Iowa Baseball: South Alabama Invitational Preview

The Iowa Baseball teams travels south to Mobile this weekend to play in the South Alabama Invitational. The Hawkeyes are off to a 5-1 start this season, including a win over #1 LSU last weekend in the Karbach Round Rock Classic. Rick Heller’s squad will look continue their momentum into the final three opponent weekend of the season, with the tradtional weekend series set to start next week with Texas Tech.

With that, lets take a look at the opponents the Hawkeyes will be facing this weekend…

FRIDAY vs SOUTHERN JAGUARS (4-4)

The Jaguars finished last season with a 27-31 record, but won the SWAC West division with a 21-9 record. They came up a game short of the NCAA Tournament, falling to Alabama State in the SWAC Championship game. Southern finished with an 0-6 record against NCAA Tournament participants and an 0-4 record against Power 5 opponents.

Coming into this season, the Jags were D1Baseball’s pick to win the SWAC West divison, but they have them losing out to Alabama State for the NCAA bid once again. Southern has faced an HBCU heavy schedule so far and are 4-2 against those schools. They dropped a midweek against #1 LSU by a score of 18-4 and lost to McNeese State 10-3 on Wednesday.

Pitching Matchup – TBD vs TBD

The Iowa coaching staff has Friday listed as TBD, but as long as Ty Langenberg is healthy, he is the most likely one to take the mound. He is looking to bounce back after a tough start last week against Sam Houston State. Ty allowed three runs on nine hits over 4.2 innings in the Hawkeyes 6-0 loss to the Bearkats. On the bright side, he has 12 strikeouts to three walks over 9.2 innings.

It is possible that Heller wants to get some of the pressure off of Ty since he has not had his best stuff the first couple of weeks. If that is the case, it would likely be Jared Simpson or Zach Voelker making the start.

Southern has not yet released their starter for Friday, but senior RHP Jalon Long has gotten the weekend opening start in each of the first two weeks this season. The Samford transfer posted a 6.19 ERA over 16 appearances last season for the Bulldogs. He struggled with control and walked 40 over 56.2 innings. In two starts this year, Long has allowed some runs. Last time out against Florida A&M, he allowed five run on seven hits in 6.2 innings of work. He did strike out seven and walk just two.

Five Jaguars Players to Watch

1. 1B O’Neil Burgos- Burgos is the top returning power hitter for the Jagaurs. He was second on the team last year with 24 extra base hits, including a team-leading 15 doubles and eight home runs. He also led the team with 64 hits and 57 RBI’s. Burgos was preseason First Team All-SWAC selection this year, but has struggled so far with just a .148 batting average. He has been very disciplined at the plate with a team-leading ten walks/hit by pitches.

2. CF Jaylen Armstrong- Armstrong was the leader on the team in batting average (.360) last season and was second on the team with a .463 on-base percentage. He also was tied for the team lead with 14 stolen bases. This season, Armstrong was a preseason First Team All-SWAC selection and has backed it up. He has a team-leading .419 batting average, including 13 hits, four doubles and two home runs. He is on a seven game hit streak and has multiple hits in five games.

3. OF Khyle Radcliffe- Radcliffe spent last year batting .321 with 15 doubles, three triples and four home runs with John A Logan CC. He transferred to Southern and has gotten off to a hot start this season. Radcliffe is batting .409 with a team-leading .563 on-base percentage and seven RBI’s. He has a hit in six of seven games.

4. Hunter Tabb- Tabb started 36 games for the Jaguars last season, posting a .295 batting average with 13 doubles and 26 RBI’s. He accumulated 11 multi-hit games. This season, Tabb is batting .321 and is second on the team with nine hits. He has a hit in all seven games he has played in.

5. P Jaden Brasseaux- The Nunez CC transfer has put together two good appearances out of the bullpen so far this season. He has thrown 6.0 scoreless innings with six strikeouts to three walks, while allowing just two hits. The Hawkeyes may see him out of the bullpen.

SATURDAY vs SOUTH ALABAMA JAGUARS (5-4)

The Jaguars finished last season with a 31-23 record, including a fifth place finish in the Sun Belt. South Alabama was 5-15 against NCAA Tournament participants and 0-2 against Power 5 teams.

Coming into this season, D1Baseball said that the Jaguars were a team that ‘should’ compete for an NCAA Tournament berth. They are off to a 5-4 start, but were swept by Nebraska last weekend. The Huskers outscored South Alabama 29-10 in a three game series. The Jags have scored 5 runs of less in six of nine games.

Pitching Matchup – Soph RHP Marcus Morgan vs Fr LHP Gehrig Conard

Marcus Morgan will slide into the Saturday start this weekend due to the suspension of Brody Brecht. Last week against Kansas State, Morgan allowed four runs on four hits, while striking out four and walking three. The Jaguars offense is batting just .263 as a team, but have drawn 67 walks/hit by pitches to 64 strikeouts. Marcus will need to be around the zone to be successful.

South Alabama will go with true freshman Gehrig Conard on the mound to start against the Hawkeyes. He has made two starts this season and has posted a 2.00 ERA over 9.0 innings. Last time out against Nebraska, Conard was solid. He allowed one earned run on five hits over 4.0 innings, while striking out seven and walking just one. He went 6.0 innings against Eastern Kentucky in the opening weekend and allowed just one run on six hits.

Five Jaguars Players to Watch

1. OF Will Turner- As a true freshman last year, Will Turner started all 54 games, posting a .279 batting average. He hit eight doubles, four triples and five home runs, while ranking third on the team with 36 RBI’s. Turner recorded 20 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI games. Through nine games this season, he has been fantastic. Turner is batting .438, with a team-leading 14 hits, five doubles and 11 RBI’s. His .571 on-base percentage ranks 63rd in the country.

2. 2B Erick Orbeta- Orbeta was a Second Team All-SBC selection last year after batting .340 with a .444 on-base percentage. He was third on the team in hits (68) and led the team with 38 walks drawn. He racked up 23 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI games. So far this year, Orbeta is batting .293 and leads the team with five doubles. He has multiple hits in five of his last seven games.

3. SS JG Bell- JG Bell spent last season with Pearl River CC team that won the NJCAA National Title. He batted .291 with 24 RBI’s and 40 runs scored. This season, Bell is batting .323 with ten hits and eight RBI’s. He is currently on a seven game hitting streak.

4. OF Colson Lawrence- Colson Lawrence had an impressive season last with with Wallace State CC. He batted .368 with nine doubles, 12 home runs 47 RBI’s and 20 stolen bases. He has started all nine games and is batting .294 with ten hits, including a pair of home runs. Lawrence has a hit in seven of nine games.

5. P Grant Wood or P Matthew DeLano- The two best arms out of the Jaguars bullpen so far this year. They have combined for 21 strikeouts to just two walks in 14.0 innings of work. Wood has seen his role increase after appearing in 13 games last season as a redshirt freshman and he has 3+ strikeouts in his last three appearances. DeLano transferred in from Mississippi Gulf Coast CC and has appeared in three games this season. This past weekend against Nebraska, DeLano went 4.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits, while striking out four.

SUNDAY vs PEPPERDINE WAVES(2-4)

The Waves finished last season with a 24-26 record, including a seventh place finish in the WCC. They were 5-8 against NCAA Tournament participants and 1-1 against Power 5 teams. Iowa defeated Pepperdine 3-1 in the Kleberg Bank Classic.

This season, the Waves are off to a 2-4 start, but it is worth noting that D1Baseball called it their most talented squad since 2016. They lost two of three in their season opening series against Boston College and then dropped a midweek game against #12 UCLA. This past weekend, their series with Alabama was canceled. They were able to add Cal St Northridge to the schedule and they split a pair of games.

The Pepperdine offense has struggled mightly so far with 66 strikeouts to just 17 walks and a team .239 batting average. That ranks 221st in the country.

Pitching Matchup – Soph RHP Brody Brecht vs rSoph RHP Tommy Scavone

Brody Brecht’s four-game suspension will be completed after Saturday, so he will slide down to Sunday for this weekend. Last time out against #1 LSU, Brecht allowed two runs on one hit and struck out six over 3.1 innings. The concern was the eight walks he gave up. Brody battled hard and was able to use his slider to limit the damage. This week, he will be looking to find some control with his fastball and limit free bases.

Redshirt sophomore Tommy Scavone spent last season at Cal St East Bay and pitched in seven games. He posted a 4.46 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 40.1 innings pitched. Scavone has appeared in two games this season and has a 3.86 ERA over 7.0 innings on the mound. Last time out, he tossed 3.2 scoreless innings against Cal St Northridge, including six strikeouts to two walks and three hits.

Four Waves Players to Watch

1. SS John Peck- John Peck put together an impressive season last year and it led to a First Team All-WCC selection. Peck batted .361 with 60 hits, 11 doubles, seven home runs and 33 RBI’s. He had 23 multi-hit games and at one point had a 24 game reached base streak. Peck was a preseason All-WCC selection this year, but has really struggled in the early going. He is batting just .125 and is 0/12 with five strikeouts over his last three games. Still, Peck is a very dangerous hitter.

2. 2B/C Ryan Johnson- Ryan Johnson started all 50 games last season and was fourth on the team with a .253 batting average. He led the team with 37 RBI’s and 22 extra base hits, including ten home runs. Johnson did strikeout 77 times and had a 34.5% strikeout rate. In six games this season, Johnson has upped his average. He is batting .435 with a team-leading ten hits, including a pair of home runs.

3. OF Connor Bradshaw- Bradshaw started all 50 games last season for the Waves and was third on the team with a .268 batting average. He was third on the team in extra base hits with 18, including five home runs. Bradshaw had 15 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI games. This season, he is off to a slow start with a .158 batting average. All three of his hits came in the season opener against Boston College. He is 0/15 with nine strikeouts over the last five games.

4. 2B Jack Goodman- True freshman Jack Goodman was voted the Boston Globe Player of the Year as a senior at Medfield High School and has gotten off to a good start early this season. He is second on the team with a .333 bating average. He has a hit in the last four games.

FINAL THOUGHT

Set the over/under for wins at 2.5. The Hawkeyes should be favored in all three games and they will have a chance to build on their momentum from last weekend with a series against Texas Tech looming next week. The offense is ranked 59th in batting average and are averaging 7.1 runs per game. The pitching staff ranks 18th in team ERA and 32nd in strikeouts per nine innings. If both the offense and pitching can continue to do what they have so far, Iowa should be able to have a successful weekend.

The weekend opener against Southern University is set for a 12:00pm first pitch. Saturday’s game against South Alabama will be streamed on ESPN+ with a 6:30pm first pitch.