March 24, 2015
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PLAY BALL
The University of Iowa softball team continues its home stand with a doubleheader on Wednesday against Big Ten foe Nebraska. Game one will begin at 3 p.m. (CT). Both contests will be streamed on Hawkeye All-Access available at hawkeyesports.com.
FOLLOW ALONG
Audio will be available for both games of the doubleheader on Hawkeye All-Access online at hawkeyesports.com. Jon Swisher will call the action. Gametracker is also available for all games at Pearl Field. Links can be accessed on the softball schedule page at hawkeyesports.com. To receive more frequent game updates, follow @IowaSoftball on Twitter and “like” our official page on Facebook, facebook.com/iowahawkeyessoftball.
PROMOTIONS
Wednesday is Facebook/Twitter appreciation day. A coupon for free admission can be found on the Iowa softball’s official Twitter and Facebook pages. The first 100 fans at game one will receive free Iowa softball traveling pillows. Fans can also register to win a $50 iTunes gift card.
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SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets are now available for the 2015 Iowa softball regular season. Prices are $20 for reserved season tickets, $15 for general admission (public), and $12 for general admission (faculty). Single game tickets are also available for $5. Youth — ages 18 or younger — can attend Hawkeye softball games for free.
To purchase season tickets, visit the UI Athletics Ticket Office inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, call 1-800-IA-HAWKS, or go to hawkeyesports.com.
TAKING ON THE BEST
Nine of Iowa’s 2015 opponents are ranked in the most recent release of the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top-25 Poll (March 17). They include: Oregon (1), Florida (3), Michigan (4), Oklahoma (6), Louisiana Lafayette (7), Minnesota (15), Missouri (19), UCF (20), North Carolina State (RV).
1 AWAY FOR BLANK
Senior Megan Blank is one double away from sole possession of the Iowa Softball career doubles record. Blank currently shares the record (52) with Kari Knopf. The current record has been held since 1997.
BATTER UP
Since hitting coach Adam Arbour’s arrival, the Hawkeyes have improved in nearly every offensive category. Through 32 games in 2014, Iowa posted a .240 batting average, .346 slugging percentage and .320 on base percentage. Iowa is hitting .260 with a .375 slugging percentage and a .330 on base percentage through 32 games this season. The Hawkeyes have hit seven more doubles and three more home runs through 32 games, and notched 13 more hits and scored 30 more runs.
RBIs ON THE RISE
Four Hawkeyes — Whitney Repole (10), Holly Hoffman (9), Alyssa Navarro (8) and Sammi Gyerman (18) — have either met or exceeded their RBI totals from a season ago. The Hawkeyes have plated 106 runs through 32 games this season — just 16 shy of last season’s total (47 games).
BLANK MAKES A JUMP
Megan Blank raised her batting average from .387 to .424 by posting a .588 batting average in six games played during the March 16-22 stretch. The senior also raised her slugging percentage from .573 to .652 and her on-base percentage from .439 to .476. Blank registered 10 hits in six games, including two home runs, a double and four RBIs. She slugged 1.000 with a .619 on-base percentage.
BLANK RANKS
? Career runs scored: Tied for 12th all-time (110)
? Career hits: Tied for 8th all-time (216)
? Career doubles: Tied for school record (52) with Kari Knopf (1994-97)
? Career triples: tied for 10th all-time (10), 1 from tying for 7th (11)
? Career HR: Tied for 6th all-time (22)
? Career RBI: 6th all-time (133)
? Career Average: 2nd all-time (.402), Lea Twigg (1996-97) is the record holder with a .409 batting average
? Doubles in a season: 17 in 2012, tied for 4th all-time; 15 in 2013, tied for 9th all-time
? Triples in a season: 5 in 2012, tied for 8th all-time
? HR in a season: 11 in 2013, 3rd all-time
? RBI in a season: 59 in 2013, 2nd all-time
? Average in a season: .437 in 2013 (record holder)
REPOLE FINDS SUCCESS
Junior Whitney Repole posted a .750 batting average in three games against Maryland on March 20-22. Repole registered three hits in four at bats, including a double and an RBI. The San Antonio, Texas, native has a .271 clip in 48 at bats this season.
.300 CLUB
Four Hawkeyes are hitting .300+ on the season. Senior Megan Blank leads the team with a .424 clip, while redshirt sophomore Sammi Gyerman (.320), sophomore Kaitlyn Mullarkey (.310), and redshirt junior Holly Hoffman (.306) join her in the 300s.
HAWKEYES NOTCH 1ST CONFERENCE WIN
The Hawkeyes recorded their first conference victory on Saturday, March 21. Iowa scored eight runs on 12 hits to notch the 8-4 victory over Maryland. Redshirt sophomore Shayla Starkenburg got the complete-game win in the circle for the Hawkeyes. She allowed three earned runs on five hits. She walked seven and struck out three.
Four Hawkeyes recorded multiple hit games in the win, including redshirt junior Holly Hoffman (3-for-4), senior Megan Blank (2-for-2), redshirt sophomore Sammi Gyerman (2-for-3), and freshman Cheyenne Pratt (2-for-3). Blank, freshman Allie Wood, and Hoffman paced Iowa in run production, driving in two runs apiece.
GYERMAN STAYS HOT
Sammi Gyerman registered a .500 clip in three games against Maryland this weekend. The redshirt sophomore recorded five hits in 10 at bats, including two doubles. Gyerman is hitting .320 on the season with a .515 slugging percentage and a .400 on-base percentage.
BLANK IN THE B1G
Megan Blank is currently ranked among the top ten in the conference in three different categories. Blank is tied for third in the Big Ten in doubles (9) and hits (39). Blank also ranks sixth in batting average (.424).
DOUBLE PLAYS
Iowa leads the Big Ten in fielding double plays. The Hawkeyes have turned 15 double plays on the season. They have recorded two double plays in a game three times: No. 6 Louisiana-Lafayette (Feb. 20), No. 6 Oklahoma (March 15) and Tulsa (March 18).
DOUBLE TROUBLE
The Hawkeyes rank second in the Big Ten in doubles. Iowa has recorded 47 doubles on the season. Senior Megan Blank leads the team with nine, while redshirt sophomore Sammi Gyerman has seven.
B1G HITS
Iowa is ranked seventh in the Big Ten in hits. Iowa has accumulated 209 hits in 32 contests this season. Senior Megan Blank leads the team with 39 hits, while redshirt sophomore Sammi Gyerman has 31.
STARKENBURG STRIKEOUTS
Redshirt sophomore Shayla Starkenburg is tied for third in the Big Ten in batters struck out (110) and ranks third in batters struck out looking (30). Starkenburg has fanned a career high nine batters twice this season (Florida A&M on March 1; East Carolina on March 14. She recorded her first career no-hitter against Southern Utah on Feb. 7. The Ankeny, Iowa, native has 110 strikeouts in 128.0 innings this season.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA
Nebraska is 15-12 overall in 2015 and 3-0 in conference play. The Huskers swept Michigan State in a three-game series March 20-22, scoring at least seven runs in each contest. The all-time series is currently tied at 12, with Nebraska winning the last five contests. The Nebraska coaching staff has Iowa ties. Their Director of Softball operations, Katie Brown, played at Iowa from 2007-10.
BACK-TO-BACK… AGAIN
Redshirt sophomore Sammi Gyerman and senior Megan Blank registered back-to-back home runs to help Iowa secure a 7-6 victory over Tulsa on March 18. The feat marked the second time the duo has gone back-to-back this season (Cal State Fullerton, 3/7/15).
TWO-BY-TWO
Redshirt sophomore Sammi Gyerman has notched four home runs this season. All four of her home runs have come in pairs. The San Pedro, California, native hit a pair of long balls against Cal State Fullerton on March 7 before recording two bombs versus Tulsa on March 13.
CAREER GAME FOR GYERMAN
Redshirt sophomore Sammi Gyerman registered the third and fourth home runs of her career against Tulsa on March 18. The San Pedro, California, native sent a solo bomb to left field in the top of the third before putting a three-run shot over the fence in left center in the top of the fifth. Gyerman tied career highs in RBIs (4), hits (3) and home runs (2).
HOFFMAN GOES YARD
Redshirt junior Holly Hoffman sent a solo home run to left center against Oklahoma on March 15. The bomb was the fourth of her career and first of the season. Hoffman went 2-for-3 in the game with a single and a home run.
BLANK SHINES IN HOME STATE
Senior Megan Blank led the Hawkeyes in batting average (.533), slugging percentage (.867), and on-base percentage (.563) in five games at the Judi Garman Classic on March 5-8. The Culver City, California, native registered eight hits in 15 at bats with five singles, two doubles and a solo home run. Blank recorded multiple hits in three of the five games, including a 3-for-3 effort against San Jose State on March 6.
DOWN GOES NO. 17
The Hawkeyes defeated No. 17 UCF on Feb. 27 to notch their first win over a ranked opponent this season. Junior Erin Erickson used a squeeze bunt to score the eventual game-winning run in the fifth to guide the Hawkeyes to a 3-2 victory. Redshirt sophomore Shayla Starkenburg was credited with the complete game win. She allowed one earned run on six hits and struck out three.
PRACTICE FACILITY
The Hawkeyes have benefited from two new facilities in 2015 — the indoor Iowa Turf Facility, located at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex, and the Jacobson Hitting Facility, located in football’s former weight room. The HTRC Iowa Turf Facility has enabled the program to have consistency in team practices, while the Jacobson hitting cages have allowed student-athletes to take extra reps at any time.
HAWKEYE TRADITION
Iowa has made four Women’s College World Series appearances (1995, 1996, 1997, 2001) and played in 16 NCAA Tournaments in school history. The 16 appearances are the second most in Big Ten history, and the four WCWS appearances equal the second most in conference history. The Hawkeyes have won four Big Ten Conference regular season championships (1989, 1997, 2000, 2003) and two Big Ten Tournament titles (2001, 2003). Iowa holds a 1261-775-5 (.619) record in 37 seasons.
ON DECK
Iowa continues Big Ten Conference action with a three-game series on the road against No. 4-ranked Michigan. The Hawkeyes and Wolverines begin their series with a 3 p.m. (CT) game Friday, continue with a 1 p.m. game Saturday, and conclude the weekend with a 2 p.m. contest on Sunday. The Big Ten Network will air a live broadcast of Sunday’s game.
