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The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan
The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Iowa’s Adams selected as Big Ten Player of the Year

May 23, 2017
The Daily Iowan; Photos by Alex
Iowa first baseman Jake Adams swings at a pitch during the game between South Dakota State/Iowa at Duane Banks Field on Tuesday, April 4, 2017. The Hawkeyes scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to top the Jackrabbits 4-3. (The Daily Iowan/ Alex Kroeze)

The Big Ten announced its conference awards for the 2017 season, and one Hawkeye in particular made headlines on Tuesday.

Iowa first baseman Jake Adams unanimously became Big Ten Player of the Year, the second Hawkeye to do so and the first since Brett Backlund in 1992.

The Brandon, South Dakota, native led the Big Ten with 24 homers, 65 RBIs, 73 hits, and a .750 slugging percentage. He also dominated the conference in total bases.

In Iowa’s final series of the season, Adams shattered the previous Hawkeye mark (22) for most homers in a season. The record hadn’t been matched in more than 30 years; it was set in 1986.

A unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection, the DMACC transfer’s home-run total ranks second in the country and is the most by a Big Ten player in the current era.

Teammates Mason McCoy (Big Ten-leading 49 runs scored, second with 16 doubles, and third with 72 hits), Tyler Cropley (leading the conference in throwing out would-be base-stealers (17), and the first Hawkeye catcher since 2011 to earn all-conference honors), Nick Gallagher (tied for the regular-season lead with 8 wins, top six in Big Ten with a 2.59 ERA, 77 strikeouts, pitching 83.1 innings), and Robert Neustrom (tied for the conference lead with 73 hits, third with 53 RBIs, and fourth with 114 total bases) garnered second-team recognition.

Corbin Woods earned Iowa’s nominee for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, presented to student-athletes who display sportsmanship and ethical behavior, are in good academic standing, and demonstrate good citizenship outside of athletics, via a press release.

Adams’ first-team selection added to Iowa head coach Rick Heller’s streak of four-straight seasons with a Hawkeye on the first-team All-Big Ten. In his four seasons coaching the Hawkeyes, Heller has produced 18 All-Big Ten selections.

The Hawkeyes’ postseason will begin on May 24, when No.5 seed Iowa will square off against No. 4 seed Maryland at 7:30 p.m. (CDT) in Bloomington, Indiana, in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Fans can watch Iowa’s first game of the tournament on BTN.

— by Adam Hensley

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