Fresh off the Iowa softball team’s bye week, head coach Marla Looper will go back to the place she once called home. The three-game series against the Longhorns will be the team’s  first game since March 2.

Looper spent 11 years as an assistant in Texas before coming to Iowa.

“It’s challenging as a coach to go back to your alma mater or former place of employment because you get a little excited, and sometimes your energy gets used elsewhere,” Looper said. “So I need to calm down a bit before the game starts.”

The Hawkeyes are trying to turn the corner after starting the season on the wrong foot. The team is 4-10 so far, 1-4 in their last five games.

Texas seems be an important matchup to see how the team has improved over the last week.

“We did a mini team camp, and the kids worked hard,” Looper said. “By the end I saw a little more competitive fire than I’ve seen all year.”

— by Jack Rossi