April 29, 2008
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IOWA CITY – On Deck ? The University of Iowa softball team hosts Western Illinois Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game will be Iowa’s final regular season home game of the 2008 season.
Hawkeyes on the Web ? Fans can follow along on 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 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.
Schedule Change ? Iowa was scheduled to play North Dakota State in a doubleheader Tuesday, but the Bison were forced to reschedule conference games lost due to inclement weather mid-week.
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 (2nd/1st), Florida (3rd/2nd), Michigan (6th/5th), Northwestern (11th/11th), North Carolina (14th/14th), Louisiana-Lafayette (16th/17th) and DePaul (20th/RV) are all ranked.
In addition, Central Florida is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll.
Scouting Western Illinois ? The Western Illinois Westerwinds are 8-28 overall and 6-10 in Summit League play. The Westerwinds are scheduled to play a doubleheader Tuesday against Saint Louis before traveling to Iowa City.
Samantha Valentine leads the team with an impressive .417 (45-108) batting average and has started all 36 games. She also has a team-best four home runs and 25 RBI. Valentine has a .602 slugging percentage and a .492 on base percentage. Colleen Biebel is batting .302 with 16 stolen bases. As a team, the Westerwinds have swiped 77 bases.
Kamren Ferguson is 2-9 and leads the team with a 3.34 earned run average and 67 strikeouts. Lori Pankratz is 4-10 with a 3.47 earned run average.
Last Time vs. the Westerwinds ? Iowa opened the 2008 season with a 2-0, late-night win over Western Illinois at the Metrodome Tournament Feb. 15. Iowa’s game didn’t start until 10 p.m. because the previous game went into extra innings.
Junior Colleen McGlaughlin singled and advanced to second on a throwing error. Junior Callie Adreon then entered as a pinch-runner and scored off an RBI single by junior Erin Riemersma.
The Hawkeyes increased their lead off a double-steal in the fifth. Freshman Chelsey Carmody roped a two-out single and advanced to third on a Westerwind error off the bat of sophomore Taylor Leichsenring. On the following pitch, Leichsenring attempted to steal second and the Western Illinois catcher fired a throw to the base. Leichsenring then forced a pickle between first and second, allowing Carmody to cross home before Leichsenring was tagged out.
Weil Against Western Illinois ? Junior pitcher Brittany Weil tossed a gem in her first appearance of the 2008 season against Western Illinois.
The Garden Grove, CA, native threw a complete game two-hitter with nine strikeouts and just one walk.
Inside the Last Box Score ? Iowa out-hit the Westerwinds, 8-2 and forced three Western Illinois errors.
Freshman Chelsey Carmody finished 3-4 with a double and a run scored in her first game as a Hawkeye. Junior Colleen McGlaughlin collected two hits while three other Hawkeyes had one hit.
Western Illinois pitcher Kamren Ferguson threw all seven innings and did not give up an earned run while striking out six with no walks.
Last Weekend’s Results ? Iowa swept two games at Purdue (3-2, 8-5) but dropped both games of Sunday’s doubleheader at Indiana by identical 3-2 scores.
Hawkeyes Storm Back Against Purdue ? Iowa plated six runs on four hits in the top of the seventh to record an 8-5, comeback win over Purdue last Saturday.
The Hawkeyes were trailing, 3-2, going into their last at-bat before the bats woke up to earn the win.
Deja Vu ? Iowa lost both games at Indiana by a 3-2 score, with all three runs in both games coming off a three-run home run.
In game one, Indiana erased a 1-0 Hawkeye lead with a three-run shot in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Game two was more of the same. The Hawkeyes led, 2-0, before surrendering a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Downs On a Roll ? Senior Summer Downs is curretnly on an eight-game hitting streak.
The San Diego, CA, native has 10 hits in the past eight games, including one home run, one double and three RBI.
Hot Over the Last 10 Games ? Junior Quinn Morelock is batting .400 (4-10) in the past 10 games.
Morelock has played in eight of the last 10 games and has started three.
Base Thefts ? As a team, the Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in stolen bases (82) and attempts (105).
Junior Rachel West leads the team with 17 swipes while sophomore Lindsey Digmann has 16 and freshman Chelsey Carmody has 12.
Staff One of the Best ? Iowa’s pitching staff is establishing itself as one of the best, not only in the Big Ten, but in the nation.
The Hawkeyes rank seventh in the country in earned run average (1.12) while junior Brittany Weil is 21st in earned run average (1.06), 23rd in victories (22), 25th in hits allowed per seven innings (4.13) and 66th in strikeouts per seven innings (7.4). Sophomore Amanda Zust is 29th in earned run average (1.23) and 17th in hits allowed per seven innings (3.89).
Iowa ranks in the top three in nearly every pitching category and leads the Big Ten in home runs allowed (10).
Pitching at Pearl ? Junior Brittany Weil and sophomore Amanda Zust have made it tough on their opponents at Pearl Field.
Weil owns a 0.37 earned run average at Pearl Field and has struck out 74 batters. Zust has a 1.07 earned run average along with 25 strikeouts.
As a staff, the Hawkeyes have a 0.63 earned run average at Pearl Field.
McGlaughlin Everywhere ? Junior Colleen McGlaughlin has played wherever she has been needed this season.
McGlaughlin has started 22 games at both first and third base, five at shortstop and three in left field.
In addition, the Morton, IL, native is batting .375 while at third, 3.10 at first, .308 at shortstop and .154 in the outfield.
Scoring Early and Often ? Iowa is outscoring its opponents, 33-14 in the first inning and 23-6 in the fourth inning.
The Hawkeyes have outscored their opponents, 178-95 in 52 games.
Western Illinois Game Notes ? Iowa leads the all-time series, 21-18.
? Wednesday’s game will be the final home regular season game at Pearl Field for seniors Summer Downs and Emily Nichols.
? Western Illinois Head Coach Holly Van Vlymen was Iowa’s pitching coach from 2001-04. She was a part of Iowa’s staff that was named the 2003 NFCA Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year. She also helped the Hawkeyes reach the College World Series in 2001.
? Iowa and Western Illinois share seven common opponents. Western Illinois was defeated by Northern Iowa (4-3), Minnesota (8-2), Drake (6-1), Arkansas (4-3), Northwestern (8-0) and Iowa State (4-1, 3-1). The Westerwinds split a pair of games against Northern Illinois (1-3, 9-6).
Weil in the Record Books ? Junior Brittany Weil is the first Hawkeye in school history to be named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week four times in a single-season and five times in a career.
Weil is also the first Big Ten pitcher since 2006 to earn the award four times in a season. Northwestern pitcher Eileen Canney was given the award four times in 2006. The record is held by Michgan’s Marissa Young, who was tabbed Pitcher of the Week six times in 2002.
Tough Schedule in 2008 ? Twelve of Iowa’s opponents are inside the top 50 of the latest NCAA RPI, released April 23. The Hawkeyes have five wins over top 50 RPI teams (No. 4 Michigan, No. 14 Northwestern, No. 31 Louisiana-Lafayette, No. 45 Purdue).
Fifteen of Iowa’s 17 losses have also come to opponents with an RPI of 100 or better, including No. 1 Florida, No. 4 Michigan, No. 6 Arizona State, No. 14 Northwestern, No. 17 North Carolina, No. 28 Central Florida, No. 29 DePaul, No. 33 Florida State, No. 36 Arkansas, No. 46 Tulsa, No. 50 Ohio State, No. 70 Minnesota, No. 71 Drake, No. 86 Stetson, and No. 91 Cornell.
Queens of the Road ? The Hawkeyes have played 40 of their 52 games this season on the road. Iowa has an away record of 7-6 and a neutral site mark of 16-6.
Iowa is scheduled to play two of its final three regular season games on the road. The Big Ten Tournament will also be at a visiting site.
The Hawkeyes have an away record of 9-9 and a 16-6 at neutral sites.
No Need to Wait ? Freshman Jenny Schuelke wasted no time in recording her first career home run as a Hawkeye. The Solon, IA, native’s first hit in Black and Gold was a towering, solo home run to left field in Iowa’s 4-1 win over Drake Feb. 17
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.
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.
Nichols Drafted ? Senior Emily Nichols was selected by the Chicago Bandits in the National Professional Fastpitch (NPF) Draft. Nichols was the third pick in the second round and the ninth overall selection.
New Assistant Coach ? Shane Bouman is in his first season as pitching coach for the Hawkeyes.
Before coming to Iowa, Bouman served as head coach at South Dakota State for six seasons. He is the winningest coach in school history with 140 victories.
Bouman is also an accomplished softball pitcher. He is a four-time ASA all-American and a two-time NAFA all-American. He led five teams to ASA national championships and competed in nine International Softball Congress Tournaments.
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