April 8, 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 will host Illinois State Wednesday at Pearl Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Hawkeyes on the Air ? Wednesday’s game against Illinois State will be broadcast live on AM-800 KXIC. Rob Brooks will handle the play-by-play.
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.
Iowa in the Polls ? Iowa is receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 and ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 polls.
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/2nd), Florida (3rd/4th), Michigan (6th/5th), Northwestern (14th/14th), North Carolina (15th/17th), DePaul (22nd/25th) and Louisiana-Lafayette (18th/21st) are all ranked.
In addition, Central Florida, Purdue, Ohio State and Florida State are all receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll.
Scouting Illinois State ? The Illinois State Redbirds are 16-14 overall and 6-4 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Three Redbirds are batting over .300. Kara Nelson leads the team with a .385 batting average and is tied for the team lead with 14 RBI. Amber Smith is batting .384 and Tiffany Prager is batting .322 with 14 RBI.
Rachel Smith is 4-3 with a 1.96 earned run average. Amber Smith is 7-6 with a 2.11 ERA and has a team-best 60 strikeouts. Chrissy Burton is 3-3 with a 3.12 ERA while Amy Mitchell is 2-2 with a 5.45 ERA.
Last Time vs. the Redbirds ? Iowa defeated Illinois State, 2-0, in the Littlewood Classic this season (Feb 23).
Freshman Chelsey Carmody led the Hawkeye offense with a 2-3 performance. Carmody scored on a wild pitch in the first inning and drove in Rachel West, who reached on an error in the fifth.
Sophomore Amanda Zust threw six and one-thirds innings in the win, striking out seven while walking two. Junior Brittany Weil came in relief in the bottom of the seventh and calmly struck out the final two batters of the game with the bases loaded and only one out.
Iowa vs. Illinois State Pitching ? Junior Colleen McGlaughlin is batting .438 (7-16) with two home runs, two doubles and four RBI against Illinois State in her career.
In addition, senior Summer Downs along with juniors Quinn Morelock and Erin Riemersma are all batting .500 (1-2) against Redbird pitcher Amber Smith. Morelock has also collected one home run and two RBI against Smith.
Freshman Chelsey Carmody collected two hits against Chrissy Burton earlier this season at the Littlewood Classic.
Last Weekend’s Results ? Iowa split a two-game series at fifth ranked Michigan. The Hawkeyes won Friday’s game, 2-1, but fell Saturday, 3-0.
Iowa then swept a doubleheader at Penn State Sunday, 5-2 and 6-4.
Hawkeyes Spoil Alumni Field Opener ? Junior Colleen McGlaughlin hit a two-run home run in the first inning to give Iowa a 2-1, upset win over fifth-ranked Michigan last Friday. The Hawkeye win spoiled Michigan’s home opener at the newly-renovated Alumni Field and also snapped the Wolverines’ seven-game winning streak.
Offense Powers Iowa in Sweep ? Iowa scored five runs on nine hits in game one and used a five-run fifth inning in the second game to sweep Penn State Sunday.
Junior Colleen McGlaughlin delievered a two-RBI double with the bases loaded to cut the Penn State lead to 4-3 in game two. Junior Erin Riemersma followed with a deep home run into the teeth off a stiff wind blowing in from left field to give Iowa the lead.
McGlaughlin on Fire ? Since returning from Spring Break, junior Colleen McGlaughlin is batting .440 (11-25) with one home run, two doubles, six RBI and four runs scored in nine games played. She also has tallied a .640 slugging percentage and a .500 on base percentage.
The Morton, IL, native has also played outstanding defense at first and third base along with left field. She has recorded 19 putouts and 21 assists without committing an error.
In addition, McGlaughlin leads the team with a .500 batting average (9-18) in conference play. She has a team-high five RBI and four runs scored. McGlaughlin also has a .778 slugging percentage in six Big Ten games played.
Summer in April ? Senior Summer Downs must enjoy the month of April.
Downs is batting .318 (51-160) with five home runs, eight doubles, 29 RBI and 20 runs scored in her career during April.
vHolding Late Leads ? If the Hawkeyes are able to grab a lead after the fourth inning, chances are they will hold on for the win.
Iowa is 18-2 when leading after four innings, 21-2 when leading after five and 19-0 when leading after six.
Illinois State Notes ? Iowa leads the all-time series, 31-16.
? The series has been close since 2000, with Iowa holding a 13-8 advantage. Since 2004, the two teams have split six total games, with each school winning three games.
? Illinois State pitcher/first baseman Amber Smith was named the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week for her efforts last weekend. She batted .625 with 10 hits and four RBI. She also went 3-0 with a 0.79 ERA in the circle.
? Iowa and Illinois State both competed in the Littlewood Classic and the NFCA Leadoff Classic and share five common opponents. Illinois State defeated Miami, OH (5-1) and Buffalo (10-0) in the Littlewood Classic, but was defeated by Radford (5-3) and Arizona State (8-0). The Redbirds topped North Carolina in the NFCA Leadoff Classic (2-0). Iowa defeated Radford (5-4), Miami, OH (3-2) and Buffalo (6-1) but fell to Arizona State. The Hawkeyes were defeated by North Carolina (1-0).
? Illinois State freshman Jessica Roche and Iowa junior Erin Riemersma are both from Orland Park, IL, and attended Carl Sanburg High School.
? Illinois State’s last game vs. Iowa at Pearl Field was in 2006, when the Redbirds eliminated Iowa from the NCAA Regionals.
? The Redbirds had nine-straight games either postponed or cancelled from March 8-18. Illinois State has lost 11 games so far this season.
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.
Carmody in the Books ? Freshman Chelsey Carmody tied two school records in Iowa’s 11-1, five-inning win over Utah Valley State March 9.
Carmody roped triples in her first two at-bats to tie the school record for triples in a single game. She also scored four runs, which tied the school record for runs scored in a single game.
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