THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK SOFTBALL…
Upper Iowa heads south to Hays, Kan. for the FHSU Crossover Tournament hosted by Fort Hays State University. The Peacocks will play four games in two days, beginning with a matchup with the No. 12 Lady Bisons of Harding University on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 10 a.m. UIU will close out day one with a 2 p.m. start against the Lopers of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. On Sunday, Feb. 18, UIU will battle the Hillcats of Rogers State University at 9 a.m., and will close out the tournament with a game against the host Tigers of FHSU at 11 a.m.
 

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PEACOCK STORYLINES...

SCHEDULE CHANGE: The Peacocks were originally scheduled to play at the UAM 9-State Classic this weekend in Bentonville, Ark., but forecasted weather in the area forced a cancellation of the tournament. UIU Head Coach Amanda Bradberry announced a change to play in Kansas, and get four of the six games back on their schedule.

FAYETTE SLUGGERS: Last season, Upper Iowa slugged just .371 as a unit on offense. However, 2018 is off to a great start in that category. The team is slugging .500, and are led by Julia Buffington's 1.000 percentage. Three of her five hits are of the extra-base variety (2 doubles, 1 home run), and has tallied 10 total bases. Katie Crogan's .846 slugging percentage is built on a team-leading three doubkes and the team's lone triple, while Amanda Williams has tallied a double and a home run to slug .700.

WIND AND DELIVER: In the circle through four games, the Peacock pitching staff has put together a 1.93 earned run average, ranking third in the Northern Sun Conference. Jaclyn Thompson is 1-0 with a 0.87 ERA in 10.1 innings of work, and has just allowed 7 hits thusfar. Emily Kisch's sophomore camapign is off to a good start, recording a 1.29 ERA in 14.0 innings pitched.
 

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SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS…

#12 HARDING: The Lady Bisons (3-1) picked up wins over Missouri Western State, Northwest Missouri State, and Central Missouri at the UAM Softball Challenge in Bentonville, Ark. last weekend. The team has combined for a 1.81 ERA in the circle.

NEBRASKA-KEARNEY: The Lopers (1-4) dropped their last four at the Desert Stinger Classic in Las Vegas two weeks ago. UNK is hitting .283 as a team with 23 runs scored on 34 hits.

ROGERS STATE: The Hillcats (8-4) are coming off sweeps against Northwestern Oklahoma State and Fort Hays State. Alex Brake threw a five-inning no-hitter in the 10-0 win over the FHSU Tigers.

FORT HAYS STATE: The Tigers (2-7) have lost six of their last seven games, including a 10-0 loss to RSU and a 6-5 loss to OBU. FHSU has wins over UC Colorado Springs and St. Edward's this season.