THIS WEEK IN PEACOCKS BASEBALL… Upper Iowa baseball will cap off their homestand with a midweek doubleheader on Wednesday, Apr. 21 at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. against Concordia University, St. Paul. UIU will then play a pair of doubleheaders over the weekend at the University of Sioux Falls. The first of the two twin bills begins on Saturday, April. 24 at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. while the series concludes on Sunday, Apr. 25 with first pitches set for 12 and 2 p.m. Live stats will be available at UIUPeacocks.com/Live, while an audio broadcast of the home series and a webcast of the games at Sioux Falls can be accessed there as well. Digital gameday programs for Wednesday's games can also be found at UIUPeacocks.com/Programs.
MOVING PAST MSU… Minnesota State University, Mankato swept Upper Iowa in four games last week. The Peacocks fought hard in a 10-inning pitcher's duel to open the series but eventually fell 2-1. UIU then suffered a 8-0 loss to finish Saturday's slate followed by 5-1 and 12-6 defeats on Sunday afternoon. The series opener marked just the second time that Upper Iowa has entered extras this season.
"HIT-MER"... Jake Hilmer accumulated a team-high five hits including a double in 14 tries during the Minnesota State series which was good for a .358 rate at the plate. The second-year freshman scored on three occasions over the weekend, contributing nearly half the team's scores. The Walker, Iowa native leads UIU in batting average (.363), runs (21), hits (33), total bases (41), and steals (5-6) after another great week offensively.
SNIDER THE SNIPER… Duncan Snider was deadly on the mound against the Mavericks in the series opener. The Muscatine, Iowa native struck out seven and allowed just one earned run in six innings of work in a narrow extra-innings loss against NSIC leading Minnesota State. The right-hander allowed just seven on via four free passes and a trio of base hits in a no-decision. The senior has been a staple of the Peacock rotation possessing team-highs in games started (7), innings pitched (39.1), and strikeouts (39) as well as team-lows among starters in ERA (3.20) and opponent batting average (.244).
WHAT A RELIEF… The Peacocks saw a pair of strong relief performances over the weekend. On Saturday, Chris Webber went a career-high four innings in relief of Snider allowing just one earned run on two hits and a pair of free passes while shutting down four on strikes. Despite the solid outing, Webber suffered the loss after allowing the game-winning run in the top of the tenth. However, the junior held the NSIC-best Mavericks scoreless up until that point. In game one Sunday, Keaton Parker allowed just one hit while fanning a pair of batters in three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Parker's ERA of 2.25 sits second only to Webber's 0.95 for the lowest of any Peacock reliever. In the strikeout category, Parker and Webber are neck-and-neck at 22 and 21 on the year, respectively.
KEEPING IT .300… Along with Hilmer, Kyle Routhieaux and Hogan Penny both batted over .300 against Minnesota State. After going 0-6 on Saturday, Penny shined on Sunday going 4-6 with two free passes, two runs batted in, and a run scored over the two games. The senior trails only Hilmer (.363) for the team-high batting average on the season with a .317 rate at the plate. Routhieaux collected a pair of base hits each day and came around to score on Sunday. The junior leads UIU with an on-base percentage of .452 in part thanks to 12 walks and 10 hit-by-pitches.
GAUGING THE GOLDEN BEARS… CSP holds the career series 20-11 with the most recent meeting in 2019 resulting in a double header split. Concordia sits at 11-17 overall, 7-15 in the NSIC. After a hot 6-2 start, the Golden Bears have lost 15 of their last 20 games. CSP most recently dropped a three-game series at Augustana University. Four Golden Bears (Matt Pietsch, Nick Thimsen, Patrick Bordewick, and Jarod Wandersee) are batting over .300 with at least 24 hits, 17 runs, and nine RBI to their names. Griffin Lapp is CSP's ace, Lapp has maintained a 4.08 ERA and a 2-2 record over six starts. The sophomore has fanned a team-high 30 batters in 35.1 innings on the mound while surrendering 35 hits and 17 free passes. The Golden Bear arms have posted a cumulative 5.24 ERA while their opponents have registered a 4.46 rate.
CORRALLING THE COUGARS… The Peacocks narrowly hold the historical advantage 7-6 including a 2-1 series victory in the teams' last meeting. Sioux Falls holds a 12-14 mark on the year, 8-14 in conference play. The Cougars have won four of their last five following last week's meetings with Southwest Minnesota State University and Wayne State College. Tyler Cate and Grant Lung lead the USF lineup. The tandem have combined for 57 hits, 42 RBI, 37 runs scored, 22 walks, 13 steals, and are batting .345 and .301, respectively through 26 games. Matt Graham is at the head of the Cougars' rotation having logged an NSIC-high 44 innings. Graham has completed two games in seven starts and compiled a 2-2 mark. The junior holds a 4.50 ERA and has struck out 26 batters while holding his opponents to a .179 batting average. Interestingly enough, the Cougars and their opponents have both batted .276 so far this season.
