Iowa baseball player Sasha Kuebel was named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week on Monday, according to a release.

The southpaw starter struck out 3 in 7 1/3 innings against Virginia Tech on Sunday. He gave up an earned run on 3 hits, walked a batter, and hit another with a pitch.

But Kuebel didn’t get a decision; reliever Tim Fangman gave up 3 ninth-inning runs after the freshman departed, although only one of them was earned. Iowa lost the game, 4-3.

Kuebel (0-0, 2.31 ERA) is Iowa’s first-ever Freshman of the Week; the Big Ten began distributing the award in 2011.

"He’s very deserving," head coach Jack Dahm said in the release. "He pitched like a veteran against a good … team. Sasha has pitched well to start the season and we look forward to his continued improvement."

Iowa (1-5) will travel to Tennessee to play in the Austin Peay/Riverview Inn Classic starting Friday. The Hawkeyes will face Akron, Austin Peay, and Youngstown State.

— by Seth Roberts