THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK SOFTBALL… Upper Iowa (21-20, 13-13 NSIC) will play its final two conference doubleheaders of the regular season at Eischeid Softball Complex. The Peacocks were originally scheduled to kick off the weekend against Minot State University on Saturday at 1 p.m., but rain in the forecast has caused that game to be moved up a day. UIU will now host MiSU on Friday for Strikeout Cancer Day at 2 p.m. before closing the regular season on Sunday against the University of Mary at noon for Senior Day.

LIVE OPTIONS… Fans who can't make it to the game have several options to follow the action from home or on the go through the links above or UIUPeacocks.com/Live. Webcast and live stats will be available for both doubleheaders. All four games can also be streamed live on the NSIC Channel through Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple and Android TV's, and a TV schedule will be finalized and announced via social media on game day.

STRIKEOUT CANCER… Friday's doubleheader with the Minot State Beavers will have a special meaning for everyone involved. The Peacocks are hosting Strikeout Cancer day, and all players will go out on the diamond and play for a loved one they either lost to cancer or is currently battling cancer. A ceremonial pitch will be thrown prior to game one. The team will also wear special jerseys Friday that will be auctioned off following the season. The money raised will be donated to cancer research and funding at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa.

SENIOR SENDOFF… The UIU softball program will honor five seniors in between the two games against UMary on Sunday afternoon. Erin Drahozal, Julia Buffington, Jaclyn Thompson, Jenny Budds, and Sami Kay Shafranski have put in countless hours over the last four years, guiding the program to over 100 wins including an NSIC Tournament Championship and two NCAA Central Region Tournament victories in 2016. The senior hitters have combined for 473 hits, 296 runs scored, 59 doubles, 10 triples, 30 home runs, 158 RBI and 90 stolen bases in four years, while the graduating pitchers have compiled 22 wins, 16 complete games and 201 strikeouts in 332.3 innings of work.  

ABOUT THE BEAVERS… Minot State (24-19, 13-13 NSIC) rebounded from going 1-5 last week with a sweep of the University of Minnesota Crookston on Wednesday afternoon in Minot, N.D. With a walk-off 9-8 victory in eight innings over SMSU on Saturday and the midweek sweep, the Beavers are now on a three-game win streak. Minot State is currently in a three-way tie for 7^th place in NSIC standings with UIU and the University of Sioux Falls. The Beavers are hitting .314 as a unit with 360 hits, 237 runs scored, 207 RBI, 55 doubles, 17 triples and 14 homeruns. The MiSU pitching staff posts a 5.11 ERA.

ABOUT THE MARAUDERS… UMary (21-25, 12-14 NSIC) is also on a three-game win streak after splitting with Sioux Falls on Saturday and taking two from Bemidji State University on Wednesday afternoon. The Marauders won both games against BSU by scoring eight runs in the fifth inning to initiate a pair of run-rule victories. UMary moved into a two-way tie with Southwest Minnesota State University for 10^th place in NSIC standings with the midweek sweep. The Marauders are hitting .299 as a team with 375 hits, 236 runs scored, 204 RBI, 65 doubles, 16 triples and 29 homeruns. The UMary pitching staff holds a 5.41 ERA. The Marauders are scheduled to face No. 7 Winona State University prior to the DH with Upper Iowa.

UP NEXT… The Peacocks are currently tied for the seventh spot in NSIC standings and are looking to stay within the top-10 in order to participate in the NSIC Softball Tournament on May 2-4 in Rochester, Minn. for the first time since 2016 when Upper Iowa won the tournament and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Central Region Tournament. With several possibilities of how this weekend's games will play out across the conference, the Peacocks will await their final seeding for the tournament.