April 27, 2010
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IOWA CITY – On Deck
The University of Iowa softball team (23-16, 8-3) hosts intra-state rival Northern Iowa (24-20, 11-8) Wednesday at Pearl Field. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.
Admission to Pearl Field is $3 for adults. There is no charge for youth (high school age and younger) or UI students with a valid student ID.
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 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 Northern Iowa
The Northern Iowa Panthers are 24-20 overall and 11-8 in Missouri Valley Conference action. Northern Iowa plays at Nebraska Tuesday before making the trip to Iowa City.
Jen Larsen has started all 44 games and leads the team in batting average (.369), hits (48) and runs scored (36). Courtney Dunker has a team-best 11 home runs while Eranne Daugharthy leads the team with 32 RBI.
Jaye Hutcheson is 5-1 with a 3.25 ERA, while Melissa Tillett is 7-12 with a 3.53 ERA and a team-best 52 strikeotus. Larsen is 12-7 with a 3.97 ERA and 49 strikeouts.
Series Notes
? Iowa leads the all-time series, 26-14. The Hawkeyes have won four of the last five meetings, with their last loss coming during the 2003 season (9-7). Iowa has won four in a row against UNI, with wins in 2004 (4-3), 2006 (11-0 in five innings), 2008 (5-4) and 2009 (5-3). The teams did not meet during the 2005 or 2007 seasons.
? Several players for UNI and Iowa were high school teammates. UNI’s Jaye Hutcheson and Hannah Borschel were teammates with Iowa’s Lindsey Digmann at Linn-Mar. Borschel is also the sister of Iowa’s NCAA wrestling champion Jay Borschel. UNI’s Laura Turner and Sarah Bakey went to high school at West Des Moines Valley with Iowa’s Johnnie Dowling. UNI’s Rachel Gerking and Iowa’s Katie Brown went to high school at Spirit Lake, while UNI’s Samantha Waters and Iowa’s Amanda Zust attended Des Moines East.
Swiping Bases
Iowa was aggressive on the basepaths last weekend at Penn State, going a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen bases.
Iowa swiped four bases in Saturday’s game and took five Sunday. Senior Lindsey Digmann and freshmen Ashley Akers and Sam Valentine each went 2-for-2 while sophomore Katie Keim, freshman Johnnie Dowling and senior Katie Brown each stole one base.
Taking One For the Team
Sophomore Liz Watkins had only one official at-bat last weekend in State College, but reached base plenty of times.
Watkins was hit by a pitch in four-straight plate appearances to start the weekend, upping her team-leading total to nine HBP’s. Watkins went 1-for-1 on the weekend with a sacrifice fly.
Battle For the Team Lead
Iowa’s offensive balance is evident on the stat sheet.
Sophomore Liz Watkins leads the team with a .357 batting average with senior Lindsey Digmann only 10 points behind (.347). Watkins also leads the squad with six doubles, with three players close behind with five.
Digmann has a team-best 43 hits, with Chelsey Carmody only two behind (41). Carmody and Digmann are also tied for the team lead with 21 runs scored. Carmody has a team-high six home runs, while Watkins and Brown each have five.
Climbing the Career Ladder
Three Hawkeyes are putting their names in the Iowa records book.
Senior Katie Brown ranks fifth in career home runs with 20. Sophomore Liz Watkins is tied for 12th on the career home run list with 14.
Senior Amanda Zust ranks seventh in all-time strikeouts (478) and eighth in wins (54).
Getting Ground Balls
Iowa’s infield has been very busy over the past 10 games.
The Hawkeye infield has recorded a combined 127 putouts and 83 assists with 6 errors (.972). Iowa’s outfield has only seen 23 chances, with 21 putouts and two assists (1.000).
Lineup…Same
The Hawkeye defensive alignment has stayed the same over the past nine games.
The lineup includes Watkins (C), Brown (1B), Digmann (2B), Carmody (SS), Keim (3B), Schuelke (LF), Dowling (CF) and Leichsenring (RF).