University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Arkansas - Pine Bluff
Panther softball heads to Louisiana for the Best on the Bayou Tournament
2/19/2026 2:12:00 PM | Softball
UNI softball (2-4Â / 0-0 MVC) at Best on the Bayou
- ULM Softball Complex | Monroe, Louisiana
- Arkansas - Pine Bluff | February 20 | 2:30 p.m.
- Louisiana - Monroe | February 20 | 5 p.m.
- Arkansas - Pine Bluff | February 21 | 10 a.m.
- Lamar | February 21 | 12:30 p.m.
- Lamar | February 22 | 11 a.m.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI takes part in Louisiana-Monroe's Best on the Bayou tournament, February 20-22, to continue a southern road trip. The Panthers open the tournament on Friday with matchups against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and host Louisiana-Monroe. Saturday features matchups against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Lamar before the Cats round out the weekend on Sunday with a single game against Lamar.
UNI looks to remain perfect against Arkansas-Pine Bluff as the Panthers hold a 1-0 record in the all-time series. UNI claimed a victory in the teams' lone matchup in 2013.
This will be the first matchup between UNI and Louisiana-Monroe since the 2021 season. The Panthers hold a 7-1 record in the all-time series history, with ULM's lone victory coming in 2001.
UNI and Lamar match up for the first time in program history.
The Panthers are coming off a 12-0, five-inning loss at Central Arkansas on Wednesday.
As of February 19, UNI leads the MVC in multiple statistical categories, including double plays per game (0.5), fewest hit batters (2), home runs per game (1.5), and slugging percentage (.588). The Panthers are second in the league in batting average (.314), double plays (3), doubles per game (2.17), and on-base percentage (.437). The Cats' double plays per game and home runs per game are both the 25th-best marks in the nation.
Individually, Morgan Vertz is one of 13 players in the nation to have a 0.00 ERA so far this season. The sophomore has pitched 7.2 innings in two appearances with a 1-0 record. Batters are averaging a .194 batting average when facing Vertz. She is third in the MVC with 0.91 walks allowed per seven innings and fourth with a 0.91 WHIP.
Kate Lappe holds the nation's sixth-best on-base percentage (.696) and seventh-best slugging percentage (1.333), both Valley-leading marks. Lappe's batting average (.533) leads the league, while her home runs per game (0.5) are second, total home runs (3) are third, and her doubles per game (0.5) and walks per game (1.17) are fourth.
Six new faces grace the Panther roster, including two transfers and four freshmen. Kelsey Endress joins the Cats after a three-year career at Florida Atlantic, while Peyton Johnson spent a pair of seasons at Kirkwood Community College before transferring to UNI.
The Panthers return four All-Valley honorees from a season ago, including 2025 All-Defensive team honoree Ella Smithson and All-Conference honorees Kate Lappe, Skylar Benesh, and Anna Wischnowski. UNI also returns the Missouri Valley Conference MVP, Kate Lappe.
Kate Lappe is coming off a season that saw her finish the 2025 campaign with 61 hits, 34 runs, and 48 RBIs for a .433 batting average and a .915 slugging percentage. Her 19 home runs are tied for second on UNI's single-season home runs record list while her batting average and slugging percentage are second in each single-season category along with her .542 on-base percentage. Through the MVC Tournament, Lappe led the league in batting average, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and total bases and was second in home runs per game, RBIs, RBIs per game, and total walks. She was named MVC Player of the Week twice and D1Softball.com National Player of the Week once during the 2025 regular season.
Last season the Panthers broke three team records, including home runs (79), walks (244), and stolen bases (94). UNI was ninth in the nation last season with 1.58 home runs per game, 10th with 244 total walks, and 22nd with 94 total stolen bases.
UNI recorded 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 against Valparaiso, the Panthers have won 121 conference matchups in that span to just 34 MVC losses. Coach Jacobs is two 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.
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UNI softball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Softball), X (@UNISoftball), and on Instagram (@unisoftball). The 2026 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
