By Pete Ruden
Just like LeBron James a few years ago, the Iowa baseball team will take its talents to South Florida this weekend, where it will compete in the Snowbird Baseball Classic against Villanova, Bucknell, and Lehigh.
The last time the Hawkeyes took the field in Florida, they lost the season-opening series to South Florida, 2-1, so they’ll try to change their fortunes this time around.
Iowa has been playing well recently, and it will play teams with losing records all weekend, so that is likely to equate to a few wins. However, with it being a four-game series, Iowa will have to go deeper into its pitching staff.
That’s asking a lot, though, because Saturday starter C.J. Eldred has been injured since his start against South Florida in February. With his ulnar nerve still bothering him, he is questionable for this weekend.
If Eldred is unable to pitch, Cole McDonald would likely start on Saturday, just as he did last weekend.
In his one appearance, Eldred was stellar. In a quality start, he allowed 1 run on 3 hits in 6 innings of work.
Head coach Rick Heller said that while Eldred felt good in a bullpen in Minnesota last weekend, his status is still undecided and will ultimately be up to him.
“It’s still up in the air. We’re hoping for something this weekend,” Heller said. “We’ll just have to play it by ear, see how he feels. It will be his call.”
In Iowa’s last game, against Northern Illinois, the Hawkeyes blasted the ball all over the field. In a 12-run outing, four players knocked in at least 2 runs.
On the season, seven everyday starters are batting at least .300, led by right fielder Robert Neustrom at .404. He has also gotten a hit in all 11 games this season, a career-long hitting streak for him.
Entering the season, Iowa returned fewer than half of its hits, RBIs, and home runs. That sounds like a concern, but it turns out that it hasn’t been a problem at all.
Iowa has a 2-0 record at home, with the last win coming on a windy, 52-degree day. Neustrom hopes that because the team has been able to win in Iowa weather, it can win in Florida weather, as well.
“The bats were alive today,” Neustrom said after the win over Northern Illinois. “That was really good to see, because we’ve been playing in warm weather this first month, so coming up here and doing well in the cold, it was really good.”
Iowa has shown perseverance throughout the season. Against Hawaii, the Hawkeyes were up 7-3 heading into the ninth. They let the Warriors come within striking distance, though; Hawaii scored 3 runs in the ninth and almost tied it, but Iowa was able to close it out.
Against Northern Illinois, Iowa trailed in the first and fifth inning but came back to take the lead both times.
Heading into a four-game series, those comebacks help the Hawkeyes stay confident, even when they’re down.
“It gives us some momentum going into the weekend. Big weekend this weekend,” pitcher/DH Grant Judkins said. “It shows that when we get down, we fight back. We don’t give up right away.”
