THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK SOFTBALL… Upper Iowa is in the final stretch of spring ball as they close out the regular regular season with two home matches this weekend. They welcome Northern State on Saturday for two games at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and MSU Moorhead on Sunday with two contests at 1 p.m. and 3 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.
PEACOCK HUE REVIEW… The Peacocks faced four NSIC opponents last week: Augustana, UMary, Minot State and Concordia. Throughout the course of the eight games, they posted a 1-7 record on the week picking up one win against the Marauders. Upper Iowa started their road stretch in Sioux Falls, S.D against Augustana University and fell in both games with scores of 12-3 and 16-0. They continued their weekend in the Dakotas in a doubleheader with the University of Mary. They earned a split on the day, winning the first game 5-4 (8 Inn.) and dropping the second, 12-6. The Peacocks wrapped up their weekend in the Dakotas with a doubleheader in the Air Bubble against Minot State. The Peacocks suffered a heartbreaker in the second game after a walk-off in the ninth inning by the Beavers, resulting in their 4-3 defeat. They fell in the first game by a score of 5-1. They ended at home on Tuesday as they hosted the University of Concordia, St. Paul in a double header. The Peacocks suffered two losses as they dropped game one 5-1 and game two 8-3.
A PEEK INTO THE RECORD BOOK… Several Peacocks have the opportunity to be etched into the softball record book after this season.
Ari Charles has totaled 35 stolen bases this season and 44 in her career. These numbers have placed her at the top of the list for stolen bases in a single-season, above Jessica Gress (2007) who recorded 24. Charles sits at fourth on the career leaderboard with 44, below Sami Kay Shafranski (2016-19) who tallied 47. Gress holds second place with 56, while Jena Kilburg (2004-07) is the overall leader with 61.
Laila Pelds is in the running to make it into the record books for batting average in a single season. With her current .391 average at the plate, she would creep into the 12th place spot. However, with at least four more games to go in the regular season, she has the opportunity to improve that mark.
SENIOR SATURDAY… Peacocks softball will honor their seniors during Saturday's matchup against Northern State. The three players to be recognized are Carly Jeanes,
Sadie Carpenter and Sam Jessie. Come out to support your Peacock seniors as they will be celebrated between games.
NSIC STATISTICS… As we take a closer look into the NSIC leaderboards, UIU has created several noteworthy marks throughout the season. As a whole, the Peacocks are seventh in the conference in team batting average with .296.
Laila Pelds has been impressive in her junior season as she has recorded a .391 average up to this point, notching her sixth in the NSIC.
Ari Charles continues to lead the way in the stolen base category, as she has nabbed 34 bases, placing her first on the conference leaderboard.
Delaney Vetter is fifth in the NSIC for the number of batters she has struck out as she has sat down 95 batters so far this season.
SCOUTING THE WOLVES… Northern State matches up well with Upper Iowa on paper with a 14-30 mark on the season and an 8-16 record in the conference, placing them 12th in the standings. In their most recent matchups, they have split games with UMary and Minnesota State. The Wolves are 10th in the standings for pitching, with a combined ERA of 4.45. However, they are at the bottom of the leaderboard in batting average with a combined total of .251 at the plate. NSU is led by Kyra Knudtson at the plate, who is hitting .318 with 11 doubles and three home runs.
SCOUTING THE DRAGONS… MSU Moorhead is 28-12 on the year with a 16-6 record in the NSIC, placing them fourth in the overall standings. The Dragons pose a large threat at the plate with a team batting average of .333, the second best mark in the conference. In their last two doubleheader matchups, they defeated Concordia, St. Paul and then split games with Minot State. MSU Moorhead is notched in seventh in the pitching category with a team combined ERA of 3.78. The team is led at the plate by Mack Gallagher who is hitting .419 (third in the NSIC) with 11 doubles and ten home runs.
NSIC POSTSEASON… Upon qualification, the 2023 NSIC Softball Tournament will consist of the top ten teams in the NSIC final standings competing in a double elimination format on May 3-6 at the RYFSA Complex in Rochester, Minnesota. Upper Iowa currently sits in 13th place with four regular season games remaining.
