April 7, 2016
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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa softball team travels to Evanston, Illinois, for a three-game series against Northwestern this weekend.
SCHEDULE CHANGE
Friday’s game, originally scheduled for 4 p.m. (CT), has been moved to 3 p.m. to accommodate cold temperatures in the Evanston area.
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WATCH IT LIVE
All three games will be streamed live online via BTN Plus. To see if your cable package gives you access to BTN Plus content, sign up for BTN Plus, or learn more about it, visit btn2go.com.
LISTEN/FOLLOW ALONG
Live audio is available for all three games on Hawkeye All-Access at hawkeyesports.com. Play-by-play announcer Rob Brooks will call the action from Drysdale Field. Live stats are also available on the softball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
For an inside look at the Iowa softball program and access to exclusive coverage, follow @IowaSoftball on Twitter and “like” the official page on Facebook, facebook.com/iowahawkeyessoftball.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
•Northwestern owns an 11-20 overall record and a 2-4 mark in Big Ten Conference action.
•Four Wildcats are hitting above .300, including senior Andrea Filler who leads the team with a .344 clip. Sophomore Sammy Nettling (.327), senior Amy Letourneau (.313), and sophomore Sabrina Rabin (.311) are also hitting above .300.
•Senior pitcher Kristen Wood leads the team with a 1.94 ERA in 11 appearances. Senior Amy Letourneau has the most appearances in the circle for the Wildcats. She owns a 3.51 ERA and a 5-7 record in 22 appearances.
•The Wildcats dropped 2-of-3 contests with Minnesota last weekend. Minnesota won the first two games (16-0 (5); 8-4), before Northwestern took the series final, 10-2, in five innings.
THE SERIES
•Northwestern owns a 55-52 advantage in the all-time series.
•The Wildcats won the series, 2-1, in Iowa City, Iowa, last season. Northwestern won the first two contests (1-0; 11-6), before the Hawkeyes won the finale 8-6.
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. 1 Michigan, No. 22 Minnesota, and No. 24 Ohio State are ranked within the top 25, while Nebraska is receiving six 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.
A DAY TO REMEMBER
Allie Wood registered a pair of home runs in Iowa’s last victory over Northwestern on May 3, 2015. The sophomore hit her first career grand slam in the bottom of the first inning, before registering a two-run home run in the top of the third. Wood plated a career-high 6 RBIs in the contest.
NORTHWESTERN TIES
Former Hawkeye Megan Blank is Northwestern’s volunteer assistant coach. Blank played for the Hawkeyes from 2012-2015, starting every game the Hawkeyes played during her tenure at shortstop. Blank broke or tied five school records in her senior campaign, including single-season batting average (.442), career batting average (.410), career doubles (63), doubles in a single season (20), and doubles in a game (3). Blank was a four-time NFCA All-Midwest Regional selection and first-team All-Big Ten pick. She was named to the conference’s All-Big Ten Defensive team in 2014 and 2015.
HOFFMAN BATS 1.000
Holly Hoffman had a career game at the plate in game one of a doubleheader against Nebraska on April 6. The redshirt senior registered career-bests in hits (4) and doubles (2). The Osceola, Indiana, native went 4-for-4 with two singles, two doubles, and two RBIs. Hoffman ranks 11th in the Big Ten, hitting .500 in conference games this season.
IN CONFERENCE ACTION
Three Hawkeyes are hitting above .400 in conference action. Redshirt senior Holly Hoffman and sophomore Sarah Kurtz are each hitting .400. Hoffman leads the team with 12 hits in 24 at bats — seven of her 12 hits are for extra bases. Sophomore Allie Wood has a .429 clip in eight conference games this season.
3 HOME RUNS PROPEL IOWA TO 1ST B1G VICTORY
Three home runs lifted the Hawkeyes to a 10-3 victory over Purdue on April 3 — Iowa’s first conference win of the season. Sophomore Allie Wood hit a two-run home run in the second inning before sending a three-run shot over the center field wall in the third. Senior Erin Erickson registered a solo blast in the bottom of the sixth.
.500+
Four Hawkeyes hit .500 or better in three games against Purdue from April 1-3. Sophomore Sarah Kurtz led the team with a .667 average. Sophomore Allie Wood (.556), redshirt junior Sammi Gyerman (.500), and redshirt senior Holly Hoffman (.500) all hit above .500.
3-FOR-4
Sammi Gyerman led the team with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate against Purdue on April 2. The redshirt junior registered a single and a pair of home runs in the contest. She tallied four of Iowa’s seven RBIs in the contest. It marked the third time in her career she hit two or more home runs in a single game.
27-OF-32
Junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey has reached base successfully in 27-of-32 games this season. The Park Ridge, Illinois, native leads the team in runs scored (26), extra base hits (15), triples (3), home runs (5), RBIs (21), total bases (54), on-base percentage (.426), and stolen bases (10).
WOOD PLATES FIVE
Allie Wood registered home runs in back-to-back at bats against Purdue on April 3. The sophomore hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the second, before hitting a three-run shot in the third. She accounted for five of Iowa’s 10 RBIs in the contest.
EXTRA BASES FOR HOFFMAN
Holly Hoffman hit .500 in two games against Purdue on April 2-3. The redshirt senior registered four hits in eight at bats. Three of her four hits were for extra bases. Hoffman went 2-for-4 with a home run and a triple on April 2, before registering a single and a double on April 3.
POWER SURGE
After registering 11 extra-base hits in all of 2015, junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey has hit 15 in 30 games this season. The Park Ridge, Illinois, native leads the team in home runs (5) and triples (3), and ranks second on the team in doubles (7) this season.
MS. UTILITY
Sophomore Angela Schmiederer has registered 22 starts at three different positions this season. She has made 11 starts behind the plate, seven in the outfield, and four as Iowa’s designated player. Six of Schmiederer’s 11 hits this season have been for extra bases, including a game-winning grand slam against Lamar on March 6.
INCREASED SPEED
•After stealing 18 bags in all of 2015, Iowa has swiped 43 bases in 32 games this season.
•Iowa is 43-for-49 on the base paths this season.
•Junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey leads the team with 10 stolen bases, while junior Claire Fritsch has nine.
TAYLOR SHOWS SPEED
•Katy Taylor is 7-for-8 in stolen bases this season.
•The sophomore transfer has stolen 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 23 hits on the season. Sixteen of her 23 hits are infield singles.
AROUND THE BIG TEN
•The Hawkeyes rank third in the conference with 43 stolen bases.
•Iowa pitchers have struck out 55 batters looking this season — the second most in the Big Ten.
•Iowa is tied for seventh in the Big Ten in triples (5).
•Junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey is tied for fifth in the Big Ten with three triples, sixth in hit by pitches (7), ninth in stolen bases (10), and 10th in walks (19).
CHAMBERS MAKES DEBUT
Daniela Chambers made her Hawkeye debut against Indiana on March 25. The sophomore registered a pinch-hit walk in the seventh inning against the Hoosiers. The next day, Chambers made her first career start as Iowa’s designated player.
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 as Iowa’s offensive player. An RBI fielder’s choice and the game-winning grand slam followed. She registered a career-high five RBIs on the afternoon.
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.
THREE’S COMPANY
Three different Hawkeyes went deep against Lamar on March 6. Senior Whitney Repole hit her first 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.
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 week, 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).
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 1279-816-5 (.611) record in 38 seasons.
ON DECK
The Hawkeyes return to Bob Pearl Field for a seven-game home stand from April 12-19.
