This Weekend in Peacock Softball... For the first time under Head Coach Anna Van Wetzinga, the Peacocks swept back to back NSIC opponents in a weekend series. Now, UIU will look to extend its five-game win streak against one of the best in the business. The Peacocks will face Augustana (28-9, 15-5 NSIC) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for a twin bill starting at 3 p.m. on Thursday. UIU will then wrap up the weekend and the 2013 regular season inside the Eischeid Softball Complex in Fayette, IA against Bemidji State (8-33, 2-22 NSIC) on Saturday at 1 p.m. and against Minnesota Crookston (2-33, 1-23 NSIC) on Sunday at 11 a.m.
The Series... The Peacocks have had their trouble defeating the Vikings over the past five seasons. UIU is 0-9 against Augie since the 2009 season. The Peacocks have fared much better against both the Beavers and Golden Eagles in that time span. UIU is a perfect 11-0 against BSU and 9-3 against UMC since 2006.
On Deck... With the Northern Sun Conference Tournament beginning on May 2nd, the Peacocks will look for a strong regular season finish this week in order to secure a playoff berth for the first time in four years.
Last Week... The Peacocks earned back-to-back sweeps in conference play thanks to big contributions from three seniors who were playing in their final home weekend in the Peacock uniform.
Rachael Anello,
Hailley Haning and
Bailee Haberman propelled the Peacocks to a pair of wins on Saturday and then helped extend Upper Iowa’s win streak to five games with two wins over the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs inside the Eischeid Softball Complex. The SMSU sweep at home gives the Peacocks a 23-13 overall record including a 10-6 mark in the NSIC.
Playoff Picture... With May 2nd right around the corner, teams in the Northern Sun Conference are beginning to jockey for playoff position. The top ten teams are gauranteed a trip to the conference tournament and currently the Peacocks sit in eighth place. UIU has made the postseason tournament only two other times in its school history. Under then Head Coach Christina Missildine, the Peacocks secured a playoff spot in 2007 and in 2009, but both of those tournament runs ended quickly. Upper Iowa is just 1-4 in the NSIC Conference Tournament all-time.
“Flood” of Emotions... Over her past six appearances, freshman pitcher
Jacqueline Flood has posted an 1.83 earned run average. During that stretch, Flood also posted a one-hitter against the University of Mary, and earned a season-high 11 strikeouts against Concordia University, St. Paul. The Mount Vernon, Illinois native was also solid against Sioux Falls this past Saturday as she went ten innings from the rubber giving up only four hits and no earned runs. What’s even more impressive, is that Flood connected on a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth inning to defeat USF, 4-2. She is currently first on the team with 28 total RBIs.
All-Day, R.A.... Senior first baseman
Rachael Anello currently has the longest hit streak on the team, a stat that spans the past 11 games. During that timeframe, Anello has a total of 18 hits and 14 RBI. Currently, the Heartland Community College ranks second on the team with a .359 batting average, 41 hits and 11 doubles, while also contributing the third-most runs batted in with 21. The Bartlett, Illinois native has also been solid on defense racking up the team’s highest fielding percentage for any starter. This past weekend, Anello celebrated her two-year career at Upper Iowa with a senior-day sendoff that included a NSIC weekend sweep. Anello racked up seven hits against USF and SMSU, while earning two doubles and a total of three runs batted in.
Hey “Bay-Lee”... Second only to Anello, senior left-fielder
Bailee Haberman is currently on a six-game hit streak. What’s more, she has recorded 13 hits in her last 11 games. Currently, she is fourth on the team with 34 total hits and third on the squad with 9 doubles. Last season, Haberman broke into the top ten all-time at Upper Iowa with a .319 batting average. This year, the North Torrence High School product and LA Harbor College transfer is hitting .315, slugging just under .400 and holds the fourth-best on base percentage at .398.
May the Force Be With You, Young Padawan... Mature beyond her years, freshman pitcher
Brooke Redmond has been stellar in 2013. The Basehor, Kansas native owns a 1.66 earned run average in her past five appearances which has helped her move up to 17th in the NSIC with a 3.11 total ERA. Redmond matched a season-high with six strikeouts this past weekend against SMSU, while allowing only three hits and no earned runs in a 4-3 game one victory.
Tune In With PSN... With the most recent schedule changes, the Peacocks weekend games will now be broadcast live online on the
Peacock Sports Network (PSN). Both games will be available to watch live online by
clicking here, or you can click on the live stats links above to follow along on the computer or through your phone.
