Feb. 16, 2005

PANTHER SOFTBALL TRAVELS TO TUCSON

Panthers Participate in Annual Wildcat Invitational

STORYLINE: The University of Northern Iowa softball team, fresh off a promising start at last week's Metrodome Classic, travels to Arizona to battle a trifecta of teams looking to find success in 2005. Success is no stranger to the hosts, Division I softball powerhouse Arizona. The Wildcats currently are ranked third in the USA Today/NFCA poll. Hawaii and Marshall round out the field at the Wildcat Invitational.

ABOUT UNI: Senior Tracy Davis exploded out of the gates for the Panthers, providing pop in the middle of the lineup, and earning all-tournament honors last week. The senior leads the team with a .438 batting average, seven RBIs and an impressive .875 slugging percentage. Freshman Jamie Kelling nipped at Davis' heels all weekend, matching her seven hits, two doubles and one triple, and trailing her in batting average by just 26 points. In the circle, Amanda Hess pitched like a seasoned veteran in her collegiate debut. The freshman threw 15 innings without surrendering an earned run, won twodecisions, and struck out 11. Uju Ibekwe proved she was capable of leading the young Panther staff. The junior struck out 19 in the same amount of innings and earned a win over Missouri Valley Conference rival Drake.

ABOUT HAWAII: The 3-1 Rainbow Wahines travel to Tucson with a load of confidence and momentum on their side. The offense clicked in Hawaii's first four games, led by Kristi Yoshizawa's .500 batting average. Her five hits and three RBIs also lead the team. The pitching staff is headed up by Shannon Tabion. She has posted a 0.70 ERA to go with her 1-0 record and eight strikeouts. UNI never has played Hawaii.

ABOUT ARIZONA: The hosts, currently ranked third in the USA Today/NFCA poll, boast a 6-0 record, but earned two wins narrowly over Kansas and Northwestern. The potent Wildcat offense currently is led by Kristie Fox's impressive .692 average. The sophomore has slammed two home runs and driven in nine and sports a staggering 1.231 slugging percentage. In the circle, dual threats Taryne Mowatt and Alicia Hollowell head up an intimidating staff. Both players have posted sub-one ERAs and have earned two wins apiece. UNI is 2-4 versus Arizona in the all-time matchup.

ABOUT MARSHALL: The Thundering Herd stormed out of the gates this season, winning five out of their first six games. They have stumbled a bit since then with losses in three out of their last four contests, and will be looking to get back on the right track in Tucson. Rachel Folden has been a bright spot for Marshall through the first part of the season. Her .533 batting average leads the team, as do her two home runs and 11 RBIs. The pitching staff has a firm leader in Abigail Harter. She has pitched the bulk of the innings for the Thundering Herd this season and leads the squad with a 3-1 record and a 1.80 ERA. The Panthers never have played Marshall.

OUT OF THE GATES: Tracy Davis combined a .438 batting average with a home run and seven RBIs to spark the Panthers to a winning record at the Metrodome Classic. The senior came through under pressure as well, driving in two eighth-inning, game-winning RBIs to beat Drake and Tulsa. Her performance earned her all-tournament honors, as well.

DOMINANT DEBUT: Amanda Hess earned her stripes at the Metrodome Classic after throwing two complete games without surrendering an earned run. The freshman sits firmly atop the stat sheet with two wins and a zero ERA. Her stellar showing earned her all-tournament honors.

RIGHT UP THERE: The Panther offense produced three players with .400 batting averages or higher at the Metrodome Classic. Tracy Davis, Jamie Kelling and Erin Strellner each sport .400 marks and all have slugging percentages above .600.

SURF THE WEB: The latest press releases, statistics, schedules and results for all Panther sports are available on the UNI Athletics home page. Updated daily, the site is located at http://www.unipanthers.com. The Missouri Valley Conference home page is located at http://www.mvc-sports.com

PRESS LUNCHEON: Each Monday, UNI's in-season coaches speak at noon in the back room of Pepper's Grill and Sports Pub, located on 18th Street in Cedar Falls. The public and the media are invited to attend and hear what the coaches have to say about the season. KXEL airs a portion of the Luncheon at 5:00 p.m.

QUOTING HEBERT: "This was a great tournament for us. We had a great showing up there. We beat a good team in Drake, who was picked ahead of us in the conference. We always take a good deal of pride in beating them. Uju [Ibekwe] came out and threw a great game, and Tracy Davis really came through with a big hit in the eighth to win the game for us. After beating Drake, we felt pretty confident going into the next day. We beat Wisconsin-Green Bay behind a great showing from Amanda Hess. I would rate her one of the top pitchers at the tournament over the weekend. The next day was a big challenge for us with Minnesota and Tulsa. I saw flashes of excellence from our team that day, especially in Jamie Kelling. She had a great weekend for us and fits really well into the lead-off spot. Tulsa is a great team and received votes for top 25. Tracy Davis came through big for us with another game winning RBI to give us the win. On Sunday, we got a little flat, our confidence went down a little and we ended up losing to Western Illinois. We started a pitcher that hadn't started yet in the year and were a little off in that game. Throughout the weekend, I saw good things in terms of leadership and teamwork. The overall take on the whole weekend is excellent. Right now, we are probably 10 steps ahead of where we were last year at this time. Our leadership from our freshman class, to the mound, to the seniors is a big thing for us. I can't be more excited."