THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK BASEBALL… Upper Iowa is set to open the 2023 season on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 25 and 26 in Alton, Ill. at Lloyd Hopkins Field. The Peacocks will take on the Bearcats of McKendree University in a four-game series with Saturday's action starting at 12 p.m. and Sunday's double header beginning at 11 a.m. The games will be non-conference contests, but will act as a preview of future conference opponents when UIU joins the Great Lakes Valley Conference next year.

LIVE OPTIONS... Both live stats and a webcast will be available for fans that can't make the trip south into Illinois. Fans can access the live options through the links above or by going to UIUPeacocks.com/Live on gameday. 
 
DEPTH AT ALL POSITIONS… Head Coach Jeremy Ische is sure that one of the biggest strengths of the Peacocks this season is their depth and mix of both returners and newcomers. Six players, Ryan Hull, Bryce Hall, Cael Luzum, Drew Micek, Tanner Stein and Nico Vite have separated as the top outfielders, while four players could see time behind the plate for UIU including Sage Stellmacher, Justin Baehler, Caden White and James Coffindaffer. On the infield, three first baseman have shown well in practices including Brock Zimmer, Gabe Bombardier and Alex Greene, while a pair of third baseman have stood out in the form of Samuel Grushkin and Victor Plaz. Up the middle, Ethan Sawyer and Dylan McVeigh have been taking the reps at second base, while a pair of newcomers, Kyle Hrncir and JJ Vargas look to fill the gap at shortstop. While the bullpen is deep, Ische will rely on veterans Jarrett Ramer, Sam Marhefke, Colin Lacey and Keaton Parker to eat up the majority of innings and big spots.
 
LACE 'EM UP ONE MORE TIME… Lacey, who was named as a NSIC Pitcher to Watch, is back for a sixth season due to both a medical redshirt and his COVID year. The lefty from Pleasant Hill, Iowa has thrown in 35 games making 27 starts on the hill for UIU. Last season, Lacey put together his best year since his freshman campaign with a 3-4 record and an ERA of 5.11 with 49.1 innings pitched and 33 strikeouts.
 
NEW KID IN THE HALL…Bryce Hall was the second Peacock to be named as a NSIC Player to Watch. Hall played in 101 games over the last two seasons at Ellsworth Community College after graduating from Southeast Warren High School. He scored 72 runs, tallied 78 hits including 21 doubles, two triples and 12 home runs while driving in 48 runs and swiping 13 bases. As a sophomore, Hall hit .317 and earned an Honorable Mention All-Region nod and was part of the NJCAA Academic Team of the Year.

RETURNING LEADERSHIP… Last season, Cael Luzum led the team in hitting with a .348 batting average including 40 hits and a team-high 10 doubles; Luzum also stole 14 bases this season. Tanner Stein hit .303 at the plate, while five other Peacocks hit above .250 for the season. Ryan Hull led the team with 43 hits including seven double, two triples and three home runs while patrolling center field. Upper Iowa stole 81 bases in their 43 games led by Nico Vite's 16, Luzum's 14 and Hull's 13; six players had at least eight stolen bases. On the mound, Sam Marhefke had a good year in relief with 16 appearances, a 2-3 record and 4 saves. Marhefke posted a team-low ERA of 3.86 and held opponents to a .227 batting average with 40 strikeouts.
 
FINAL LOOK IN THE REARVIEW… Upper Iowa finished the 2022 campaign with a 12-31 record overall and a 10-22 mark in Northern Sun Conference games. The Peacocks were 6-16 in games decided by three runs or less last season including a 3-6 record in one-run games, a 2-7 mark in two-run decisions and a 1-3 record in three-run games. Upper Iowa won a series against the University of Mary, swept double headers with Bemidji State University and Concordia University, St. Paul and split with Rockhurst University, the University of Minnesota Crookston, and the University of Sioux Falls.
 
NSIC PRESEASON POLL… The Northern Sun Conference has released the 2023 NSIC Baseball Coaches' Preseason Poll and the Peacocks are picked 13th. The reigning NSIC Tournament Champions of Minnesota State University, Mankato were the top pick in the 2023 NSIC Preseason Baseball Coaches' Poll. The Mavericks amassed 188 points after receiving eight first place votes (coaches cannot vote for their own team). Augustana was second with 185 points and five first place votes. St. Cloud State was picked third with 174 points and the final two first place votes. The University of Mary and Minot State tied for fourth with 128 points.
  
PEEKING AT THE NON-CONFERENCE SLATE… Upper Iowa will play in 15 non-conference games if all goes as planned. The Peacocks will open their season in Lebanon, Ill. with a four-game series against McKendree University and then battle against Purdue University Northwest, William Jewell College, Truman State University and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside over the first four weeks of the season. The last double header against a non-conference opponent is slated to be played in Fayette at Robertson Woods Field on Mar. 15 against William Jewell. The final non-conference game does not come until April 25, when the Peacocks head to Iowa City to take on Upper Iowa Hall of Famer Rick Heller and his University of Iowa Hawkeyes.
 
WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO AT ROBERTSON WOODS FIELD… UIU's final run in the Northern Sun Conference begins on Mar. 18-19; the Peacocks will welcome the University of Mary to Fayette for a three-game series. Upper Iowa is scheduled to host Bemidji State University, St. Cloud State University, Minot State University, Wayne State College, Concordia University, St. Paul and Winona State University this season.
 
ENDGAME… Upper Iowa heads into the 2023 season with one goal above the rest. The Peacocks are determined to get back to the NSIC Baseball Tournament. Doing so would snap a 13-year streak that has seen the Peacocks fall short of the postseason opportunity since reaching the third round of the semifinals of the tournament in 2009. This year's conference tournament will take the top eight teams in the final NSIC Standings. The eight-team double elimination NSIC Tournament takes place May 10-13, hosted by UMary at Veterans Memorial/Municipal Ballparks, in Mandan and Bismarck, North Dakota.