In the classic video-game series Backyard Baseball, there is a character by the name of Pablo Sanchez. Nicknamed “Secret Weapon,” Sanchez dominates his peers in every aspect of the game.

Now, as Big Ten play picks up in college baseball, it seems as if Iowa found its own “Secret Weapon.”

Chris Whelan missed the beginning of the season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but since he returned to the field against Evansville on March 17, he has been on a roll and shows no signs of stopping.

Although he has only played in eight games, Whelan boasts a .412 batting average, is tied for sixth on the team with 14 hits, and is fourth in runs scored with 11. He has had numerous hits in half of his games and has only struck out once in 34 at-bats.

“My strength, it came back a lot faster than I thought it would, my timing definitely,” Whelan said. “But that came with me putting in the work when I was finally cleared to hit in controlled settings without being in a game. I’ve been doing well, and I’m just trying to keep that up and help the team win.”

Whelan has been a spark in the lineup for the Hawkeyes, making his return extremely beneficial.

With only two other players hitting above .300 and a team average of .271, Whelan makes the Iowa lineup much more potent.

“[The lineup] is a lot better because he’s jumping right back where he was getting on base,” Iowa head coach Rick Heller said after the Hawkeyes’ win over Loras on March 21. “He’s swinging the bat well, and balls are finding holes for him. He just gives us a nice jump-start at this point in the season. I think all of us realized how tough it was without him.”

After splitting a doubleheader with No. 11 Indiana on March 23, Iowa has its hands full again as it travels to Champaign for its second conference series against No. 25 Illinois.

Whelan won’t be the only player with an average above .400 in the series; Illini first baseman Bren Spillane has been on a tear. The Wheeling, Illinois, native is hitting .474 with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs to lead a team that swept Northwestern in its only conference series so far this season.

“You definitely circle it on the schedule when you see [a ranking], but every Big Ten weekend is circled on the schedule,” catcher Tyler Cropley said. “We just got to go out and play the way we can play, and if we play some free baseball, we’ll be fine.”

With Robert Neustrom and Tyler Cropley behind Whelan in the batting order, the Hawkeyes always have potential to score runs early.

Sporting a 6-2 record since Whelan’s return, it’s safe to say the Hawkeyes are happy to have a DH as strong as Whelan in the lineup.

“I’m just happy to be at the top of the order, and back where I was last year, and trying to get the guys going to begin the game and begin some innings,” Whelan said. “If I can get on base, I know there are guys behind me that are going to knock me in.”