'Winds set to take on Hawkeyes
Michael Vaught
Issue date: 4/8/09 Section: Sports
The Westerwinds face the Iowa Hawkeyes Wednesday and will try to redeem a 2-0 loss they suffered last season.
After sweeping last week's doubleheader against St. Louis, the 'Winds (14-14) had a week off to prepare for the upcoming contest. The Hawkeyes will be the third Big Ten opponent the team has faced this season.
The last meeting between the two teams came on April 30, 2008, when Iowa defeated Western Illinois in a close match. Nikki Marinec and Britt Mason were the only two Western players to get a hit, and Lori Pankratz picked up the loss, throwing six strikeouts and allowing six hits.
The 29-9 Hawkeyes will be another challenge for the 'Winds, who have had experience facing big-name schools like No. 13 Missouri, as well as other Big Ten schools Wisconsin and Minnesota. The 'Winds were able to beat Minnesota twice this season, but lost 4-2 to Wisconsin in the SIU tournament.
Western won four of the last five games they played. The 'Winds have been led by the bat of freshman infielder Jamie Goss, who went 5-for-6 at the plate last week.
In addition to offensive production, the 'Winds also have good pitching efforts. Junior pitcher Lori Pankratz (3-6) had a strong outing against St. Louis, striking out five and allowing only four hits in her first shut-out of the season, Game 1 of the doubleheader.
The 'Winds have continued to focus on the fundamentals throughout the season, and Coach Holly Van Vlymen has continued to stress that, "there is still room for improvement."
The defense has been improving. Earlier this season, the 'Winds would lose games due to costly errors but are now winning games because of big defensive plays from players like sophomore outfielder Colleen Biebel, who has 23 putouts and two assists this season.
The Hawkeyes (29-9) were swept this weekend by Penn State on April 4. In the first game, Penn State won by a score of 1-0 and then took the second game of the doubleheader by a score of 2-1.
Despite Saturday's losses, Brittany Weil entered the Hawkeye record book as she broke Iowa's all-time strikeout record. The senior leads the Hawkeye pitching staff with a team-low 1.10 ERA with 211 strikeouts in 147 innings of work.
The only other Hawkeye pitcher who has seen action this year is Amanda Zust. The junior has thrown 96 strikeouts from the circle and has walked 48 batters with a 1.33 ERA on the year.
Leading the Hawkeye offense that has out-hit opponents by 151 this year is Collee McGlaughlin. The senior has a team-high 41 hits and 34 RBIs with a .342 batting average. Liz Watkins has chipped in with 28 hits and six home runs on the year.
The Winds play the Hawkeyes at McKee Stadium Thursday at 4 p.m.
After sweeping last week's doubleheader against St. Louis, the 'Winds (14-14) had a week off to prepare for the upcoming contest. The Hawkeyes will be the third Big Ten opponent the team has faced this season.
The last meeting between the two teams came on April 30, 2008, when Iowa defeated Western Illinois in a close match. Nikki Marinec and Britt Mason were the only two Western players to get a hit, and Lori Pankratz picked up the loss, throwing six strikeouts and allowing six hits.
The 29-9 Hawkeyes will be another challenge for the 'Winds, who have had experience facing big-name schools like No. 13 Missouri, as well as other Big Ten schools Wisconsin and Minnesota. The 'Winds were able to beat Minnesota twice this season, but lost 4-2 to Wisconsin in the SIU tournament.
Western won four of the last five games they played. The 'Winds have been led by the bat of freshman infielder Jamie Goss, who went 5-for-6 at the plate last week.
In addition to offensive production, the 'Winds also have good pitching efforts. Junior pitcher Lori Pankratz (3-6) had a strong outing against St. Louis, striking out five and allowing only four hits in her first shut-out of the season, Game 1 of the doubleheader.
The 'Winds have continued to focus on the fundamentals throughout the season, and Coach Holly Van Vlymen has continued to stress that, "there is still room for improvement."
The defense has been improving. Earlier this season, the 'Winds would lose games due to costly errors but are now winning games because of big defensive plays from players like sophomore outfielder Colleen Biebel, who has 23 putouts and two assists this season.
The Hawkeyes (29-9) were swept this weekend by Penn State on April 4. In the first game, Penn State won by a score of 1-0 and then took the second game of the doubleheader by a score of 2-1.
Despite Saturday's losses, Brittany Weil entered the Hawkeye record book as she broke Iowa's all-time strikeout record. The senior leads the Hawkeye pitching staff with a team-low 1.10 ERA with 211 strikeouts in 147 innings of work.
The only other Hawkeye pitcher who has seen action this year is Amanda Zust. The junior has thrown 96 strikeouts from the circle and has walked 48 batters with a 1.33 ERA on the year.
Leading the Hawkeye offense that has out-hit opponents by 151 this year is Collee McGlaughlin. The senior has a team-high 41 hits and 34 RBIs with a .342 batting average. Liz Watkins has chipped in with 28 hits and six home runs on the year.
The Winds play the Hawkeyes at McKee Stadium Thursday at 4 p.m.
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