The Basics
The Drake softball team is slated for another busy week with five games against Missouri Valley Conference opponents. The Bulldogs begin their week with back-to-back midweek contests against in-state rival UNI on Tuesday, April 15 and Wednesday April 16. Drake will then host the UIC Flames for a three-game series from Ron Buel Field, April 18-20.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake, who has won seven of their last 10, comes into the week with an overall record of 17-23 and is 8-8 in conference play. The Bulldogs swept Evansville in a road series this past weekend, which vaulted the Bulldogs into sixth place in the MVC standings. The Bulldogs offense was alive and producing in the series against Evansville scoring a total of 28 runs over the three games.
Leading the charge at the plate for Drake is freshman standout,
Ava Curry. Curry leads Drake in hitting this season with a batting average of .377. This past week, she continued to produce hitting at a clip of .400 (8-for-20) from her leadoff spot in the lineup. In her six games last week, Curry had multiple hits in four of them.
Another productive bat in the lineup for the Bulldogs has been from outfielder
Tatum Aragon. The junior transfer ended the week with a three-hit performance in comeback effort to secure the sweep of Evansville. On the year, Aragon is hitting at a clip of .267 and ranks second on the team in RBI with 15.
From a pitching perspective,
Paige Bedsworth leads the team in ERA at 2.30 and wins with six.
Molly Hoekstra has also been a main factor in the pitching staff leading the team in appearances (22), starts (11), innings pitched (78.2), and strikeouts (45).
Scouting UNI
The Panthers own an overall record of 23-13 on the year and sit in third place in the latest MVC standings with a conference mark of 11-5. UNI suffered a series loss to Murray State over the weekend falling in two of three contests moving its home record to just 4-5 in 2025.
Kylee Sanders continues to perform at the plate for the Panthers and leads the team in hitting with a batting average of .451. Sanders also leads UNI with 10 doubles in 2025 to go along with three home runs and 27 RBI. The power production from the UNI lineup comes from Kate Lappe and Addison McElrath, who rank first and second in home runs and slugging (Lappe – 9 HR, .743 SLG%; McElrath – 10 HR, .652 SLG%).
The top arm in the circle for UNI has been Anna Wischnowski who leads the team in every major statistical category. The redshirt junior boasts a record of 13-6 with an ERA of 2.65. Over 124.0 innings of work, Wischnowski has tossed 11 complete games and tallied 84 strikeouts.
Scouting UIC
The Flames have had a tough go in their 2025 campaign with a current record of 7-35. UIC has gone 3-14 in MVC play, which is tied for last place in the league with Evansville. Before heading to Des Moines for the weekend, UIC will take on DePaul in a midweek non-conference contest on Tuesday.
UIC has a pair of players hitting over the .300 mark in Hailey Cowing (.341) and Dee Dee Caskey (.328). Cowing leads the Flames with two homers and 18 RBI, while Caskey leads the team with 12 doubles and four triples.
In the circle, the duo of Alyssa McIntosh and Jasmine Whorley carry the UIC pitching staff. McIntosh has made 25 appearances this season with 20 starts and an ERA of 5.44, while Whorely has made 16 starts in 27 appearances with a 5.84 ERA.
Up Next
Drake will be on the road for its next four contests first taking on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday, April 23 followed by a weekend series with the Valparaiso Beacons, April 25-27.
