This Weekend in Peacock Softball... Upper Iowa will begin the week on the road as they head west to Wayne, Nebraska on Wednesday. The Peacocks will play the Wildcats of Wayne State (14-6, 5-1 NSIC) in a double Header starting at 1 p.m. UIU will return to Fayette for its home opener against Minot State (23-2, 5-1 NSIC) starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Peacocks will wrap up the weeked on Sunday as they host the Marauders of U-Mary (13-10, 2-4 NSIC) at the Eischeid Softball Complex beginning at 12 p.m.
The Series... Despite a split against the Marauders and the Wildcats last season, the Peacocks are just 3-10 against Wayne State and 5-7 against the University of Mary since 2006. Upper Iowa and Minot State have met only one time, with the Beavers claiming both games of the double header in Fayette last year.
On Deck... The Peacocks will host Minnesota State University, Mankato in a double header on Wednesday, Apr. 10, before heading north to face MSU Moorhead and Northern State over the weekend, Apr. 13-14.
Last Week... Entering with just a 2-17 series record against Winona State, the Peacocks earned a 7-4 upset in game one of their mid-week matchup last week.
Jacqueline Flood and
Rachael Anello both connected on home runs in the game. However, the Peacocks could not carry that momentum into game two as the Warriors took the 12-2 win with a 10-run third inning.
17 For Number 18... Freshman
Jacqueline Flood has been a shot in the arm for the Peacocks in the early going of 2013. Not only has she made ten appearances in the pitching circle, but she has crushed the ball at the plate. The Mount Vernon, Illinois native has contributed team-highs in runs batted in with 17 and home runs with 3. She has also recorded 20 hits, a .471 slugging percentage and 13 runs scored, all of which rank second on the team. Against Winona State last week, Flood sent the first pitch she saw in the fifth inning over the centerfield wall for a three-run homer.
Halfway Home... The Peacocks own an impressive 11-0 mark this year when they are leading through the fourth inning and a 12-0 mark when leading after five innings. Compare those numbers with an 0-6 mark when they are trailing after four innings and one can see why a fast start is key to a Peacock victory.
Solid Starting Lineup... Head Coach Anna Van Wetzinga has not made a lot of adjustments to the starting lineup this season. All four infield positions and all three outfield spots have seen the same starters for the entirety of 2013. Besides the Peacocks’ pitchers, catchers
Tara Duran and
Erica Kirgan are the only two players who have rotated starts this season for UIU.
Freshman Phenom... First-year infielder
Lauren Marlinghaus has hit the ground running in 2013. The newcomer from O’Fallon, Illinois has started every game this year at third base for the Peacocks and she has been red hot from the batter’s box. She is tied for first on the team with 22 hits, while her six doubles, .492 slugging percentage and .349 hitting percentage are currently second. Marlinghaus is also tied for fourth on the team with 10 runs batted in. Marlinghaus was equally impressive at third base against Winona State last week. Her back-to-back outs late in the game helped UIU seal the victory in game one.
Special Senior Class... All three of the seniors on the softball team are captains in 2013. So far, the trio has totaled 32 runs batted in, 38 runs scored, 112 put-outs and 13 doubles.
Hailley Haning leads the group with 22 hits, 7 doubles and 13 RBI.
Rachael Anello, who connected on her first home run of the season last week against the Warriors of Winona State, has more put-outs than any other senior and she leads the group with a .452 slugging percentage and a .391 on-base percentage.
Bailee Haberman rounds out the group, but she has also had a stellar start to her final year in the Peacock uniform. The Torrence, California native leads the group with three stolen bases and seven walks.
Making Her Case... Catcher
Tara Duran has been a pleasant surprise in 2013. Despite just 13 starts this year, Duran is leading the Peacocks in hitting percentage (.500), slugging percentage (.706) and on-base percentage (.553). Coming out of Liberty High School, Duran made 42 starts in the infield in her freshman year, but finished the season with a .174 hitting percentage. This year, the sophomore slugger has racked up three multi-RBI games, a 10-game hit streak and she reached base in 12 straight games. Her dramatic hitting turnaround has been a silver lining for the Peacocks in 2013.
Tune In... This weekend's games against Minot State and U-Mary will be broadcast online through live audio links and live video links. You can also follow the Peacocks all week long by clicking on the live stats links above.
