Panther softball takes on the Flames in Cedar Falls

UNI softball (18-15 / 6-4 MVC) vs. UIC (17-21-1 / 6-11 MVC)

Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex | Cedar Falls, Iowa
April 10 | 2:30 & 5:00 p.m. CT
April 11 | 2:00 p.m. CT
ESPN+

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The Panthers return home to take on the UIC Flames. Game one of Friday's doubleheader will be the 21st all-time meeting between these two programs, as UNI holds a 17-3 record over UIC. After sweeping last season's series, UNI has won the last 11 consecutive meetings with the Flames, dating back to 1996. The Panthers took all three matchups last season, with 7-1, 6-2, and 16-4 victories in Chicago last year. The Cats hit seven total home runs in the series, including a pair from Ava Smithson.

UNI is coming off a two-game split at Evansville in Indiana last weekend. The Panthers picked up a 5-2 victory in game one, before a 10-7 loss in game two. Saturday's contest was canceled due to weather, marking the second game-three, conference matchup that has been canceled this season.

Last week, including UNI's midweek matchup against Iowa State, Katelyn Callahan led UNI with a .571 batting average. The sophomore outfielder finished the week with four hits, including a double, in seven at-bats with a pair of runs. Skylar Benesh also batted .500+, with six hits and four runs in 11 at-bats. Benesh slugged 1.091 with two home runs and 12 total bases with four RBIs.

Last week, 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 9, UNI leads the MVC in multiple statistical categories, including batting average (.323), hits (295), home runs (56), home runs per game (1.70), on-base percentage (.438), RBIs per game (7.09), total RBIs (234), scoring (7.67), slugging percentage (.584), total runs (253), total sacrifice flies (11), and walks (178). The Cats have the eighth-most walks in the nation, while ranking 14th in RBIs per game, 15th in home runs per game, 17th in runs scored per game, and 18th in RBIs per game. UNI is 21st in the nation with a .438 on-base percentage and 22nd with a .584 team slugging percentage. The Panthers have hit the 27th-most home runs in Division I this season.

Individually, Kate Lappe has drawn the nation's fifth-most walks per game this season with 1.00, which leads the Valley. The senior has the 11th-best slugging percentage in Division I (1.010), the 12th-best on-base percentage (.585), and the 17th-most home runs per game (0.42). Lappe also leads the MVC with 97 total bases and is second in the league with 14 home runs and 1.06 runs per game.

Skylar Benesh leads the Valley with a .456 batting average, 52 hits, 44 runs, and 1.33 runs per game. Benesh's 1.33 runs per game ranks 19th in the nation. The sophomore is second in the Valley with a .536 on-base percentage, a .842 slugging percentage, and 96 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 286 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 127 conference matchups in that span to just 38 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.

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