekend's schedule has been altered, Upper Iowa will be outside for a pair of games against Lewis University. The Peacocks and Flyers will meet up in St. Charles, Mo. on the campus of Lindenwood University for the double header beginning at 12 p.m. on Friday afternoon. No live coverage is available for the two games, but fans can find updates on the team's twitter account…
http://www.twitter.com/UIUBaseball. UIU's scheduled double header with Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo. has been cancelled due to field conditions.
One Last Look Back to 2018… UIU ended the 2018 campaign with a 17-24 record overall and a 15-18 mark in the Northern Sun. The Peacocks ended the season with a 3-1 series win over Minnesota State University, Mankato on graduation weekend to finish two games out of eighth place. Upper Iowa picked up a pair of sweeps at home in 2018, including a four-game series over the University of Mary and a doubleheader sweep over Southwest Minnesota State University. In the friendly confines of Robertson Woods Field, the Peacocks finished 9-4.
Returning Bats in the Peacock Lineup… Six Peacocks finished the 2018 campaign with a batting average above .300 including returners
Emmett Kulick (.344) and
Zac Cain (.319).
Tony Salato (.297) also returns to the Peacock lineup after a good first year with UIU. Cain was named to the 2018 NSIC Gold Glove Team at first base after posting a clean sheet in NSIC games without an error while recording 251 putouts and 11 assists.
Conner Klostermann, who hit .301 last year, will redshirt this season due to injury, but will return in 2020.
Fresh Arms on the Mound… Pitching will be the x-factor for first-year Head Coach
Jeremy Ische, who was the top assistant with the program the last two years. Only two arms with more than five innings of work in 2018 return to the staff. Sophomore
Colin Lacey and junior
Parker Kray will be the veterans on a staff with over 25 arms ready to earn innings on the hill. Lacey started 8 games for the Peacocks and the southpaw posted a 3-4 record with a 5.11 ERA in 49.1 innings. Kray made 11 appearances out of the bullpen and secured a 3-0 record in 12 innings with a 4.50 ERA.
Scouting the Flyers… Lewis enters the double header with a 4-3 record after dropping three of four to Drury University over the weekend. Prior to the series with the Panthers, the Flyers swept Trevecca Nazarene in a three-game series in Nashville, Tenn. The offense is led by Brandon Post, who is hitting .370 with 10 hits and 4 RBI, while Andrew Tenison is at .313 with 5 hits including a double and triple. The team is averaging 5 runs per game. On the mound, the starters have allowed 27 runs in 29.2 innings, but the relief has been a bright spot led by Robert Talarico, who has an ERA of 0.00 after 4.2 innnings on the hill.
NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll… The Northern Sun Conference baseball coaches selected Upper Iowa to finish 12th in 2019 along with Southwest Minnesota State University. Augustana University, the 2018 NCAA Division II National Champion, earned the coaches' nod to win the league.
Next Up… UIU is scheduled to travel to Quincy, Ill. on Wednesday, Mar. 6 to line up against the Hawks of Quincy University in a non-conference double header.
