The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament
Tournament Page || Stats || Bracket || Scoreboard
Directions to the RCTC Dome in Rochester, MN
Game Notes: Upper Iowa || Minot State || Northern Sun Conference
This Weekend in Peacock Softball... Last weekend, the Peacocks earned four wins to secure their first playoff appearance since the 2009 season. This Thursday, UIU - which wrapped up the fifth seed in the playoffs - will head north to the RCTC Dome in Rochester, Minnesota for its first-round matchup with fourth-seeded Minot State (36-7, 18-6 NSIC). The Peacocks and Beavers will battle it out on the South Field beginning at 11 a.m. to kickoff the 2013 Northern Sun Conference Tournament.
The Series... The Beavers hold a 3-1 advantage all-time against Upper Iowa including a split this year back on April 6 in Fayette. MISU and UIU have met only one other time, but the Beavers took both of those contests back in 2012.
On Deck... In usual double-elimination format, the Peacocks are guaranteed two games in the NSIC tournament. UIU will play both of those games on Thursday if the Peacocks lose their first game, or UIU will advance to Firday if they beat MISU in the first round.
She’s No. 1 ... Last year,
Hailley Haning (#1) burst on the scence at Upper Iowa and led UIU with a .361 batting average. Well, her encore is an even better senior season. The Armington, Illinois product had a team-high 15 runs batted in and 13 hits last week, while slugging .692. Haning also tied
Whitney Williams as the duo both scored a team-high nine runs. Haning, who transferred to UIU as a junior from Heartland Community College, is ranked 12th or higher in the NSIC in 4 different categories. She also is tied for 17th in the conference with teammate
Katie Mnichowicz with 33 runs scored in 2013. In just two years at Upper Iowa, Haning has set multiple school records, including a program-best 38 RBIs this year. She also ranks third in career batting average (.369), 6th in career doubles (23), 8th with 121 career hits and 7th all-time with 66 career runs batted in.
Bank of “Am-Erica”... Sophomore catcher
Erica Kirgan was money last weekend against Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston as she racked up double-digit RBIs (10) and led the team with a .900 slugging percentage. The Ankeny, Iowa native hit an even .400 from the batter’s box and earned her third home run of the year.
“WILL- I - AMs”... Sophomore
Whitney Williams has been a diamond in the rough for UIU in 2013. Not only is she second on the squad among starters in batting average, but her .377 average is ranked 13th in the conference as well. The Pella, Iowa native is also second on the team with 9 steals, which ties her for 12th in the NSIC. This past week, Williams was above .500 in both batting average (.524) and slugging percentage (.571). She also drove in three runs, scored nine times and had the second most hits on the team with 11.
Right on “Tara-get”... Catcher
Tara Duran is one of only two sophomores in 2013 to earn 20 or more RBIs during the regular season. Duran collected three RBIs against the Peacocks’ NSIC opponents this past week while slugging .583 and hitting .333. The Colorado Springs native has led UIU in hitting all year long and currently holds a .417 batting average, which ranks fifth all-time in UIU school history. Her team-high .475 on-base percentage also cracked the top-ten list in school history ranking ninth. The Liberty High School product also leads the team this year with a .597 slugging percentage, which ranks ninth all time at UIU. Duran is currently second on the team with a .984 fielding percentage from behind the plate.
Cold-“Flooded”... After earning her tenth victory of the season from the rubber in game two against Minnesota Crookston on Sunday,
Jacqueline Flood joined teammate
Brooke Redmond in becoming just the 2nd pair of pitchers in school history to earn double-digit victories in a season. Redmond and Flood set history though, as they were the only freshman duo to accomplish simultaneous ten-plus-win seasons. This year, Flood earned a one-hitter against the University of Mary, posted a season-high 11 strikeouts against Concordia University and recorded two shutouts. The Mount Vernon, Illinois native has also been impressive from the batter’s box, racking up 31 runs batted in and scoring 25 runs.
It’s Routine for 13... This season,
Rachael Anello (#13) has made tough plays look routine from the batter’s box and from first base. Currently she is admist the team’s longest hitting streak at 17 games while her five home runs and two grand slams are also team-highs. Anello joined three others in 2013 in the top ten all-time at UIU with 12 doubles, while her .585 slugging percentage ranks nith all time. Anello also finished the year tied for seventh all-time with home runs (5), and tied for ninth all-time with 50 hits.
“Bails” Never Fails... Despite 15 of the 16 Peacock hitters batting over .333 last week, no one was swinging the bat more effectively than senior leftfielder
Bailee Haberman. Haberman hit .643 and slugged .786, while drawing a team-high 7 walks against Augustana, Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston. The Torrence, California native’s .452 on-base percentage this season is currently ranked 11th in the NSIC, while her 9 doubles are tied for ninth-most in the conference. After earning nine runs batted in last week, Haberman moved up to third on the squad with a total of 28 RBIs this season.
“Six”-teen or Better... Brooke Redmond (#6) is currently ranked 16th or better in the conference in four different categories. Her 14 wins from the pitching circle rank tenth in the league, while her 114.2 innings pitched fall in at 15th. She also holds the 15th spot in the NSIC with a .249 opposing batting average. Redmond posted a 1.05 ERA and went 3-0 in four appearances last week bumping her up to the 14th spot in the NSIC with a 2.75 cumulative earned run average this season. Redmond posted 13 strikeouts and held the Peacocks’ opponents to a .192 batting average last week. Her 14-5 record is also tied for the second most wins by a Peacock pitcher in school history. This year, Redmond leads the Peacocks with 14 complete games from the rubber.
Follow Along... You can follow all of the action from the NSIC Softball Tournament from the comfort of your own home. Just click on the scoreboard, bracket and stats pages above to view all of the action as it happens live. You can also follow the action through
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