University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Louisiana
Panthers continue road trip in Lafayette, Louisiana
2/23/2026 4:58:00 PM | Softball
UNI softball (6-5 / 0-0 MVC) at Louisiana (10-6 / 0-0 SBC)
- Lamson Park | Lafayette, Louisiana
- February 24 | 5 p.m.
- ESPN+
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI continues its trip to the South on Tuesday, February 24, with a matchup against Louisiana. The Panthers are looking for the program's first all-time victory over the Ragin' Cajuns, as Louisiana holds the series record at 1-0. The Panthers were defeated in 2014 by a 10-8 final in eight innings against No. 13 Louisiana at the 2014 Louisiana-Lafayette Invite.
UNI is coming off a 4-1 weekend at the Best on the Bayou tournament hosted by Louisiana-Monroe. UNI won its opening contest, 10-8, against Arkansas-Pine Bluff before losing to host ULM, 2-1. The Panthers swept the rest of their matchups with a 9-5, eight-inning victory over UAPB, a 12-3, five-inning win over Lamar and an 8-6 victory over Lamar.
Last week, including the game against Central Arkansas, Skylar Benesh hit .500 with 10 hits and eight runs in 20 at-bats and three walks. Benesh's three home runs were tied with Kate Lappe to lead the team over last week's contests. She drove in four runs.
Kate Lappe drove in a team-high nine runs last week with eight hits and five runs in 18 at-bats and five walks for a .444 batting average. Both Benesh and Lappe recorded a 1.000 slugging percentage in the six contests.
As of February 23, UNI leads the MVC in multiple statistical categories, including fewest hit batters (2), home runs (18), home runs per game (1.64), RBIs per game (6.73), scoring (6.82), and slugging percentage (.590). The Cats have the 14th-most home runs per game in the nation, as well as the 25th-best slugging percentage.
Individually, Kate Lappe has the 11th-best slugging percentage in the nation and the best in the Valley with a 1.152 slugging percentage. She hits 0.55 home runs per game, the 17th-most in the nation and second-most in the MVC. Her six home runs this season are 26th in the nation and second in the conference. Lappe is second in the Valley with 38 total bases, 16 RBIs, 1.27 RBIs per game, and a .614 on-base percentage.
Skylar Benesh has the second-best batting average in the MVC with a .514 batting average. Her 1.27 runs per game are second in the Valley, and her five home runs and .591 on-base percentage are third.
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.
