Iowa, Penn State Clash in B1G Series

April 21, 2016

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa softball team hosts Penn State for a three-game Big Ten Conference series at Bob Pearl Field this weekend. The Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions will kick off the three-game set on Friday at 6 p.m. (CT). The series will continue with a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday, and conclude Sunday at 1 p.m.

WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
•Friday: Student Night. Free pizza and yard games will be available for UI students.
•Saturday: Awareness Day. The first 100 fans will receive a free Awareness Day t-shirt.
•Sunday: The Hawkeyes will sign autographs after the game.

AWARENESS DAY
The softball program hosts its fourth annual Awareness Game this Saturday, April 23. The Hawkeyes have volunteered with seven local organizations — Hope Lodge, UI REACH, Big Brothers Big Sisters, VA Medical Center, Iowa City Animal Center, Grant Wood Area Education Agency, and Ronald McDonald House — throughout the year. The team will honor those organizations at the annual game, which is designed to bring awareness to the great things each organization does in the community.

CY-HAWK SHOWDOWN RESCHEDULED
The team’s Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series game against Iowa State, originally scheduled for April 20, has been postponed. The game will now be played on Wednesday, April 27. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. (CT) from the Cyclone Sports Complex in Ames, Iowa.

SATURDAY PARKING
Shuttle buses for those attending Saturday’s game versus Penn State and the Musco Twilight track and field meet will be in operation beginning at 10 am. (CT). The shuttles will leave from the Hawkeye Commuter parking lot and drop off inside the softball complex. Buses will run continuously until the conclusion of the Musco meet.

WATCH IT LIVE
Sunday’s game 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. A single-camera live stream will be available on Friday and Saturday via Hawkeye All-Access at hawkeyesports.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 Bob Pearl 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 PENN STATE
•Penn State owns a 24-17 overall record and an 11-3 mark in Big Ten action.
•Eight Nittany Lions are hitting .300 or better on the season. The team is led by senior outfielder/pitcher Macy Jones. She’s hitting .409 and slugging .748 in 40 games this season.
•Junior pitcher Marlaina Laubach leads the team with a 2.84 ERA in the circle. Laubach (9-8) and freshman Madison Seifert (9-4) each have nine wins this season.

THE SERIES
•Iowa owns a 40-18 advantage in the all-time series.
•Friday will mark the first meeting between the two teams since 2013. The Nittany won the three-game series, 2-1, in Iowa City, Iowa.

IN THE RANKINGS – B1G
Four Big Ten teams appear in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Division I Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll released on April 19. They include: No. 3 Michigan, No. 23 Minnesota, No. 24 Nebraska, and No. 25 Ohio State.

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.

ATTENDANCE RECORD
The Hawkeyes played in front of 2,192 fans at Pearl Field from April 15-17. The mark set a new three-game weekend series attendance record.

PRATT LEADS OFF
Sophomore Cheyenne Pratt led the team at the plate in a doubleheader against Missouri on April 19. The Festus, Missouri, native singled in the first contest and was inserted as Iowa’s leadoff batter in game two. She came through with a 2-for-3 effort at the dish — her first multiple hit performance of 2016.

.500 +
Redshirt senior Holly Hoffman and junior Claire Fritsch each hit .500 or better in a three-game series against Wisconsin last weekend. Hoffman led the team with a .556 clip, while Fritsch hit .500 over the three-game set.

WIEGAND DELIVERS
Junior Elizabeth Wiegand registered the complete-game win over Wisconsin on April 16. After surrendering a pair of runs on four hits in the top of the first inning, Wiegand (6-9) settled in. The Moscow Mills, Missouri, native gave up just three hits in the final six innings, and tied her season-high with six strikeouts.

HOFFMAN IN B1G ACTION
Holly Hoffman is swinging the hot bat for the Hawkeyes in conference action. The redshirt senior is hitting .500 in Big Ten play. In 13 conference games, Hoffman is slugging .976. She has registered 10 extra-base hits (6 doubles, 1 triple, and 4 home runs) during that span.

IN THE RECORD BOOKS
•Junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey is tied for 14th on Iowa’s all-time list with eight home runs this season.
•Mullarkey’s 14 career blasts ties her for 18th on Iowa’s all-time career home runs list.

CLUTCH MULLARKEY
Down by two in the bottom of the seventh inning against Drake on April 13, junior Claire Fritsch started a two-out rally when she reached on an error by the Drake second baseman. It proved to be costly as junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey blasted the game-tying, two-run home run over the wall in left center to send the game into extras. Mullarkey came through with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth, hitting a rocket off the glove of the Drake first baseman that scored the game-winning run.

6-RUN 4TH LEADS HAWKEYES PAST UNI
The Hawkeyes put up six runs in the bottom of the fourth to defeat Northern Iowa on April 12. Sophomore Angela Schmiederer led off the inning with a single, before senior Whitney Repole and freshman Mallory Kilian were both hit by a pitch. Sophomore Sarah Kurtz came through with an RBI single to put the Hawkeyes on the board. After a wild pitch allowed Repole to score, Claire Fritsch reached on an error that plated Kilian. Junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey followed with an RBI double to left, before redshirt junior Sammi Gyerman plated two more runs on a single up the middle.

AROUND THE BIG TEN
•The Hawkeyes rank fifth in the conference with 48 stolen bases. Iowa pitchers have struck out 78 batters looking this season — the second most in the Big Ten.
•Junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey is tied for first in the Big Ten with 11 hit by pitches, fifth in triples (3), 10th in stolen bases (12), and 11th in home runs (8).
•Redshirt junior Sammi Gyerman is tied for third in the conference with three sacrifice flies this season.

IN B1G ACTION
•Iowa is fourth in the conference with 15 stolen bases in Big Ten games.
•The Hawkeyes rank sixth in the Big Ten with 16 home runs in conference games this season.
•Iowa pitchers have struck out 22 batters looking in conference action — the fourth most in the conference.
•Iowa has turned six double plays in Big Ten action this season — the seventh-most in the conference.
•Senior Holly Hoffman ranks second in the Big Ten with a .500 batting average in conference games. Hoffman also ranks second in total bases (41), third in hits (21) and doubles (6), fourth in slugging percentage (.976), fifth in RBIs (15), and sixth in on-base percentage (.563).

SCHMIEDERER MAKES HISTORY
Sophomore Angela Schmiederer‘s two-run home run against Northwestern on April 9 hit the top of the roof of McGaw Hall — the building that sits beyond the left field wall at Drysdale Field in Evanston, Illinois. Schmiederer became the first opposing player in history to hit the roof of McGaw Hall.

4 HOME RUNS
The Hawkeyes registered four home runs in game one against Northwestern on April 9. Junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey hit a two-run shot in the top of the first inning. One batter later, redshirt senior Holly Hoffman followed with a solo blast. Hoffman marked a new career high with her second blast of the game in the top of the fifth, before sophomore Angela Schmiederer hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh.

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.

POWER SURGE
After registering 11 extra-base hits in all of 2015 (59 games), junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey has hit 20 in 40 games this season. The Park Ridge, Illinois, native leads the team in home runs (8), and triples (3), and is tied for first on the team in doubles (9).

INCREASED SPEED
•After stealing 18 bags in all of 2015, Iowa has swiped 48 bases in 40 games this season.
•Iowa is 48-for-55 on the base paths this season.
•Junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey leads the team with 12 stolen bases, while junior Claire Fritsch and sophomore Katy Taylor each have nine.

MS. UTILITY
Sophomore Angela Schmiederer has registered 30 starts at three different positions this season. She has made 13 starts behind the plate, 15 in the outfield, and four as Iowa’s designated player. Ten of Schmiederer’s 26 hits this season have been for extra bases, including a game-winning grand slam against Lamar on March 6.

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.

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 1281-819-5 (.611) record in 38 seasons.

ON DECK
The Hawkeyes travel to Ames, Iowa, for the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series showdown against Iowa State on April 27. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. (CT).

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