Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | Hawk Talk Monthly — October | Fight For Iowa
IOWA CITY, Iowa — In October, crops are being harvested and the leaves are falling, but the University of Iowa softball program has just started growing as a team.
“Even though we have five new faces on the team, fall is a time for every member of our unit to grow,” said UI softball head coach Marla Looper.
The Hawkeyes hosted six fall matchups in September and October. Though the games don’t count towards their regular season record, the improvements and adjustments made just might.
“Freshmen and transfers are trying to figure out where they fit in our puzzle, and returners are making sure they’re piece of the puzzle is still solid,” said Looper.
One of those puzzle pieces is Mallory Killian, a junior who has started 59 games for the Black and Gold.
“Mallory has really bought into our philosophy and is allowing us to adjust her game to make it stronger. Even though she’s a junior, she’s still willing to make great strides towards advancing her game,” said Looper.
In addition to on-field production, student-athletes use the fall to grow in other ways as well.
“Angela [Schmiederer] has had a big impact on our team since she’s been here, and this fall we really saw her grow as a leader. She’s learning to be a positive voice for our squad,” said Looper.
During the Big Four Classic in October, Killian and Schmiederer led the Hawkeyes with six hits in three games, and each scored a run.
The entire Hawkeye team looks to improve their skills in the weeks leading up to the spring season. They plan to take what they learned during fall practice and build on that moving forward.
Continuing to improve during the off-season is critical, as growth through the first few road trips will be necessary in preparing the team for conference matchups.
“The Big Ten Conference is tough,” said Looper. “We usually have multiple ranked teams during league play, and if we don’t use the early tournaments to prepare, we won’t be ready for conference action.”
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