Notes: Wooo Pig Classic

LAST TIME OUT

The Hawkeyes continued the 2025 preseason at the FIU Panther Invitational hosted by Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Iowa played Lafayette and FIU twice a piece on Friday and Saturday.

Iowa swept the competition, walking away from the weekend 4-0, increasing their current win streak to eight.

Six Hawkeyes tallied at least one RBI for a total of 16 on the weekend. Two freshman Hawkeyes hit their first career home runs; Allyssa Ramos and Talia Tretton.

Junior Jalen Adams picked up three wins and freshman Talia Tretton each picked up one win in the circle. Iowa pitchers held hitters to a .218 batting average against.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN

Eight Hawkeyes hail from Iowa and California, three from Arizona and one each from Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Nevada and Wisconsin. Iowa has one international athlete from Australia. The roster was comprised of eight freshmen, six sophomores, seven juniors, and five seniors. There are 18 returning letterwinners and eight newcomers.

SCOUTING MISSOURI STATE

Head Coach Kasey Griffith enters her first season at the helm of Missouri State softball following longtime head coach Holly Hesse’s retirement at the conclusion of the 2024 season. The 2025 roster includes 12 returners, nine newcomers and features 12 underclassmen. From last year’s squad, the Bears had eight departures which included seven seniors. The squad was picked to finish sixth in the Missouri Valley conference in the MVC Preseason Poll. Missouri State played a fellow Big Ten member ealier this season, falling to Wisconsin, 3-1.

SCOUTING ARKANSAS

Head Coach Courtney Deifel enters her 10th season at the helm of Arkansas softball. The Razorbacks have started their season setting a program record 14-0 to start, earning run-rule victories in 10 games this season. Arkansas has also played fellow Big Ten members Rutgers, run ruling the Scarlet Knights, 10-0 (5 innings), and UCLA - their lone loss this season, falling 9-1 (6 innings).

SCOUTING ILLINOIS

Head Coach Tyra Perry enters her 10th season at the helm of Illinois softball. The Fighting Illini enter the season as the youngest team in the Big Ten with 17 underclassmen on the roster, and welcomed 13 newcomers in the offseason, including 10 freshman. This is the only meeting between the two teams this season due to the expanded conference schedule after institution additions this past year.

HOME RUN HANNAH

After posting 16 RBIs and three home runs across four games at the Lion Invitational, senior catcher Hannah Lindsay was named Big Ten Co-Player of the week on February 17.

The Surprise, Arizona, native hit .667 in four-games at the Lion Invitational at East Texas A&M. She currently ranks third on the team hitting .324 and leads the team with 18 RBIs.

PLAYING THE BEST

The Hawkeyes are set to face eight different teams that made the 2024 NCAA Tournament: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana Lafayette, Missouri, Penn State, Tennessee and UCLA.

RETURNING CORE

The Hawkeyes return a strong core to the roster who accounted for 66% of the team’s RBIs last season.

Amongst returners is first-team all Big Ten and all-freshman honoree, Jena Young. She finished second on the team with a .373 BA. in her freshman campaign and recorded a hit in all but 10 games. Young led all freshman in the Big Ten in batting average. She is the toughest batter to strikeout, statistically in the, Big Ten, and struck out the least (5) number of times amongst starters in the conference. Young led the Hawkeyes with four home runs and 15 multi-hit games including a career-high 4-for-4 against Minnesota.

2024 NFCA Midwest all-Region honoree, Rylie Moss returns for her final season in the black and gold. Moss led the team with .390 batting average and started 39 games before a season-ending injury.

Jalen Adams threw 51% of innings last season for Iowa. She finished sixth in the conference with a 2.59 ERA. She was Iowa’s go-to arm in the circle throwing 159 2/3 innings this season; ninth in the Big Ten. In conference play she is ranked fourth with a 2.64 ERA.

Soo-Jin Berry appeared in 36 games in 2024 and finished third on the team hitting .322. She led the team with 26 RBIs.

Adams, Berry and Young were named Big Ten Players to Watch for 2025.

STRONG IN THE CIRCLE

In 2024, Iowa pitchers had a staff ERA of 3.30, fifth in the Big Ten, and held hitters to a .266 BA against. 

Jalen Adams threw 17 complete games on the season, tied for third most in the conference, including a no-hitter against Michigan State on March 29. Jaylee Ojo finished second in the Big Ten for K/7 with 8.6. and sixth for BA against holding hitters to a .223 BA. 

This season, the pitching staff ranks fourth in the conference with a 2.41 ERA. Adams ranks 4th in ERA (0.86), third in wins (7) and sixth in innings pitched (40.2) and batting average against (0.188). Freshman Talia Tretton ranks ninth for ERA with a 1.70. 

NEW ERA OF THE B1G

The Big Ten welcomed four new schools to the conference, three of which will compete in softball for the 2025 season. Big Ten  softball added NCAA tournament qualifiers Oregon, UCLA and Washington for softball. The Hawkeyes are set to host UCLA in their Big Ten home opener on March 22 in Iowa City.

UP NEXT

Iowa heads to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the Alabama Spring Break Showdown, March 7-8. Iowa will face Louisiana Lafayette and Alabama each twice.