This Week in Peacock Softball...

Upper Iowa enters the toughest week of its season with six contests against ranked opponents starting on Saturday when they visit the Rochester Regional Stadium and Bubble to play four games against a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opponents.  UIU matches up with the #18-ranked Mavericks of Minnesota State at 12 p.m.  Saturday’s action concludes at 4 p.m. when the Peacocks return to the field to take on the #8-ranked Winona State University Warriors.

Then on Sunday, UIU plays Minnesota State at 10 a.m. before closing out the weekend with a noon game against Winona State.  Results of the four games will not count toward the NSIC standings.

UIU closes out the week and plays their final pair of games in the month of March on Wednesday when they travel to Omaha, Nebraska to line up against the #23-ranked Mavericks of Nebraska-Omaha.  The doubleheader is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.

Scouting #18 Minnesota State

The Mavericks of Minnesota State enter the weekend with an 18-3 overall record and are riding a two game winning streak after suffering their third loss of the season on Friday, March 11 against Shippensburg.  The other two marks in the loss column for MSU this season have been to UC Colorado Springs and Indiana (PA).

Minnesota State boasts the current NSIC Player of the Week in freshman catcher/designated player Lindsay Erickson.  Erickson leads the primary starters of Minnesota State with a .462 batting average and leads the squad in slugging percentage (.785) with ten doubles, a triple and three home runs.

MSU is hitting .331 as a team while allowing teams to hit just .194 against them.  Sophomore hurler Courtney McKelvogue has a 1.01 earned run average in 12 appearances this season and has a record of 9-2 early in the 2011 season.  The West Des Moines, Iowa-native has allowed just nine earned runs in 62.1 innings of work while striking out 70 batters.

Scouting #8 Winona State

The #8-ranked Warriors of Winona State bring an 11-2 record into the weekend and are riding a four-game winning streak after defeating Felician in their last outing, 10-0 on March 6.

WSU is the third best hitting team in the NSIC with a team batting average of .351 and are led by junior Kathy Crudo’s .452 batting average.  Crudo has compiled five doubles and a pair of home runs while driving in 15 runs and scoring nine of her own.

The Warriors also have the third-best earned run average in the league and the pitching staff is anchored by senior pitcher Courtney Strang’s 1.83 earned run average and perfect 7-0 on the season.

Scouting #23 Nebraska-Omaha

The Mavericks of Nebraska-Omaha carry a 14-4 record and a four-game winning streak into a busy upcoming weekend with six games in three days.

The Mavericks hit .291 as a team, but have a great pitching staff that combined holds a 1.23 earned run average while striking out 100 batters combined.  UNO pitchers are allowing opponents to hit just .189 against them.

The Last Meetings

Upper Iowa met all three of these teams last season and hope to change a 0-6 combined result when meeting these teams.

Upper Iowa and Minnesota State last met on May 1st when the Mavericks swept the doubleheader, 6-2 and 4-2.  On April 25th of last season, Winona State defeated UIU by scores of 8-0 and 7-5 while UNO swept a doubleheader with Upper Iowa, 9-1 and 12-3.  All six matchups were held in Fayette.

Looking Ahead

The Peacocks open the home portion of the 2011 schedule by hosting the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opener on Saturday, April 2nd when the Dragons of MSU Moorhead visit Eischeid Softball Complex in Fayette.  The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.