Iowa baseball tests new-look lineup in Taiwan

With new faces in the starting lineup, Iowa baseball gets a test run in the World University Games.

Pete Ruden, [email protected]

August 22, 2017

Iowa pitcher Brady Schanuel pitches during a baseball game between the Iowa Hawkeyes representing the United States as the USA National Team and the Quad City Cardinals at Duane Banks Field on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017. The Hawkeyes defeated Mexico in the World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan. (Joseph Cress/The Daily Iowan)

The Iowa baseball team showed it can win games without many key members from last year’s Big Ten Championship team.

The Hawkeyes, representing Team USA in the World University Games, took down Mexico by a score of 3-2, which is a step in the right direction.

Luckily for Iowa, the chance to play in the games gives it a head start on other teams in terms of training and building team chemistry.

“On the culture side, and the camaraderie side, and the team side, that’s where this trip can really pull this team together and bond, and develop the leaders,” head coach Rick Heller said. “Every year is different. It’s not magic. It’s work to put together a team that can gel like last year’s team did.”

As Heller said, last season’s team definitely gelled.

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A November trip to the Dominican Republic helped that team come together, and Heller is hoping the 16-day Taiwan trip will do the same for this year’s squad.

While many things are different from the 2017 Hawkeye unit, the pitching jumps off the stat sheet, despite key losses.

Weekend starters Nick Gallagher and Ryan Erickson were selected in the MLB Draft. Gallagher signed with the Cleveland Indians, while Erickson was taken by the Chicago White Sox.

C.J. Eldred, who was out nearly all season after having UCL surgery, decided to forgo his senior season and sign with the Kansas City Royals after going undrafted.

To add even more to the pitching dilemma, some of the pitchers who earned playing time last year weren’t able due make the trip due to injury, including Elijah Wood, Nick Nelsen, and Derek Lieurance.

Still, the pitching staff gave a very solid performance against Mexico, striking out a combined 13 batters.

Ole Miss transfer Brady Schanuel got the start for Team USA and made the most of it. He punched out eight batters on his own and didn’t give up a single hit through his 5.1 innings pitched.

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Schanuel said the extra games have helped and made the switch from one program to another all the more smooth.

“They’ve welcomed me with open arms and it’s been a really easy transition,” he said. “It’s really good getting innings under my belt in the summer [and] playing live competition.”

With Team USA’s next game coming against Russia on Tuesday, Aug. 22, the team has had some downtime. They used the free time to be tourists on their once-in-a-lifetime trip to Taiwan.

Along with trips to Snake Alley at a Taiwanese night market and Shilin Night Market, the Hawkeyes went to Taipei 101, a skyscraper in downtown Taipei that features the world’s fastest elevator, according to hawkeyesports.com.

Even though the trip just started, some players have already taken in what Taiwan has to offer.