The train keeps moving forward for the Iowa baseball team. Fresh off a 2-1 series loss to Minnesota, Milwaukee-Wisconsin (11-12) will come to town today, and it is up to the Hawkeyes (11-14, 3-3 Big Ten) to decide how much momentum that train can muster before another testing weekend of Big Ten play.
The Hawkeyes struggled to put together complete nine-inning games against Minnesota, something Iowa head coach Rick Heller will no doubt want to see in his team’s midweek tilt versus the Horizon League opponent.
“The guys never quit; they battled,” Heller said in a release after the rubber-match game in Minnesota. “We just have to keep trying to improve and get better; that’s all we can do.”
Iowa gets nine innings versus Milwaukee before Illinois, which won 50 games a year ago, heads to Iowa City.
Freshman Shane Ritter will get the start for the Hawkeyes against the Panthers. He has thrown 5.2 innings for the Hawkeyes, not allowing any runs on 3 hits and 3 walks. Opponents are hitting .158 against Ritter, who is one of two Hawkeye pitchers — the other redshirt junior Jared Mandel — not to allow a run so far this season.
Milwaukee will run out Austin Schulfer against the Hawkeyes. He has a record of 0-2 with an ERA of 14.49, giving up 22 earned runs on 26 hits in 13.2 innings. Schulfer has struggled this season, and opponents are batting .400 against him.
As a team, the Panthers are hitting .264 with 52 extra-base hits. Luke Van Meeteer has led Milwaukee this season with a .396 average, compiling 40 hits and 23 runs. He has also stolen nine bags.
Milwaukee has posted wins over then-No. 25 Texas Tech and Kansas State, and it swept Illinois State.
The Panthers average 5.6 runs per game and have scored 8 or more runs in seven of their 11 wins.
Milwaukee has won the last two meetings with the Hawkeyes, 4-3 a year ago and 10-3 in 2013. Milwaukee also leads the all-time series 10-7.
The record the Panthers possess may not look intimidating, but the Hawkeyes cannot afford to look ahead to Illinois. Each midweek game serves as a chance to work on something that needs to be fixed before a weekend series.
Heller has used midweek games as an opportunity to flush out his bullpen this season. Tuesday will be an opportunity to put together a complete nine-inning game.