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Iowa’s Cropley Earns All-America Honors

Sports

May 31st, 2018 by admin

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior Tyler Cropley has been named an NCAA Division I Second-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, it was announced Thursday by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

Cropley, a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, is the 20th All-American in Iowa baseball history and the sixth under Hawkeye head coach Rick Heller. He is the first Iowa catcher to earn first or second-team All-America honors; Alex Dvorsky was a freshman All-American as a catcher/outfielder in 1999.

The McCook Lake, South Dakota, native hit a team-best .342 as a senior and led the team in hits (68), doubles (20), RBIs (50), slugging percentage (.578), and on-base percentage (.449).  The catcher also tied for the team lead with 43 runs and was second with nine home runs.

Cropley ranked in the top-15 in the Big Ten Conference in nine different offensive categories.

The first-team All-Big Ten selection paced the team with 21 multi-hit and 14 multi-RBI contests.  He had two walk-off home runs — a grand slam in Iowa’s 13-9 win over Bradley on March 28 and a two-run home run to give the Hawkeyes a 7-5 series-clinching victory over No. 7 Michigan on April 29.

Cropley’s 20 doubles are tied for the second most in a single season in school history.