University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Evansville
Panther softball returns to Valley play in Evansville
4/2/2026 2:25:00 PM | Softball
UNI softball (17-14 / 5-3 MVC) at Evansville (15-17 / 8-6 MVC)
- James & Dorothy Cooper Stadium | Evansville, Indiana
- April 3 | 12:00 & 2:30 p.m. CT
- April 4 | 11:00 a.m. CT
- ESPN+
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The Panthers head to Evansville, Indiana, for another conference series with the Evansville Purple Aces. Game one of the series will be the 85th meeting between these two programs, as UNI holds a 56-28 lead in the all-time series. The Panthers have won the last eight matchups against Evansville, including victories in each of the last two MVC Tournament openers. Last season, UNI was victorious in the Tournament opener by a 10-2 final in five innings and swept the regular-season series with 7-2, 14-13, and 12-9 victories in Indiana.
UNI is coming off a five-inning loss to the Iowa State Cyclones in Ames on Tuesday. The Panthers were the first on the board, but the dominant Cyclone bats went to work and, thanks to five runs in the bottom of the second inning, run-ruled the Panthers, 10-2 in five.
Skylar Benesh was UNI's lone multi-hit performer of the afternoon, with two hits and a run in three at-bats. Katelyn Callahan scored the Panthers' second run with a hit in two at-bats. In the circle, Kelsey Endress struck out a pair of batters in a one-inning relief effort.
The Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) announced its weekly softball awards on Tuesday morning. Brynn Acton was named MVC Player and Freshman of the Week. On top of the Valley, Acton was named the D1 Softball.com Mid-Major Player of the Week and the Softball America Player of the Week. Acton had a monster week for the Panthers, who went 3-1 over the week with a victory over Illinois and a 2-1 series edge against Illinois State. Acton recorded eight hits and seven runs in 19 at-bats for a .421 batting average. Acton's eight hits included six home runs and 15 RBIs for a 1.368 slugging percentage. Against ISU, Acton had five home runs (of her seven hits), including three home runs in game three of the series. Acton was key in a 13-run comeback victory over Illinois State, which saw UNI claim a 24-16, six-inning victory after trailing 13-0 through the top of the third frame. Acton became the first Panther to hit three long balls in the same game since Mya Dodge in 2023 against Southern Illinois. Acton hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in the bottom of the third inning alone, the first time a Panther has had multiple home runs in the same inning since Sammey Bunch in 2021 against Evansville.
As of April 1, UNI leads the MVC in multiple statistical categories, including batting average (.327), hits (280), home runs (52), home runs per game (1.68), on-base percentage (.438), RBIs per game (7.16), total RBIs (222), scoring (7.77), slugging percentage (.589), total runs (241), total sacrifice flies (10), and walks (162). The Cats have the 12th-most walks in the nation, while ranking 14th in RBIs per game, 15th in home runs per game, and 16th in runs scored per game. UNI is 20th in the nation with a .589 team slugging percentage and has hit the 25th-most home runs in Division I.
Individually, Kate Lappe has drawn the nation's eighth-most walks per game this season with 0.97, which leads the Valley. The senior has the 10th-most home runs per game (0.45) and the 13th-best slugging percentage in Division I, with a Valley-leading 1.022. Lappe is 18th in the nation with 14 total home runs, after three last weekend against the Redbirds. She also leads the Valley with a .574 on-base percentage, 36 RBIs, and 93 total bases.
Skylar Benesh leads the Valley with 48 hits, 41 runs, and 1.32 runs per game. The sophomore is second in the league with a .453 batting average, a .531 on-base percentage, a .811 slugging percentage, and 86 total bases.
With two victories against the Redbirds, Coach Jacobs moved up to No. 4 on the Valley's MVC wins list, passing Rich Calvert (DU, 2003-23) in the No. 4 spot with 284 league wins. Jacobs sits with 285 MVC victories.
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, 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 UNI's series against Illinois State, the Panthers have won 126 conference matchups in that span to just 37 MVC losses.
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.
