Iowa head coach Renee Gillispie speaks to members of the media during Iowa softball media day at Bob Pearl Field on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. The Iowa softball team answered questions from media and held an open practice.
In a week-long series of games in the Silicon Valley Tournament, the Iowa softball team managed to go 6-5. Ending the tournament with four straight wins, the Hawkeyes now sit at 12-10 on the season.
Fielding errors continue to be an issue for the Hawkeyes. In each of their five losses, the Hawks had at least one error.
In the loss to Loyola Marymount, Iowa had four errors. In the loss to Saint Mary's, Iowa had three errors, while Saint Mary's played a clean game with zero. In game one of the doubleheader with Santa Clara, Iowa only had one error. In the second game of the doubleheader, Iowa had four errors.
Over the week in California, Iowa notably did much better in games when committing zero errors. In four of the six victories, the Hawkeyes did not have a single error. Look for a late-season push from the Hawks if they can clean it up on defense.
Hawks prove they can hit the ball
The first four batters in the lineup, including Rylie Moss, Jena Young, Soo-Jin Berry, and Sammy Diaz, are all batting over .300 on the season.
This was prevalent against CSU Bakersfield, where the Hawks tallied up 17 runs as a team off 18 total hits. Six players recorded multi-hit games while eight different players recorded at least one RBI. Of those eight, six players had more than one RBI.
In the win against Pacific, Iowa had a total of 10 runs off 10 hits. Six players recorded at least one hit in the win. First-year starter Berry continues to contribute offensively and recorded three hits and an RBI against Pacific.
Iowa softball can handle adversity
It is no secret that handling adversity is a key attribute to successful teams. Iowa softball has proven it can handle adversity.
The Hawkeyes lost four straight games to Santa Clara, LMU, UC Davis, and Saint Mary's. They then bounced back, managing to win four straight games against Pacific and Sacramento State.
Iowa will open up Big Ten play Friday with a three-game home series against the Wisconsin Badgers. First pitch is set for 5:00 p.m. at Bob Pearl Field.