THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK SOFTBALL… The Upper Iowa University softball team wraps up its 2022 regular season campaign on the road with a quartet of doubleheaders. UIU takes on Concordia University, St. Paul at 2/4 p.m. on Tuesday, Apr. 26, before facing Winona State University at 2/4 p.m. on Thursday, Apr. 28. Upper Iowa matches up against Minnesota State University Moorhead at 1/3 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 30, before closing the season against Northern State University on Sunday, May 1, at 12/2 p.m.

FOLLOWING THE ACTION... Live stats and webcasts for all games will be available through the links at UIUPeacocks.com/Live and included with this story. The games will also stream live on the new NSIC Network app through Roku and Fire devices and Apple and Android TV. Search for "NSIC Network" to find the app on your relevant device. Additionally, The @UIU_Softball Twitter account will have gameday updates before, during, and after the games as the team will be live-tweeting the action.

LAST TIME IN PEACOCK SOFTBALL… The Peacocks went 4-2 to improve to 20-21 overall and 11-10 against NSIC competition. UIU started the week by dropping a pair of challenging games against No. 12 Augustana University, falling by 3-2 (8 Inn.) and 10-2 (5 Inn.). The Peacocks out-hit the Vikings and pushed the nationally-ranked home team to extra innings in game one, but AUGIE won each game in walk-off fashion after winning by run rule in game two. Upper Iowa rebounded over the weekend to sweep their final four home games, winning 4-2 and 10-2 (5 Inn.) against Minot State University before winning 14-4 (5 Inn.) and 6-5 against the University of Mary on Senior Day.

GOODBYE, GRADUATES… Five Peacocks were honored for Senior Day on Sunday. Katie Crogan, Kaylee Frenette, Sara Jessie, Calista Brockman, and Sydney Wilcox will all be graduating after the season and will conclude their Upper Iowa careers. The quintet has a combined 20 seasons of experience and 599 games played. Crogan will go down as one of Upper Iowa's all-time leading hitters and has set multiple single-season records this season. Frenette will finish in or near the top-10 all-time in numerous offensive categories. Jessie and Brockman have had career years in their third season of play and have propelled a powerful Peacock offense. Wilcox has been a triple-threat with contributions in the circle, in the outfield, and in the batter's box, and she has paced the Peacock pitching staff this season in every major category while setting multiple career-highs. On Senior Day, three Peacock graduates (Crogan, Brockman, and Wilcox) hit home runs in game one to help secure a win.

SHE'S THE (BROCK)MAN… Calista Brockman threw a "Brock" party of epic proportions this weekend. The No. 5 hitter started the homestand off in style with a 3-3, six RBI, two double game against MiSU in which she had three different two-RBI hits. The six runs batted in set the high-water mark for a Peacock this season and tied for the third-highest single-game total in the NSIC. Calista kept "Brock"-ing and rolling against UMary, tallying three RBI in each game of the twin bill. She was 2-3 with a home run in game one before going 1-3 with a double and a run in game two. The Freedom, Wis. native finished the 4-0 weekend hitting .500 (6-12) with 12 RBI, three doubles, two runs, and a round-tripper. Brockman is having a career year with increased opportunities and is second on the team in doubles (10), third in home runs (4), RBI (38), and slugging percentage (.524), and fourth in batting average (.314).

OUTSTANDING OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT… Upper Iowa has been one of the NSIC's best offensive teams this season. The Peacocks rank second in runs with 268, good for 6.54 runs per game, which is the 26th-best mark in NCAA DII. UIU also ranks second in the NSIC in RBI with 248 while hitting .314 as a team, the NSIC's fourth-best mark. UIU's third-ranked on-base percentage (.393) is bolstered by leading the NSIC in hit-by-pitches with 47, a total that ranks sixth in DII. Katie Crogan is the leader of the potent Peacock offense, and she is the top dog in NCAA DII in batting average (.520), OBP (.591), and RBI per game (1.66) while ranking third in RBI (68), fifth in slugging percentage (.992), ninth in home runs per game (.37) and total homers (15), and 24th in hits (64). Sara Jessie continues to lead DII in hit-by-pitches (21) and HBP/game (.51) while ranking ninth nationally in runs per game (1.24).

PEACOCK POSTSEASON PUSH… With just one week remaining in the regular season, the Peacocks are primed for a postseason push. Upper Iowa played its way into the top eight teams in the Northern Sun Conference and has gone from ninth to seventh with eight games remaining. The top ten teams make the 2022 NSIC Tournament, so UIU can control its destiny with a strong finish. Their first doubleheader is a battle against the team in front of UIU in the standings, the sixth-seeded CSP Golden Bears. Upper Iowa would trade spots with Concordia, St. Paul with a series sweep as UIU would be 13-10 while CSP would be 13-11. The Peacocks (11-10) are two games up in the loss column on eighth-seeded Wayne State University (10-12), three games up in the win column over ninth-seeded Minot State (8-10), and tenth-seeded Southwest Minnesota State University (8-11). Should the Peacocks earn a spot in the 2022 NSIC Tournament, it would be UIU's first postseason appearance since winning the 2016 NSIC Tournament Championship and earning an NCAA Tournament bid.

GEARING UP FOR THE GOLDEN BEARS… Concordia, St. Paul holds a record of 30-11-1 and is 13-9 in the NSIC. The Golden Bears hit .303 with 352 hits, 217 runs (5.17/game), 195 RBI, 72 doubles, five triples, and 36 home runs. Amanda Parsons leads the CSP offense with a .465 average, 59 hits, and 15 doubles. Clara Heislen leads the team in runs (39) and home runs (12) while tying Parsons for second with 31 RBI. Golden Bear pitchers have compiled a 2.80 ERA and 222 strikeouts while allowing a .257 opponent batting average. Bryanna Olson leads the team with a 16-6 record and 141 K's, good for a 2.39 ERA over 146.2 innings.

WITHSTANDING THE WARRIORS… Winona State is 31-11 (17-3 NSIC) and is scheduled to face No. 18 Minnesota State University, Mankato before playing the Peacocks. The WSU offense hits .344 with 397 hits, 264 runs (6.29/game), 246 RBI, 78 doubles, three triples, and 52 home runs. Abbie Hlas leads qualified hitters, is second in RBI (30), and is tied for second with six homers. Warrior pitchers have compiled a 3.91 ERA and 335 strikeouts while allowing a .250 opponent batting average. Two-time NSIC Pitcher of the Week, Liz Pautz, leads the WSU staff with a 2.50 ERA, a 20-4 record, 151 innings pitched, 263 K's, and a .199 opponent batting average.

DOWNING THE DRAGONS… MSU Moorhead holds a 6-32 (3-19 NSIC) record and is set to face Minot State before seeing UIU. The MSUM offense hits .219 with 195 hits, 108 runs (2.84/game), 93 RBI, 34 doubles, one triple, and six home runs. Annika Norman leads MSUM with a .302 average, while Avery Steffen leads the team in doubles (8), home runs (4), and RBI (18). The Dragons pitching staff has compiled an 8.26 ERA and 110 strikeouts while allowing a .367 opponent batting average.

WITHERING THE WOLVES… Northern State is 11-33 (3-19) and is scheduled to face UMary and Winona State prior to playing the Peacocks. The NSU offense hits .278 with 322 hits, 168 runs (3.82/game), 149 RBI, 47 doubles, four triples, and 32 home runs. Liv Richardson leads NSU with a .410 average, 57 hits, 13 doubles, and 32 RBI, while her 23 runs and eight homers rank second to Alexandria Arndt's 26 and nine, respectively. The Wolves pitching staff has compiled a 5.96 ERA and 262 strikeouts while allowing a .314 opponent batting average. Meghan Anderson leads the team with an 8-14 record, a 4.00 ERA, and 192 K's in 138.1 innings.