Iowa softball starting pitcher Jalen Adams went 2-0 on the weekend to fuel the series sweep over Penn State, moving the Hawkeyes to 28-16 on the year and 10-6 in Big Ten play.
It’s all or nothing time right now for the Iowa softball team. Entering the weekend, the Hawkeyes had 12 more regular season games to boost its resume and make a case for an appearance in the NCAA tournament.
Knowing she would have the ball in her hands twice, Adams was prepared to give her team as many innings as possible on the mound.
Her efforts started on Saturday in game one of the series.
Adams threw her 14th complete game of the season, giving up one run on just two hits, and guided the Hawkeyes to a 2-1 victory to open the weekend.
Iowa would win game two of the series,10-2. This put the ball in Adams’ hands with a chance to earn the team’s second consecutive sweep over a conference opponent.
She performed just as well the second time around. Throwing all seven innings once more, Adams gave up one run again on five hits to fuel the 3-1 win.
While the strikeout totals were particularly low in these starts, Adams credits the coaching for her ability to keep Nittany Lion batters at bay.
“I think just going with what pitches Coach Karl [Gollan] was calling and throwing each pitch to the best of my ability was my strategy today,” Adams said.
There hasn’t been a more demanding pitcher in the Big Ten than Adams. Her 158 total innings mark the most in the conference. Despite this output, Adams has stayed consistent, posting a 2.08 earned run average for fifth best in the Big Ten.
“That’s how she’s been all season long,” catcher Desiree Rivera said. “She pushes herself so hard. You know, whatever happens on the mound, you are just proud of her because you know she’s giving it her all.”
Right now, the Hawkeyes are on the brink of elimination from at-large NCAA Tournament contention.
The team’s 28-16 record is impressive, but with all of the college softball media outlets having Iowa on the outside looking in, the Hawkeyes need to win as many games as possible to finish the season.
There is urgency in the air, but Hawkeye players and coaches aren’t worried. The only thing the team is concerned about is taking each game one out at a time. With this mindset, they believe the rest will take care of itself.
“Just good quality softball,” assistant coach Sammy Diaz said when talking about the team’s mindset going forward. “That’s something that me and Coach Karl continue to tell the girls. That’s all we need. Good, quality softball. I think the girls have done an amazing job in continuing to fight.”
Iowa will finish the season with weekend series against Michigan State and Rutgers, two teams who find themselves in the bottom four of the Big Ten standings. Right now, the Hawkeyes find themselves in fifth place in the conference, but there’s still plenty of season left to leap up the rankings.