Hawkeye softball faces challenging slate
Iowa softball faces five teams this weekend in the USF Series, hoping to stretch its six-game win streak.
Iowa’s Aralee Bogar prepares to receive a throw at second during Iowa’s Big Ten tournament game against Ohio State at the Goodman Softball complex in Madison, Wisconsin on Friday, May 11. The Hawkeyes defeated the Buckeyes 5-1.
February 28, 2019
Iowa softball’s current six-game win streak is one of its longest in recent memory. The team hopes to keep it going this weekend in the USF Series in Clearwater, Florida.
The Hawkeyes will take on Western Michigan and Binghamton on Friday, Middle Tennessee State and South Florida on Saturday, and Ball State on March 3.
Iowa saw some of its most productive action of the season last weekend, in which it picked up five wins in the Citrus Classic and an additional exhibition win against the Czech National Team.
In addition to all of those wins, the Hawkeyes made gains in their offensive prowess. Junior transfer DoniRae Mayhew came into her own and led the team with 3 doubles and a home run, batting .625 on the weekend. She holds a season average of .385.
Senior Mallory Kilian is also getting it done for the team, ranking just behind Mayhew for second on the team in batting average at .308.
Sophomore Aralee Bogar was a powerful force in the opening weeks of the season but had a relatively quiet weekend. She knocked back 5 hits in 2019’s opening weekend and hit for .417, but the utility player ended last weekend with a season batting average of .205.
On the flip side, ace pitcher Allison Doocy has been nearly unstoppable this season. The right-hander is leading the squad with a 1.69 ERA. She’s been consistent with 58 innings pitched – the next closest player has 15.1.
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Doocy picked up three wins last weekend, and her work against Fordham on Feb. 23 helped the team get its first of two weekend shutouts.
“It was a great weekend for us,” Iowa head coach Renee Gillispie said in a release. “The girls are playing great right now. I am really proud of our team and how they responded…We did the little things well and that’s what helped us this weekend.”
However, the team will see some tougher competition this weekend.
In the first day of competition, the Hawkeyes will take on Western Michigan and Binghamton. Western Michigan started the season 0-5 but is led by Mackenzie Swinehard, who is hitting .529 on the year. Binghamton is 3-1 in its young season.
Iowa will take on Middle Tennessee and South Florida on Saturday afternoon. Both teams have had relative success in their early seasons. Middle Tennessee knows how to get its offense going, scoring 14 runs in a game against Siena on Feb. 23.
To end the weekend, Iowa will face Ball State on Sunday. Ball State – which brings an 11-5 record into the weekend – might be the toughest competitor at the USF Series.
Iowa is a young team with only two seniors, so most of its matchups include more veteran-heavy competitors. Paired with a first-year head coach in Gillispie, it makes for interesting times for the Iowa softball program.
Long slates of games – like the upcoming weekend for the team – test the grit of any softball team. It’s still a young season for this team, but it has a lot of work to do before Big Ten competition kicks off on March 22.
