THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK BASEBALL
Peacock baseball enters its final weekend of the regular season with a neutral-site matchup against Grand Valley State in Peru, Ill. The teams will play a single game on Thursday at 7 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 1 p.m. UIU heads into the weekend with a 21-25 overall record and a 15-17 mark in GLVC play.
LAST ACTION IN REVIEW
Upper Iowa took three of four games from Missouri S&T last weekend. The Peacocks opened the series with a narrow 11-10 win in game one and followed it up with a 4-1 victory in game two. Their lone setback came on Saturday in an 8-6 loss, but they bounced back in their final game, erupting for 22 runs in a 22-5 decision to close out the series on Sunday.
THE PITCHING STAFF
Upper Iowa's pitching staff has been led in innings by
Isaiah Maes, who has logged 51.1 frames over 11 starts with a 6.66 ERA and 34 strikeouts.
Brady Stevens has contributed 48.1 innings across 10 starts, tallying 38 strikeouts.
Steve Marhefke has pitched 41.0 innings and has seen nine starts with 30 strikeouts, while
Tyler Glowacki has made 14 appearances out of the bullpen, posting 35 strikeouts in 30.2 innings.
Ethan Bombardier has also made six starts, recording 27 strikeouts in 24.0 innings with a 4.50 ERA.
William Kiburis has provided a steady presence out of the bullpen, compiling a 4.13 ERA and a 4-0 record over 24.0 innings with 18 strikeouts and a .242 opponent batting average.
PLATE PERFORMANCES
Ethan Sawyer has been a key offensive leader for UIU, batting a team-high .355 across 46 games. He's been consistent at the plate with 66 hits, including 13 doubles, and has driven in 36 RBIs.
Brock Zimmer is hitting .339 with six home runs and 33 RBIs.
Gunnar Wicklund boasts a .333 batting average and .727 slugging percentage. He has added 17 home runs this season and a team-high 45 RBIs.
Bryce Hall holds a .319 batting average, adding three home runs and 24 RBIs.
Thane Meiners is batting .312 and has the most stolen bases on the team (8-9).
ALL-TIME HITS LEADER
Ethan Sawyer has officially etched his name into the Peacock baseball history books, becoming the program's all-time hits leader with 219 career hits. He surpassed the previous record of 217, set by Tyler Adams in 2014.
ABOUT GRAND VALLEY
The Lakers, ranked No. 8 in the nation, hold a 36-10 overall record and sit at 18-6 in GLIAC play, placing them second in the conference behind Davenport (18-2). They lead the league in pitching with a 3.48 ERA and rank second in team batting average at .313, while also tying for the conference lead in home runs with 42. The Lakers are currently on a seven-game win streak.
