UP NEXT
The University of Iowa softball team travels to Conway, Ark. for the Adam Brown Memorial Shamrock Classic. The Hawkeyes open play on Friday with match ups against South Dakota and Alcorn State. On Saturday they will face, host, Central Arkansas and Nebraska-Omaha. They close out the weekend on Sunday morning as they take on Nebraska-Omaha again.
WATCH/FOLLOW LIVE
Our game against Central Arkansas will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required). Fans can follow along for live updates via Twitter @IowaSoftball.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Twelve Hawkeyes hail from Iowa, eight from California, two from Indiana, and one from Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. The roster is comprised of 10 freshmen, eight sophomores, six juniors, and three seniors. There are 15 returning letterwinners and 12 newcomers.
TRANSFERRING IN
The Hawkeyes added two transfers for the 2023 season. Junior RHP Maren Judisch comes to the Hawkeyes from Baylor. Judisch appeared in 34 games with six starts over two seasons for the Bears. Judisch has a career 2.08 ERA and 5-2 record in 74 innings pitched. Sophomore Tatianna Roman transferred in from Alabama A&M. She was the only Bulldog to start all 40 games in 2022. She led the team in hits (41) and total bases (51). Roman ranked third on the team with a .308 batting average.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hawkeyes finished the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Calif. going 2-3 on the weekend. They had victories over Bethune-Cookman and Cal State Northridge. Iowa went toe-to-toe with No.1 UCLA in a, 2-1, loss on Friday night. Jalen Adams threw a complete game allowing six hits and just one earned run. Nia Carter hit .588 on the weekend with five runs scored. Denali Loecker had a team-leading six RBIs on the weekend and added to her team best homerun total (4).
SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA
The Coyotes enter the weekend at a 5-8 mark on the season. Last weekend at the Lopes Up Classic at GCU they finished the weekend going 2-3, with both wins coming on Friday. South Dakota has six athletes that have started all 13 games with three of them hitting over .320 on the season. They have six different hitters who have hit at least one home run. Through the first three weeks of the season, the Coyote pitchers have relied on two arms for 80% of their innings. As a staff they have a 6.09 ERA with a .325 BA against.
SCOUTING ALCORN STATE
The Lady Braves enter the weekend with a 3-9 record, riding an eight-game losing streak. In 12 games, they have allowed 109 runs while only scoring 49. Offensively they are led by Tory Kennedy who has started seven games and is hitting .389. Though their pitchers have allowed 109 runs, only 64 of them are earned as their defense has committed 36 errors thus far. They pitching staff has a 6.62 ERA.
SCOUTING CENTRAL ARKANSAS
The Bears enter the weekend on a four-game winning streak and boast an 11-2 record. They’re two losses both came against No. 18 LSU which they lost, 1-0 and 3-1. Kylie Griffin is the hottest hitter leading the Bears with a .387 BA and eight RBIs. The Bears rank ninth in the nation in double plays per game (0.62). Central Arkansas has used two pitchers for all but one third of an inning so far. They each have a sub two ERA with a combined 95 strikeouts and a .218 BA against. The Bears have a staff ERA of 1.37 which is currently eighth in the nation.
SCOUTING OMAHA
The Mavericks enter the weekend 7-3, which is first place in the Summit League. Lynsey Tucker has proved to be a tough out on the season, as she is hitting a team-leading .455 with only one strike out. Omaha ranks sixth in the nation in doubles per game (2.10) as they’ve hit 21 through their first 10 games. Kamryn Meyer has thrown most of the innings in the circle for the Mavericks and currently has a 1.77 ERA and has struck out 43 hitters.
PLAYING THE BEST
The Hawkeyes will face 12 different teams that made the 2022 NCAA Tournament: Lehigh, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Princeton, South Florida, UT-Chattanooga, and Wisconsin. They will face four teams who advanced to the WCWS, Northwestern, Oregon State, UCLA, and national runner-up Texas.