Softball's home finale
Brendan Stiles - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: Sports
The Iowa softball team was supposed to conclude the home portion of its schedule on Tuesday with a double-header against North Dakota State.
However, the Bison had to postpone their trip to Iowa City because of inclement weather affecting previous games it was slated to play in Fargo.
As a result, the Hawkeyes are playing their home finale this evening against Western Illinois, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Pearl Field.
Iowa (35-17, 12-6) is coming off two unsettling defeats at the hands of Big Ten foe Indiana on Sunday, and it seeks to regain its swagger.
"I think it was great that we were able to find a makeup game," junior Colleen McGlaughlin said. "It's our last home game, and it's always good to have home games.
"It's great that Coach [Gayle Blevins] could find another one and just get us some more good competition and more good practice going into our final Big Ten game."
While tonight's contest would normally be considered "Senior Night," neither of Iowa's two seniors, catcher Emily Nichols and infielder Summer Downs, will be in the lineup for the Hawkeyes because of what Nichols called "a prior engagement."
Even though there's a slight possibility Iowa could be one of the host NCAA regional sites when the NCAA Tournament kicks off in two weeks, Nichols wishes she could be there for the team. But at the same time, she didn't seem too upset about missing what's, in all likelihood, her final home game in a Hawkeye uniform.
"I have many days that I can look back on where I played at Pearl Field, so I don't really need a last day," Nichols said.
Although this meeting with Western Illinois was scheduled just a week ago, the familiarity aspect could be beneficial for Iowa. The Hawkeyes and Westerwinds met each other in Iowa's season-opener Feb. 15 at the Metrodome Tournament in Minneapolis, with the Hawkeyes winning, 2-0.
Knowing a thing or two about the Westerwinds might be helpful, but the Hawkeye players are more concerned about what they need to work on.
"I think mostly, though, we just need to make sure we play our game, not focus on our opponent too much," McGlaughlin said. "Just go in and play our game."
After this contest with Western Illinois, the Hawks will shift their attention back to the Big Ten, where it finishes the conference schedule at Illinois this weekend before entering the Big Ten Tournament next week.
The players seem confident that as long as they remain consistent with their current approach, they should also remain on track for not only a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament but a bid in the NCAA Tournament, as well.
"We just want to build on consistency, just making sure we're working well as a team," Nichols said. "I think we're set. I think we're going to do really well, so I don't think we need to work on a lot of big things."
E-mail DI reporter Brendan Stiles at:
brendan-stiles@uiowa.edu
However, the Bison had to postpone their trip to Iowa City because of inclement weather affecting previous games it was slated to play in Fargo.
As a result, the Hawkeyes are playing their home finale this evening against Western Illinois, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Pearl Field.
Iowa (35-17, 12-6) is coming off two unsettling defeats at the hands of Big Ten foe Indiana on Sunday, and it seeks to regain its swagger.
"I think it was great that we were able to find a makeup game," junior Colleen McGlaughlin said. "It's our last home game, and it's always good to have home games.
"It's great that Coach [Gayle Blevins] could find another one and just get us some more good competition and more good practice going into our final Big Ten game."
While tonight's contest would normally be considered "Senior Night," neither of Iowa's two seniors, catcher Emily Nichols and infielder Summer Downs, will be in the lineup for the Hawkeyes because of what Nichols called "a prior engagement."
Even though there's a slight possibility Iowa could be one of the host NCAA regional sites when the NCAA Tournament kicks off in two weeks, Nichols wishes she could be there for the team. But at the same time, she didn't seem too upset about missing what's, in all likelihood, her final home game in a Hawkeye uniform.
"I have many days that I can look back on where I played at Pearl Field, so I don't really need a last day," Nichols said.
Although this meeting with Western Illinois was scheduled just a week ago, the familiarity aspect could be beneficial for Iowa. The Hawkeyes and Westerwinds met each other in Iowa's season-opener Feb. 15 at the Metrodome Tournament in Minneapolis, with the Hawkeyes winning, 2-0.
Knowing a thing or two about the Westerwinds might be helpful, but the Hawkeye players are more concerned about what they need to work on.
"I think mostly, though, we just need to make sure we play our game, not focus on our opponent too much," McGlaughlin said. "Just go in and play our game."
After this contest with Western Illinois, the Hawks will shift their attention back to the Big Ten, where it finishes the conference schedule at Illinois this weekend before entering the Big Ten Tournament next week.
The players seem confident that as long as they remain consistent with their current approach, they should also remain on track for not only a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament but a bid in the NCAA Tournament, as well.
"We just want to build on consistency, just making sure we're working well as a team," Nichols said. "I think we're set. I think we're going to do really well, so I don't think we need to work on a lot of big things."
E-mail DI reporter Brendan Stiles at:
brendan-stiles@uiowa.edu
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