UNI softball opens season with annual Doc Halverson Classic tournament

UNI vs. Omaha

2:30 p.m. | Feb. 10
Cedar Falls, Iowa | UNI-Dome

UNI vs. Omaha

12:30 p.m. | Feb 11
Cedar Falls, Iowa | UNI-Dome

UNI vs. Iowa State

5:30 p.m. | Feb. 11
Cedar Falls, Iowa | UNI-Dome

UNI vs. Iowa State

11:30 a.m. | Feb. 12
Cedar Falls, Iowa | UNI-Dome

UNI vs. South Dakota

4:30 p.m. | Feb. 12
Cedar Falls, Iowa | UNI-Dome

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The 2023 Panther softball campaign begins this weekend in a familiar location.

The annual Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic begins Friday at noon in Cedar Falls. UNI will be hosting four teams over the weekend in Omaha, Iowa State, Drake, and South Dakota. The Panthers will play everyone but Drake, saving any competitions against the Bulldogs for the Missouri Valley Conference season. The round-robin tournament will run from Friday, Feb. 10 until the evening of Sunday, Feb. 12. Admission to the tournament is $10 per day. Fans are encouraged to bring food with them to the tournament as concessions will not be open over the weekend.

THE PANTHERS:
- After a record-setting season, UNI looks to get back into the NCAA Tournament in 2023. The Panthers picked up the MVC regular season title and made it to the championship game of the Valley tournament, where their season ended.
- The Panthers smashed multiple team records in 2022 on their way to the MVC regular season title. In particular, UNI excelled at-bat, setting new records for both slugging percentage (.505) and home runs (66). The Panthers also set win records for most conference wins (22) and longest win streak (16).
- UNI returns three seniors for the 2023 season including pitcher Kaylin Packard, infielder Brooke Snider, and infielder Hannah Kelley.
- The Panthers return all but one of their starters in 2022. The one starter UNI lost was senior outfielder Kamryn Shaffer. But the Panthers will likely be without another key player for most of the season. MVC Player and Defensive Player of the Year Emmy Wells will be sidelined after receiving Tommy John surgery this fall.
- The Panthers enter the 2023 season as the MVC favorites, having garnered 9 preseason first-place votes in the preseason coaches poll. It's the third time in program history UNI has been tabbed as the MVC's first-place team and the first time the Panthers have been selected as the preseason favorite in back-to-back years.

THE MAVERICKS:
- Omaha finished the 2022 season second in the Summit League standings posting an overall record of 32-14. The Mavericks made it to the Summit League Championship, forcing a second game against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. The Jackrabbits would claim the tournament title in the second game, shutting out Omaha 5-0.
- The Mavericks were tabbed second in the 2023 Summit League Preseason Poll released on Wednesday morning with two players, pitcher Kamryn Meyer, and utility Lynsey Tucker selected as Athletes to Watch.
- Meyer is Omaha's ace as last season, she was named to All-Region and All-Conference squads. Meyer led the Summit League in ERA (1.13), opponent batting average (.138), strikeouts (285), shutouts (12), and wins (22) and ranked in the NCAA top-25 in six categories. She became the program's single-season strikeout leader in the final week of the regular season notching her 260th of the year.
- Tucker joins Meyer on the Athlete to Watch list and holds the highest batting average of the Maverick's returning lineup. Tucker hit .322 with 28 total hits, including nine doubles and a triple, and tallied 27 runs, 36 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. She was another All-League selection for Omaha in 2022.
- Head Coach Mike Heard enters his second season at the helm in Omaha. He compiled a 32-14 overall record in his first year with the Mavericks. Over his seven-year head coaching career, Heard's record sits at 184-110 with Head Coaching positions at NAIA Midland and Omaha.

THE CYCLONES:
- Iowa State finished the 2022 season with a 28-27 overall record, marking the first time since 1988-1989 the Cyclones had back-to-back winning seasons.
- The Cyclones were picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 preseason poll with 16 points.
- Iowa State returns quite a bit of its lineup in 2023 including 75 percent of its stolen bases, 83 percent of its at-bats, and 97 percent of its innings pitched from last season. This includes three players who earned All-Big 12 honors last season, Mikayla Ramos (Second Team), Carli Spelhaug (Second Team), and Angelina Allen (Freshman).
- Two Cyclones come into the season eyeing new program records. Pitcher Ellie Spelhaug is four saves shy from becoming Iowa State's all-time leader in saves while catcher Mikayla Ramos enters the 2023 season 18 RBIs shy of being the all-time leader in RBIs at 132 career RBIs. Infielder Erica Miller (2010-13) is currently ISU's all-time RBI leader with 149 career RBIs.

THE COYOTES:
- South Dakota ended its 2022 season with a 28-23 record for the second-most wins under current Head Coach Robert Wagner. The Coyotes' 2022 season ended in the Summit League Tournament against Omaha in the semifinal round after a tumultuous final game of the year.
- The Coyotes were picked fourth in the Summit League Preseason Poll. South Dakota had a 28-game turnaround between the 2021 and the 2022 seasons for one of the best turnarounds in the nation. The Coyotes are expected to improve this year as they return several of their all-Summit players from just a year ago.
- Two South Dakota Players named Players to Watch by the Summit League are third baseman Aleesia Sainz and pitcher Clara Edwards. Sainz was a Summit Player of the Year nominee in 2022 as she led the conference in OPS at 1.166 and had a team-high .343 batting average with 11 home runs, 37 runs, and 43 RBIs. As a true freshman last year Edwards shined in the circle, going 16-14 with a 2.75 ERA leading the Summit in innings pitched at 193 2/3 innings.
- The Coyotes return all seven of their All-Summit performers from 2022. This includes Sainz, Edwards, first-teamers designated player Jordyn Pender and center field Courtney Wilson, along with catcher Bela Goerke, outfielder Gabby Moser, and infielder Tatum Villotta.

THE BULLDOGS:
- Drake finished the 2022 season with a 21-29 record but a winning MVC percentage of 14-12. The Bulldogs' season ended against the Panthers in 2022 as UNI run-ruled Drake in five innings in the semi-final round of the MVC Tournament.
- The Bulldogs were picked to finish seventh in the MVC Preseason Poll released on Jan. 31. Drake received one-first place vote and had a total of 79 points in the poll decided on by Valley Head Coaches.
- Senior designated player Emily Vaultman received the only All-MVC Preseason nod for the Bulldogs. Last season Vaultman hit for a .348 average with a 1.027 OPS, 57 hits, and a team-high 12 home runs.
- Drake returns three players that received All-MVC recognition in 2022 along with Vaultman. Infielder Addie Lightner was named to the All-Defensive Team as well as the All-MVC Second Team. Utility Paige Bedsworth and outfielder Delaney Taylor were also named to the second team in 2022.

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