The Iowa softball team will open its 2011 season today in Athens, Ga., at the Black and Red Showcase. The team will play Lipscomb and Maryland today, East Carolina and host No. 3 Georgia Saturday, and finish the Showcase against Illinois State on Feb. 13.

All five of the Hawkeyes’ opponents qualified for the NCAA regionals last season, with Georgia reaching the final four of the College World Series.

Lipscomb is the defending champion of the Atlantic Sun conference, led by 2010 conference Pitcher and Player of the Year Whitney Kihul, and East Carolina won the regular-season and tournament titles in Conference USA.

The Hawkeyes return six starters and 11 letter winners from last season’s 25-23 squad. They are led by first-year head coach Marla Looper and junior catcher Liz Watkins, a two-time All-Big-Ten selection who hit .328 last season; she has 14 home runs and 76 RBIs in her Hawkeye career.

— by Sam Louwagie