March 21, 2006
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IOWA CITY – Home Opener
The University of Iowa softball team (13-12) returns to Iowa City to host the Hawkeye Classic this weekend. Schools participating in the Hawkeye Classic include North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Loyola-Chicago and Ball State. Below is a schedule of games for the Hawkeye Classic. Tickets are $3 for any game involving Iowa. Other games are free to the public.
Fans can access livestats (gametracker) for all games that include either Iowa or Loyola-Chicago via www.hawkeyesports.com.
Friday, March 24
4 p.m. North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State
6 p.m. IOWA vs. Loyola-Chicago
Saturday, March 25
10 a.m. South Dakota State vs. Ball State
12 p.m. Loyola-Chicago vs. Ball State
3 p.m. IOWA vs. South Dakota State
5 p.m. IOWA vs. North Dakota State
Sunday, March 26
9:30 a.m. South Dakota State vs. Loyola-Chicago
11:30 a.m. North Dakota State vs. Loyola-Chicago
1:30 p.m. North Dakota State vs. Ball State
3:30 p.m. Iowa vs. Ball State
Can’t Escape the Weather
The Hawkeyes ran into more weather problems last weekend at the Capital Classic in Sacramento. The morning session Friday was cancelled due to heavy rains and Iowa was only able to play one game. Weather caused Saturday’s schedule to be pushed back two hours.
Additionally, Iowa’s game against Illinois State scheduled for Wednesday has been cancelled due to heavy snow storms. Iowa has had six days worth of tournaments or games cancelled due to inclement weather.
Hawkeyes Split vs. Sacramento State
Iowa split a doubleheader against Sacramento State last week, winning the first game, 6-1 but were defeated, 6-0 in the nightcap.
Senior Kylie Murray led the Hawkeyes in game one, going 2-3 with two RBI and a stolen base. Sophomore Emily Nichols was 2-4.
In game two, Sacramento State gained a 3-0 lead after two innings and took advantage of three Hawkeye errors for the win.
Iowa Finishes 1-3 at Capital Classic
The Hawkeyes picked up a 5-0 victory over Nevada, but fell to Long Island (7-1), sixth-ranked California (1-0) and Syracuse (5-2) at the Capital Classic last weekend.
Senior Stacy May batted .417 (5-12) with a double and three runs scored to lead the Hawkeye offense. Sophomore Emily Nichols finished with a .385 average while junior Mindy Heidgerken and senior Kylie Murray each batted .273.
Freshman pitcher Brittany Weil collected 21 strikeouts, including 10 against sixth-ranked California. Senior Ali Arnold threw a complete game, two-hit shutout against Nevada. She held her opponents to a .091 average in the tournament.
May Named to All-Tournament Team
Senior shortstop Stacy May was named to the Capital Classic all-tournament team after a solid weekend, both defensively and at the plate. May batted .417 and did not commit an error the entire weekend.
Scouting North Dakota State
The North Dakota State Bison are 6-18 this season.
Leading the Bison offense is Lynae Foshag with a .288 batting average. Foshag has 21 hits and scored 16 runs in 73 plate apperances.
Amber Garrett has a 4-4 record with a team-high 54 K’s for the Bison in the circle. Bekki Rasmussen is 1-10 with 50 strikeouts.
The Bison are coached by Darren Mueller. Iowa leads the all-time series, 1-0.
Scouting South Dakota State
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits are 12-11 this season.
Chris Pesqueira paces the South Dakota State offense with a .371 batting average. She leads the team with 23 hits. Steph Kuhl has a team-leading five home runs and 16 RBI.
Kim Westendorf is 6-7 with a 2.86 ERA while Jenna Marston is 6-4 with a 3.20 ERA.
The Jackrabbits are coached by Shane Bouman. Iowa leads the all-time series, 4-0.
Scouting Ball State
The Ball State Cardinals are 4-8 this season.
Leading the offensive charge for Ball State is Amanda Pick with a .406 batting average. Abby Gross is second on the team with a .314 average with six RBI.
Pick is also the Cardinals’ top pitcher with a 2-2 record. She has a 2.59 ERA with a team-best 20 strikeouts.
The Cardinals are coached by Terri Laux. Iowa leads the all-time series, 10-0.
Scouting Loyola-Chicago
The Loyola-Chicago Ramblers are 4-12 this season.
Nora Schober leads the Rambler offense with a .333 batting average. Katerina Krause has a team-best four home runs and 11 RBI.
Laura DeLeon is 3-3 with a 3.29 ERA inside the circle for the Ramblers. Krista Crosson paces the team with 16 K’s.
The Ramblers are coached by Yvette Healy. This is the first meeting between the two teams.
Freshmen Making a Difference
Hawkeye freshmen have recorded 30 hits and scored 28 runs so far this season.
Erin Riemersma has started all 25 games at second base while Brittany Weil has started 11 games in the circle. Quinn Morelock has started 21 games in either the outfield or as the designated player. Colleen McGlaughlin has appeared in 16 games with nine starts. Rachel West has played in 19 games and Callie Adreon has appeared in 12 games, both as pinch runners. Lindsey Emery has three plate apperances as a pinch-hitter.
May Selected in NPL Draft
Shortstop Stacy May was drafted by the Comcast Chicago Bandits, a member of the National Professional Fastpitch League (NPF). May was selected with the fourth pick in the second round. She was the Bandits’ first pick overall.
May has started every game in her career so far at Iowa and is a two-time all-Big Ten selection. She was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2003. She joins current Akron Racer Kristin Johnson as the second Hawkeye to be a member of the NPF.
Iowa vs. Michigan on TV
Iowa’s softball contest vs. Michigan on April 15 at Pearl Field will be broadcast to a national cable audience on College Sports Television (CSTV). The game is scheduled for a 12 p.m. start. In addition, the telecast can also be seen statewide on Mediacom’s Connections Channel.
This is the first time in school history that a regular season home game has been televised.