THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK SOFTBALL… The Upper Iowa University softball team will open their 2021 season in Rosemont, Ill. with a four-game slate as part of the Dome Invitational on Feb. 18 and 19. The Peacocks will play two games each day, with Thursday's action coming against Lewis University at 1:30 p.m. and Quincy University at 3:30 p.m., and Friday's contests being against the University of Wisconsin Parkside at 1:30 p.m. and the University of Findlay at 3:30 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE PEACOCKS... There are several options for staying up to date on UIU softball while the team is on the road. For the Peacock matchup with Lewis University, live stats produced by the Flyers will be available on UIUPeacocks.com/LIVE and can be accessed through the links in this story and on the schedule. Follow @UIU_Softball on Twitter for game day updates before and after the action. Final scores will be posted on Upper Iowa's official social media pages, and box scores will be posted online as soon as they become available.  

PREVIEWING THE 2021 CAMPAIGN… Upper Iowa has been selected 13th overall in the 2021 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Peacock softball team is ready to get back onto the field this spring under second-year Head Coach Ashley Hickman. Hickman and Assistant Coach Jessica Vernon have been working with the team at the Eischeid Softball Complex and in the Peacock Arts and Athletics Center to prep for the season ahead. In the pandemic shortened season of 2020, Upper Iowa was 6-11 overall and just about to take off for their final non-conference tournament of the season before their 30-game NSIC slate when the season was halted. The team will be led by returners Katie Crogan, Abby McKay and Kaylee Frenette. Crogan is a career .362 hitter for UIU with 129 hits and a slugging percentage of .601 thanks to 26 doubles, a triple and 19 home runs; the Peacock first baseman has driven in 102 runs while scoring 66 times. McKay appeared in nine games last season as a freshman and made six starts in the circle throwing 44.1 innings while posting a 3-4 record with a 5.21 ERA. Frenette has played in 64 games through two years with the Peacocks making 62 starts and recording a .327 average with 69 hits, 48 runs and 21 RBI. Due to the NCAA's season of competition waiver, the 2021 roster for Upper Iowa features 20 players including five juniors, two sophomores and 13 freshmen; of the baker's dozen notated as freshman, six will be in their second year in the program.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION… The Lewis University Flyers have a 2-2 record this season and are coming off a double-header sweep of Concordia-St. Paul following consecutive losses against Minnesota State, Mankato. After being shutout in the two games versus Mankato, the Flyers won 13-5 in six innings and 13-4 in five innings in their sweep of CSP. The Quincy University Hawks will be playing their first game of the season against the Peacocks on Thursday, Feb. 18. The Hawks were picked to finish 12th out of 15 Grand Lakes Valley Conference teams in their 2021 Preseason Poll following a 6-11 record in 2020 before their season was halted due to the pandemic. The Rangers of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside will play their first games of the season on Feb. 18 at the Dome Invitational. The Rangers were picked to finish last in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll in 2020, and the team finished 8-8 in non-conference action before their season was halted. The University of Findlay Oilers will be playing their first game of the 2021 season against the Peacocks on Friday, Feb. 19. The Oilers were picked to finish 4th out of 12 Great Midwest Athletic Conference teams in the 2021 preseason poll following a 12-6 record in their pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.