The Basics
Drake softball will look to build upon one of their best weeks of the season with another challenging slate of games. The Bulldogs are set for a Tuesday doubleheader at Iowa before hosting Evansville from Apr. 5-7.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake got back to the .500 mark for the season after a 3-1 week. Most recently, the Bulldogs took a 2-1 series win over Illinois State in Normal. They also added a non-conference victory over former MVC foe Creighton.
MaKayla Rice leads a foursome of .300+ hitters for the Bulldogs with a team-high .365 average. She also has the most triples in The Valley with five.
Emma Dighton has been hitting at a .337 clip and is matched by
Destiny Lewis with four homers.
Abby Martin and
Addie Lightner have also been stellar for the Bulldogs.
Molly Hoekstra has slid into the ace role on the Drake pitching staff. She has thrown 53.1 innings with a 3.81 earned run average, four complete games, and two shutouts.
Jayme Scheck and Dighton have also been two consistent arms on display for Drake.
Scouting Iowa
The Hawkeyes enter the week at 16-12 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play. Iowa is coming off a series win of their own after taking two of three against Michigan State last weekend.
The Iowa offense is led by a trio of .300 hitters in Rylie Moss, Jena Young, and Soo-Jin Berry. Moss paces the roster with a .376 average and is tied with Berry with a team-high 32 hits. Berry is third on the team with a .340 average, just behind Young at .370, and leads the Hawkeyes with 20 runs.
In the circle, Iowa is led by the duo of Devyn Greer and Jalen Adams, both with sub-two earned run averages. Adams has been the Hawks' horse with over 100 innings pitched this season. She has fanned 33 opposing batters and allowed just 35 runs.
Long-time collegiate head coach Renee Gillispie is in her sixth season leading the Iowa softball program. She has totaled a 134-125 record as a Hawkeye and a 963-704 mark over her 30-year career.
Drake leads the all-time series with Iowa, 11-10. The Hawkeyes have won the last two meetings after two wins in a row by the Bulldogs.
Scouting Evansville
The Purple Aces of Evansville are currently 10-24 overall and 5-6 in MVC play. They lost their first 15 games of the season before beating Lindenwood on Mar. 6 for their first victory. The Purple Aces found a bit of success early in MVC play but have now lost five of their last six.
Redshirt junior Zoe Frossard, an Indiana native, has been the biggest offensive threat for the Aces this season. Her .344 batting average leads the team by a wide margin. Frossard is tied with Marah Wood for the team-lead in hits with 19. Other key contributors include infielder Jess Willsey and utility player Jenna Nink.
Sydney Weatherford paces the Evansville pitching staff with a 3-3 record and a 1.99 ERA. She has tossed 45.2 innings but struck out just 13 opponents. Megan Brenton, Mikayla Jolly, and Elle Jarrett have all been consistent arms for the Aces.
Mat Mundell has hit the decade mark as Evansville's head coach. He has led the Aces to a 179-284 record in his 10 seasons and has amassed a 292-418 tally in 15 total head coaching campaigns.
Drake also leads the all-time series with the Purple Aces, 36-15. The Bulldogs have won 11 of the last 13 meetings include the most recent in last year's MVC Tournament.
Up Next
Next on the schedule, the Bulldogs have mid-week back-to-back with rival UNI and Missouri coming up. Drake will then head to the Bluegrass State for a weekend series at Murray State.
