THIS SEASON
The University of Iowa softball team played 62 games this season finishing with a record of 35-27. The Hawkeyes’ 35 wins was the most since 2009. They ended the season by winning the National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) postseason tournament in Fort Collins, Colorado. Senior Nia Carter led the conference in batting average (.479) and hits (101).
CONNECT WITH THE HAWKEYES
For all of the latest news and information on Iowa softball, visit hawkeyesports.com. Fans can also follow the program at Facebook.com/iowahawkeyessoftball and @iowasoftball on Twitter and Instagram.
NISC CHAMPIONS
The Hawkeyes were invited to participate in the 2023 NISC postseason tournament in Colorado. They went 4-0 as they went on to win the championship. They had wins over UC Davis, South Dakota State, Maryland, and BYU.
Junior Grace Banes was named tournament MVP. Nia Carter, Jalen Adams, and Denali Loecker were named to the all-tournament team.
BIG TEN AWARDS
Senior Nia Carter was named first team all-Big Ten. She is the first Hawkeye since Megan Blank in 2015 to earn first team honors. Carter was also selected as the team’s Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree.
Freshman Jalen Adams earned all-freshman honors. Adams was the third Hawkeye in three years to earn all-freshman accolades by the conference.
NFCA ALL-REGION
Carter also earned first team all-region honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. She is the first Hawkeye to receive this honor in back-to-back seasons since Colleen McGlaughlin in 2008 and 2009.
Sophomore Tatianna Roman earned third team all-region honors in her first season with Iowa.
ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
Carter was named third team All-America by Softball America. She is the first Hawkeye since 2009 to receive All-American honors.
RECORDS ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN
Nia Carter finished the season hitting .479 which is second in school history, only behind her own freshman season. She shattered the single season hit record recording 101 hits in 62 games. She is only the second player in Big Ten history to surpass 100 hits on a season. She ranks second in Big Ten single season history for hits.
Carter became the all-time leader for career batting average at Iowa finishing her four years hitting .415.
Junior Denali Loecker tied the school record for saves in a season with nine.
Loecker hit 10 home runs for the second straight season. She is tied for fifth all time at Iowa with 24.
A TOP THE BIG TEN
Carter ranked first in the conference for BA (.479), hits (101), and toughest to strike out. She ranked fourth in the conference for OBP (.527). Carter was one of seven players in the conference that struck out less than 10 times in the season.
Freshman Tory Bennett finished the season with 61 hits which was ninth in the Big Ten. Loecker’s career-high 47 RBIs was eighth best in the conference. Roman was second in the conference in sacrifice hits (9).
IMPROVEMENT IN THE CIRCLE
Pitching coach Mandy Gardner helped improve the staff ERA tremendously in one season at Iowa. The Hawkeyes ERA dropped 2.46 points from 2022 to 2023. Three pitchers had sub-three ERAs led by freshman Jalen Adams who finished with a 2.02 which was fourth in the Big Ten.
Senior Breanna Vasquez and Adams both had double digit wins and ranked in the top-10 for batting average against in the conference. Vasquez ranked ninth in the Big Ten for strikeouts with 136.
PLAYING THE BEST
In 2023, Iowa faced nine teams that were selected for the 2023 NCAA tournament; UCLA, Cal, Central Arkansas, Omaha, Marist, Texas, Nebraska, Northwestern, and Minnesota.
The Hawkeyes went 5-10 in those matchups.
FRESH FACES
Iowa had six freshman who have appeared in at least 48% of the games this season. Tory Bennett started in all 62 games at shortstop and was third on the team in hitting (.303).
EVERYDAY STARTERS
The Hawkeyes had four student-athletes who started all 62 games this season. Three of the four were the team’s top hitters. Senior Nia Carter and sophomore Tatianna Roman started every game in right and center field respectively. In the infield junior Sammy Diaz started every game at first base and freshman Tory Bennett made her home at shortstop.
WIN #100
Head Coach Renee Gillispie picked up her 100th win at Iowa on Saturday March 18th at USF. The Hawkeyes defeated the Bulls 12-4 in six innings.
Coach Gillispie has 947 wins in her head coaching career which has her ranked 15th among active division I coaches.
TAKE A LEAD AND KEEP IT
The Hawkeyes finished with a 29-6 record when they score first. Iowa was also 25-2 when leading after the fifth inning.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Twelve Hawkeyes hailed from Iowa, eight from California, two from Indiana, and one from Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. The roster was comprised of 10 freshmen, eight sophomores, six juniors, and three seniors. There were 15 returning letterwinners and 12 newcomers.