After hitting a walk-off homer to give Iowa a series win over No. 7 Michigan, who else would be the X-factor?
Cropley has been on a roll all season, just as his numbers suggest. The McCook Lake, South Dakota, native is slashing .375/.437/.683, leading the team in all three categories.
He just so happens to be the Hawkeye with the most RBIs (38) and ris tied for first with 8 home runs as well.
The walk-off against the Wolverines wasn’t Cropley’s first of the year. On March 28, the Iowa Western transfer crushed a walk-off grand slam to give the Hawkeyes the win after they trailed, 9-8, heading into the eighth inning.
He comes alive when the game is on the line. He is not just going to let a big moment pass him by.
Throw in his all-around defense at catcher, and it is clear Iowa has a bona fide star on its hands.
Head coach Rick Heller has shifted Cropley to left field for some games, keeping him fresh, and it has paid off.
Cropley had a slow start to the season last year. It took him time to adjust to playing at the Division-1 level, but he started to heat up toward the end of the season. He never cooled off and has been leading the Hawkeyes in numerous ways since.
There could be a number of players who step up, including Robert Neustrom, Chris Whelan, Matt Hoeg, and Lorenzo Elion. All are very capable of taking games over with big hits. But Cropley does it consistently, which is why he will be the most important person in Iowa’s lineup this weekend.
Robert Neustrom
By Adam Hensley
Neustrom has been Iowa’s go-to guy all year long, and that’s not changing with only a little more than two weeks remaining in the regular season.
Neustrom is hitting .321 so far this season, tied for the second-best average on the Hawkeye roster. He’s tied for the team-lead in home runs with 8, and his 53 hits rank second, while he’s tied for second in RBIs with 26.
Neustorm’s slugging percentage (.527) ranks second as well.
When Neustrom is clicking, so are the Hawkeyes. Iowa is 12-3 when the junior records at least 2 hits, with wins over such teams as Virginia Tech, Indiana, and Ohio State.
He’s coming off one of his best games of the season, even though it was a loss to Missouri, on Tuesday.
Neustrom finished 3-for-6 with 4 RBIs and a home run. His hits and RBIs tied for the team lead.
One example of Neustrom’s ability to heat up came when over a three-game span; he went 8-for-14 with 5 RBIs. As a team, Iowa’s offense mimicked his firepower, putting up 26 runs over the same span of games.
Sitting at the 4 spot in Iowa’s batting order, Neustrom is truly the X-factor for the Hawkeyes. He has the capability, especially at his position, to bring in runners.