Hawkeyes Head to the Big Ten Tournament

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THIS WEEK
This week, the University of Iowa softball team competes in the 2019 Big Ten Tournament in Bloomington, Ind. 12th-seeded Iowa plays in the opening game of the tournament against fifth-seeded Wisconsin on Thursday at 10 a.m. (CT) on Andy Mohr Field.

CLINCHED

• The Hawkeyes grabbed the 12th and final spot in the Big Ten tournament after defeating Ohio State, 1-0, on May 3 at Bob Pearl Field.
• The win moved Iowa into a tie for the final spot with Maryland. Iowa owned the tiebreaker over the Terrapins based on common opponents.
• Iowa qualified for its third consecutive Big Ten Tournament and 21st overall.

HISTORY AT THE B1G TOURNAMENT

• The Hawkeyes are 24-26 all-time in the Big Ten tournament in 21 appearances.
• Iowa has won the Big Ten Tournament two time (2001,2003).
• Iowa ranks fifth in conference history with a .480 win percentage in the conference tournament.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

• Iowa’s strength of schedule ranks among one of the toughest in the country.
• Iowa’s 2019 schedule ranks as the 20th toughest in the country and second toughest in the Big Ten behind Minnesota.
• Iowa’s 2019 opponents went a combined 1434-972 (.596) this season.

LEHMAN STEPS UP

• Sophomore pitcher Sarah Lehman has become a reliable No. 2 for the Hawkeyes in the second half of the season.
• Lehman has pitched in five of Iowa’s last seven games with four starts.
• Lehman earned her first collegiate victory against Rutgers on April 21, throwing a complete game shutout.

CAN’T CATCH THIS KID

• Sophomore Aralee Bogar is 26-for-30 this season stealing bases.
• Bogar leads the Big Ten by three stolen bases with 26.
• Bogar led the Big Ten in stolen bases during the regular season for the second straight season.
• The Trophy Club, Texas, native is 11th in program history with 50 career stolen bases.
• In addition, Bogar is tied for 10th in single-season history with 26 stolen bases.
• Bogar had stolen 43 consecutive bases to begin her career.
• In 2018, Bogar was the only player in the Big Ten to boast a perfect stealing percentage with 23 stolen bases (Min. 20 attempts).

DOOCY CHASING HISTORY

• Junior pitcher Allison Doocy looks to become the fifth pitcher in program history to record multiple 200 strikeout seasons.
• Doocy currently has 192 strikeouts and registered 201 strikeouts in 2018.
• Doocy recorded her 500th career strikeout against Nebraska on April 24, becoming the seventh player in history to accomplish the feat.
• Doocy became the seventh Hawkeye in program history to reach 500 strikeouts.
• This season, Doocy ranks fourth in the Big Ten in total strikeouts with 192.
• Doocy is third in the conference with 184.2 innings pitched.

THOMPSON STEALS ONE

• Junior Lea Thompson robbed a home run off of Minnesota’s Hope Brander on April 26.
• In the bottom of the third inning, Brander launched a long fly ball toward the left field wall. Thompson timed the play and made a leaping catch over the wall to record the first out of the inning.

TRIPLE THREATS

• The Hawkeyes are leading the Big Ten in triples this season.
• Iowa has 14 triples on the season, leading the Big Ten by three, and its 0.34 triples per game is 16th in the country.
• Iowa’s 14 triples leads the Big Ten by three (Nebraska, Minnesota; 11).
• Sophomore Aralee Bogar and senior Mallory Kilian are tied for second in the conference with three triples.
• In addition to Bogar and Kilian, junior Lea Thompson and freshmen Sydney Owens, Abby Lien, Kate Claypool, Ashley Hamilton, and Hallie Ketcham have all added triples.

SCHULTE’S GRAND SLAM

• Freshman Miranda Schulte got the most off of her first career home run against Illinois on April 13.
• With the bases loaded in the bottom of the second, Schulte pulled a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall.
• The home run was Iowa’s 10th on the season and first grand slam.

STRIKE FIRST

• The Hawkeyes have been the first team to score in 18 games this season and are 16-2 in those games. 
• Iowa is 10-3 this season when scoring in the first inning.
• Iowa is 11-2 when leading after the fourth inning.
• Iowa has scored a team-high 24 runs in the second inning this season, while giving up a team-low 13 runs in the fifth inning.

DOOCY NAMED B1G PITCHER OF THE WEEK

• Junior Allison Doocy was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week  on March 11 following her performance at the Saluki Invitational March 8-10.
• Doocy tossed two complete games, striking out 19, and giving up only two runs in 18 innings of work.
• The nod is Doocy’s second Pitcher of the Week award of her career (March 12, 2018) and third conference award. She was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on April 17, 2017.

HAWKEYE WINNING STREAK

• The Hawkeye’s eight-game winning streak ended on March 2 against Middle Tennessee.
• Iowa’s eight game winning streak was the program’s longest since 2009. That year, Iowa won 42 games and went to the Atlanta Super Regional.
• During Iowa’s winning streak, junior Allison Doocy held a .74 ERA with 31 strikeouts and 4 earned runs.
• At the plate, junior DoniRae Mayhew batted .556 with four doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs.

WISCONSIN

• Wisconsin finished the regular season 38-11 and fifth in the Big Ten with a 15-8 record.
• Iowa and Wisconsin faced off April 5-7. Wisconsin took all three competitions.
• Wisconsin finished the regular season winning five of their last six games.
• Junior Kayla Konwent leads Wisconsin with a .479 average and 15 home runs.
• In the circle, Wisconsin is led by Haley Hestekin, who is 17-4 in 32 appearnaces with a 2.36 ERA.
• Wisconsin is coached by Yvette Healy, who is in her ninth season.

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.

Live stats and live streaming links for each game are on the softball schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.