UNI vs. ISU Pushed to Thursday

Thursday, April 12

Cedar Falls, Iowa (UNI-Dome)

7 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

Iowa State

UNI vs. ISU Pushed to Thursday

4/10/2018 2:59:00 PM | Softball

uni-softball-game-notes--ISU

Cedar Falls, Iowa – The game between UNI and Iowa State has been moved to Thursday, and will be played in the UNI-Dome.

First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.

PANTHERS HEADLINES –

Northern Iowa has a 39-39-1 all-time record against Iowa State. The Panthers last victory against the Cyclones came in 2016, in a 3-2 win over Iowa State at home.

The Panthers look to build on their recent winning ways, as they have gone 4-1 in their last five games against conference foes.

The NCAA released the first RPI rankings of the season on March 20. UNI was ranked No. 92 on April 8 and is the 4^th-highest RPI ranked team in the MVC.

Brittney Roby continues to be the energizer for the UNI offense, out of the leadoff spot. Roby leads Northern Iowa in batting avg. (.417), at bats (120), runs (26), hits (50) and stolen bases (10). Roby also leads the Missouri Valley Conference in batting average and hits and is top-three in runs scored. Roby was named to Second-Team all-MVC as a first-year transfer in 2017. The senior outfielder has also been named MVC Player of the Week once this season.

Sammey Bunch, the reigning MVC Freshman of the Year, has conquered the sophomore slump in 2018. The UNI shortstop leads the team in extra-base hits (13), home runs (4), RBIs (26) and slugging percentage (.529). Bunch was one of two Panthers this season to be named MVC Player of the Week.

Head coach Ryan Jacobs has the Panthers playing well in tight games this season. Northern Iowa is 5-1 in games decided by one run, with the last one-run game coming against Missouri State on March 31. The Panthers outlasted the Bears, in a 2-1 effort.

Freshman Emma Olejniczak has enjoyed recent success on the mound for UNI, pitching 18.1 innings without allowing an earned run. The righty has also picked up a complete game shutout for her third win of the season. In her first season at UNI, Olejniczak has three complete game shutout victories, and set a career-high in strikeouts (7) in a 7-0 win over Valparaiso on April 8.

Brooke Craig has set career-highs across the board in her third season of pitching at UNI. Craig leads the Panthers in wins (10) and innings (89.2) and is second in strikeouts (51). The righty's wins, strikeouts, and innings totals are higher than her first two seasons combined.

Kennedy Bailey, one of two seniors on the UNI Softball team, has been getting on-base at a phenomenal pace this season. Bailey is second on the team in avg. (.354), and is first in walks (19), hbp (6) and on-base percentage (.484). The Panther's first baseman is third in the conference in on-base percentage.

HOW TO WATCH –

The game will be broadcast on ESPN3, with links provided via social media, as well as the UNI athletics website.

LIVE STATS –

Live stats will be made available via the UNI athletics website (www.UNIPanthers.com). Fans and media can visit @UNISoftball on Twitter for links to the feed.

FUTURE PANTHER GAMES -

For more information on future Panther softball games, and to see their entire 2018 schedule, visit: http://bit.ly/2E0QlW5.

TICKETS –

Admittance for all UNI Softball home games will be free this season.

SOCIAL MEDIA -

For the latest information on Panther Softball, follow @UNISoftball on Twitter, unisoftball on Instagram and @UNIPantherSoftball on Facebook.