Hawkeyes Travel to Honolulu

March 15, 2016

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa softball team travels to Honolulu for the Rainbow Wahine Classic this week. The Hawkeyes are set to play five games from Wednesday to Saturday. The tournament will be held at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium on the campus of the University of Hawaii.

THE SCHEDULE
Wednesday, March 16
7:30 p.m. – vs. Texas
10 p.m. – at Hawaii

Thursday, March 17
7:30 p.m. – vs. Texas

Friday, March 18
9 p.m. – at Hawaii

Saturday, March 19
4 p.m. – at Hawaii
*-All times Central

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 offi cial 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 8. No. 2 Michigan and No. 17 Minnesota are ranked within the top 25, while Nebraska (20) and Ohio State (2) are receiving votes.

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.

GYERMAN HEATS UP IN TULSA
Sammi Gyerman hit .571 in four games at the Tulsa Tournament on March 5-6. The redshirt junior registered eight hits in 14 at bats. Four of her eight hits were doubles. Gyerman plated all four of Iowa’s runs in a 4-3 come-from-behind win over Lamar on March 5, including a three-run double and a walk-off sacrifice fly.

.300+
Six Hawkeyes are hitting .300 or better on the season. Freshman Mallory Kilian leads the team with a .375 clip. Redshirt junior Sammi Gyerman (.362), freshman Katy Taylor (.399), Haley Hansel (.333), Kaitlyn Mullarkey (.321), and Claire Fritsch (.316) are all hitting above .300.

SCHMIEDERER SLAM
Angela Schmiederer registered the game-winning grand slam against Lamar on March 6. The sophomore entered the game as a pinch hitter in the top of the fifth. After singling and scoring a run, Schmiederer remained in the game Iowa’s off ensive player. An RBI fielder’s choice and the game-winning grand slam followed. She registered a career-high five RBIs on the afternoon. BOMB SQUAD
Three diff erent Hawkeyes went deep against Lamar on March 6. Senior Whitney Repole hit her fi rst home run of the season — a solo shot — in the top of the third inning. Sophomore Angela Schmiederer registered the game-winning grand slam in the top of the seventh, while junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey capped off a sixth-run seventh inning with a two-run blast.

REACH BASE STREAK
Junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey has reached base successfully in 17 of Iowa’s 19 games. The Park Ridge, Illinois, native leads in home runs (4), slugging percentage (.679), onbase percentage (.472), and RBIs (13).

SIX-RUN SEVENTH LEADS HAWKEYES TO VICTORY
Tied 8-8 going into the seventh inning, the Hawkeyes plated six runs to earn a 14-8 victory over Lamar on March 6. Sophomore Angela Schmiederer hit the game-winning grand slam, while junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey added a two-run blast in the inning.

LAST WEEK IN THE B1G
• The Hawkeyes registered nine doubles last weekend, the second most in the Big Ten conference.
• Iowa’s .500 slugging percentage last week was the fourth-best mark among conference foes.
• The Hawkeyes hit four home runs last week, tied for the fi fth most in the Big Ten.
• Iowa pitchers struck out 13 batters looking last week, the second most in the conference.
• Redshirt sophomore Sammi Gyerman hit .571 last week, the fourth-highest batting average in the Big Ten.
• Gyerman’s four doubles led the Big Ten Conference last week.

AROUND THE BIG TEN
• Junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey is tied for eighth in the Big Ten in runs scored (17).
• Redshirt junior Sammi Gyerman ranks four in the Big Ten with eight doubles.
• Gyerman is tied for third in the conference in sacrifi ce fl ies (2).
• Junior Claire Fritsch is tied for ninth in the conference in stolen bases (6).
• Junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey ranks fi fth fi n the conference in total plate appearances (73), seventh in home runs (4), and eighth in runs scored (17).

SCOUTING TEXAS
• Texas is 16-4 on the season and currently ranks 25th in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll.
• The Longhorns are led by Lindsey Stephens who is batting .470 on the season.
• Tiarra Davis owns a 10-3 record and a 1.66 ERA in the circle.
• Texas owns a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series. The teams last met in 2014.

SCOUTING HAWAII
• Hawaii owns a 13-14 record on the season.
• The team is led by Ulu Matagiese who is hitting .303 on the season.
• Brittany Hitchcock owns a team-best 4-7 record and a 2.77 ERA in the circle.
• Iowa owns a 2-0 record in the all-time series. The teams last met in 2000.

BATS HEAT UP IN SOUTH CAROLINA
Five Hawkeyes hit .400 or better in fi ve 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.

INCREASED SPEED
The Hawkeyes have already surpassed their 2015 stolen base total. After stealing 18 bags in all of 2015, Iowa has stolen 27 bases in 19 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, eight at the Coastal Carolina Invitational on Feb. 26-28, and four at the Tulsa Tournament on March 5-6. Junior Claire Fritsch leads the team with six stolen bases on the season, while sophomore Katy Taylor has five.

MULLARKEY SHOWS POWER
Junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey has matched her extra-base hit totals from this season. Mullarkey registered 11 extra-base hits in all of 2015, and has matched that number through just 19 games this season. She currently leads the team in home runs (4), slugging percentage (.679), on-base percentage (.472), and RBIs (13).

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 19 hits on the season. Thirteen of her 18 hits are infi eld singles.

KILIAN AT THE DISH
Freshman Mallory Kilian led the Hawkeyes 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 fi rst 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 fi ve 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 Hoff man 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 off ense. 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 fi rst 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).

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 1276-806-5 (.613) record in 38 seasons.

ON DECK
The Hawkeyes open Big Ten play with a three-game series at Indiana from March 25-27.

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