THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK SOFTBALL… The Upper Iowa University softball team returns home for a pair of NSIC doubleheaders against the University of Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State University on Apr. 17 and 18. Saturday's doubleheader against Minnesota Crookston is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. on Apr. 17 while Sunday's two-game set is scheduled for a 12 p.m. start on Apr. 18 at the Eischeid Softball Complex in Fayette, Iowa.

ATTENDANCE POLICY & LIVE OPTIONS… UIU Athletics will not restrict fan attendance for the games at Eischeid Softball Complex. Spectators will not be allowed on the field of play, on the team sidelines, or in the team dugouts any time before, during, or following competitions. In addition, fans will be asked to follow the guidelines set by Upper Iowa Athletics, and these can be found on UIUPeacocks.com. Live stats and a webcast for the games will be available through the links at UIUPeacocks.com/Live and included on this story. The games will also stream live on the new NSIC Network app through Roku and Fire devices, as well as Apple and Android TV. Search for "NSIC Network" to find the app on your relevant device. Locally, all four of the weekend's games are scheduled to be broadcast on KCRG-TV 9.3.

LAST AT BAT… The Peacocks went 2-4 last week as they played a trio of NSIC doubleheaders from Apr. 6 to 11. UIU dropped both games of their week-opening doubleheader against Concordia, St. Paul at home by scores of 5-4 and 8-1. On the road for the first time in NSIC play, Upper Iowa fell 4-3 and 3-0 against SMSU in Marshall, Minn. before sweeping Sioux Falls in a pair of one-run games in which the Peacocks prevailed 3-2 and 1-0. In their pair of wins against USF, Peacock pitchers Abby McKay and Sydney Wilcox each pitched a complete-game win. McKay recorded six strikeouts and Wilcox notched four K's in UIU's first shutout win of the season.

PACING THE PEACOCKS... Payton Kastenschmidt is pacing the Peacock offense as she leads the team in hitting (.414), on-base percentage (.443), and on-base plus slugging (1.046). Over the previous week of play, she hit a three-run home run against CSP and helped the Peacocks pick up a pair of wins over USF as she hit 2-4 (.500) with an RBI in a 3-2 win in game one before driving in the lone run in a 1-0 win in game two. Katie Crogan leads UIU hitters in a number of categories as her 28 hits, 16 runs batted in, eight doubles, five home runs, and .646 slugging percentage are team-highs. Crogan's 12 runs, .354 batting average, and 1.032 on-base plus slugging rank second on the team. Peacock pitcher Abby McKay leads the squad in just about every major category from the circle. McKay holds a 3.59 earned run average, a 6-7 record with 10 complete games, and allows a team-best .298 average to opposing hitters. McKay's 87.2 innings pitched lead the NSIC, and her 96 strikeouts (1.1 per inning) rank fourth in the conference.

"CON-GRADUATIONS," GRADUATES... Four Peacocks will be honored during Sunday's doubleheader as they wrap up their final season in Fayette. Kaitlyn Carlson, Payton Kastenschmidt, Amanda Williams, and Emily Draeger will all be graduating after the season and will be moving on from the program. The Peacock quartet has combined to play 271 games thus far, notching a combined 149 hits and 80 runs batted in. Carlson is hitting .220 on the season with 11 hits, 10 runs, and two RBI. Kastenschmidt is hitting a team-best .414 on the year with 24 hits, six runs, 13 RBI, and is second on the team with three home runs. Williams is hitting .274 this season with 20 hits, 11 runs, 12 RBI, a team second-best five doubles, and two home runs. Draeger hits .273 this season with six hits, four runs, three RBI, and one home run.

GROUNDING THE GOLDEN EAGLES... The University of Minnesota Crookston comes into their matchup against the Peacocks with a 6-20 (2-10 NSIC) record. The Golden Eagles offense hits .226 as a team with 150 hits, 87 runs (3.35 per game), 67 RBI, 31 doubles, seven triples, and 11 home runs. The Crookston pitching staff has compiled a 4.36 ERA and 118 strikeouts while allowing a .311 average to opposing hitters.

BESTING THE BEAVERS... Bemidji State University holds a record of 8-18 (4-8 NSIC) heading into the weekend. On offense, the Beavers hit .222 as a team with 145 hits, 91 runs (3.5 per game), 83 RBI, 22 doubles, one triple, and 10 home runs. Bemidji's pitchers have recorded a 4.77 ERA and 137 strikeouts while allowing a .322 batting average to opponents. The Mustangs are scheduled to play a doubleheader against #21 Winona State University prior to their matchup with Upper Iowa.