University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Drake
Panther softball continues home stand against Drake
4/14/2025 3:00:00 PM | Softball
UNI softball (23-13 / 11-5 MVC) vs. Drake (17-23 / 8-8 MVC)
- Robinson-Dresser Sports complex | Cedar Falls, Iowa
- April 15 | 5 p.m. CT
- April 16 | 5 p.m. CT
- ESPN+
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI softball team continues a nine-game home stand on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 15 and 16 when the Panthers host the Drake Bulldogs for a pair of midweek contests. The Panthers and the Bulldogs meet for the second time this season after a 7-1 Panther victory last week. In that matchup, Drew Hinrichs was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate and drove in four runs for the Panthers. In the circle, Anna Wischnowski recorded her 12th win of the season and her 10th complete game of the season with five strikeouts and just one earned run. The victory was UNI's 13th straight over the Bulldogs.
The Panthers are coming off a 1-2 series against Murray State which saw the Panthers take game one by a 13-5 final score in five innings before Murray State took games two and three with scores of 16-15 in eight innings and 8-6. Game two set the program record for most combined runs in a single game. The 31 runs broke the previous record of 29 which was done twice.
Kylee Sanders, Addison McElrath, and Skylar Benesh led UNI with four hits apiece. Sanders led that group with a .444 batting average and .889 slugging percentage with four runs seven RBIs and a home run. Katelyn Callahan recorded three hits over the weekend, all ending up over the fence with five RBIs in her three home runs.
Anna Wischnowski picked up a 1-1 record over the weekend with 8.2 innings in the circle. Wischnowski sat down five batters by way of the strikeout with just two earned runs and a 2.08 ERA.
Head coach Ryan Jacobs became UNI's all-time winningest coach with a 7-6, eight-inning, comeback win at Illinois. Jacobs is in his 18th season at the Panther helm. UNI's victory over RV Omaha in game five of the 2025 Doc Halverson Classic was Jacobs' 500th victory. He became the eighth head coach in MVC history and the second in UNI history to eclipse the 500-win mark.Â
As of April 14, the Panthers led the MVC in a number of statistical categories including double plays per game (0.39), home runs (52), home runs per game (1.44), on-base percentage (.396), RBIs per game (5.72), scoring (6.19), slugging percentage (.486), stolen bases per game (2.36), total stolen bases (85), and walks (178). UNI is second in the league in double plays (14), RBIs (206), runs (223), and win/loss percentage (.639) and is third in hit batters (11), hit by pitch (20), and hits allowed per seven innings (9.23).
The Panthers' 2.36 stolen bases per game are 12th in the nation while their 85 total stolen bases are 19th. UNI's 85 stolen bases are five away from the program's record of 90 set in 2023. UNI is 14th in the nation with 178 walks and 17th with 1.44 home runs per game.
Kylee Sanders boasts a nation's third-best and Valley-leading 2.83 assists per game mark. The shortstop also leads the league with a .451 batting average, 51 total hits, a .540 on-base percentage, and 0.94 runs per game. The senior is second in the MVC with 99 assists and is third with 0.29 doubles per game and 12 stolen bases.
Freshman Skylar Benesh has been one of the best in the MVC along the base path with a Valley-leading 18 stolen bases, 0.50 stolen bases per game, and a .857 stolen-base percentage. Benesh is six stolen bases from tying the UNI single-season record set by Kristi Johnson in 2001 with 24 swipes.Â
Kate Lappe has shown her extra-base hitting this season with a Valley-leading .743 slugging percentage. The infielder is second in the MVC with a .504 on-base percentage and 0.71 walks per game.
Addison McElrath has been one of the best long-ball hitters this season with 0.28 home runs per game, the second-best mark in the Valley, and 10 total home runs and a .652 slugging percentage, the third-best marks in the Valley.
UNI is looking for its sixth straight season (excluding COVID-19 2020 season) at .500 or better in conference play as well as top three in the league. After the weekend matchups against Murray State, the Panthers have won 113 conference matchups in that span to just 31 MVC losses. Coach Jacobs is 10 conference victories away from moving up to no. 5 on the Valley's all-time MVC wins chart which is now occupied by Brent Vigness (CU, 1994-2013) with 282 Valley victories.
UNI softball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Softball), X (@UNISoftball), and on Instagram (@unisoftball). The 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
