April 2, 2007
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IOWA CITY – Hawkeyes to Face Iowa State in Mid-Week Action
The University of Iowa softball team (27-13, 4-0) returns to Pearl Field after a five-game road trip to face intra-state rival Iowa State (19-26, 0-4). First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series
The Hawkeye softball team can help the University of Iowa clinch the 2006-07 Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk series with a win over Iowa State Tuesday.
Iowa currently leads the 2006-07 series, 11-8. Two points are on the line during Tuesday’s softball game, with an additional two academic points available for both schools.
Hawkeyes on the Air
The remaining games on Iowa’s schedule will be broadcast via the Internet at hawkeyesports.com. Jerry Kiwala or Rob Brooks will handle play-by-play commentary.
The broadcasts are free and can be found in the Hawkeye All-Access section.
Hawkeyes on the Web
Iowa softball fans can follow the Hawkeyes every week with Gametracker at hawkeyesports.com. Just click on the Gametracker link found on the softball schedule page.
Weil Named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week
Sophomore pitcher Brittany Weil was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week for her efforts during Iowa’s five-game road trip last week. This is the first time Weil has earned the award.
Weil picked up five wins with a 0.78 ERA in 27 innings pitched last week. She collected 27 strikeouts and helped Iowa to a 4-0 record in the opening weekend of Big Ten play.
Nichols Breaks Home Run Mark
Junior Emily Nichols broke Iowa’s career home run record with a two-run home run against Indiana on March 31. Nichols’ home run cleared the center field fence and gave Iowa a 9-0, six-inning win over the Hoosiers.
Nichols passed former Hawkeye Alicia Gerlach, who hit 29 career home runs from 1999-02.
Nichols set Iowa’s single-season home run mark with 16 long balls as a freshman along with five as a sophomore. She currently has nine home runs this season.
Iowa Starts Big Ten Season 4-0
The Hawkeyes opened Big Ten play with four road wins. Iowa defeated Indiana (4-0, 9-0 in six innings) and Purdue (6-1, 4-3 in nine innings).
The last time Iowa opened the Big Ten season with four-straight wins was in 2003, defeating Minnesota and Wisconsin twice.
Weil Dominates Hoosiers
Sophomore pitcher Brittany Weil turned in two impressive performances against Indiana last weekend. Weil threw 13-consecutive scoreless innings and did not allow a walk in the two-game series. She also struck out 12 batters and gave up only six hits.
Timely Hit For Brown
Freshman Katie Brown tallied her first career RBI in dramatic fashion, plating sophomore Rachel West with a deep single to send Iowa’s second game against Purdue into extra innings.
Brown has six hits this season.
Pinch-Hit Specialist
Sophomore Quinn Morelock is batting .625 (5-8) as a pinch-hitter for the Hawkeyes. Morelock has also recorded six of her 16 RBI as a pinch-hitter.
Hawkeyes Cruising For A Weil
Iowa is 13-3 since sophomore pitcher Brittany Weil returned to the Iowa lineup against Colorado State. The Hawkeyes are currently on a nine-game winning streak and have won 13 of their last 14 contests.
Weil is 10-1 overall with a 0.95 earned run average and 99 strikeouts. The Garden Grove, CA, native is 4-0 with a 0.59 earned run average in conference play.
Heating Up In Conference Play
Sophomores Erin Riemersma and Colleen McGlaughlin along with junior Summer Downs started the conference season on fire at the plate.
Riemersma batted .500 (7-14) with two home runs, two doubles and five RBI. McGlaughlin and Downs each batted .429 (6-14). Downs tallied one home run and six RBI, while McGlaughlin recorded one RBI.
Heidgerken Solid Against Purdue
Senior Mindy Heidgerken led the Hawkeyes at the plate in their two-game series at Purdue last Sunday. Heidgerken went a combined 3-5 and knocked in the winning run on a sacrifice fly in Iowa’s 4-3, nine-inning win against the Boilermakers. She also had one sacrifice bunt and stole three bases.
Nichols With Runners On
Junior Emily Nichols must like batting with runners on base. The Portland, OR, native is batting .625 (5-8) with runners on base and a perfect 3-3 with a runner on third and less than two outs.
McGlaughlin at Pearl Field
Sophomore Colleen McGlaughlin likes her surroundings at Pearl Field. She is batting .583 (7-12) with two doubles and two RBI in four games played at the friendly confines of Pearl Field.
Leading…Everything
Junior Emily Nichols leads the Hawkeyes in virtually every offensive category. Her team-best numbers include at bats (136), runs (30), hits (59), doubles (14), home runs (9), RBI (34), total bases (102), slugging percentage (.750) and on-base percentage (.470).
Quick on the Basepaths
As a team, Iowa has stolen 77 bases this season. Sophomore Rachel West leads the team with 20 stolen bases followed by sophomore Erin Riemersma and senior Mindy Heidgerken with 11.
Sophomore Lindsey Digmannn is a perfect 9-9 on the basepaths this season.
Scoring Early and Often
The Hawkeyes have outscored their opponents 191-117 this season. Iowa is outscoring its opponents 40-18 in the first inning and 31-5 in the fifth inning of games this season.
Hitting Streak Snapped
Junior Emily Nichols’ school and Big Ten record hitting streak was snapped at the Capital Classic. Nichols failed to collect a hit against Mercer on March 16, ending her streak at 28 games.
Her 28-game hitting streak is also the seventh longest in NCAA history.
Ackerson Throws No-Hitter In Opener
Junior Stephanie Ackerson took full advantage of her first career start in the circle, tossing a five-inning no-hitter in Iowa’s season opener against Howard. The Clive, IA, native allowed only four Howard baserunners and struck out five.
Prior to the start against Howard, Ackerson had only thrown 11 innings in relief.
Iowa Extends Blevins’ Contract
University of Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta announced that Gayle Blevins’ contract has been extended thru June 30, 2011.
Blevins is the all-time winningest coach in Iowa softball history and has led the Hawkeyes to four College World Series appearances, five Big Ten regular season titles and two Big Ten Tournament championships.
Iowa Adds Two New Coaches
Jen Fried and Stacy May are new members of the Iowa coaching staff. Fried is a volunteer assistant and May is a student assistant.
Fried joins the staff from Swarthmore College in Media, PA, where she was an assistant coach from 2005-06. Her duties included designing and implementing daily practices for outfielders along with batting instruction.
Fried played both softball and soccer at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. She was named the Centennial Conference Softball Player of the Year in 2004 and was an all-conference selection from 2001-04.
May was a four-year letterwinner at both third base and shortstop for Iowa from 2003-06. She was named both Big Ten Freshman of the Year and first team all-Big Ten in 2003. May was also a three-time NFCA all-Mideast Region pick and was a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America District 7 selection.
May was drafted by the Chicago Bandits of the National Professional Fastpitch League as the fourth pick in the second round in the 2006 draft. She earned the 2006 Nokona Rookie of the Year award and was also named to the all-NPF team.
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