As Soo-Jin Berry’s throw hit the glove of first baseman Talia Tretton, the capacity crowd at Pearl Field in Iowa City erupted with joy. The Iowa softball team had knocked off No. 21 Nebraska, 5-2.
Perhaps the most excited person on the field was Iowa pitcher Jalen Adams, who pitched a complete game for the 11th time in this 2025 season. Adams allowed two runs, none of which were earned, on eight hits. She also struck out seven Husker hitters, walking just two of them.
Flashback to Friday, and this result would have been a dream. The Hawkeyes fell to the same Nebraska team, 12-0 in five innings. Adams earned the start, but it was a forgettable one. The Iowa ace allowed six runs and walked six batters in only 1.1 innings pitched.
Adams would have to wait until Sunday for her next appearance in the circle, and her coach says something clicked during the off period.
“It was a switch mentally that helped her find her stuff,” interim head coach Karl Gollan said after Sunday’s win. “In previous months, she’s trying to fix all things physical, but sometimes there is a mental component to it, and now she’s really starting to have a high level of self-awareness and evaluate her performance.”
“I didn’t change too much,” Adams added. “I just do what I do, know I put the work in and trust my defense behind me.”
For Adams, it’s always been a team-first mentality. Whatever she can do for the team, she does, and she doesn’t focus too much on her personal performance.
It took a total team effort to back up Adams in Sunday’s victory, including an outstanding double play turned by second baseman Jena Young, who caught a line drive before diving to second base to complete the double play for the first two outs in the top of the seventh.
“I just have a lot of trust in my teammates,” Adams said. “I know that they have my back, I knew they had faith in me, so all you can do is learn from it. I just took Friday and learned from it, and used it today.”
Nebraska got on the board first in the third, but Adams settled in as she didn’t allow a baserunner until the sixth inning.
In the seventh, Adams faced more pressure as the first two batters reached base for the Huskers. With runners on second and third, a line drive to Young led to an unassisted double play to fire up the team and the crowd. Adams forced the next batter to ground out, securing the Iowa win.
Adams focused on her mental approach and trusted her mechanics to get the job done in the finale after a rocky start on Friday.
“She’s able to evaluate her performance, and where she went wrong,” Gollan said about Adams. “And it doesn’t distract her or detract her from whoever the opposition is, no matter how good. She understands that if she executes, she’s going to give our team a chance.”