THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK SOFTBALL… The Upper Iowa University softball team heads to St. Joseph, Mo. from Mar. 19-20 for four games at the Fairfield Inn and Suites Classic. After a projected forecast of rain canceled contests for Friday, Mar. 18, the Peacocks will play an altered schedule against a trio of teams to close their non-conference slate. UIU is scheduled to play the University of Nebraska at Kearney at 4 p.m. and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 19. On Sunday, Mar. 20, the Peacocks are scheduled to play the University of Nebraska at Kearney at 3 p.m. before closing the Classic against tournament host Missouri Western State University at 5 p.m.

FOLLOWING THE ACTION... There are multiple ways for fans to follow the Peacocks on the road. The @UIU_Softball Twitter account will have gameday updates before, during, and after the games as the team will be live-Tweeting the action. Fans can also follow @UIUPeacocks on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and head to UIUPeacocks.com to get results as soon as they become available. UIUPeacocks.com/LIVE will link to live stats provided by MWSU for each game. Live video will only be available for Sunday's contest against MWSU, and a link to the subscription-based MIAA Network is available on UIUPeacocks.com/LIVE.

IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE… Fans who make their way to St. Joseph, Mo. can attend the Fairfield Inn and Suites Classic. The cost of admission to the tournament is $10 per day for adults, $5 per day for youth, students, and senior citizens, and free for children six and under.

LAST TIME IN PEACOCK SOFTBALL… The Peacocks went 6-3 in nine contests at The Spring Games from Mar. 5-10 to improve to an 8-8 mark on the season. UIU opened their road trip with an emphatic 21-0 (5 inn.) win against Stonehill College, the program's most runs since the 2019 season, before sweeping day one with a 4-2 win over Nyack College. The Peacocks improved to 3-0 at the tournament with a 9-1 win in five innings against Nyack on Mar. 6. On Mar. 7, UIU fell 10-9 in nine innings against Lewis University before bouncing back with a 6-2 win over Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. The Peacocks started Mar. 9 with a 9-1 (5 inn.) win over Walsh University (Ohio) before a 7-4 loss to Shippensburg University. Upper Iowa split its final day at The Spring Games on Mar. 10 with a 4-2 loss against East Stroudsburg University before a 6-2 win against the College of Saint Rose.

STATS AT THE SPRING GAMES… The Peacocks needed just 17 innings to win their first three games by a 34-3 margin as they ended two contests by run rule. Overall, UIU outscored its opponents 70-29. The Peacocks did most of their damage in the first, third, and fifth innings, scoring 14, 20, and 17 runs in those respective innings over the nine games. All six UIU wins came when holding opponents to two or fewer runs. Defensively, Sydney Wilcox compiled a 1.73 ERA and three wins in six starts with five complete games. Offensively, Katie Crogan, Sara Jessie, and Amelia Fitzgerald each hit over .400. The trio combined for 38 of 73 hits, 35 of 70 runs, and 33 of the 66 RBI. Crogan hit .462 (12-26) with 11 runs, 18 RBI, three doubles, and two homers while slugging .808 and reaching base at a .545 clip. Jessie hit .444 (12-27) with 14 runs and six RBI while notching a .545 on-base percentage. Fitzgerald hit .412 (14-34) with 10 runs, nine RBI, three doubles, and one home run. Other notable performances included two round-trippers by Calista Brockman, a .500 OBP for Hannah Bridgewater, 10 runs from Kaylee Frenette, and eight RBI from Ari Charles. Rylee McGonigle and Abby Buckman each notched their first career wins in the circle. McGonigle went 2-0 with a 2.50 ERA in 14.0 innings, while Buckman went 1-1 with a 4.0 ERA in 7.0 innings.

TOP TEN TALENTS… A handful of Peacocks rank within the top ten in the Northern Sun Conference for numerous statistical categories. Crogan and Fitzgerald rank seventh and eighth, respectively, with batting averages of .444 and .441. Fitzgerald's 26 hits rank sixth in the conference. Crogan leads the NSIC with 29 runs batted in and has cranked five home runs to tie for the third-most in the conference, just one round-tripper behind the NSIC-leading total of six. Crogan's 1.417 on-base plus slugging (OPS) leads the conference, her .867 slugging percentage ranks second, and her .544 on-base percentage ranks third. The graduate student is also one of three Peacocks in the top ten for runs scored: Sar. Jessie is tied for first with 20, Crogan is tied for sixth with 16, and Frenette's 15 ties for ninth. Jessie is tied for the conference lead with seven hit-by-pitches, while Bridgewater is tied for third after getting plunked six times. In the circle, Wilcox's nine complete games tie for the NSIC lead, her five wins tie for the eighth, and her 2.39 ERA ranks 11th.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION... The University of Nebraska at Kearney is 10-12 (4-0 MIAA) on the year. The Lopers have outscored opponents 101-97 despite being outhit, thanks in part to a 3.67 to 4.49 edge in ERA. UIU is 3-0 all-time against UNK, including a 7-0 win in the last meeting in 2018. Wisconsin-Parkside is 3-13 this season. The Rangers have been outscored 95-35 and outhit .333 to .216, and they have allowed a 5.50 ERA compared to a 1.62 opponent ERA. UIU is 7-3 all-time against UWP, including a back-and-forth 4-3 win earlier this season on Feb. 25. Missouri Western State holds a 7-13 (2-2 MIAA) record. The Griffons have been outscored 89-78 and outhit .284 to .245, and their pitching allows 4.69 earned runs per game while their opponents concede 3.91. MWSU is 4-0 in the all-time series against UIU, including a 4-0 win at last season's Fairfield Inn and Suites Classic.