THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK SOFTBALL… Upper Iowa opens the season with four neutral site games in Mankato, Minn. The Peacocks have a double header on Friday, Feb. 2 against MSU-Mankato at 5:30 p.m. and Minnesota Duluth at 7:45 p.m. They will follow that up with consecutive games on Saturday, Feb. 3 against Concordia-St. Paul at 3:15 p.m. and Southwest Minnesota State at 7:45 p.m.

LIVE COVERAGE OPTIONS… There are numerous ways for you to stay connected to Peacock softball this week. Webcasts for the weekend can be viewed at https://nsicnetwork.com/msumavericks/ and live stats can be found at https://msumavericks.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary. Both links will be included with this story.

2023 RECAP… The Peacocks are coming off a 17-26 season where they accumulated a 9-16 record in conference play. Their 2023 campaign was highlighted by a three-game win streak where they mercy ruled Holy Family in six innings, scored ten runs against Lynn and shutout Saint Rose. The Peacocks also closed out the season with consecutive victories over Northern State.
 
GLVC PRESEASON COACHES' POLL… UIU was picked to finish 12th out of 14 teams in their first season competing in the GLVC. The Peacocks received 38 points and they rank one spot below Truman State and one spot above Southwest Baptist. The poll is led by reigning GLVC Regular Season Champions, Indianapolis, as they received all 13 first place votes they were eligible for, and a total of 169 points. Reigning GLVC Tournament Champions, Lewis, finished second in the poll with 146 points.

NEW COACH AT THE HELM... Head Coach Aubrey Honeycutt is ready to begin her first season at Upper Iowa.  Honeycutt spent her past two seasons as a head coach at Black Hills State and has previously served as a lead assistant at Seward County CC and Sioux Falls.
 
HIGHLIGHTING THE HITTERS… The Peacocks return 13 players from last season, which includes ten hitters. Senior Laila Pelds hit a team-high .396 average and led the Peacocks with five home runs and 29 RBIs. She recorded the second most hits with 53 and added six doubles on the year. Senior Ari Charles posted the second-best average at .382 and led the team with 58 hits. The Peacocks recorded four triples as a team last season, with three coming from Charles. She scored a team-high 33 runs and added eight doubles on the year. Senior Rae VanMilligan recorded a .303 batting average with 37 hits and 22 runs. She added two home runs and recorded the second most RBIs on the team with 28. Sophomore Serah Shafer scored on 75% of her hits as she finished the season with 32 hits and 24 runs. Sophomore Taylor Sedam posted a .320 average with 40 hits and 20 RBIs while recording the second most home runs with three. Sophomore Kylie Doty posted a .355 batting average and senior Hannah Bridgewater hit a home run against SMSU.
 
PITCHING TRIO… All three of UIU's go-to pitchers are back from last season, highlighted by the return of senior Delaney Vetter. Vetter recorded a 6.05 ERA and led the Peacocks with 100 strikeouts in 108 innings of action. She allowed a .274 batting average against and recorded a season-high 14 strikeouts in only six innings against Southern Connecticut, while not allowing a single run in the Peacock victory. Senior Abby Buckman posted a 6.35 ERA and had UIU's best win percentage with a 6-4 mark. Buckman pitched 61 strikeouts, which included a season-high ten against American International. Junior Rylee McGonigle recorded 25 strikeouts on the year, which included an eight-strikeout shutout performance against Ursuline.

MSU-MANKATO PREVIEW… The Mavericks are coming off a 31-19 season where they posted a 20-10 conference mark. Senior Ellie Tallman posted a team-high .384 average, with 58 hits and 27 runs. She added four triples and two home runs while finishing the season with 27 RBIs. Senior McKayla Armbruster allowed a 1.91 ERA at the mound and recorded a 21-10 record with 201 strikeouts in 187 innings.

MINNESOTA DULUTH PREVIEW… The Bulldogs recorded a 40-13 record with a 22-6 conference mark. After winning the NSIC Tournament Championship, Minnesota Duluth reached the NCAA Tournament where their season came to an end in the regional round. Senior Kiana Bender posted a .369 batting average and she scored 50 runs on 58 hits. Bender hit for 16 doubles, seven triples and seven home runs while adding 49 RBIs. Senior Lauren Dixon accumulated a 1.50 ERA with a 21-5 record on the mound. She threw 228 strikeouts in 172 innings and allowed a .182 batting average against. For the second straight season, she was named Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year and was voted 2023 NSIC Pitcher of the Year.
 
CONCORDIA ST. PAUL PREVIEW… The Bears went 30-28 with a 13-15 conference record in 2023. Senior Alexus Houston scored a team-high 42 runs with 56 hits. She added nine doubles, three triples and six home runs with 29 RBIs. Junior Erica McCullough went 9-7 with 60 strikeouts and one shutout on the year.
 
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE PREVIEW… The Mustangs posted a 17-32 record with a 12-18 mark in conference play. Senior Jillian Noel led the team with 29 runs, while recording a .293 batting average with 43 hits. She hit half of SMSU's home runs with four and added eight doubles. Junior Karlie Miller recorded 82 strikeouts and added a shutout against Wayne State.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS… The Peacocks will be back in action for double-headers on Sunday, Feb. 18 and Monday, Feb. 19. UIU faces St. Cloud State at 6 and 8 p.m. on Sunday, and Winona State on Monday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.