April 13, 2010
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IOWA CITY – On Deck
The University of Iowa softball team (20-14-1, 6-1) travels to Madison Wednesday for a doubleheader against the Wisconsin Badgers (10-22, 0-6). Game one is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start.
On Your Radio
Both games of Wednesday’s doubleheader will be broadcast live on AM-800 KXIC. Rob Brooks, the familiar voice of Iowa softball, will call the action.
Live Audio from Your Computer
You can follow the Hawkeyes from your computer via the All-Access page at hawkeyesports.com. Rob Brooks, the voice of Iowa softball, will be calling the action live at all home and away events for the remainder of the season. Hawkeye All-Access is a subscription service that charges $9.95 per month.
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.
Scouting Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Badgers are 10-22 overall and 0-6 in Big Ten play. The Badgers have been swept by Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State in conference action.
Molly Spence leads the team in batting average (.376), doubles (5), home runs (6) and RBI (22). Whitney Massey is batting .303 with four triples and 15 RBI. Jennifer Kreuger is 18-21 in stolen bases.
Letty Olivarez is 6-16 with a 3.83 ERA to lead the Badgers in the circle. She has appeared in 25 of Wisconsin’s 32 games, with 22 starts and 10 complete games. She has 101 strikeouts to 70 base on balls. Meghan McIntosh is 3-6 with a 7.50 ERA, while Kristyn Hansen is 1-0 with 14 appearances and a 7.72 ERA.
Series Notes
? Iowa leads the all-time series, 35-7.
? The series has been close since 2005. In the 10 games played since 2005, Iowa has won six, while the Badgers have been victorious in four.
Lyon Keeps on Rolling
Freshman Chelsea Lyon has been hot in her last eight apperances.
Lyon is 5-1 and has not allowed an earned run in her last 42.1 innings pitched. She has struck out 17, with five starts and three complete games. She has also limited her opponents to a .181 batting average.
Battle For the Team Lead
Iowa’s offensive balance is evident on the stat sheet.
Junior Chelsey Carmody leads the team with a .366 batting average, but senior Lindsey Digmann trails by just six points (.360). Carmody and Digmann are both tied for the team lead with 19 runs and 41 hits.
Senior Katie Brown has a team best 22 RBI, Carmody is second with 21 and Watkins is third with 20.
Carmody has a team-high six home runs, with Watkins and Brown close behind at five.
Getting Ground Balls
Iowa’s infield has been very busy over the past five games.
The Hawkeye infield has recorded a combined 71 putouts and 44 assists with four errors (.966). Iowa’s outfield has only seen 13 chances, with 11 putouts, one assist and one error (.923).
Lineup…Same
The Hawkeye defensive alignment has stayed the same over the past four games.
The lineup includes Watkins (C), Brown (1B), Digmann (2B), Carmody (SS), Keim (3B), Schuelke (LF), Dowling (CF) and Leichsenring (RF).
Where’s Digs?
Senior Lindsey Digmann has been a fixture in the Iowa lineup, but not in one particular place. After starting the first 24 games at third base, Digs has seen time in left field, center field, second base and as the designated player. Digmann has started the last five-straight at second base.
She has also bounced around the lineup – hitting leadoff (.349), second (.412) and ninth (.333) in the batting order.
Welcome Home Amanda Zust
Senior Amanda Zust kicked off the 2010 home opener in spectacular fashion March 21. Zust led Iowa to an 8-0 win over South Dakota by pitching her second career no-hitter. She struck out a season-high eight hitters while tossing her 11th complete game.
The Big Ten honored Zust for her efforts by naming the senior Big Ten Pitcher of the Week.
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 five triples in 2010.
Diamonds are Forever
Iowa boasts four position players that have started every game this season. Those players include Lindsey Digmann, Jenny Schuelke, Katie Brown and Johnnie Dowling.
Chelsey Carmody, Taylor Leichsenring and Katie Keim have all started 34 games.
Watkins Named co-Big Ten Player of the Week
Sophomore catcher Liz Watkins was named co-Big Ten Player of the Week March 29 for her efforts in Iowa’s two-game sweep at Michigan State.
Watkins batted an impressive .857 (6-7) with one home run, two doubles and three RBI against the Spartans. Watkins also recorded an eye-popping 1.571 slugging percentage and a .875 on-base percentage.
Watkins started the weekend by going 2-for-3 Saturday. She followed with a perfect 4-for-4 outing Sunday, including a solo home run in the first inning. She added the game-winning RBI in the sixth with a line drive to the left field fence.
Opponents in the Polls
Six Iowa opponents are ranked in both the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 and ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 polls.
Michigan (2/2), Alabama (5/5), Arizona State (6/6), Georgia Tech (9/7), Illinois (18/20) and Ohio State (20/24) are all ranked.
Three-for-Four
The Hawkeyes return three of their top four hitters from 2009. Senior Katie Brown, junior Chelsey Carmody and sophomore Liz Watkins hit .337 collectively in 168 combined games.
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.
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.
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.
Home Grown Hawkeyes
Nine of Iowa’s 17 players hail from the state of Iowa.
Those players include Katie Brown (Spirit Lake), Ashley Akers (Tiffin), Johnnie Dowling and Amanda Zust (Des Moines), Taylor Leichsenring (Amana), Sam Valentine (Centerville), Jenny Schuelke (Solon), Ashley Vanderloo (Sioux City) and Lindsey Digmann (Marion).