May 3, 2007
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IOWA CITY – Final Weekend of Regular Season Action
The University of Iowa softball team (36-20, 9-7) hosts Illinois (29-13, 7-7) Saturday and Sunday in the final weekend of regular season action. Saturday’s game is scheduled for a Noon start while Sunday’s first pitch is at 1 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults and free for children 18 and under, along with UI students.
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 Pushes Iowa Past Drake
Iowa downed Drake, 1-0 Wednesday at Pearl Field. Sophomore pitcher Brittany Weil threw her ninth complete-game shutout of the season against the Bulldogs.
Weil tossed a four-hitter and struck out seven batters. Sophomore Quinn Morelock drove in freshman Lindsey Digmann in the fourth for the game’s only run.
Hawkeyes Take Down Western Illinois
Iowa defeated Western Illinois, 5-1 Sunday at Pearl Field. Iowa scored all five of its runs in the first four innings.
Sophomore Rachel West finished a perfect 3-3, while freshman Taylor Leichsenring, sophomore Colleen McGlaughlin and senior Mindy Heidgerken each went 2-3.
Sophomore Brittany Weil threw five innings for her 16th win of the season. She allowed one run on four hits and struck out three. Freshman Amanda Zust threw two innings of relief and struck out two.
Scouting Illinois
The Illinois Fighting Illini are 29-23 overall and 7-7 in Big Ten play. The Fighting Illini host Bradley Thursday before traveling to Iowa City.
Illinois brings a powerful offense to Pearl Field. The Fighting Illini lead the nation in team home runs with 82 long balls in 52 games played. They also lead the nation in home runs per game with 1.58.
Both Angelena Mexicano and Shanna Diller have 16 home runs to lead the Illini offense. Lana Armstrong is batting .372 with 14 home runs and Makenzie Smith has 10 home runs.
Vicky Brown is 16-9 with a 3.59 earned run average and has a team best 97 strikeouts. Ashley Wright is 10-11 with a 3.77 earned run average.
Iowa leads the all-time series, 9-6.
Cleaning Up the Big Ten Standings
Iowa can wrap up the No. 4 seed in next week’s Big Ten Tournament with one win over Illinois this weekend. If Iowa were to lose both games against Illinois, they could finish anywhere from fifth to seventh, depending on other results across the Big Ten.
Ohio State can claim the regular season title with two wins over Penn State. Northwestern finished conference play last weekend and could take the regular season championship if Ohio State loses one game to the Nittany Lions.
Summer-Time in Evanston
Junior Summer Downs batted .600 (3-5) in the two-game series at Northwestern. She also had two putouts, five assists and did not commit an error in 13 innings played at third base.
Leaders in Conference Play
Four Hawkeyes are batting above .300 in Big Ten play.
Junior Summer Downs is batting .383 (18-47) and leads the team with five doubles. She also has three home runs and 13 RBI.
Sophomore Erin Riemersma is batting .360 (18-50) and has a team-best 14 runs scored. Riemersma has three home runs, seven doubles and seven RBI.
Junior Emily Nichols has a .327 (17-52) batting average and has belted a team-high four home runs and 16 RBI.
Sophomore Colleen McGlaughlin is batting .319 (15-47) with three doubles.
Hawkeyes in Big Ten Stats
Here is a list of where different Hawkeyes rank in the top five of different categories.
All Games
Player Category Rank
Rachel West Stolen Bases (29) 2nd
Brittany Weil ERA (1.57) 3rd
Emily Nichols Total Bases (126) 3rd
Emily Nichols Batting Avg. (.407) 3rd
Emily Nichols Hits (74) 3rd
Rachel West Triples (4) T3rd
Brittany Weil Saves (2) 4th
Erin Riemersma Stolen Bases (17) T4th
Mindy Heidgerken Stolen Bases (17) T4th
Emily Nichols RBI (48) 5th
Brittany Weil K's Looking (45) 5th
Big Ten Games
Player Category Rank
Amanda Zust ERA (0.75) 1st
Brittany Weil Innings Pitched (93.1) 1st
Brittany Weil K's Looking (25) 1st
Brittany Weil Starts (13) 1st
Brittany Weil Appearances (16) 1st
Brittany Weil Wins (8) T2nd
Brittany Weil Strikeouts (78) 3rd
Rachel West Stolen Bases (8) T1st
Mindy Heidgerken Stolen Bases (8) T1st
Summer Downs Doubles (5) 2nd
Erin Riemersma Runs Scored (14) T2nd
Taylor Leichsenring Triples (1) T2nd
Erin Riemersma Doubles (4) T3rd
Emily Nichols RBI (16) T4th
Erin Riemersma Stolen Bases (4) T4th
Brittany Weil Saves (1) T4th
Summer Downs RBI (13) 5th
Summer Downs Total Bases (29) T5th
Emily Nichols Total Bases (29) T5th
Erin Riemersma Walks (9) T5th
Brittany Weil ERA (1.50) 5th
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Heidgerken Heating Up
Senior Mindy Heidgerken combined for one home run, three hits and three RBI in game two against Northwestern and last Sunday’s game against Western Illinois.
In game two against Northwestern, Heidgerken went 1-3 and scored the only Hawkeye run of the game. She went 2-3 with a three-run home run and an RBI single to help Iowa defeat Western Illinois.
McGlaughlin Likes Pearl
Sophomore Colleen McGlaughlin must like batting in the friendly confines of Pearl Field.
McGlaughlin leads the team with a .452 (19-42) average in 16 home games this season. She also has seven doubles and five RBI.
Quick on the Basepaths
As a team, Iowa has stolen 107 bases this season. Sophomore Rachel West leads the team with 29 stolen bases, followed by sophomore Erin Riemersma and senior Mindy Heidgerken, each with 17.
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 March 28-April 1. This was the first time Weil earned the award.
Weil picked up five wins with a 0.78 ERA in 27 innings. She collected 27 strikeouts and helped Iowa to a 4-0 record in the opening weekend of Big Ten play.
Hitting Streak Snapped
Junior Emily Nichols’ school and Big Ten record hitting streak was snapped at the Capital Classic March 16. Nichols failed to collect a hit against Mercer, ending her streak at 28 games.
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 currently has 32 career home runs.
Ackerson No-Hits Howard in Season 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.
Weather Line
Fans of Iowa softball can now call to check if a home game is delayed or cancelled due to inclement weather. The number to call is (319) 335-9450.
Click HERE for more information about the Big Ten Network.