Iowa Baseball Midweek Preview: St Thomas Tommies

For the final time this season, the Iowa Baseball team will take to the diamond for a home game at Duane Banks Field. It’s one final midweek game before two tough series to close out the regular season and then it will be off to Omaha for the Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes will face off with the St Thomas Tommies in a midweek matchup on Tuesday night.

Rick Heller’s squad enters this week with a 28-18 overall record and a 12-12 mark in Big Ten play. They are playing some of their best baseball as of late, winning ten of their last 13 games. This past weekend, the Hawkeyes took two of three from Illinois, improving their record to 7-2 in their last nine conference games. They’ll go on the road to Lincoln for a three-game series with #25 Nebraska this coming weekend.

First pitch for Tuesday’s game between the Hawkeyes and Tommies is scheduled for 6:02pm CT on BTN+. It will be the 7th all-time meeting between the two programs, with Iowa leading the series 6-1, but that loss came all the way back in 1907. The Hawkeyes defeated St Thomas 7-2 back on March 10th in Iowa City.

St Thomas Tommies (9-33, 6-14)

The Tommies are only in the sixth season as a DI program after making the jump from the DII level prior to the 2022 season. They finally saw some success last season, finishing the year with a 29-21 record, including a 21-9 mark in Summit League play. However, that success has not bled over into this season. The Tommies enter this week with a 9-33 overall record and a 6-14 mark in conference play that has them in last place.

This matchup against Iowa will be their tenth and final game against a Power 4 opponent this season. The Tommies are just 1-8 in those games, salvaging a win in the finale of a four-game series against Kansas back in March. They’ve been outscored 66-13 in their last four, all run-rule defeats, including three midweek losses to Minnesota.

As a team, UST has been average at best offensively, putting up 5.4 runs per game, while slashing .271/.364/.397 as a team, with three players posting a .300 batting average or better. On the pitching staff side, the Tommies have a 7.97 team ERA, while they are giving up 1.17 hits and 2.09 baserunners per inning. They’ve given up double-digit runs in 15 games this season, including allowing 14.57 runs per game in seven midweek losses.

Tommies Players to Watch

1. OF Owen Bond – One of the top hitters in the Summit League, outfield Owen Bond is ranked second in the conference in batting average this season. In 37 games, with 36 starts, Bond is slashing .362/.475/.531, with 47 hits, six doubles, five triples and 21 RBI’s. He’s reached base in 35 of his 37 games played, leading the team with an 18.2% walk/hbp rate. Bond has swung it very well as of late, batting .447, with 17 hits and seven extra base hits over his last ten games.

2. 2B Tanner Recchio – A veteran three-year starter for the Tommies, second baseman Tanner Recchio is by far the biggest base stealing threat in the Summit League. In 42 starts, Recchio is slashing .304/.413/.417, with a team-high 51 hits, 11 doubles, two home runs and 23 RBI’s. A pesky hitter, he leads the team with 32 walks/hbp and has a low 10.0% strikeout rate. On the bases, he’s a major threat, tallying 31 stolen bases, which is tied for 15th-most in the country. Recchio comes in riding a 13-game hit streak, batting .333, with 20 hits over that stretch.

3. OF Matthew Maulik – A First Team All-Summit selection last season, outfielder Matthew Maulik hasn’t quite put up the same production during his freshman and sophomore season. In 37 games, with 33 starts, Maulik is slashing .281/.311/.496, with 38 hits, 11 doubles, six home runs and 30 RBI’s. Had he started every game, he might be pushing for 15+ doubles and double-digit home runs, but his batting average is a career-low, while his 19.6% strikeout rate and 5.6% walk/hbp rate are both career-worsts as well. Still, you have to respect his 48 career extra base hits. Maulik is batting .363 over his last five games, including a two home run game against Oral Roberts.

Final Thought

The Hawkeyes have been dominant in midweek games this season, posting a 9-1 record, with their lone loss coming last week against Illinois State. They’ve been strong at the plate and on the mound, averaging 15.0 runs per game, while giving up just 3.6 runs per game. On Sunday, 14 seniors were honored for their contributions to the program, and those guys get one more chance tonight to play at Duane Banks Field. Expect Rick Heller’s squad to finish the home portion of the schedule on a high note.