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LOOKING BACK
The University of Iowa softball team swept Illinois, 3-0, on the road. The Hawkeyes took game one in a historic 21-15 slugfest. Iowa took the series win with a 7-1 victory in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader and secured the sweep with a 2-0, complete-game shutout in the series finale.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
The Golden Gophers enter the contest with a 9-19 overall record and a 1-2 record in the Big Ten conference. Piper Ritter is in her sixth season at the helm of her alma mater and holds a 153-132-1 career record.
Minnesota is coming off an 0-3 weekend at the Missouri Tournament, facing losses against Iowa State, Missouri, and South Dakota.
Senior Syndey Schwartz leads the Golden Gophers in the circle, currently holding a 3.04 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 69 innings pitched. The right-hander has two shutouts on the season. She also registered a season-high 10 punchouts in a 6-1, complete-game victory over Idaho State on Feb. 13. Junior Tara Wolocko leads the offense with six home runs, 17 RBIs and a .267 average through 28 starts.
Last season, Minnesta finished 15th in the Big Ten with a 5-17 conference record and 20-30 overall.
QUICK FACTS
• Avery Sapp recorded her 200th career strikeout in Friday’s victory over Illinois.
• Carly Brewer and Braylen Conlon only allowed one run in 14 combined innings during Saturday’s doubleheader. Both recorded a complete game, with Conlon earning her first career complete-game shutout.
•Sophomore Kiara Sipe went 9-16 (.563) with 10 RBIs and four extra-base hits in the series against Illinois. Five of her RBIs were collected in Friday’s 21 run win. Sipe now leads the team in RBIs with 26.
• Freshman McKenzie Leitgen’s six home runs are the most by an Iowa freshman since 2015.
• Iowa surpassed last season’s home run total (29) and now has 33 on the season.
WHAT A GAME
Iowa came out on top in a historical 21-15 win over Illinois. Notables include:
• The 21 runs mark the second-most scored in program history (26 vs. Iowa State in 2012)
• It is the most runs by Iowa in a Big Ten game, surpassing the previous mark of 19 against Penn State in 1997.
• The 36 combined runs are the most ever scored in an Iowa softball game.
• The Hawkeyes scored at least one run in every inning.
COMEBACK WARRIORS
• Six 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 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.
OFFENSIVE LEAPS
• Tory Bennett came into the 2026 campaign with one career home run and now holds seven on the season.
• Three of Avery Jackson’s five career home runs were recorded this season.
• Through two seasons, Devin Simon registered a combined eight stolen bases and now has 11 in 2026.
LEADING THE WAY
• Devin Simon leads the team in hits (32) and stolen bases (11). She also ranks first in OBP with an .484 figure and second with a .403 batting average.
• In the circle, freshman Braylen Conlon has a team best 3.35 ERA and ranks third with 26 punchouts through 37 2/3 innings pitched. She’s the only Hawkeye pitcher to record a complete-game shutout this season and has limited opposing batters to a .223 average.
• Tory Bennett ranks first on the team in home runs (7) and runs scored (25). The senior is currently slashing .342/.424/.724
B1G NUMBERS
In the Big Ten Conference, Iowa ranks second in sacrifice flys (16) and fourth in stolen bases (31).
• Devin Simon and Kiara Sipe are tied for third in the conference with 10 doubles apiece.
•Serayah Neiss has the seventh most victories in the Big Ten with seven.
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.
PLAYING THE BEST
The Hawkeyes 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.
UP NEXT
Iowa continues its homestand, hosting Washington Friday to Sunday, March 27-29. All three games of the series will be played at Bob Pearl Field in 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.