Soil Compilation

Sports
Around the Big Ten – Week Four

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Week three of college football was the final tune-up for the Big Ten before the conference schedule began. This week, we’ll talk about Iowa’s 55-0 victory over Northern Iowa, Northwestern’s final game before moving into Ryan Field, and the Southern California showdown between USC and Oregon.

Sports
Sports

The Schaumburg Boomers May Have Found the Next Cody Bellinger

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Bold statement indeed. On Tuesday, October 24th, the Schaumburg Boomers signed first baseman Kewby Meyer. Meyer, a 37th round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2015, played two seasons in their farm system, posting a wOBA of .333 in 2015 for the Princeton Rays(Rookie League) and a wOBA of .361 for the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Mid-A) in 2016. Meyer transitioned to independent league ball, where the left-handed hitter played for the Salina Stockades of the American Association in 2017, posting a .304 wOBA(using the basic wOBA equation). Those numbers may not be eye-popping, but there a few … Continued

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Hawkeyes Top Gophers, Retain Floyd of Rosedale Trophy

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IOWA CITY – Home cookin’ for the Hawkeyes is always a good thing. Night games at Kinnick Stadium rejuvenate the team and the fan base. Night games for a rivalry trophy add a little extra nostalgia. As you would expect, Iowa and Minnesota slugged it out all night long, but the Hawkeyes took command early and never looked back. Iowa retained possession of the coveted Floyd of Rosedale Trophy with a 17-10 win over Minnesota on Saturday, the 13th Iowa win in the last 17 meetings. Coming off a lackluster offensive performance last week in Evanston, the Hawkeyes came out … Continued

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NFL Midseason Honors 2017 Edition

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IOWA CITY – Entering Week 8 of the 2017 season, the NFL never ceases to amaze its fans. Rookies have grown throughout the first 7 weeks. Some have flourished, others have stalled. The league’s elite continued their stride. The veterans’ show off their leadership as they enter decline. Thus, the cycle of the NFL moves on. This period of the season, known as the midseason, is one where teams attempt to regroup for the final push. The playoffs are on the horizon. However, if the season ended today, how would the awards shape up? While the annual NFL Honors show … Continued

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wRC+ Leaders in the Frontier League

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In terms of overall offense, weighted runs created plus, or wRC+ is a quality statistic to measure a player’s overall offensive performance. Now, a lot is to be explained with this formula, so I’d recommend reading this FanGraphs post for the best clarification. So, in this article, I will focus on the primary formula for wRC+, which goes as follows: wRC+ = (wRAA/PA + LgR/PA) + (LgR/PA – (Park Factor * LgR/PA))/(Frontier League wRC/PA excluding ptichers), where wRAA = weighted runs above average, PA = plate appearances, LgR/PA = the league average runs per plate appearance, Park Factor = the … Continued

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Glimpse at Iowa’s Losses

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Iowa City – Iowa football has faltered twice this season. Once to a Penn State team with arguably the most dynamic player in college football. The other, at the hands of an improving Michigan State team. One came at home, the other in East Lansing. Four wins and two losses at the midway point sets the Hawkeyes on track to equal last year’s record. Another eight win, four loss would be shooting par in Iowa City. Although, these two losses have a different value. Both, through a fairly short connection chain, trace back to an undefeated team. Penn State is … Continued

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Cubbie Comeback Continues into Game 5

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Chicago Turns Double Play to Clinch Next Elimination Battle in Comeback Efforts The defending National Champions in the Major Baseball League manage to survive. For now. The mounting of a comeback has begun in Chicago. In a low scoring match between the Chicago Cubs and the LA Dodgers, the Cubs would top their adversaries 3-2 in Wrigley Field. This particular addition to the series would face off Jake Arrieta and Alex Wood. Unlike other faceoffs between the Dodgers and Cubs, this matchup would only allow runs scored off home runs. In similar fashion to Game 3, the Cubs would strike first on a second inning home run from Wilson Contreras. … Continued

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Offense Fades in Second Half, Hawkeyes Fall to Wildcats in OT

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EVANSTON, Ill. – The Iowa offense has gone missing again. Another lackluster performance on the road means trouble for the Hawkeyes, who dropped today’s contest against Northwestern by a score of 17-10 in overtime. Despite early success, the offense sputtered in the second half, and the injury-filled defense could not hold on the whole time. The Hawkeyes got into Northwestern territory on each of their firs two drives, but came away empty each time. Neither team managed to get points on the board in the first quarter. It looked as though a scoreless first half was a possibility until just … Continued

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Iowa Basketball Media Day: Hawkeyes Prepared for Challenges of Upcoming Season

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(Jeffrey Becker/USA TODAY Sports) The 2017–18 season will mark the eighth season for Fran McCaffery as head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes. In his first seven seasons, he has recorded just two wins in the Big Ten Tournament and two wins in the NCAA Tournament. Despite this, there is plenty of excitement going around the Hawkeye basketball program as the season approaches – and McCaffery is welcoming it with open arms. “It’s not something that ever concerns me,” McCaffery said at Monday’s Iowa men’s basketball media day press conference concerning the outside expectations. “I think you want expectation. You want … Continued

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Sophomore QB’s Start off the 2017 Season Sizzling

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  No matter who the best prospects are in the NFL draft for a given season, it seems inevitable that at least one, if not multiple, Quarterbacks will go in the top few picks. Quarterback is the most important position in football, and every year teams are trying to find the player that is the next big thing in hopes that he will lead them to success for years to come. It takes a lot of time to fully judge a Quarterback, as they often times may need to develop a little bit, or simply don’t immediately have the pieces … Continued

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USMNT World Cup Absence is Multi-Faceted, Yet Still Inexcusable

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Christian Pulisic is tackled by Shane Sandy in the USA’s 1-2 loss to Trinidad & Tobago (Denver Post)   For the first time since 1986, the United States will not be participating in the World Cup. Coming off of a shock 2-1 defeat at Port of Spain to Trinidad & Tobago, both Panama and Honduras earned upset victories over Costa Rica and Mexico, respectively, to leapfrog the Yankees in the CONCACAF Hexagonal. While crazed emotions finally settle along with the crushed hopes of American supporters, it’s now necessary to take a step back and see just how the USMNT managed … Continued

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