Oct. 1, 2008
IOWA CITY – The University of Iowa softball will host its first action at Pearl Field since the Flood of 2008 this weekend. Iowa is scheduled to host the Hawkeye Classic Saturday and Sunday, with perennial Big 12 powers Kansas and Nebraska, along with Western Illinois, who is coached by former Hawkeye pitching coach Holly Van Vlymen.
“We are thrilled to have our field back,” Head Coach Gayle Blevins said. “It took a lot of work to recover our field and stadium, but we couldn’t be happier to be back. The field itself looks wonderful and this is, by far, the best competition we have ever brought in for a fall tournament. We have many exciting things to look forward to this weekend.”
The Hawkeyes will open the tournament Saturday against Kansas at 4 p.m. Iowa will face Nebraska Saturday at 6 p.m. Action will continue Sunday, with the Hawkeyes and Jayhawks facing off at 12:30 p.m. and the final match of the weekend will be against the Cornhuskers at 4:30 p.m.
Iowa most recently faced Kansas in 2007 in Louisville, KY, with the Jayhawks coming out on top, 7-2. Iowa and Nebraska have a history of facing each other in NCAA Regional action. The Hawkeyes have faced the Cornhuskers six times in NCAA play, with four of those matchups taking place in Lincoln, NE.
Pearl Field has seen many changes since it was inundated with water over the summer. New sod has been placed in the outfield along with a new fence. Pearl Field also has a new, state-of-the-art, infield surface. Fans are reminded that bathroom and concession services will not be available, but portable bathrooms will be in place at Pearl Field.