By Jacob Miller
After an extra week of preparation, the Iowa softball team will go up against some of its best competition yet as it tries to end its seven-game losing streak.
This weekend, the Hawkeyes will compete in the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, California. They will face Florida and Fresno State today, Washington on Friday, and Arizona State and Cal on Saturday. All the Hawkeyes opponents are ranked except Fresno State. Both Florida and Washington are ranked in the top 10 and Arizona State and Cal are ranked No. 20 and 23.
“I am looking forward to playing Florida,” senior Kaitlyn Mullarkey said. “They’re always one of the best teams in the nation, and it’s always great to play against good competition like that.”
The premier matchup, and arguably their toughest competition this weekend, will be against Florida, which is ranked third in the nation. The Gators are 15-1, with their only loss coming against Maryland on Feb. 18. Unlike the Hawkeyes, Florida is on a seven-game winning streak. This kind of dominance is something head coach Marla Looper hopes her squad will be able to achieve in the future.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” Looper said. “Every time you step on the field and you cross those white lines, it’s a challenge, and you want it to be a challenge. The whole point in scheduling these tournaments is to play the best, because then you beat them and then you become them. We can’t become one of the best in the Big Ten and one in the country if we shy away from these opportunities.”
History is against the Hawkeyes in their matchup against Florida; the Gators lead the series 4-1, and the only time Iowa was victorious was in 1997. Even though the Gators are a dominant team, the Hawkeyes are full of energy for today’s matchup. Instead of playing last weekend, Looper and the Hawkeyes had extra time to look over film and practice their craft, but this left many of them restless and ready to get back on the dirt.
“I am just excited to play the competition that we are,” junior Sarah Kurtz said. “There’s nothing better than playing the top-notch competition. If anything, it’s going to prepare us better for conference and if we compete like we can, it’s going to prepare us even better come May.”
A big thing Looper has been preaching in the early parts of the season is taking advantage of the opportunities they are given in games. For the Hawkeyes, this weekend is a huge opportunity for them to get better and hopefully get out of the losing column and start notching some wins.
“We got to take care of the little yellow thing,” Looper said. “The ball is the most important whether we’re in the circle, or throwing it, or on defense. We’re taking care of it playing catch on offense, attacking pitches that we can produce from, and executing in situations, and moving runners and manufacturing runs. The challenge is not giving up too many free opportunities.”