THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK BASEBALL… Upper Iowa moved their double header with Quincy up a day due to impending rain in the forecast for Wednesday. UIU has also moved their four-game, Northern Sun openers to Quincy, Ill. this Saturday and Sunday, Mar. 16-17. With lots of snow on the ground in Fayette, the Peacocks and Bulldogs of the University of Minnesota Duluth will meet for three conference games and a non-conference match up.
PICKING UP THE SPLIT... Upper Iowa split a pair of non-conference games against Lewis University to open their 2019 season two weekends ago with a 15-10 loss and an 8-7 win. The two teams combined for their 40 runs on 55 hits in the high-scoring twin bill. In game one, John Magnuson, Zachary Cain and Tony Salato combined for 11 hits at the top of the lineup, while A.J. Friedrich added 3 and Jack Thode recorded 2. In game two, Alexander Morales earned the win in relief with 5 innings on the hill; he allowed just a run on 2 hits while striking out 2 batters. Duncan Snider started and got a no-decision after his 3 innings allowing 5 runs, 2 earned, on 6 hits. Chris Webber struck out 2 in his inning to earn the save. Salato, Friedrich, Cody Ryan and Hogan Penny all had 2 hits in the second game win.
EARLY SUCCESS AT THE PLATE... The Peacocks are hitting .408 with runners on base after two games with 20 hits in 49 at bats. Zac Cain and Tony Salato lead the team with 5 hits with runners on, Upper Iowa has also started innings well with 8 hits in their 16 leadoff at bats for a .500 average led by Cain's two hits to open an inning. Upper Iowa has been taking advantage of their opportunities to score with a runner on third base and less than two outs. The Peacocks have picked up 12 RBI in 17 opportunities fueled by A.J. Friedrich's 4 RBI. While the Peacocks have had success prior to the second out of the inning, the team has struggled with two outs recording only 3 hits in 20 at bats and failing to drive in any runs with two down.
PEACOCK LEADERS... Friedrich leads the team with a .714 batting average thanks to 5 hits, while Cain comes in at .625 on 5 hits. Salato leads the team with 6 hits including a double to post a batting average of .600 and a slugging percentage of .700. As a team, the Peacocks are hitting .373 with 28 hits including 3 doubles and a triple by Jack Thode. Alexander Morales leads the pitchers with a 1.80 ERA in his 5 innings of work to pick up a win in relief, while Parker Kray and Clayton Lieb have worked an inning without allowing an earned run.
SCOUTING THE HAWKS... While the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association does not rank them, Quincy is ranked No. 4 in the nation by Perfect Game. The Hawks are explosive at the plate and on the mound winning two of three at No. 18 Mississippi College to open the season and then claiming three straight shutouts over West Liberty University and Malone University, twice. Quincy is coming off a three-game, series sweep against Rockhurst University this past weekend. At the plate, the quartet of Jeff Hightower (.435), Chadler Purcell (.314), Nolan Snyder (.293) and Cole Evans (.290) lead the offense accounting for 35 RBI for the team. On the hill, three starters have opened their campaigns with strong statements. Riley Martin is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.16 and 19 strikeouts in his 25 innings, while Aaron Stone is also 2-0 with a 3.68 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 22 innings. Nick Stroud is 2-1 in his 4 starts with a 3.00 ERA and 22 k's in 21 innings.
