Feb. 18, 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 Kennesaw, GA, to compete in the K-Club Classic, hosted by Kennesaw State University. Below is Iowa’s schedule at the Classic. All times listed are central.
Friday, Feb. 20
vs. Drexel – 2 p.m.
vs. Memphis – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 21
vs. Miami (OH) – 1 p.m.
vs. Buffalo – 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 22
at Kennesaw State – 10 a.m.
Hawkeyes on the Web ? Fan’s who can’t make it to Georgia 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 ? Five Iowa opponents are ranked in either the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 or the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 polls.
Arizona State (3rd/7th), Michigan (4th/T-4th), UCLA (6th/6th) and Northwestern (12th/12th) are ranked in both polls. Ohio State (23rd) is ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25.
In addition, Florida State is receiving votes in the both polls, while Texas, Purdue and Long Beach State are receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.
Opening Weekend Recap ? Iowa improved its record to 7-3 at the Littlewood Classic, hosted by Arizona State University, last weekend.
The Hawkeyes opened play with a 4-1 win over Idaho State. Iowa folllowed by collecting a 1-0, eight-inning win over Kent State.
Iowa stretched its winning streak to four games with a 6-2 victory over Illinois State before falling to the defending NCAA champion and No. 3 ranked Arizona State, 5-2.
The Hawkeyes wrapped up the tournament with an 8-0, six-inning win over Tennessee-Chattanooga.
Weil Tosses No-Hitter ? Senior Brittany Weil threw the 10th no-hitter in school history and struck out a career-high 19 batters in a 1-0, eight-inning win over Kent State to wrap up Friday’s action at the Littlewood Classic. Weil, who was just one batter away from a perfect game, turned in the best performance of her career to give Iowa the victory.
Weil becomes the first Hawkeye since 2007 to throw a no-hitter and the first since 2005 to throw at least seven innings of no-hit softball. Stephanie Ackerson tossed a five-inning no-hitter in Iowa’s season opener against Howard Feb. 4, 2007. Lisa Birocci also collected a no-hitter against Georgia Southern March 4, 2005.
The Garden Grove, CA, native took a perfect game into extra innings, but a pitch barely hit a Kent State batter with one out in the top of the eighth. This is the first time Weil has thrown a no-hitter after tossing 11 one-hitters in her career.
Weil did most of the work herself, striking out 19 of the 25 batters she faced. She struck out the side in the first, second, fifth and sixth innings, along with striking out two batters in the third, seventh and eighth frames. Weil sat down one batter in the fourth inning, as well. Her previous high was 15 K’s against BYU March 15, 2007. Weil’s 19 strikeouts are the most for an Iowa pitcher since Birocci fanned 17 batters twice during the 2005 season.
Climbing the K Ladder ? Senior Brittany Weil struck out 35 batters on the weekend and moved into fourth place on Iowa’s all-time strikeouts list.
She currently has 798 career K’s and passed Terri McFarland, who struck out 791 batters from 1989-92. Lisa Birocci holds Iowa’s strikeout record with 946.
Welcome Aboard ? Senior transfer Sam Heinzman currently leads the team in batting average at .318 through 10 games this season.
Heinzman also ranks first in home runs (2) and slugging percentage (.636), second in runs scored (4) and RBI (4) and third in hits (7). The Omaha, NE, native also has added 13 putouts and one assist, defensively, without committing an error.
Riemersma Heating Up ? Senior Erin Riemersma hit .400 (6-15) with one run scored last weekend at the Littlewood Classic. Riemersma also swiped a stolen base and played error-free ball at shortstop.
The Orland Park, IL, product collected at least one hit in four of Iowa’s five games in Tempe, including two-hit performances against Idaho State and Chattanooga.
Where’s Keim? ? Coach Blevins has already used Katie Keim’s versatility to her advantage.
The freshman has started all 10 games, including five starts as the designated player, four starts at third base and one start at second base.
Hold One For One More Inning ? Iowa has done an excellent job of holding onto leads in the later stages of games so far this season.
The Hawkeyes are 6-0 when leading after three innings, 5-0 when leading after four and five frames and 4-0 when leading after the sixth.
Stats Don’t Lie ? Even though the 2009 season is only 10 games in, Iowa’s stats certainly don’t lie in terms of wins and losses.
All seven of Iowa’s wins have come when it managed to plate at least three runs. In contrast, all three of Iowa’s losses have come when it failed to score at least three runs.
In addition, Iowa’s seven wins have also come when it limits its opponents to two runs or less. All Hawkeye losses have happened when their opponents score more than two runs.
K-Club Classic Notes ? The K-Club Classic will serve as both Drexel’s and Buffalo’s opening weekend.
? Miami (OH) and Iowa share one common opponent this season in Florida State. The Seminoles defeated Miami (OH), 10-2 in five innings and Iowa 6-0.
? Iowa is 2-0 all-time vs. Drexel and Buffalo and 4-1 vs. Miami (OH). The Hawkeyes have never faced Memphis or Kennesaw State.
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.
SoftBlog ? Senior Erin Riemersma, junior Lindsey Digmann and freshman Liz Watkins will blog for hawkeyesports.com throughout the season. The student-athletes will discuss life on the road and what its like being a softball player at the University of Iowa.
Fans can access the blog on the softball page of hawkeyesports.com.