University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Illinois State
Panther softball opens the MVC Tournament against Illinois State
5/5/2026 9:04:00 AM | Softball
UNI softball (28-22 / 16-10 MVC) vs. Indiana State (27-20 / 16-12 MVC)
- Charlotte West Stadium | Carbondale, Illinois
- May 6 | 12:00 p.m. CT
- ESPN+
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The Panthers open the 2026 MVC Tournament as the No. 4 seed on Wednesday against the Illinois State Redbirds. The Panthers won the regular-season series over Illinois State, 2-1 with 10-5 and 24-16 (F/6) victories in games two and three. Illinois State took game one of the series, 8-6, in eight innings. UNI is 2-5 against the Redbirds in the MVC Tournament in the Ryan Jacobs era, with its most recent post-season matchup coming in 2019 in a 7-2 victory in the opening round of action.
Against the Redbirds this season, the Panthers are batting .410 with 40 total runs, including 11 home runs. Brynn Acton hit a staggering five home runs in the three-game series against the Redbirds, including three in game three, two in the same inning, with a grand slam. Drew Hinrichs is batting .857 against Illinois State this season with six hits in seven at-bats with three runs and four RBIs. Anna Wischnowski and Kelsey Endress picked up the wins against Illinois State, as Wischnowski struck out four batters in a 5.1-inning start and Endress knocked down five in five innings in a pair of appearances.
UNI is coming off a series sweep of Indiana State last weekend to secure the fourth seed in the tournament. The Panthers won by final scores of 9-4, 3-1, and 5-2 with five home runs in 18 hits.
Peyton Johnson and Sykora Smith posted .500+ batting averages on the weekend, as Johnson finished with a .600 average with three hits in five at-bats, and Smith tallied a .556 average with five hits in nine at-bats. Sykora Smith led UNI with two home runs and drove in five runs with 11 total bases for a 1.222 slugging percentage on the weekend against the Sycamores.
In the circle, the Panther pitching staff allowed just a 2.57 ERA and struck out 12 batters in the series. Ashlyn Enke, Anna Wischnowski, and Carly Goodwin each picked up wins over Indiana State, while Kelsey Endress and Morgan Vertz recorded saves. Wischnowski struck out five batters in a 5.2-inning start in her final time in the circle at Robinson-Dresser in game three. Wischnowski allowed just one earned run in her 5.2 innings.
As of May 4, UNI leads the MVC in multiple statistical categories, including batting average (.322), double plays (20), hits (448), home runs (95), home runs per game (1.90), on-base percentage (.438), RBIs per game (7.22), total RBIs (361), scoring (7.68), slugging percentage (.594), total runs (384), total sacrifice flies (14), and walks (276). The Cats lead the nation in walks drawn, and are eighth in home runs per game, ninth in total home runs and RBIs per game, 12th in scoring and slugging percentage, 13th in total RBIs, 14th in total runs, and 17th in on-base percentage. The Cats are second in the league in double plays per game (0.40), doubles (79), doubles per game (1.58), and fewest hit batters (15).
Individually, Kate Lappe has drawn the nation's sixth-most walks per game this season with 1.00, which leads the Valley. The senior is 18th in the nation with a .558 on-base percentage and a .925 slugging percentage. Lappe also leads the MVC with 20 home runs and 0.40 home runs per game, and is second with 55 total runs, 1.10 runs per game, and 136 total bases.
Skylar Benesh leads the MVC with the nation's 15th-most hits (78), 18th-most runs per game (1.28), and 19th-most total runs (64). The sophomore also leads the Valley with a .451 batting average and 138 total bases. The second baseman is second in the league with a .540 on-base percentage and a .798 slugging percentage.
Brynn Acton is second in the MVC with 18 home runs, 0.38 home runs per game, 57 RBIs, and 1.19 RBIs per game.
UNI is just eight hits away from breaking the UNI single-season hits record, set in 1997 with 455 hits.
Individually, Skylar Benesh is six hits shy of breaking the UNI single-season hits record set in 2022 by Lindsay Wood with 83 hits. The sophomore is 13 hits from breaking the MVC record, set in 2007 by Kara Nelson with 90 hits. Benesh is 14 total bases from breaking the Panther single-season record set by Sammey Bunch in 2021 with 151 total bases.
Kate Lappe broke the UNI single-season walks record in the weekend series against Indiana State, surpassing Madison Parks' 47 drawn walks in 2024. She needs three home runs to break Sammey Bunch's single-season home runs record of 22 set in 2021 after a shot last weekend against the Indiana State Sycamores. The senior is 13 RBIs away from the UNI single-season record set in 2023 by Mya Dodge with 68, and 14 RBIs from the MVC record set by Jordan de los Reyes of Illinois State with 69 in 2017. Lappe is 16 total bases away from the Panther single-season record of 151 set in 2021 by Sammey Bunch.Â
Brynn Acton needs five home runs to break the UNI single-season record, set by Sammey Bunch with 22 long balls in 2021. The freshman needs 12 RBIs to break the UNI record for single-season RBIs, and 13 to break the MVC single-season record.
With two victories against the Redbirds earlier this season, 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 296 MVC victories after a series against Indiana State.Â
This season, UNI recorded its seventh straight season (excluding COVID-19 2020 season) at .500 or better in conference play as well as top four in the league. After UNI's Valley series against Indiana State, the Panthers have won 137 conference matchups in that span to just 44 MVC losses.
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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.
