March 28, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

THIS WEEKEND IN PANTHER SOFTBALL

March 29-31

 

Saturday:          vs. Creighton (DH)                      12:00/2:00 p.m.

Sunday:            vs. Creighton                             12:00 p.m.

Monday:            vs. Nebraska (DH)                      2:00/4:00 p.m.  

                       

The University of Northern Iowa softball team will head on a five-game road trip to Nebraska this weekend; playing a three-game series with Missouri Valley Conference foe Creighton before heading to Lincoln, Nebraska for a non-confernce doubleheader with the Huskers Monday afternoon.

 

LEADING OFF

 

•   UNI's doubleheader match-up against Nebraska was added to the schedule late to make-up for the two games against Louisville that were cancelled due to incliment weather in Louisville, Ky.

 

•   Senior Stephanie Aguero currently leads the Valley in batting average (.449), slugging percentage (.681) and on base percentage (.542).  She is also first in numerous catogories for the Panthers including: total bases (47), walks (14) and doubles (seven) while starting all twenty-four games for the Panthers at shortstop. 

 

•   Megan Machovec follows closely behind Aguero, ranking second on the team and in the Valley with a .432 batting average. Machovec currently sits in third place in the Valley with number hits (32) second in number of triples (three).

 

•  Jen Larsen has been consistent at the plate for the Panthers this season connecting for 22 hits while drilling five home runs in the Panthers 24 games. Larsen leads the Panthers in home runs and is currently tied for fourth place in the Valley.

 

MAKING AN IMPACT

The Panthers six underclassmen have made their impact on stat books for the Panthers this season. The six have combined for 79 of the Panthers 171 hits (46%), 31 of the 75 runs (42%) and 38 of the 74 RBI (46%).

 

The sophomore duo of Larsen and Sarah Bakey have contributed greatly in the circle for the Panthers, together tossing 95.2 of the Panthers 162.1 innings. Bakey leads the Panther pitching staff with an 2.41 ERA followed closely by Larsen at 2.53.

 

TOP OF THE ORDER

Megan Machovec has been consistently strong at the top of the order for the Panthers this season. The sophomore ranks second on the team with a .432 batting average. Machovec has connected for a team-high 32 hits, including three doubles, three triples and one home run. Machovec also leads the team in stolen bases (four) and runs (17).

 

SEND `EM HOME

Jen Larsen currently leads the Panthers with 22 RBIs in the Panthers 24 games this season, including five multiple-RBI games. That puts her in second place in the Valley, following Wichita State's Brittnee Barnett. Larsen has registered 22 hits, including four doubles and five home runs.

 

NEARING THE TOP

The Panthers rank in the top five in eight of the Valley's batting categories. UNI is in the top half of the Valley categories in: batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, hits, RBI, triples, home runs and walks.

 

STARTING `EM ALL

Senior Stephanie Aguero has started all 173 games of her four-year career for the Panthers. Aguero is the lone Panther to start in all of the team's 24 games this season.

 

DRIVING `EM HOME

Junior Crystal Keiper (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Jefferson) has made an instant impact on the Panther offense, uncorking a homer in her first outing in the Purple and Gold against Dayton (Feb. 9). The junior also connected again on a long-range bomb, this time helping the Panthers to a 7-2 advantage over South Dakota State (Feb.10). Keiper continued her hard-hitting efforts blasting a homer to help the Panthers top Minnesota, 6-4 (Feb. 15).

 

DRIVING HOME A WIN

Jen Larsen (Moline, Ill/Moline) hit her third career game-winning home run, to give the Panthers the 4-3 win over San Jose State (March 7). That marked Larsen's second game-winning home run of the season with her first coming in the 4-3 win over Western Illinois (Feb. 14). Larsen's first career game-winning home run was in the 2007 season when she sealed a Panther victory over North Dakota State with a walk-off homer.

 

TO THE FINISH

Both Jen Larsen and Ashley Lepley have tossed five complete games for the Panthers this season. Larsen has tossed 63 innings for the Purple and Gold while Lepley follows closely behind with 61 innings. The duo combined has thrown 124 of the Panthers 162 innings.

 

A STRONG EFFORT

In the Panthers' 1-0 win over Ball State the defense proved to be the difference maker. Ball State had runners in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth, sixth and seventh innings; but the Panthers defense held strong for the win.

 

STARTING HIS CAREER OFF RIGHT

This season marks the debut of Panther head coach Ryan Jacobs. Jacobs led the Panthers to a 7-2 start, the best start to a season since the 2002. Jacobs owns the second-best start to a season by a first-year Panther head coach since 1974, when Jane Mertesdorf started the season 8-1. That was UNI's first season of softball.

 

GOING THE DISTANCE

Sophomore pitcher Sarah Bakey (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) continues to go the distance for UNI in the circle. Bakey earned her second win of the 2008 season tossing complete game for the Panthers against Western Illinois (Feb. 14). Bakey allowed the Westerwinds just five hits in seven innings.

 

The week before against North Dakota (Feb.10), Bakey tossed the first complete-game shutout of her career. She allowed just three hits to a Fighting Sioux team that, in its previous game, had scored 14 runs on 14 hits, while also recording eight strikeouts.

 

CAREER FIRST

Megan Machovec (DeWitt, Iowa/Central) hit her first career home run against North Dakota (Feb. 10) as part of the Ramada UNI-Dome Classic. Machovec's inside-the-park homer plated a pair of runs to break the teams' scoreless deadlock in the bottom of the third inning.

 

YOU COMPLETE ME

Senior pitcher Ashley Lepley (Albia, Iowa/Albia) threw two complete games for the Panthers at the Ramada UNI-Dome Classic. In 14 innings, Lepley allowed only 11 hits and four earned runs.

 

DOME OPENER

For the second time as an NCAA Division I team and just the fourth time ever, the Panthers opened a season at home.  UNI has begun its season with a home game only four times in its 34-year history, with both the 1977 and 1978 campaigns commencing with a home date against Wartburg College, and the 2007 season beginning against North Dakota State in the UNI-Dome. 

 

The Ramada UNI-Dome Classic's games also marked the second consecutive season UNI softball played in the UNI-Dome. In the 11 seasons from 1987-1997, the Panthers hosted an annual tournament in the Dome under various names.  The facility also previously served as a backup site for regular-season games in the event that inclement weather made the outdoor surface at Panther Park unplayable.

 

A NEW HOME

Following the Panther's opening weekend in the UNI-Dome, the team will play its remaining home games at the new home of UNI Softball, Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex. The facility, located along West 12th Street just northwest of the UNI campus, replaces Panther Park, which had served as the Panthers' home field for 30 seasons, beginning with the 1978 campaign.

 

Robinson-Dresser boasts many of the amenties lacking at Panther Park, including a press box, permanent seating and on-site restrooms and concessions facilities. The Panthers will open their first season at Robinson-Dresser with a game against Evansville on March 21.

 

AN EXPERIENCED BATTERY

An experienced core of pitchers and catchers will likely determine how successful the Panthers can be in 2008. The Panthers return all four pitchers that saw action in the circle in 2007, including sophomores Jen Larsen and Sarah Bakey and seniors Ashley Lepley and Liz Adams.

 

Adding to the experience will be the return of two veteran catchers in junior Kelly Papesh and senior Heather Tarter. The duo combined to start all of UNI's 51 games a season ago, with Papesh starting 31 games before being sidelined near the end of the season after suffering a broken finger, leaving Tarter to serve as the Panthers' primary catcher.

 

THE OFFENSE RETURNS

Coming off one of the most productive offensive seasons in school history, UNI returns a majority of that output for the 2008 season. After losing only  three players, the Panthers look to continue their high offensive output. The Panthers return 86 percent of their home runs from last season, along with 87 percent of the RBIs, 85 percent of the hits and 82 percent of the runs from the 2007 season.

 

PANTHERS PICKED 10TH

UNI has been picked to finish 10th in the Missouri Valley Conference this season, according to the league's annual coaches poll released Wednesday. The Panthers garnered 13 votes to rank 10th, matching the team's position in last season's final standings. Creighton was the overwhelming favorite, earning nine of the 10 possible first-place votes. Wichita State, Southern Illinois, Illinois State and Missouri State round out the top five.

 

SCOUTING THIS WEEKENDS OPPONENT

Creighton

•   The Bluejays come into this weekend atop the Valley standings with a perfect 2-0 record in league play and a 22-10 overall record. The Jays were tabbed to win the Valley title, earning nine of the ten first place votes. Creighton is led in the circle by sophomore Tara Oltman. Oltman has tossed 135 strikeouts in just 125.2 innings while allowing just 85 hits and 20 earned runs. Oltman leads the Valley in wins (15) and sits in second place for ERA (1.11), innings pitched (125.2) and batters struck out (135). Leading the way at the plate for the Jays is senior TJ Eadus. Eadus has connected for 28 hits, including five homeruns, and has drove in a team-high 17 RBIs.

 

 

Nebraska

•  Heading into this weekend's three-game series with No. 12 Oklahoma, the Huskers sit with a 13-13 record, including an 0-2 record in Big 12 play. Nebraska has won 43 of its last 47 regular-season home games and a perfect 4-0 this season at Bowlin Stadium.