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This Week
The University of Iowa softball team takes a break from conference action Tuesday as it hosts Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series foe Iowa State in a 6 p.m. (CT) contest at Pearl Field.
Tuesday Promotions
Black Softball Pop Sockets for the first 150 fans.
Streaming/Live Stats
- Tuesday’s game will be live streamed on BTN Plus. A direct link is on the softball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
- Live stats for each contest is on the softball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
- Live audio is available for all Big Ten games on Hawkeye All-Access at hawkeyesports.com.
Follow the Hawkeyes
For all of the latest news and information on Iowa softball, visit hawkeyesports.com. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at Facebook.com/iowahawkeyessoftball and @iowasoftball on Twitter and Instagram.
Season Tickets
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit hawkeyesports.com/tickets, call the ticket office at 1-800-IA-HAWKS or visit the ticket office located in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Fans who purchase a season ticket will receive a special edition Iowa softball blanket. Tickets start at just $12.
Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series
The Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series tracks the head-to-head match-ups in each sport with victories earning points toward the overall series championship. The Cy-Hawk Series dates back to 2004. In the series, ISU leads 6-5 with one tie, but the Hawkeyes have secured the 2016-17 title with a current lead of 18-7.
Hot Start
- Freshman pitcher Allison Doocy had a career-high 10 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout victory over Rutgers in series opener April 14.
- After posting a 3-1 record and a 0.78 ERA from April 11-16, Doocy was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. She is the first Hawkeye to receive the honor since Megan Blank on April 9, 2012.
- Doocy leads the team with 99 strikeouts this season.
Hot Hitting Thompson
- Lea Thompson leads the team with 11 sacrifice hits.
- The freshman was a perfect 3-for-3 over two games against Missouri on March 15.
- She hit her first triple of the season against the Tigers and added a double against Valparaiso on March 17.
Iowa State
- The Cyclones are 16-30 overall after dropping the series, 2-1, against Oklahoma State on April 14-15. Iowa State fell in Friday’s doubleheader (10-2, 11-3) before bouncing back to secure a 10-9 victory Saturday.
- Iowa State is 27th in the nation in stolen bases per game with 1.85.
- Sami Williams ranks No. 8 in the nation with 15 doubles.
- Iowa holds a 32-30-2 series lead over the Cyclones. The teams last met on May 3, 2016, when ISU secured a 5-0 win. The Hawkeyes last defeated Iowa State on May 1, 2013 (8-3).
Mullarkey’s Madness
- Kaitlyn Mullarkey leads Iowa in batting average (.284), hits (31), RBIs (16), doubles (11), and hit by pitches (11), and is tied for the lead with 16 runs. Defensively, she leads the team in putouts with 232.
- With her home run against Virginia Tech, Mullarkey now has 16 career home runs to tie for 13th in program history.
- With 11 doubles this season, Mullarkey has 31 in her career, which ties for 15th in program history.
- Mullarkey leads the team with eight multi-hit games and has four multi-RBI games.
I’ll Take Pratt
- Cheyenne Pratt is 8-8 in swiping stolen bases this season, which is a personal-best single season mark. She is a perfect 14-14 in her career.
- Pratt had a career-high two stolen bases against Texas Tech.
- Pratt was 2-for-3 in the win against the Badgers on April 8 and then went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI at Wisconsin on April 9. She was then a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBIs against Rutgers on April 15. Pratt has had three multi-hit games in her last four outings.
Rockin’ Rozier
- With 10 extra-base hits, Brooke Rozier leads the team with a .416 slugging percentage. She leads the team with two triples and ties for the lead with three home runs.
- Rozier hit her second triple of the season against No. 20 Arizona State. The redshirt freshman is two triples away from landing in the top 20 in single season triples.
- Rozier’s home run against Purdue (April 2) was the third of her career.
Fabulous Fritsch
- Senior Claire Fritsch exploded at the plate in the Hawkeye Invitational, going 6-for-7 with three doubles, three runs scored, and an RBI over a three-game stretch.
- Fritsch was a perfect 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI against South Dakota State on March 18. On March 20 against the Jackrabbits, the Round Rock, Texas, native was a perfect 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored.
- Fritsch also went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, and a stolen base against Creighton on March 19.
- Overall, Fritsch has five multi-hit games and a multi-RBI game.
Ranked Foes
- Six of Iowa’s 2017 opponents are currently ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll: Florida (3), Minnesota (6), Washington (13), Ohio State (21), California (23), and Arizona State (24). Illinois, Missouri, and Texas State also received votes.
- Five foes are ranked in the USA Today/NFCA poll: Florida (3), Minnesota (6), Washington (12), Arizona State (23), and Ohio State (25). Illinois, Missouri, California, and Wisconsin also received votes.
In the Rankings – B1G
- Three Big Ten teams are currently ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. Minnesota leads the league at No. 6, while Michigan is No. 17. Ohio State rounds out the rankings tied for 21. Illinois also received votes.
- Three Big Ten teams are ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll. Minnesota lands at No. 6, while Michigan is ranked 18th and Ohio State is No. 25. Illinois and Wisconsin also received votes.
A Challenging Schedule
Iowa’s 2017 schedule includes 12 opponents who reached the 2016 NCAA Regionals, three of which also reached the 2016 Super Regionals. Texas State, Florida, Fresno State, Washington, Arizona State, Cal, Missouri, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Western Illinois and Northwestern all reached Regionals, while Florida, Washington and Missouri each advanced to the Super Regionals.
In the Record Books
- Kaitlyn Mullarkey hit nine home runs in the 2016 season, which tied for eighth in program history.
- With 16 career blasts, Mullarkey is tied for 13th on Iowa’s all-time career home run list. Her next home run will move her into a tie for 10th in program history.
Around the Big Ten
- Iowa leads the conference in double plays per game with a 0.61 average.
- The Hawkeyes are No. 5 in earned run average (3.01).
- Lea Thompson leads the league in sacrifice hits per game (0.33).
In the Nation
- Iowa’s 0.61 double plays per game rank sixth in the nation.
- Lea Thompson is fifth in the nation with 0.33 sacrifice hits per game.
Power Surge
- After registering 11 extra-base hits in all of 2015 (59 games), junior Kaitlyn Mullarkey tallied 21 in 48 games in 2016. This season, Mullarkey recorded three doubles in the first four games. She currently has 11 doubles and one home run.
Experienced Lineup
- The Hawkeyes return 14 letterwinners and 10 players who started over 30 games from the 2016 season.
- All five pitchers from the 2016 season return.
- During the 2016 season, Kaitlyn Mullarkey racked up 44 hits and a team-high 38 runs in 154 at-bats. She tied a team-high 11 doubles and led the team with nine home runs for a team-best .571 slugging percentage. The nine home runs tied for eighth all-time in a single season. In addition, Mullarkey led the team with a .418 on-base percentage. The Park Ridge, Illinois, native had a team-high 13 stolen bases on 15 attempts. Defensively, she started every game at first base and led the team with 321 putouts and chipped in 25 assists.
- After a solid freshman season, sophomore Mallory Killian is poised to help the Hawkeyes during the 2017 season. Kilian split time between third base and designated player last year and amassed 24 hits and 12 runs in 93 at-bats. She also chipped in four doubles and four home runs for a .430 slugging percentage. Defensively, Kilian tallied 15 putouts and 24 assists.
- Angela Schmiederer split time between catcher and outfielder as a sophomore. She amassed 29 hits and 15 runs in 114 at-bats. She also chipped in eight doubles and three home runs for a .404 slugging percentage.
New Faces
- Iowa added eight freshmen to its squad for the 2017 season.
- Devin Cantu played three seasons at Cedar Hill High School and was a three-time first team all-district selection. As a junior, Cantu was named Offensive Player of the Year.
- Havyn Monteer played at Boonville R-1 High School in Missouri and holds school records for most at bats (323), runs (144), hits (154), singles (103), and stolen bases (97) in a career.
- Taylor MaKowsky played at Klein Oak High School in Klein, Texas, and was a three-time all-district selection, which included first team honors as a senior.
- Lea Thompson played for Scecina Memorial High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was a three-time all-conference selection and earned the team’s Offensive Player of the Year award as a sophomore and junior.
- Taylor Libby competed at West High School in Iowa City. She hit .440 as a junior with 16 doubles and four home runs and currently holds the school record for doubles (16) and RBIs (45) in a single season.
- Allison Doocy played at Ankeny High School where she set the Iowa State Tournament strikeout record in 2015 with 33 strikeouts in three state tournament games. She holds the school record for strikeouts in a single season (233).
- McKenzie Schneider played at Carroll Senior High School where she batted .397, scored 110 runs, drove in 103 runs and posted a .460 on-base percentage. She hit .435, blasted seven home runs, notched 40 RBIs, and scored a team-high 50 runs as a senior.
Back in Black (and Gold)
- Megan Blank enters her first season as a volunteer assistant coach. She joins the Hawkeyes after two seasons with the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro Fastpitch Association and one season as a volunteer assistant at Northwestern. Blank, who recently signed for her third season with the Bandits, was one of the most decorated softball players in Iowa’s history.
- Blank, a four-time All-Big Ten first team selection, had a standout career with the Hawkeyes. Blank played and started at shortstop in every game of her collegiate career. She broke or tied five school records and finished in the top 10 in 12 statistical records.
Other Staff Additions
- Daniel Gratz has joined the University of Iowa softball staff as the director of operations.
- Gratz joins the Hawkeyes after spending three seasons as head coach at Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School. He also worked as assistant coach this past season for John Wood Community College.
- His accomplishments at Kennedy led Gratz to be named 2016 Conference Coach of the Year (Missouri Valley Conference) and 2016 District Coach of the Year (Iowa 5A – East District).
The Dugout
The Hawkeyes will once again produce their blog, The Dugout, for the 2017 season. The blog provides fans the opportunity to connect with the student-athletes, coaches, staff and alumni around the Hawkeye softball program. The Dugout aims to deliver a unique insight into the lives of the Iowa softball team. Each week, The Dugout features a different softball student-athlete, coach or alum. To see the latest post, visit hawkeyesports.com.
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 1283-829-5 (.607) record in 38 seasons.