Softball Notes: Illinois

LOOKING BACK

The University of Iowa softball team opened Big Ten play last weekend at Ohio State, dropping two of three-game series. The Hawkeyes secured the middle game, run-ruling the Buckeyes, 9-1, in five innings.

Iowa claimed a 6-3, midweek victory over Illinois State on Tuesday.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN

Seven Hawkeyes softball players hail from Iowa, five from California, three from Arizona, two from Illinois, and one each from Utah, Massachusetts, Georgia, Oklahoma, Florida, Oregon and Ohio. The team also includes one international player from Australia. The roster is made up of five seniors, six juniors, four sophomores, one redshirt sophomore, eight freshmen and one redshirt freshman. Iowa returns 11 players from its 2025 roster, including 10 letterwinners, and welcomes 14 newcomers.

SCOUTING ILLINOIS

The Fighting Illini begin their season 8-15 overall. Tyra Perry is in her 11th season at the helm for Illinois. Perry is the Fighting Illini’s second-ever head coach and has tallied nearly 700 career victories throughout her 25 years as a NCAA DI softball head coach.

Last season, Illinois finished 13th in the Big Ten with a 6-15 conference record and 22-28 overall.

PLAYING THE BEST

The Hawkeyes will face 10 teams that made the 2025 NCAA Tournament: Florida State, Georgia State, Indiana, LSU, Mercer, Miami (Ohio), Nebraska, Oregon, UConn and Washington

NEW YEAR, NEW STAFF

• Stacy May-Johnson, who is in her first season as Iowa’s head coach, brings nearly 20 years of coaching experience -- six as a head coach -- to the program. The Nevada native has posted a 148-141 record in stops at Utah Valley and Fresno State. Before returning to Iowa, May-Johnson was head coach at Fresno State for four seasons. She led the Bulldogs to 37 wins and a runner-up finish in the Mountain West Championship.

• Bobby Alvara joins the Hawkeye staff after serving as May-Johnson’s pitching coach at Fresno State. 

• Fran Strub joins the program after spending four seasons as an assistant coach at Boise State.

• Ally Miklesh joins the staff after one season as an assistant coach at Indiana.

QUICK FACTS

• Avery Sapp recorded her first complete game of the season during the Hawkeyes 9-1 victory over Ohio State.

• Brianna Johnson had her first career home run in Iowa’s 9-1 victory over the Buckeyes.

•Senior Tory Bennett recorded her first multi-home run game in Iowa’s win against Illinois State.

•  Freshman McKenzie Leitgen’s six home runs are the most by an Iowa freshman since 2015. She also leads the team with 20 RBIs. Eleven of her 17 hits have gone for extra bases.

COMEBACK WARRIORS

• Five of Iowa’s wins have come in come-from-behind fashion, including two walk-off victories.

• Iowa rallied from a 9-3 deficit against University of Connecticut. Trailing by one run in the bottom of the seventh inning, Kiara Sipe delivered a two-run double to secure the 10-9 victory.

• McKenzie Leitgen delivered Iowa its first grand slam of the season in the bottom of the seventh against Army, walking off the Black Knights, 7-6.

IN THE BOOKS

• Serayah Neiss leads Iowa with 37 strikeouts and etched her name in the record book by recording her 350th career strikeout Friday against Nicholls State. She now ranks 11th all- time among Hawkeye pitchers. Neiss is also 10th in career wins with 47.

•Tory Bennett is tied for 14th in program history with 32 career doubles.

MILESTONE WATCH

• Avery Sapp is one strikeouts away from 200 in her career.

LEADING THE WAY

• Devin Simon leads the team in hits (27) and stolen bases (10). She also ranks first in OBP with an .494 figure and second with a .403 batting average.

• In the circle, junior Avery Sapp holds a team-best 3.44 ERA. In 38 2/3 innings pitched, the right-hander has recorded 28 strikeouts. Freshman Braylen Conlon has limited opposing batters to a .241 average.

• Tory Bennett ranks first on the team in home runs (7) and runs scored (21). The senior is currently slashing .373/.430/.806

B1G NUMBERS

In the Big Ten Conference, Iowa ranks first in sacrifice flys (15) and fourth in stolen bases (29).

• Tory Bennett is sixth in the conference in doubles (8).

• Devin Simon’s 10 stolen bases put her at fifth in the league.

•Serayah Neiss has the seventh most victories in the Big 10 with seven.

UP NEXT

Iowa returns home to host Minnesota Friday to Sunday, March 20-22. All three games of the home opening series will be played at Bob Pearl Field, Iowa City, Iowa.

SEASON TICKETS

Reserved chairback seating for the season is $55. General admission season tickets are $40 for adults and $15 for youth. Single-game tickets are $10 for adults and $3 for youth.

Season tickets are available at hawkeyesports.com/tickets, by calling 1-800-IA-HAWKS, or at the University of Iowa Athletics Ticket Office at the north entrance of Carver-Hawkeye Arena.