Sam Petersen is the best freshman on the Iowa baseball team this spring, so far. His timely hitting and perfect defense have made him the most valuable first-year Hawkeye on the diamond.

At the plate, Petersen started the season off slow. Through his first 14 games in the Black and Gold, the freshman from Huxley, Iowa, batted just .222 with six hits in his first 27 official at-bats.  During that stretch, Petersen hit one home run and tallied four RBIs.

In his last seven games as of April 8, however, Petersen has heated up. In an identical 27 at-bats over that span, Petersen has batted .407, collecting 11 hits, eight RBIs, and two home runs.

Against Central Michigan from March 25-27, Petersen drove in the winning runs in both Hawkeye victories.

First, in the series-opener, he bashed a three-run homer in the second inning that proved to be the difference. In the finale, with two outs, two runners on base, and down 0-2 in the count, he poked a single into center field to drive both runners home and give Iowa another win.

In the Hawkeyes’ first Big Ten series of the season against Michigan the next weekend, Petersen added six hits in 13 at-bats. In Iowa’s most recent game against Bradley, Petersen went 2-for-5 at the plate. He is riding a five-game hitting streak and had two or more hits in four of those contests. The freshman has hit safely in seven of the last eight games.

Defensively, although Petersen is listed as an infielder on the Hawkeyes’ roster, most of his time this season has come roaming the outfield. Even so, Petersen has yet to make an error this season and has made multiple diving plays to save hits and runs for his team.

So, Petersen is my pick for the Hawkeyes’ most valuable freshman.