Consistency elevates Iowa’s Hibbing into top gun

IOWA CITY - In his inaugural inning of work this year, Nick Hibbing walked two batters, including one intentionally.

But since that eighth inning against Kansas State on Feb. 13, the Iowa senior pitcher has put together a streak of excellence. In 41.1 innings pitched, Hibbing has struck out 35 batters with only those two walks. It's that control - along with his pitching prowess - that has helped Iowa (39-16) earn its first NCAA tournament berth since 1990.

'He is a big reason why we're here,” Iowa Coach Rick Heller said. 'The job he's done and how he's pitched has just been incredible. His confidence and his demeanor, his mound presence, has come full circle from when we got here last year.”

'I don't know his whole streak and how that's gone, but he's come in and he's thrown strikes and he's given our team a chance to get outs,” Iowa pitcher/first baseman Tyler Peyton said.

Hibbing, 22, stands 6-foot-6 and boasts an array of pitches. He was drafted out of high school by the Pittsburgh Pirates but elected to come to Iowa anyway. Through three seasons with the Hawkeyes he was 7-8 with a 4.79 ERA in 57 games played. Last year he was 3-3 with a 4.74 ERA.

Hibbing, who hails from Lindenhurst, Ill., rededicated himself last summer. He stayed on campus last summer and worked with pitching coach Scott Brickman. He lifted weights at 6 a.m. for four or five days a week in the fall. On his off days this spring, he visualizes situations that apply to his game day routine.

'Last summer I just said, ‘It's my last year, I'm going to do everything I possibly can to get into it,'” Hibbing said. 'I've put countless amounts of hours in with Coach Brickman over the summer, gaining weight, doing all the things I needed to do and eating well. I think that all the small things I was missing the last few years I put together this year. It's really helped me.”

Brickman and Hibbing developed a bond through their conversations last summer.

'He's opened the door,” Hibbing said. 'I've always been able to go in there and talk to him about anything, not just baseball. I think that's helped me open up, as a person, as a teammate. He's helped me with my leadership qualities. I think that all that just ties in and you're seeing the product on the field because I've been able to explore all those options with him. It's been amazing. It's quite the turnaround.”

This season Hibbing is 3-1 with a 1.74 ERA. He has given up 26 hits in his 41.1 innings pitched and only eight runs. He leads the team in saves (seven) but he's more than just a closer. Often he stretches his outings beyond an inning.

His improvements have come in several areas, but his walk-to-strikeout ratio is the most pronounced. In his three previous season, he struck out 67 batters with 41 walks. Locating pitches was part of the problem, Brickman said, as were his mechanics and consistency.

'Secondary pitches were easily recognized by hitters because he would tip it off,” Brickman said. 'Arm speed for us, you throw your secondary pitches and your arm speed doesn't look the same as your fastball; obviously it's a dead giveaway. The work he has put in has helped mask everything so you can't tell what's coming. And he's got good secondary stuff. He has conviction and confidence going right now, and he's had that for a long time.

'He's turned into a go-to guy for us.”

Hibbing earned second-team all-Big Ten honors last week and is considered the league's finest closer outside of Illinois phenom Tyler Jay. Heller touted Hibbing's improvements as crucial to the team's success.

'Just across the board one of the more remarkable full-circle turnarounds I've seen,” Heller said. 'It wasn't like Nick was a bad pitcher before, but he took it to a completely different level.

'His numbers are just silly. What he's been able to do is pretty amazing.”

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