UP NEXT
The University of Iowa softball team travels to Florida for their spring break trip. They will play at The Spring Games in Madeira Beach March 10-14. They open play on Friday against South Alabama. The Hawkeyes will then travel to USF to compete in the South Florida Showdown March 17-18.
WATCH/LISTEN LIVE
All games at The Spring Games will be streamed on FloSoftball ($) and broadcast live on Hawkeye Radio Network. Our game against USF on March 18 will be streamed on ESPN+ ($). Live stats will be available on hawkeyesports.com and live updates will be available on Twitter (@ iowasoftball)
B1G STATS
The Hawkeye pitching staff ranks third in the conference for ERA (1.64) and fourth for BA against (.213).
Senior Nia Carter ranks second in the conference for BA (.484) and OBP (.560). She ranks fourth for runs scored (18) and walks (11). Carter is one of seven players in the conference who has struck out less than three times on the season.
Freshman Jalen Adams ranks second in the conference for ERA (0.69) and seventh for BA against (.176).
LAST TIME OUT
The Hawkeyes finished the Adam Brown Memorial Shamrock Classic going 3-2 on the weekend. Their wins came against Alcorn State, Central Arkansas, and Omaha. Carter led the team offensively, hitting .500 with four runs scored and was 2-for-2 on stolen bases. Senior Breanna Vasquez finished the weekend, 2-0 in the circle with a 0.58 ERA. The Hawkeye pitching staff had a 1.60 ERA in the five games in Conway, Ark.
SCOUTING SOUTH ALABAMA
Head Coach Becky Clark is in her 17th season at the helm of the Jaguar program and is the only coach in school history. South Alabama was picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Conference and is currently sitting in eighth place with a 13-7 record. The Jaguars have three hitters hitting over .310 on the season. Their pitching staff has an ERA of 1.76. They have allowed 45 runs while their offense has scored 91 through 20 games.
SCOUTING UT-CHATTANOOGA
The Mocs enter the weekend at 9-5 mark after going 4-1 at the Gardner-Webb Tournament. They are sitting in first place in the SoCon. Outfielder, Olivia Lipari, is hitting a team-leading .342 and has an OBP of .468. Taylor long has thrown 27.0 innings for Chattanooga, is 3-0 and has an ERA of 1.30. The Mocs have hit 10 home runs through 14 games and have only allowed four.
SCOUTING PRINCETON
Head Coach Lisa Van Ackeren is in her 11th season leading the Tigers. They are currently 3-7 and are sitting in fourth place in the Ivy League. They are ranked first in the conference in fielding percentage (0.965). Allison Ha is leading Princeton in hitting and ranks second in the conference with a BA of .462.
SCOUTING LEHIGH
The Mountain Hawks head coach, Fran Troyan is a constant with Lehigh softball as he is in his 28th season. He has led Lehigh to 12 Patriot League tournament titles, most recently in last season. Lehigh is sitting in first place in the Patriot League with a 10-2 record. In the opening weekend of the 2023 season, the Mountain Hawks defeated #7/9 Alabama, 7-4, in Tuscaloosa. Senior, Josie Charles, is hitting a team-leading .410 through 12 games. Lehigh’s pitchers have a team ERA of 1.70 with all three have a sub-two ERA.
SCOUTING BUCKNELL
The Bison enter the weekend 5-10 on the season, which puts them at third in the Patriot league. They are hitting .232 as a team, led by Zoie Smith who is hitting .341. Their pitching staff has an ERA of 3.46 and has struck out 77 batters through 15 games. Bucknell was picked to finish sixth in the Patriot League in their preseason coaches’ poll.
SCOUTING LAFAYETTE
Karavin Dew is in her first season as the head coach at Lafayette. The Leopards are 1-8 in the 2023 season, which is last in the Patriot League. Marisa Powell is the only hitter hitting over .300 through nine games. As a team, they have not hit any home runs, but have allowed 10. Their pitching staff has an ERA of 6.78, while opposing pitchers have a 0.74.
SCOUTING MARIST
Head coach Joe Ausanio is in his 15th season at the helm of the Marist Program. They enter the weekend 7-9 after going 3-2 at the Maroon and Gold Challenge in Charleston, S.C. Harley Ahr (.400) and Peyton Pusey (.394) are ranked sixth and seventh in the MAAC in BA. Ahr is leading the conference in doubles (6), RBIs (16), and hits (20). Pitcher, Calista Phippen leads the conference in innings pitched (42.0), strikeouts (40) and is third in ERA (1.67).
SCOUTING USF
Ken Erikson is the main stay of USF softball currently in his 26th season as head coach. The Bulls have made the NCAA tournament for the past four seasons. This season, they have plays four teams ranked in the top 25 and are 0-4 against them. As a team, the Bulls are hitting .218, and only have two athletes hitting over .300. Their pitching staff has an ERA of 2.54 and has allowed 13 homeruns, while their offense has only hit six.
SCOUTING TEXAS
head coach, Mike White is in fifth season at Texas and has a record of 177-58-2 in his time there. Last season, the Longhorns finished as national runners-up at the WCWS. Texas’ offense has is hitting .383 as a team and has seven players hitting over .320. The team batting average is second in the nation, behind only #1 Oklahoma. Three of the Longhorn hitters are in the top 10 in BA in the Big 12 and have the top three athletes for hits. Their 1.80 staff ERA is second in the conference and three of their pitchers are in the top 10 in the Big 12 for ERA.