March 27, 2008
- Big Ten Network: Programming Schedule
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
- gohawks.com
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
IOWA CITY - On Deck ? The University of Iowa softball team opens Big Ten play at No. 22 Ohio State this weekend. The Hawkeyes will play single games at Buckeye Field Friday (5 p.m. CDT) and Saturday (11 a.m. CDT).
Hawkeyes on the Web ? Fans can follow along with Gametracker via hawkeyesports.com. Gametracker links can be found on the softball schedule page.
The remainder of Iowa softball games will be broadcast live on hawkeyesports.com. Fans can listen for free, but do have to go through a quick registration. Audio links can be found next to the Gametracker links. Rob Brooks will handle the play-by-play.
Opponents in the Polls ? Seven Iowa opponents are ranked in both the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 and ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 polls. Arizona State (1st/1st), Florida (4th/4th), Michigan (9th/9th), Northwestern (12th/12th), DePaul (15th/19th), Louisiana-Lafayette (17th/17th) and Ohio State (19th/21st) are all ranked.
In addition, North Carolina is receiving votes in both polls while Florida State is receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.
Hawkeyes Sweep Northern Illinois ? Iowa swept a doubleheader Wednesday against Northern Illinois. The Hawkeyes won game one, 8-0 in six innings, and game two, 1-0.
Iowa scheduled the doubleheader Monday after cancelling the Hawkeye Classic last weeekend due to cold temperatures in Iowa City.
Scouting Ohio State ? The defending Big Ten regular season champion Ohio State Buckeyes are off to their second-best start in school history with a 21-6 record.
Sam Marder has a team-best .482 batting average and leads the nation with 40 RBI. Brittany Vanderink has a .423 batting average with 13 RBI.
Kim Reeder is 11-4 with a 0.98 earned run average and leads the team with 83 strikeouts. Both Lindsey Bodeker and Megan Miller have 5-1 records with a 1.20 ERA and 3.27 ERA, respectively.
Last Time vs. Ohio State ? Iowa was the last team to defeat Ohio State in Big Ten play last season, splitting a doubleheader in Iowa City, April 22. The Hawkeyes won game one, 7-3, but fell in game two, 1-0. The Buckeyes railed off six-straight wins after their trip to Iowa City to claim the 2007 Big Ten regular season crown.
Iowa rebounded from an early 3-0 deficit in game one for the 7-3 win. Emily Nichols finished 1-3 with a home run while Taylor Leichsenring picked up two hits.
Junior Brittany Weil gave up only one run on two hits in game two, but couldn't get the win in the one-run loss.
Blevins in Big Ten Openers ? Iowa is 15-5 in Big Ten openers under Head Coach Gayle Blevins. The Hawkeyes have won their last eight conference openers. The last time Iowa started the Big Ten season with a loss was in 1999 (3-1 at Penn State). Friday's game marks the fourth season in a row that Iowa has opened conference play on the road.
One-Hit Shutouts Against NIU ?Junior Brittany Weil and sophomore Amanda Zust put on a pitching display against Northern Illinois Wednesday.
Both pitchers tossed complete game, one-hit shutouts. Weil threw all six innings, for her 12th win, in game one against the Huskies. She retired 16 of the first 17 batters before giving up the lone hit. Weil hit one batter in the third inning and then sat down eight in a row. The Garden Grove, CA, native finished with eight strikeouts and no walks.
Zust followed by retiring the first nine hitters before allowing the only hit of the game, then put the final 10 batters down in order. Zust struck out three with no walks.
Carmody Tames Huskies ? Freshman Chelsey Carmody finished Wednesday's doubleheader with a .500 batting average (3-6) with one triple, one run scored and three RBI.
Carmody has had no problems produing in the leadoff spot in her first year at Iowa. She has the second-best batting average on the team (.366) and leads the team with 34 hits and four triples.
Good Way To Start ? Junior Quinn Morelock collected her first hit of the 2008 season in style Wednesday, blasting a two-run home run in the fourth inning of game one against Northern Illinois.
Morelock's round-tripper was the second time this season that a Hawkeye recorded a home run for their first hit. Freshman Jenny Schuelke smacked a home run against Drake at the Metrodome Tournament for her first hit in Black and Gold.
Solid at the Corner ? Junior Colleen McGlaughlin put on a defensive show at third base in game two of Wednesday's doubleheader.
McGlaughlin recorded eight assists at the hot corner without committing an error. She fielded at least one ground ball in five of the seven innings, including three in a row between the fifth and six frames.
Ohio State Tidbits? Iowa is 57-30 all-time vs. Ohio State.
? The last time Iowa opened Big Ten play against Ohio State was in 2001. The Hawkeyes defeated the Buckeyes, 4-2 and 2-0, in Columbus.
? This weekend marks the first time since 2005 that Iowa has played the Buckeyes in Columbus. Iowa won both games that season, 4-1 and 6-2.
? Iowa is 7-2 vs. Ohio State over the past five seasons, and has not lost to the Buckeyes twice in the same year since 2002.
? The last game Iowa played at Buckeye Field was a 4-1 loss to Purdue in last year's Big Ten Tournament.
? Iowa and Ohio State have both played Stetson and Illinois State. Iowa split a pair of games against Stetson with a 2-1 win and 6-5 loss. The Hawkeyes defeated Illinois State, 2-0. Ohio State defeated Stetson twice (5-2, 6-5 in eight innings) and Illionis State (8-0 in five innings).
? Iowa is 1-4 vs. ranked opponents this season.
? Iowa junior Brittany Weil and Ohio State senior Liz Caputo were travel ball teammates with Gordon Panthers. Additionally, Weil and Buckeye sophomore Sam Marder played together on an all-star team last summer.
? Ohio State Assistant Coach Erica Beach was a pitcher at Arizona State from 1999-02. Iowa was 2-2 vs. the Sun Devils while Beach was a student-athlete.
? Ohio State Assistant Coach Ali Viola played at Nebraska from 1995-98. Iowa and Nebraska faced off in the 1998 NCAA Regionals in Lincoln, with the Cornhsukers escpaing with a 1-0 win.
Nichols Drafted ? Senior Emily Nichols was selected by the Chicago Bandits in Monday's National Professional Fastpitch (NPF) Draft. Nichols was the third pick in the second round and the ninth overall selection.
Nichols Named to Watch List ? Senior catcher Emily Nichols has been named to the 2008 USA Softball Player of the Year Watch List. The Portland, OR, native is one of 50 players to be selected. Nichols is the first Hawkeye player named to the USA Softball Player of the Year Watch List.
The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) sponsors the award, which is considered one of the most prestigious honors in collegiate softball. This is the seventh year the ASA has given the award.
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