Iowa junior Jake Adams is the Big Ten player of the year. Adams is a rare combination of average and power. He finished fourth in the conference with a .344 average and led the Big Ten in home runs and RBI. His 24 homers broke Iowa’s single season record. His numbers also show how far the Iowa program has progressed. Four years ago the Hawkeyes had two home runs, as a team.

Iowa coach Rick Heller says Adams is a complete hitter. He says Adams is a professional level hitter already. The Hawkeyes are 34-19 and open the Big Ten Tournament tonight (Wednesday night) in Bloomington, Indiana against fourth seeded Maryland.

(Learfield Sports)