Feb. 10, 2009
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
- Iowa Softball wallpaper
- SoftBlog
IOWA CITY – On Deck ? The University of Iowa softball team travels to Tempe, AZ, this weekend to compete in the Littlewood Classic. Below is Iowa’s schedule at the Classic. All times listed are central.
Friday, Feb. 13
vs. Idaho State – 12 p.m.
vs. Kent State – 2 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 14
vs. Illinois State – 2 p.m.
at #3 Arizona State – 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 15
vs. Chattanooga – 10 a.m.
Hawkeyes on the Web ? Fan’s who can’t make it to Arizona can follow the action at hawkeyesports.com, where live stats (Gametracker) will be available. The “GT” link can be found under the calendar tab on the right-hand side of the hawkeyesports.com home page, or on the softball schedule page.
Iowa in the Polls ? The Hawkeyes are listed as receiving votes in the latest USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll.
Opponents in the Polls ? Six Iowa opponents are ranked in either the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 or the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 polls.
Arizona State (3rd/6th), UCLA (4th/4th), Michigan (6th/5th) and Northwestern (13th/11th) are ranked in both polls. Purdue is ranked 23rd and Long Beach State is ranked 24th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.
In addition, Long Beach State, Purdue and Central Florida are receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA poll, while Florida State is receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. Texas is receiving votes in both polls.
Opening Weekend Recap ? Iowa opened the 2009 season at the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational, hosted by the University of Texas. The Hawkeyes finished the tournament with a 3-2 record, picking up two wins over Stephen F. Austin and one victory over host-school Texas. Iowa dropped a game to Florida State and Texas.
The Hawkeyes started with a dominating, 8-0, six-inning win over Stephen F. Austin to start the season. Florida State then handed Iowa its first loss of the season, 6-0.
Iowa then faced Texas twice Saturday, taking the first game by a 4-1 margin. The rematch was close, as Iowa rallied from a one-run deficit in its final at-bat to tie the score, but a two-out, walk-off home run by the Longhorns gave them a 3-2 win.
Iowa closed out the tournament on a positive note, defeating Stephen F. Austin once again, this time 3-1.
Nice Way to Start ? Senior transfer Sam Heinzman had an impressive debut in Black and Gold Friday against Stephen F. Austin. The Omaha, NE, native and South Dakota State transfer went 2-for-3 with two solo home runs in her first game at Iowa.
Heinzman collected her first hit as a Hawkeye by belting her first solo shot in the third inning. She later ended the contest early in the sixth by registering her second round-tripper of the afternoon.
Heinzman started and played all five games in left field, recording 12 putouts with no errors.
First One Was Gone ? Freshman Liz Watkins made the most of her first hit as a Hawkeye, recording a solo home run in the top of the third to give Iowa a 1-0 lead in game one against Texas.
Starting the Season Off Right ? Senior Quinn Morelock picked up her first hit of the season in Iowa’s 4-1 win over Texas Saturday by blasting a two-run home run in the second inning.
Doubles for the DP ? Freshman Katie Keim started and played in all five games last weekend as the designated player and collected three hits, all of which were doubles.
Keim notched her first-career hit and RBI with a double down the left field line in the third inning against Stephen F. Austin Friday afternoon. Her second double was Iowa’s only hit against Florida State, with her third and final hit of the weekend coming in game two against Texas.
Nearly Perfect on the Bases ? Iowa successfully swiped nine bases in 10 attempts over the weekend. Both junior Taylor Leichsenring and senior Colleen McGlauglin had two stolen bases, while five other Hawkeyes each had one.
Extra Bases ? Ten of Iowa’s 24 hits over the weekend went for extra bases, including five doubles, one triple and four home runs.
Littlewood Classic Notes ? This marks the fifth season in a row that Iowa has traveled to Tempe for the second week of competition. Since 2005, Iowa holds a 9-7 record at the Littlewood Classic, including a 1-5 mark against Arizona State and a 3-1 record against Illinois State.
? Arizona State, the defending NCAA champions, defeated Iowa, 1-0, on a walk-off home run in last year’s Littlewood Classic. Iowa knocked off Illinois State, 2-0, on the same day.
? Iowa is 1-0 all-time vs. Kent State, 32-16 vs. Illinois State, 10-19 vs. Arizona State and 0-1 vs. Chattanooga.
? Arizona freshman Christina Zambrana and Iowa senior Brittany Weil are both from Garden Grove, CA, and attended Pacifica High School.
? Illinois State sophomore Jessica Roche and Iowa senior Erin Riemersma are natives of Orland Park, IL, and attended Carl Sanburg High School.
Road Warriors ? Iowa is scheduled to play its first 29 games on the road this season. The Hawkeyes will open the home portion of its schedule March 22 with a doubleheader against South Dakota.
The Hawkeyes wracked up a 29-26 record on the road last season, including an 11-10 mark in true road contests and an 18-6 record in neutral site games.
New Field, Same Location ? Pearl Field, Iowa’s home facility, received a major facelift after the Floods of 2008.
Pearl Field was gutted and re-built, with new additions including a new Hilltopper infield surface and new outfield sod, new concessions and restrooms, new locker rooms and team meeting areas among other additions.
The facility will be ready for Iowa’s home opener March 22.
Bye-Bye Big Ten Tourney ? This season marks the first time in 15 years there will be no Big Ten Softball Tournament. The conference coaches decided to cancel the tournament after last season.
The first Big Ten Tournament was held in 1982, but the conference didn’t host another postseason tournament until the 1995 season.
Iowa won two Big Ten Tournament titles (2001, 2003) and hosted the tournament three times.