The University of Iowa baseball team posted a 1-3 record during the first half of their spring break trip to Texas. Overall, coach Jack Dahm’s team has 5 wins against 8 losses on the season. “Our schedule this year has been very demanding and I think that’s going to benefit us once we get into Big Ten play,” Dahm said.
The Hawkeyes lost two close ball games (9-7 and 6-4) to Texas Tech last weekend, before splitting two games with Texas A & M Corpus Christi. All four games were played in Lubbock. “I feel like we’re playing pretty good. I’m really excited about this ball club,” Dahm said. “But, we do have some areas to improve.”
The Hawkeyes’ only victory so far on the Texas trip came on Sunday, a 10-9 win in 10 innings over Texas A & M Corpus Christi. Second baseman Mike McQuillan played a key role in that win and is currently riding an eight-game hitting streak. “He’s swinging the bat really well,” Dahm said of McQuillan. “He came up with the game-winning hit against Corpus Christi. He’s just a nice, solid player. The area I’ve been impressed with Mike is his defense. He had an error the other day, but that’s been his only error this season.”
The Hawkeyes will take part in the Notre Dame Tournament – Thursday through Saturday in San Antonio, Texas. Dahm says he’d obviously like to win the tournament, but the primary goal right now is to “just get better.” “That’s our biggest goal – is to try and simplify everything for our players, get better every day and play the game pitch to pitch,” Dahm said. “If you get too wrapped up in winning, sometimes one at bat or one play becomes too big.”
The Hawkeyes face Notre Dame tomorrow (Thursday) at 4 p.m. and Friday at noon. Dahm says the Hawks will be challenged by Notre Dame’s top pitcher, Brian Dupra, who turned down a professional contract in last year’s Major League draft to return for his senior season with the Fighting Irish.
They Hawkeyes will also play Gonzaga on Friday and Saturday, before returning to Iowa City. The Iowa baseball team is scheduled to play it’s first home games of the season next Friday and Saturday (March 25-26) against Western Illinois.