UL Softball Preview: Iowa Hawkeyes

The 7th-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun softball team will take on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Friday afternoon, on the first day of play in the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational at Lamson Park.

Louisiana will face Iowa on Friday at 2:30 pm, in their first of five games this weekend.

Iowa, members of the Big Ten Conference, is currently 3-5 on the young season, with wins over Northern Iowa, Southern Utah, and Green Bay, while suffering setbacks to Drake, North Dakota St., North Carolina St., and Florida (twice), after going 16-30-1 in 2014.

Offensively, the Hawkeyes are hitting a .228, along with one homer, 28 runs batted in, and two stolen bases, after hitting a .250 with 23 homers, 122 RBI's, and 23 steals in 36 attempts last season.

At the plate, Iowa is led by sophomore centerfielder Sammi Gyerman, who is hitting a .348, and senior shortstop Megan Blank, a pre-season All-Big Ten selection, who is hitting a .333, with 5 RBI's, after batting a .361, along with 5 home runs, and 25 RBI's a season ago.

In the circle, the Hawkeyes feature sophomore right-hander Shayla Starkenburg, who is currently 2-3 with a 4.34 ERA., along with 35 strikeouts in 30.2 innings pitched, one season after finishing 4-10 with a 4.90 ERA. in 2014.

Pitching-wise, Iowa has an overall combined team ERA. of 5.89.

The Cajuns will play Iowa on Friday at 2:30 pm, before taking on Hofstra at 5 o’clock.

On Saturday, Louisiana plays twice more, facing Hofstra at 12:30 pm, before taking on Missouri St. at 3 o’clock.

UL wraps-up play in the tournament on Sunday at 2:30 pm, when they face McNeese St.

You can hear all the play-by-play action on Sports Radio ESPN 1420, and espn1420.com, beginning with the pre-game show 15 minutes prior to first-pitch for each game.