April 15, 2011
- 2011 Iowa Softball Media Guide
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone app!
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
Complete Release in PDF Format
THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa softball team returns to Pearl Field this weekend for a two game series against Northwestern. Saturday’s series opener, which is the annual “pink” game to support the fight against cancer, is slated to begin at 2 p.m., while the finale is set for 1 p.m. Sunday. Sunday’s contest, which is Girl Scout Day at the ballpark, will air live on the Big Ten Network.
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.
ON THE TUBE
Sunday’s series finale against Northwestern will air live on the Big Ten Network. Eric Collins will handle the play-by-play action, while Heather Lyke will serve as the color commentator.
LISTEN LIVE ONLINE
Fans can follow the Hawkeyes online via the All-Access page at hawkeyesports.com. Rob Brooks, the voice of Iowa softball, will call 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.
ON THE WEB
Fans can follow the action at hawkeyesports.com, where live stats (Gametracker) will be available. The live “GT” can be found under the calendar tab on the right-hand side of the hawkeyesports.com home page, or on the softball schedule page.
FOLLOW IOWA SOFTBALL ON TWITTER
Hawkeye fans can follow the University of Iowa softball team on Twitter: @iowasoftball.
A RECAP
The Hawkeyes split a doubleheader at Minnesota Wednesday at Cowles Stadium. The Golden Gophers used a four-run third inning to win the series opener, 4-2, before Iowa salvaged a split with a 2-1 win in the night cap. Sophomore Chelsea Lyon pitched Iowa to the win in game two, throwing a one-hitter.
THE OPPONENT
Northwestern enters the weekend with a 20-11 overall and a 2-4 Big Ten record after splitting doubleheaders with Wisconsin and Michigan State. The Wildcats opened conference play by dropping a pair of games against No. 4 Michigan State.
Northwestern is batting .311 as a team, which ranks third in the Big Ten. Three Wildcat players are above the .300 mark with Emily Allard pacing the team and the conference with a .517 average. Allard has 60 hits on the year and is 32-of-33 on the base paths. Adrienne Monka is hitting at a .479 clip with a team-best nine home runs and 37 RBI, while Robin Thompson is hitting .358.
The Wildcats have three pitchers that have tallied at least six wins on the year in Sammy Albanese, Meghan Lamberth and Jessica Smith. Lamberth is 8-0 on the year with a 2.79 ERA, Albanese is 6-4 with a 2.54 ERA with two shutouts, and Smith is 6-7 with a 3.85 ERA with 84 strikeouts and three shutouts.
SERIES/OPPONENT NOTES
? Northwestern leads the all-time series over Iowa, 49-43. Last season, the Wildcats won the lone meeting, 9-1, in six innings as the second game of the series was cancelled due to weather.
? The Wildcats have dominated the series since 2005, winning 11-of-13 games. NU has won the last four games in the series, three of which were run rule victories.
Iowa’s last win came during the 2008 season with a 2-0 victory at Pearl Field.
? Sophomore Emily Allard is among the top 25 finalists for the 2011 USA Softball Player of the Year Award, given annually by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America. The infielder/outfielder, who currently has a 22-game hitting streak, is leading the nation with 1.07 steals per game.
TABLE SETTER
Junior Katie Keim has been coming on as of late, serving as a catalyst at the top of the Iowa line-up. The Missouri native has three consecutive multi-hit games and four in her last five contests. Keim has six of her 10 multi-hit contests since March 27.
Keim has a team-high 13 hits during the stretch, where she is batting .394. On the year, the second baseman is hitting .266.
LYON HURLS A ONE-HITTER
Sophomore Chelsea Lyon pitched one of the best games of her Hawkeye career in leading Iowa to a 2-1 victory at Minnesota on Wednesday evening. The Oklahoma native allowed a single hit – a third inning solo home run – in the complete game victory.
In the doubleheader against the Golden Gophers, Lyon pitched 9.1 innings in the circle, allowing one run on two hits with three strikeouts.
AKERS ON THE OFFENSIVE
After serving as mostly a pinch runner during her freshman season, Ashley Akers has come on at the plate for the Hawkeyes. The Tiffin, Iowa, native has hits in eight of her last 10 games, which includes a pair of three hit affairs against Western Illinois and Michigan State. The sophomore has 26 hits on the year, where she is batting .265.
BATS EMERGE AT PEARL
The Hawkeyes erupted for 17 hits in the 9-8 victory over Michigan State in the series finale at Pearl Field. The 17 hits were the most for the team since Feb. 25 (at FGCU – 18 hits) and the second most for the squad in a game this season. The hit total are also the most in a conference game.
GAINING THE EARLY ADVANTAGE
The Hawkeyes have jumped on opponents early in games this season, out scoring the opposition 41-22 in the first inning alone. Iowa has gone on to post an 19-6 record when scoring first.
WATKINS GETS 100TH CAREER RBI
Junior Liz Watkins’ 100th career RBI was one she won’t soon forget. After all, it came in the unlikeliest of fashions in the 2-1 road win at Minnesota. Iowa’s power-hitting catcher pushed a bunt in between the third baseman and pitcher, allowing Stephanie Ochoa to cross the plate for what turned out to be the game-winning run.
Watkins, who has 29 RBI this season, has nine multiple RBI games this season, which includes two three-RBI and one four-RBI game. The Illinois native is the 11th player in Iowa history with at least 100 RBI.
TEAM TIDBITS
? Senior Chelsey Carmody has hit safely in 32-of-36 games this season. The shortstop, who had a 25-game hitting streak to start the season, has a team-leading 12 multi-hit games. Carmody missed the Michigan State series due to personal reasons.
? Junior Liz Watkins has caught every inning and every pitch at the catcher position this season. She and fellow junior Katie Keim are the only two Hawkeyes to start every game.
? Senior Stephanie Ochoa is eighth in the Big Ten with a .411 batting average, while Carmody is ninth with a .397 average.
? Iowa is aggressive on the base paths, as the squad has 51 stolen bases on the season, which is fourth most in the Big Ten.
? Iowa batters have been plunked 26 times this season. Sophomore Johnnie Dowling has nearly half of those, being hit nine times.
? The Hawkeyes are batting .285 as a team with runners in scoring position.
? Sophomore Chelsea Lyon has gone the distance to register complete games in 11 of her last 13 starts.
? Freshman Kayla Massey has allowed four hits or fewer in seven starts this season. Massey has 11 complete games and three shutouts on her resume.
IN THE CIRCLE
Iowa’s two pitchers — Kayla Massey and Chelsea Lyon — have shared the duties in the circle this season. Massey is pacing the team with a 2.71 ERA, while posting a 10-6 record with 11 complete games and three shutouts. Lyon, meanwhile, is 12-10 on the rubber with a 3.26 ERA with 89 strikeouts in 122.1 innings.
Massey tossed a four hitter with nine strikeouts in her first collegiate start against Maryland on Feb. 11 in Georgia.
WATKINS NAMED CO-BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior Liz Watkins was tabbed as the Co-Big Ten Player of the Week March 28 after hitting .714 with six RBI and three runs scored in Iowa’s series sweep at Ohio State. The catcher went 4-for-4 in the opener with three RBI before tallying her fifth straight hit on a three-run long ball to send Iowa to the sweep. It was Watkins’ second career honor.
OCHOA TABBED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Stephanie Ochoa was named the Big Ten Player of the Week March 21 after hitting .612 to lead the Hawkeyes to a 4-2 record. The California native went 4-for-4 in a game at No. 11 Tennessee, which were a career high in hits. She then closed out the week going 5-for-6 with four runs and an RBI in the doubleheader sweep of South Dakota.
WATKINS FIFTH ALL-TIME IN LONG BALLS
Junior Liz Watkins, who hit home runs in back-to-back games at Ohio State and Western Illinois, ranks fifth in Iowa softball history with 21 home runs. Watkins is four long balls shy of moving into third place all-time, trailing Jessica Bashor (22), Stacy May (23) and Colleen McGlaughlin (24).
3 HAWKEYES, 4 HITS
Three different Hawkeye players have posted perfect 4-for-4 games at the plate this season. Chelsey Carmody accomplished the feat against Liberty on March 12 in Florida, Stephanie Ochoa went 4-for-4 at No. 11 Tennessee, and Liz Watkins went 4-for-4 in the Big Ten opening win at Ohio State.
MULTI-HIT HAWKEYES
Eleven different Iowa players have tallied at least one multi-hit game this season. Senior Chelsey Carmody leads the squad with 12 multi-hit games, including three contests with at least three hits. Fellow senior Stephanie Ochoa and junior Katie Keim have 10 mult-hit games, while Liz Watkins has eight on the year.
HAWKEYES WIN STETSON CLASSIC
Iowa posted a 4-1 record to win the round robin formatted Stetson Classic Mar. 11-13 in DeLand, Fla. After opening the tournament with a loss to Liberty, the Hawkeyes won four straight games, including beating Liberty, 4-3, in the championship game.
MOVIN’ ON UP
A pair of Hawkeyes are among the career statistical leaders in school history. Below is the breakdown.
Liz Watkins
5th – Home runs – 21
11th – RBI – 100
Chelsey Carmody
6th – Hits – 223
8th – Batting Average – .339
8th – Runs – 120
t10th – Triples – 10
11th – At-bats – 657
12th – Doubles – 33
TEAM CAPTAINS
Senior Chelsey Carmody and junior Katie Keim were chosen by their teammates as the team captains for the 2011 Hawkeyes.
TWO-TIME ALL-BIG TEN SELECTION RETURNS
Two-time all-Big Ten selection Liz Watkins returns behind the plate for her junior season in Black and Gold. Last season, Watkins was a second team all-Big Ten selection after batting .328 with seven doubles, five triples, five home runs and 26 RBI. As a freshman, Watkins was a third team all-Big Ten honoree, hitting .331 with nine jacks and 45 RBI.
FORMER HAWKEYE RETURNS TO STAFF
Four-year letterwinner Stacy Johnson (formerly Stacy May) returns to the Hawkeye coaching staff after wrapping up a stellar professional player career in the National Professional Fastpitch league.
Johnson, who started every game in her Iowa career, was a three-time NFCA all-Mideast Region selection for the Hawkeyes. In 2003, she was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year after leading the Hawkeyes to the regular season and conference tournament titles.
HAWKEYE TRADITION
Iowa has made four Women’s College World Series appearances (1995, 1996, 1997, 2001) and it has played in 16 NCAA Tournaments in school history. The 16 appearances are the second most in Big Ten history.
The Hawkeyes have won four Big Ten Conference regular season championships and two Big Ten Tournament titles.