THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa softball team is back home March 29-31, hosting Michigan State for a three-game series at Bob Pearl Field. The Hawkeyes will take on the Spartans at 5 pm (CT) on Friday, 2:00 pm (CT) on Saturday, and 1 p.m. (CT) on Sunday.
WATCH AND FOLLOW LIVE
All games will be streamed on B1G+ and broadcast live on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Live stats will be available on hawkeyesports.com and updates will be available on X (@iowasoftball).
LAST TIME OUT
The Hawkeyes took a three-game series against Wisconsin in their B1G home opener. Iowa secured game one and two before falling in game three.
Three Hawkeyes hit over .500 on the weekend. Junior Devyn Greer led the pack hitting .571, recording four hits that included two doubles and four RBIs. Freshmen Jena Young and Soo-Jin Berry combined for ten hits and five RBIs in the series.
Sophomore Jalen Adams led the pitching for Iowa on the weekend. Adams picked up one win with four strikeouts and had a 1.50 ERA.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
Head Coach Sharonda McDonald-Kelley is in her second season leading the Spartans. They enter the matchup with Iowa with a 12-17 record. Sophomore Hannah Hawley leads Michigan state offensively hitting .349 with six home runs and 15 RBIs. The Spartan pitching staff has a 4.18 ERA and has held opponents to a .280 BA against them. Liv Grey has eight wins on the season with a 2.27 ERA tallying 109 strikeouts.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
10 Hawkeyes hail from Iowa, seven from California, three from Arizona, two from Alabama and one each from Florida, Illinois, Kansas, and Missouri. The roster is comprised of nine freshmen, seven sophomores, eight juniors, and three seniors. There are 18 returning letterwinners and nine newcomers.
PLAYING THE BEST
The Hawkeyes will face 10 different teams that made the 2023 NCAA Tournament: Harvard, Indiana, Liberty, LMU, Minnesota, NCCU, Nebraska, Notre Dame, SIU and Utah. The Utes are the lone team that the Hawkeyes will face who advanced to the 2023 WCWS.
B1G TIME STATS
Junior Rylie Moss is having a breakout season thus far. She has started every game in right field for Iowa and is leading the team offensively hitting .384. She is ranked eighth in the Big Ten for BA.
Freshman Jena Young is second on the team with a .375 BA and has reached base in the last 10 games. She ranks third on the team with 11 RBIs.
Sophomore Jalen Adams has a 2.26 ERA which is sixth in the conference. She has been Iowa’s go-to arm in the circle throwing 89.2 innings this season; fifth in the Big Ten. Adams has held opposing hitters to a .248 BA against.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
The Hawkeyes had five athletes start every game thus far (Rylie Moss, Jena Young, Soo-Jin Berry, Sammy Diaz, and Grace Banes). Three of those student-athletes are hitting .300 or above and are the top three hitters on the team. Freshman Berry leads the team with 19 RBIs on the season. Young is the only Hawkeye to record a home run with two on the season.
POSTSEASON AWARDS
The Hawkeyes return 2023 Big Ten All-freshman selection Jalen Adams and NFCA third-team All-Region honoree Tatianna Roman for the 2024 season.
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.
To start the 2024 season the pitching staff has a 2.53 ERA (4th in the B1G) and has held opposing hitters to a .245 batting average against. Sophomore Jalen Adams has thrown 11 complete games in 14 starts. In Iowa’s opening Big Ten series the pitchers had a 2.33 ERA and held the Badgers to a .205 BA against. Adams and freshman Jaylee Ojo each picked up a win in the series.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Hawkeyes are set to host the 2024 Big Ten Conference Tournament in May. The tournament returns to Iowa City for the first time since the 2003 season.
Iowa was picked to finish 11th in the in the conference by Softball America and 13th by D1 Softball.
UP NEXT
The University of Iowa softball team closes out their homestand as they host Drake in a mid-week matchup at Pearl Field. The Hawkeyes will take on the Bulldogs Tuesday April 2, at 5 p.m. (CT)