A Hawkeye Homecoming Set for Sunday

March 19, 2010

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ON DECK
The University of Iowa softball team returns to Peal Field for the 2010 home opener Sunday. The Hawkeyes will host South Dakota in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Admission to Peal Field is $3 for adults. There is no charge for youth (high school age and younger) and UI students with a valid student ID.

ON YOUR COMPUTER
Starting with Iowa’s home opener Sunday against South Dakota, the remaining games will have a live audio stream on the All-Access page of hawkeyesports.com, with Rob Brooks calling the action from Pearl Field.

HAWKEYES ON THE WEB
Fans that can’t make it to Pearl Field for the home opener 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.

TRIPLE CROWN HAWKEYE
As the season rolls along, so does junior Chelsey Carmody. The St. Louis, MO native leads Iowa in all three triple crown categories. She blasted her team-high sixth homerun of the season last weekend after hitting just two career homeruns entering 2010. Carmody leads Iowa with a .342 average and has collected a team-high 15 RBI, four shy of matching her career-high (19, 2008).

LINDSEY AT THE BAT
Senior Lindsey Digmann has a team-leading 27 hits, including a career-best four hits vs. No. 11 Georgia Tech Feb. 28. She also leads the Hawkeyes with eight stolen bases in 10 attempts.

Q: WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
A: A little bit of everything. Senior Katie Brown has been Iowa’s do-it-all this season. She has driven in 12 runs while rotating between the three-hole and clean-up spot in the batting order. The senior from Spirit Lake, IA also makes the occasional appearance in the circle. In four relief appearances, Brown has held right-handed hitters to a lowly .100 batting average. In her first career start since her freshman season (2007), Brown struck out four batters in a rain-shortened 3-3 tie vs. Saint Mary’s.

INNINGS EATER
Senior Amanda Zust leads the Hawkeyes and ranks second in the Big Ten in innings pitched. A native of Des Moines, IA, Zust has tossed 107.2 innings in 2010, including 11 complete games. She allowed just five runs in 28 innings during one stretch of four-straight complete game victories (2/14-2/20). Zust recorded her latest complete game in Iowa’s 2-1 nine inning victory over Florida Atlantic. She matched her season-high with seven strikeouts and allowed just one earned run in the extra-inning affair.

HOT OFF THE BENCH
Senior Heidi Daumen has been called on to pinch-hit twice this season and both times she has answered the call of duty. Daumen laid down a sacrifice bunt in her first at-bat of 2010 and drove in the game-winning run in the ninth inning with a pinch-hit single versus Florida Atlantic, March 18.

TRIPLE THREAT
Sophomore Liz Watkins played in 56 games last season without recording a single three-base hit. Apparently eager to avoid repeating such a feat, the Taylor Ridge, IL native has banged out four triples in 2010 and is currently tied for the league lead in three-baggers.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
Iowa boasts four position players that have started every game at their respective positions this season. Around the horn, Iowa’s iron-women include Katie Brown (1b), Lindsey Digmann (3b), Jenny Schuelke (LF) and Johnnie Dowling (CF). Liz Watkins (C), Katie Keim (SS/2b), Taylor Leichsenring (RF) and Chelsey Carmody (2b/SS) have started 24 of Iowa’s 285 games.

GETTING THINGS STARTED
The Hawkeyes own a .371 OBP when leading off an inning. Senior Lindsey Digmann has led off an inning a team-high 30 times and reached safely 10 times (.300). Sophomore Katie Keim owns a .667 (6-9) OBP and senior Katie Brown has a .533 OBP (8-15) when leading off an inning.

OPPONENTS IN THE POLLS
Seven Iowa opponents are ranked in both the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 and ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 preseason polls. Michigan (4/4), UCLA (5/6), Arizona State (7/10), Alabama (8/5), Georgia Tech (12/9), Ohio State (16/17) and Illinois (21/22) are all ranked.

ROAD WARRIORS
Iowa played its first 25 games of 2010 outside of Iowa City. The Hawkeyes finished 12-12-1 on their road trip across the country. Iowa played in Minnesota, Arizona, Georgia, California and Florida before their first scheduled home game, March 21. The Hawkeyes ran up an impressive 31-13 record outside of Iowa City last season, including a 13-9 mark in true road contests and an 18-4 record in neutral site games.

THREE-FOR-FOUR
The Hawkeyes return three of their top four hitters from a 2009. Senior Katie Brown, junior Chelsey Carmody and sophomore Liz Watkins hit .337 collectively in 168 combined games.

NOW BATTING FOR IOWA
The Hawkeyes welcome eight newcomers to the 2010 roster. Juniors Stephanie Ochoa and Sarah Spiering hit campus after two celebrated careers at the Junior College level. The Hawkeyes have six freshmen on this year’s roster, including Iowa natives Ashley Akers, Johnnie Dowling, Sam Valentine and Ashley Vanderloo. Oklahoma native Chelsea Lyon and Oregon native Jordan Goschie round out the freshmen class.

METRODOME ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Juniors Chelsey Carmody and Jenny Schuelke were named to the all-tournament team at the Metrodome Tournament (Feb. 12-14). Carmody batted .400 with a homerun and a pair of RBI while Schuelke hit .385 and belted the game-winning homerun in Iowa’s 2-1 victory over Western Illinois.

RETURNING AWARD WINNERS
Sophomore Liz Watkins was given three awards at the 2009 softball banquet; Most Improved, Coaches and Peg Augspurger Hawkeye Heart award. Sophomore Katie Keim shared the Most Improved award with Watkins. Seniors Katie Brown and Amanda Zust shared the team’s Golden Glove award.

BTN.com FIRST PITCH
The Big Ten Network’s live softball coverage begins with the Illinois State-Iowa game in Iowa City. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24, and the game will be streamed live.

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