UNI Softball Plays Host to Illinois State

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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Panthers (23-22, 8-11) host the Illinois State Redbirds (18-28, 9-10) this weekend as UNI plays its first three-game series outdoors. The Panthers played outside last Sunday, but the first two games of that series were played in the UNI-Dome.

First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader is set for 12:00 p.m. Sunday's first pitch time is 11:00 a.m.

Seniors Brittney Roby and Kennedy Bailey will be presented with their diplomas following game two on Saturday.

The Panthers look to catch fire as they play their last two series before postseason play begins.

PANTHERS HEADLINES –

The Panthers (23-22, 8-10) face off against conference foe Illinois State (18-28, 9-10) in Cedar Falls. The Panthers have played their last nine games of their last ten games at home.
The Panthers are (5-8) so far in April games this season. Last year, UNI was (14-5) in April matchups.
The Redbirds enter the weekend on a five-game conference losing streak, after being swept by Drake, and dropping two of three to Bradley.
Northern Iowa has a 25-74-1 all-time record against Illinois State. The Panthers' last victory against the Redbirds came in 2017, in an 8-2 road win.
Under head coach Ryan Jacobs, the Panthers are 12-19 against the Redbirds.
The Panthers swept the season series against the Redbirds in 2017, with all three games being played at Illinois State.
After struggling to find the long ball for a majority of the season, the Panthers drove three balls over the fence in their series last weekend against Indiana State. 3 of 15 home runs this season for UNI came against the Sycamores.
Following this weekend's series against Illinois State, the Panthers close out the regular season on the road at Southern Illinois.
Olivia Brooks has been making the most out of her recent starting appearances. The sophomore outfielder has 11 hits in her last 17 at-bats and has also scored four runs and tacked on an RBI in her last six games.
Brittney Roby continues to be the energizer for the UNI offense out of the leadoff spot. Roby leads the Panthers' primary starters in batting avg. (.404), runs (26), hits (63) and stolen bases (11). Roby was named Second-Team all-MVC as a firstyear 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 overcome the sophomore slump in 2018. The UNI shortstop leads the team in extra-base hits (14), home runs (5), RBI (28) and slugging percentage (.516). Bunch is one of two Panthers this season to be named MVC Player of the Week.
Brooke Craig has already set career-highs across the board in her third season of pitching at UNI. Craig leads the Panthers in wins (12), innings (125.2) and strikeouts (72). The righty's wins, strikeouts, and inning totals are higher than her first two seasons combined. The junior out of Waterloo also has four shutouts on the year.

HOW TO WATCH –

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

For game this season that are broadcast on ESPN+, there will be a subscription fee to use ESPN+ ($4.99/monthly, $49.99 annually).

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.

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