Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — June 2017
IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa head softball coach Marla Looper announced Tuesday the addition of Makenzie Ihle to the Hawkeyes for the 2017-18 season. The pitcher has one year of eligibility remaining.
“We are excited to have Kenzie join our Hawkeye family,” said Looper. “She will give us more depth and experience on the mound. She has had great success early in her collegiate career and we look forward to seeing her compete in the Big Ten.”
The Des Moines, Iowa, native comes to Iowa from Indiana State where she played during the 2017 season. While with the Sycamores, Ihle appeared in 37 games, tallying 30 starts and 17 wins. Ihle had nine complete games, racked up two shutouts, and registered one save. Overall, she tossed 128 strikeouts.
Prior to Indiana State, Ihle played two season at Des Moines Area Community College where she was named a NFCA first team All-American. During her two years at DMACC, Ihle helped guide her team to two NJCAA World Series appearances and a combined 103-18 record. She led the NJCAA in strikeouts per game with 10.1 in 2016 and racked up 345 strikeouts over 34 games started. Ihle had a 1.28 ERA and set a school record with 31 wins. She was named NJCAA and ICCAC Pitcher of the Week six times.
Ihle played at Ballard High School where she was a three-time Mid-Iowa Player of the Year.