Iowa right-hander Nick Brown earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors for his work in the Hawkeyes’ 11-2 win over Notre Dame on March 18.

The junior from Warrenville, Ill., pushed his record to 2-1 by throwing seven scoreless innings. He struck out three and gave up just four singles.

Brown’s only struggles came in the fourth inning, when the Irish put two men in scoring position on three-straight hits and a passed ball, but he escaped the jam unscathed.

The domination of the Irish was the latest in a season-long string of solid performances for the starter. The burly right-hander owns the conference’s eighth-best batting average against (.230), is second in the league in batters struck out looking (11), and has posted the best ERA of any Iowa starting pitcher (2.57).

“We are happy to see Nick get recognized for his efforts,” Iowa head coach Jack Dahm said in a statement. “Nick is throwing the ball really well… We’re excited about the direction he’s going.”

Brown is the second Iowa player to earn a conference award this season — outfielder Trevor Willis was the March 7 Player of the Week — and the school’s first Pitcher of the Week since Brock Alberts earned the honor in March 2008.

— by Seth Roberts