Softball Notes: Hawkeyes Host Purdue in Home Finale

LOOKING BACK
The University of Iowa softball team is coming off an 0-3 series loss to No. 4 Nebraska and a 10-2, run-rule victory over Northern Illinois on Wednesday.

SCOUTING PURDUE
The Boilermakers enter the series with a 32-18 overall record and a 9-12 mark in conference play. Head coach Magali Frezzotti is in her third season at the helm and holds an 87-68 career record.

Purdue is coming off a three-game series loss to Northwestern.

Freshman Anna Moore, a three-time 2026 Big Ten Freshman of the Week, has been a productive offensive player for the Boilermakers. She leads Purdue in home runs (12) and RBIs (56) and is batting .384 through 48 appearances.

Junior Moriah Polar boasts a .554 batting average with 28 stolen bases, ranking first in the conference in both categories.

In the circle, junior Julia Gossett holds a 3.11 ERA with 150 strikeouts in 139 1/3 innings pitched.

QUICK FACTS
• Serayah Neiss set a single-game career high with 9 1/3 innings pitched in Iowa’s 10-inning game against Washington.

• Iowa has already surpassed last season’s home run total (29), hitting 53 this year.

• Avery Sapp recorded her 200th career strikeout in the series opener against Illinois.

• Sophomore Kiara Sipe notched 10 RBIs in the series against Illinois.

• Freshman Braylen Conlon is the only Hawkeye pitcher this season to record a complete-game shutout (March 14 at Illinois).

• Freshman McKenzie Leitgen’s eight home runs are the most by an Iowa freshman since 2009.

• Leah McAnally reached 100 career RBIs with a four-RBI performance April 23 at Northern Iowa.

• Iowa has posted 15 multi-home run games this season, including two five-homer outings (March 17 at Illinois; April 4 at Oregon).

• Serayah Neiss earned her 50th career win in Iowa’s 2-1 victory over Georgia Tech.

• Echo Mattiello recorded her first career four-hit performance in Iowa’s 4-2 win over Indiana.

• Iowa freshmen have had four four-RBI performances this season.

• Brianna Johnson has recorded three walk-off hits this season.

• Tory Bennett is the 14th player in program history to hit nine or more home runs in a season.

TWO HISTORICAL GAMES
Iowa has broken the program’s combined run record twice this season. The Hawkeyes first set the mark on March 13 with a 21-15 win over Illinois, totaling 36 runs, before surpassing it on April 23 with a 21-17 victory over Northern Iowa (38 total runs). Both contests now rank as the second-most runs scored by Iowa in a single game.

Against Illinois

• The total marked the most runs scored by Iowa in a Big Ten game, eclipsing the previous record of 19 set against Penn State in 1997.

Against Northern Iowa

• Iowa’s 23 hits were the most in a game since Feb. 18, 2012, when the Hawkeyes recorded 29 hits against Iowa State.

COMEBACK WARRIORS
• Eight of Iowa’s wins have come in come-from-behind fashion, including four walk-off victories.

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

• McKenzie Leitgen hit Iowa’s first grand slam of the season in the bottom of the seventh against Army, lifting the Hawkeyes to a 7-6 walk-off win over the Black Knights.

• Brianna Johnson recorded two game-winning hits in a four-game span. She led Iowa to a 3-2 victory over Minnesota before delivering a two-run double in the Hawkeyes’ 4-3 win against St. Thomas.

IN THE BOOKS
• Serayah Neiss leads Iowa with 71 strikeouts and is 8 away from 400 in her career. She ranks 11th all-time among Hawkeye pitchers and is 10th in career wins with 51.

• Tory Bennett is 12th in program history with 37 career doubles.

COMING IN HOT
• Tory Bennett entered the 2026 season with one career home run and now has nine.

• Through three seasons, Avery Jackson had recorded two career home runs and has five this year.

• Devin Simon doubled her 2025 home run total, going from three last season to six in 2026.

• McKenzie Leitgen, Tory Bennett, Brianna Johnson and Devin Simon have all recorded their first career multi-home run games in 2026.

LEADING THE WAY
• Devin Simon leads the team in hits (52), stolen bases (21) and tied for first in runs scored (40).

• Serayah Neiss owns a team‑best 4.18 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 122 1/3 innings.

• Tory Bennett leads Iowa with nine home runs and is tied for first with 40 runs scored. The senior is slashing .297/.377/.563.

• Junior Leah McAnally paces the Hawkeyes with 34 RBIs.

B1G NUMBERS
In the Big Ten Conference, Iowa ranks third in doubles (80), fifth in fielding percentage (.968), fifth in sacrifice flies (20) and fourth in stolen bases (53).

• Kiara Sipe ranks fourth in the conference with 15 doubles.

• Devin Simon’s 21 stolen bases rank her third in the Big Ten.

• Serayah Neiss has the eleventh victories in the conference with 11.

• Leah McAnally is seventh in the Big Ten in runners caught stealing 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 Tech, 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.