University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Stephen F. Austin
Panthers head to Ruston, Louisiana, to compete in the Bulldog Classic
2/25/2026 2:26:00 PM | Softball
UNI softball (6-6 / 0-0 MVC) at Bulldog Classic
- Dr. Billy Bundrick Field | Ruston, Louisiana
- Stephen F. Austin | February 26 | 6 p.m.
- Central Arkansas | February 27 | 1 p.m.
- Stephen F. Austin | February 28 | 1 p.m.
- Louisiana Tech | February 28 | 7 p.m.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI heads to Ruston, Louisiana, for Louisiana Tech's Bulldog Classic. The Panthers will play Stephen F. Austin for the 11th time in program history on Thursday, before taking on Central Arkansas for the second time this season on Friday. Saturday sees a pair of matchups for UNI, as the Panthers rematch Stephen F. Austin before competing against hosts, Louisiana Tech.
The Cats are coming off a six-inning loss to the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana on Tuesday. After the Ragin' Cajuns scored six runs in the first three innings, the Cats put two on the board and eyed a comeback. A pair of home runs in the sixth inning from the Ragin' Cajuns sealed the run-rule matchup for Louisiana with a 10-2, six-inning final score.
Katelyn Callahan, Sykora Smith, and Peyton Johnson picked up UNI's lone hits of the game. The trio of Maddy McDermott, Ashlyn Enke, and Anna Wischnowski combined for four strikeouts in the circle.
As of February 25, UNI leads the MVC in multiple statistical categories, including fewest hit batters (3), home runs (18), home runs per game (1.5), RBIs per game (6.25), and slugging percentage (.565). The Cats have the 21st-most home runs per game in the nation, as well as the 34th-best slugging percentage. UNI is second in the Valley in batting average (.308), on-base percentage (.433), RBIs (75), RBIs per game (6.42), and walks (65).
Individually, Kate Lappe has the 18th-most home runs per game in the nation (0.50), along with the 20th-best slugging percentage (1.086) and the 32nd-best on-base percentage (.596) in the country. All of those are the second-best marks in the Valley. She is also second in the league with six home runs, 16 RBIs, 1.33 RBIs per game, and 38 total bases.
Skylar Benesh has the third-best batting average in the MVC with a .475 batting average. Her 1.17 runs per game are third in the Valley, along with her five home runs and 37 total bases.
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.
