Hawkeye baseball to face off against Air Force Academy

Jake Mosbach, [email protected]

April 11, 2016

Iowa right handed pitcher Calvin Mathews prepares to throw the ball during the third game series of the Iowa-Indiana game at Banks Field on Sunday March, 2015. The Hawkeyes defeated the Hoosiers, 10-6. (The Daily Iowan/Margaret Kispert)

As it inches closer to the .500 record mark for the first time this season, the Hawkeye baseball team has the opportunity to go head-to-head with a quality opponent, the Air Force Academy, today and Wednesday.

The two midweek contests are the first of their kind for the Hawks this season, and getting this portion of the schedule started against a team such as the Falcons will prove to be another great test for head coach Rick Heller and the Hawks.

Ahead of the clash with Air Force, here’s a quick introduction to the powerful Falcons.

Air Force winning streak: 5 games

On top of their 18-8 record, the Falcons are riding a decent winning streak as they come to Banks Field. After defeating Northern Colorado on April 5, Air Force completed a four-game sweep of San Jose State to build some momentum.

Air Force is no stranger to winning streaks this season, either — the team has gone on two winning streaks of three or more games. But Iowa has some momentum, too, winning five of eight, including taking two of three from defending Big Ten champion Illinois.

It’s safe to say two hot teams will do battle at Banks Field this week.

Air Force team batting average: .343

When it comes to performance at the plate, the Falcons will be one of the best teams Iowa will face all year. Hitting far better than their season opponents (their past foes average just .258 so far), the Falcons have power at the plate that the Hawks haven’t seen this season.

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Junior utility player Adam Groesbeck, batting a stunning .444 in 108 at-bats, leads the Falcons. Besides Groesbeck, the team features six other players batting above .300. In the home-run department, junior outfielder Tyler Jones leads the team with 10 long balls this season.

Senior right-hander Calvin Mathews will start on the hill for the Hawks today, and it’s clear he’ll have his hands full with the high-powered lineup.

Air Force run differential: plus 71

With the Falcons, expect runs, lots of them. Air Force has outscored its opponents 218-147. This could partly be due to that when the Falcons get runners on, they score.

They’ve left 164 runners on base this season, compared with Iowa’s 217. The Falcons are efficient with their runners, knowing how to score them.