University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Iowa
Panther softball to close regular season hosting Iowa, visiting Valparaiso
4/29/2024 12:31:00 PM | Softball
UNI guaranteed a top-three finish in MVC standings with final conference series scheduled for the weekend.
UNI softball (28-15 / 12-5 MVC) vs. Iowa (16-25 / 4-15 Big Ten)
- 5 p.m. CT | May 1, 2024
- Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex | Cedar Falls, Iowa
- ESPN+
- LIVE STATS
UNI softball (28-15 / 12-5 MVC) at Valparaiso (8-36 / 2-17 MVC)
- 3 p.m. CT | May 3, 2024
- Valpo Softball Complex | Valparaiso, Ind.
- ESPN+
- LIVE STATS
UNI softball (28-15 / 12-5 MVC) at Valparaiso (8-36 / 2-17 MVC)
- 2 p.m. CT | May 4, 2024
- Valpo Softball Complex | Valparaiso, Ind.
- ESPN+
- LIVE STATS
UNI softball (28-15 / 12-5 MVC) at Valparaiso (8-36 / 2-17 MVC)
- 12 p.m. CT | May 5, 2024
- Valpo Softball Complex | Valparaiso, Ind.
- ESPN+
- LIVE STATS
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The final week of the 2024 regular season has arrived for UNI softball as the Panthers welcome in the Iowa Hawkeyes for a late non-conference midweek contest before hitting the road to close out Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play over the weekend at Valparaiso.
Northern Iowa's regular season home finale against Iowa is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT at the Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex in Cedar Falls. Fans are encouraged to bring their pet dogs as part of Bark At The Park Night, with free dog treats available. All dogs are required to be on leashes at all times.
The Panthers will begin their three-game weekend series with the Beacons beginning with a 3 p.m. CT game on Friday, followed by a 2 p.m. CT first pitch on Saturday before closing the regular season on Sunday at 12 p.m. CT. All games this week will be broadcast on ESPN+.
UNI begins the week riding a league-best nine-game active winning streak, coming off a 6-0 road win at Drake last Tuesday to sweep the regular season series from the Bulldogs. The Panther offense also dominated over the weekend with a three-game sweep of the Illinois State Redbirds, headlined by a resounding 19-1 rout in Sunday's finale inside the UNI-Dome. UNI's 19 runs scored marked the eighth time in the last five seasons the Panthers have notched 15 or more runs in a game, and the 13th time doing so under head coach Ryan Jacobs (since 2008).
UNI trails in the all-time series to Iowa, 26-32 but slipped past the Hawkeyes in a narrow 4-2 win last spring in Coralville. The Panthers meanwhile hold a commanding 19-1 record against Valparaiso all-time with 13 consecutive victories over the Beacons dating back to the 2018 season.
With the MVC Tournament just a week and a half away, the Panthers can begin to secure seeding for next week's action in Normal, Illinois. Northern Iowa is guaranteed a top-three finish in this year's regular season standings and with it, a first-round bye into the quarterfinal round.
Coming off hitting UNI's first grand slam of the season on Sunday, Alexis Pupillo continues to lead the MVC with 49 runs batted in (RBIs) on the year, sixth-most in a single Panther season. Pupillo also leads the league in sacrifice hits (5) and RBIs per game (1.14), as well as second in home runs (16) and slugging percentage (.797).
Madison Parks, UNI's all-time walks leader, can capture the program's single-season walk record with her next three walks, seeking to break Kennedy Bailey's 2016 school record. Parks also looks to add to her career runs scored total after cracking the program's top-five list all-time after scoring four runs in Sunday's finale against Illinois State.
In the pitching circle, Samantha Heyer enters the week after a pair of victories last year and a ten strikeout performance on Friday against the Redbirds, her sixth game this year with 10+ punch outs. Heyer carries a 15-6 record into the final week of the regular season with a 2.01 earned run average (ERA) in 128.2 innings pitched. Anna Wischnowski meanwhile has posted a 12-6 record, grabbing her 12th victory of the season with seven strikeouts in a 4-1, complete game outing on Saturday against Illinois State. Wischnowski holds a 3.59 ERA in 105.1 innings pitched.
Head coach Ryan Jacobs also seeks a major milestone as he sits eight wins shy of his 500th career victory. The eighth-winningest coach in MVC history, Jacobs has also recorded 256 wins in league play, sixth all-time in conference history.
