Hawkeyes Set for Tulsa Tournament

March 4, 2016

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa softball team travels to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the Tulsa Tournament this weekend. The Hawkeyes will play two games against Lamar and the host Golden Hurricane in the two-day tournament. The Tulsa Tournament will be held at the Collins Family Softball Complex on the campus of the University of Tulsa.

THE SCHEDULE
Saturday, March 5
12 p.m. – Iowa at Tulsa
2:15 p.m. – Lamar vs. Iowa

Sunday, March 6
10 a.m. – Iowa at Tulsa
12 p.m. – Iowa vs. Lamar
*-All times Central

LIVE STREAM
A live stream will be available for both of Iowa’s games against Tulsa. The Hawkeyes and Golden Hurricane square off at 12 p.m. (CT) Saturday, and 10 a.m. on Sunday. Links can be found on the Iowa softball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Fans can follow all the action with live stats. Links can be found on the Iowa softball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com. For in-game updates, follow @IowaSoftball on Twitter and “like” the official page on Facebook, facebook.com/iowahawkeyessoftball.

IN THE RANKINGS – B1G
Four Big Ten teams appear in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Division I Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll released on March 1. No. 3 Michigan and No. 19 Minnesota are ranked within the top 25, while Nebraska (36) and Ohio State (2) are receiving votes in the poll.

TAKING ON THE BEST
•Seven of Iowa’s 2016 opponents are coming off a 2015 NCAA Tournament appearance.
•Iowa is scheduled to play 15 games against those opponents this season.
•The teams include: Louisville, Texas, Nebraska, Northwestern, Missouri, Indiana State, and Minnesota.

BATS COME TO LIFE IN RUN-RULE VICTORY
The Hawkeyes scored a season-high 11 runs en route to an 11-0 run-run victory over Georgia Southern on Feb. 26. Eight Hawkeyes combined for 11 hits. Kaitlyn Mullarkey (2), Angela Schmiederer (2), and Katy Taylor (2) each recorded multiple-hit games for the Hawkeyes.

BATS HEAT UP IN SOUTH CAROLINA
Five Hawkeyes hit .400 or better in five games at the Coastal Carolina Tournament from Feb. 26-28. Sophomore Katy Taylor led the Hawkeyes, batting .563 with nine hits in 16 at-bats. Redshirt senior Holly Hoffman and sophomore Cheyenne Pratt hit .500 on the weekend, while juniors Kaitlyn Mullarkey (.438) and Claire Frtisch (.400) each hit in the .400s.

1-2 PUNCH
Juniors Claire Fritsch and Kaitlyn Mullarkey have found a home at the top of the Iowa lineup, batting first and second, respectively, in each of Iowa’s last six games. During that span, the duo is hitting a combined .378 (14-for-37) with a .511 on-base percentage.

FIRST INNING SUCCESS
The Hawkeyes got on the board early in all five games at the Coastal Carolina Invitational from Feb. 26-28. Iowa plated at least two runs in the first inning of all five games last weekend. The Hawkeyes scored 12 of their 30 runs in the first inning. One-two hitters Claire Fritsch and Kaitlyn Mullarkey accounted for seven of the 12 first inning runs.

INCREASED SPEED
The Hawkeyes have already surpassed their 2015 stolen base total. After stealing 18 bags in all of 2015, Iowa has stolen 23 bases in 15 games this season. The Hawkeyes swiped nine bags at the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Tournament from Feb. 12-14, six at the Total Control Sports Invitational on Feb. 19-21, and eight at the Coastal Carolina Invitational on Feb. 26-28. Junior Claire Fritsch leads the team with six stolen bases on the season, while sophomore Katy Taylor has five.

MULLARKEY SHOWS POWER
After registering 11 extra-base hits in all of 2015, junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey has eight extra-base hits in 15 games this season (four doubles, one triple, and three home runs). Mullarkey currently leads the team in slugging percentage (.659), doubles (4), triples (1), home runs (3), RBIs (9), total bases (29), and walks (8).

YOWAYS MAKES DEBUT
Ashley Yoways made her 2016 season debut in the circle at the Coastal Carolina Invitational on Feb. 26-28. The sophomore made two relief appearances on the weekend. She owns a 1.62 ERA after allowing one run on four hits and three walks in 4 and a third.

LAST WEEK IN THE B1G
•The Hawkeyes hit .323 as a team at the Coastal Carolina Invitational, the fourth-highest batting average in the Big Ten.
•Iowa’s nine doubles last weekend tied for third amongst conference foes.
•Iowa’s team on-base percentage of .420 at the Coastal Carolina Invitational was the fourth-highest percentage in the Big Ten.
•Sophomore Katy Taylor hit .563 in five games last weekend, the third-highest batting average in the Big Ten.
•Taylor registered nine hits last weekend, tying for third in the Big Ten.
•Junior Claire Fritsch drew five walks last weekend, tying for the most in the conference.
•Junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey registered three doubles at the Coastal Carolina Invitational, tying for the second-most in the Big Ten.

TAYLOR SHOWS SPEED
Katy Taylor is 5-for-6 in stolen bases this season. The sophomore transfer has stole two bases in one game two times this season (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 14 and Lipscomb on Feb. 20). The Owasso, Oklahoma, native has registered 18 hits on the season. Twelve of her 18 hits are infield singles.

REACHED BASE STREAK
Junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey has reached base successfully in 13 of Iowa’s first 15 games. The Park Ridge, Illinois, native leads the team in doubles (4), home runs (3), walks (8), hit by pitch (4), runs scored (14), extra base hits (8), and total bases (29).

AROUND THE BIG TEN
•Junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey leads the Big Ten in total plate appearances with 57.
•Junior Claire Fritsch (6) and sophomore Katy Taylor (5) are tied for fifth and ninth, respectively, in stolen bases.
•Mullarkey is tied for seventh in the Big Ten with 14 runs scored.
•Mullarkey and redshirt senior Holly Hoffman are tied for first in the Big Ten with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
•Mullarkey also ranks sixth in chances (97) and putouts (89).

SCOUTING TULSA
•Tournament host Tulsa is 11-4 on the season. All four of Tulsa’s losses have come by two runs or less.
•The Hurricane is led by junior outfielder Maddie Withee, who is batting .370 with 17 RBI, four doubles, and six runs scored.
•Senior Caitlin Sill, the reigning American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week owns a 5-1 record and a 1.11 ERA.
•The Hawkeyes own a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series. Iowa defeated Tulsa, 7-6, last year in Tulsa.

SCOUTING LAMAR
•Lamar owns a 10-4 record on the season.
•Junior Ashley McDowell currently leads the Cardinals at the plate, batting .425 with 17 hits in 40 at-bats.
•In the circle, LU is led by junior Ciara Luna. She owns a 5-1 record and a 1.76 ERA.
•Saturday will mark the first meeting between the Hawkeyes and the Cardinals.

KILIAN AT THE DISH
Freshman Mallory Kilian led the Hawkeye s at the plate at the Total Control Sports Invitational from Feb. 19-21. Kilian hit a blistering .667 on the weekend. The Fort Dodge, Iowa, native collected four hits in six at bats. Kilian reached base in all three plate appearances against UIC on Feb. 19. She registered a pair of singles, a walk, and scored a run.

CAREER DAY FOR MISEL
Kara Misel made her first two career starts at third base against Loyola-Chicago (Feb. 20) and Indiana State (Feb. 21). The junior reached base all three times against Indiana State, registering a pair of singles and a walk. The Solon, Iowa, native also scored a run in the contest.

FRITSCH SHINES IN HOME STATE
Sophomore Claire Fritsch led the Hawkeyes at the plate at the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Tournament on Feb. 12-14. The Round Rock, Texas, native registered five hits in 13 at bats in her home state. She successfully advanced runners in 7-of-9 chances, and hit a .500 (3-for-6) with runners in scoring position.

STARTERS RETURNING
The Hawkeyes return 16 letterwinners, eight starters, and three pitchers from a team that finished 19-40 overall, and 8-15 in the Big Ten last season. Sophomores Allie Wood, Cheyenne Pratt, and Sarah Kurtz, juniors Kaitlyn Mullarkey and Claire Fritsch, redshirt junior Sammi Gyerman, and seniors Holly Hoffman and Erin Erickson each spent time in the starting lineup last season. Redshirt junior Shayla Starkenburg started 38 games in the circle and led the Hawkeyes in every pitching category last season.

THE DUGOUT
The Hawkeyes re-launched their blog, The Dugout, for the 2016 season. The blog will reach out to fans and provide them with the opportunity to connect with the student-athletes, coaches, and staff who work hard every day to make the Hawkeye softball program a success. The Dugout aims to deliver unique insight into the lives of the Iowa softball team. Each Thursday, The Dugout will feature a different softball student-athlete. To see the latest post, visit hawkeyesports.com.

NEWCOMERS
•Junior transfer Elizabeth Wiegand joins the team after spending two seasons with UT Martin. Wiegand appeared in 26 games with 21 starts for the Skyhawks in 2015. She led UT Martin in ERA (2.94), wins (12), appearances (26), starts (21), complete games (16), shutouts (3), innings pitched (135.2), and strikeouts (63) as a sophomore.
•Sophomore transfer Katy Taylor joins the Hawkeyes after spending a season at Labette Community College. Taylor helped the Cardinals to a 38-16 overall record and a Region VI Championship. She led the nation in stolen bases (89) and paced the Cardinals in hits (76), doubles (10), triples (3), walks (21), batting average (.435), and on base percentage (.485).
•Freshmen Erin Riding (pitcher), Mallory Kilian (pitcher/utility), and Brooke Rozier (catcher/utility) will all make their Hawkeye debuts in 2016.

STAFF UPDATES
•Jake Schumann joined the Iowa softball staff on Aug. 5, 2015. Schumann will handle the Hawkeye offense. He joins the staff after spending last season as the associate head coach at Ole Miss. He has also served as the head coach at Florida International (2011-14), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2007-11), Texas A&M-Kingsville (2003-07), and Carl Albert State College (2001-03).
•Former Hawkeye Rachel West is Iowa’s new volunteer assistant coach. West appeared in 202 games for the Hawkeyes from 2005-09. The Burlington, Iowa, native still stands as one of the best base stealers in program history. West swiped 86 bags during her four-year career — a mark that ranks fourth in program history.
•Sharon Palma is in her first year as the director of operations for the Iowa softball program. The Grand Rapids, Michigan, native came to Iowa after spending the 2014 season as an assistant coach at Ole Miss. A former professional pitcher for the Carolina Diamonds in the National Pro Fastpitch League, Palma has also spent time as an assistant coach at Florida International (2014) and IUPUI (2013), and a volunteer assistant coach at Michigan State (2012).

PRACTICE FACILITIES
The Hawkeyes benefited from two new facilities — 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 1274-804-5 (.613) record in 38 seasons.

ON DECK
The Hawkeyes travel to Honolulu, Hawaii, for the Rainbow Wahine Invitational from March 16-19.

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