The Hawkeye have plenty of depth, pitching and defense.
By Connor Sindberg
After a 19-41 record and a 10th-place finish in the Big Ten in 2015, the Hawkeyes will count on depth and newcomers to improve this season. In order to do that, they will count on the eight position players returning.
Only losing one starter from last season, the squad includes 11 upperclassmen mixed in with eight sophomores and three freshmen.
One such returning upperclassman is redshirt junior Shayla Starkenburg, a key starter in the circle. The Ankeny, Iowa, native led the team in every pitching category last season.
This season, she will be provided with relief, now that the Hawks added depth in the off-season. And Starkenburg greatly appreciates the added depth.
“Having other pitchers this season is going to be really nice and allow my arm to have some rest this here and there and to attack other teams as well,” she said.
Transfer Elizabeth Wiegand figures to be one of those pitchers. The junior joins the Hawks after spending two seasons at Tennessee-Martin. Wiegand appeared in 26 games with 21 starts for the Skyhawks in 2015, leading the squad in ERA (2.94) and wins (12). She should add needed depth to the pitching staff.
“We’ve got five in the bullpen and sixth that will be added,” head coach Marla Looper said. “One of them has been tested in Liz Wiegand; she’s transferred in, and she has Division-1 experience.”
Having a set pitching staff is important, but good performances require complementary defense. The Hawkeyes are focused on becoming one of the top-ranked defensive teams in the country.
“We’ve had a lot of momentum carry over from our defense, and we’ve won a lot of games from our defense,” senior Erin Erickson said.
Defense propelled the Hawks into the semifinals in the 2015 Big Ten Tournament, and they defeated No. 12 Minnesota to advance to the semifinal. Last season’s semifinal run was the program’s deepest run in the tournament since 2008.
Looper knows that defense was the team’s staple last season, but this year, she’s hoping for more of a balance among offense, speed, and defense.
“[Defense] has been our M.O.,” Looper said. “I’d like to see us be more of an offensive team. We’ve got more speed and power to go with that speed.”
Knowing that the team brings back depth and leadership, Looper expects the transition for the newcomers to be a smooth one.
And because of the experience Iowa has returning, Looper said the Hawkeyes are two or three months ahead of where they were in 2015. That should provide a wake-up call for their opponents.
“We got depth and new energy that will challenge our opponents,” Looper said. “If we bring the energy that we have and sharpness and crispness, opponents are not going to want to step on the field; they are going to get to the ball park, and take a breath, and say we got a battle on our hands.”
Iowa will open the season Feb. 12 at the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Tournament.
Follow @CSindberg32 for Iowa sports news, updates, and analysis.
After a 19-41 record and a 10th-place finish in the Big Ten in 2015, the Hawkeyes will count on depth and newcomers to improve this season. In order to do that, they will count on the eight position players returning.
Only losing one starter from last season, the squad includes 11 upperclassmen mixed in with eight sophomores and three freshmen.
One such returning upperclassman is redshirt junior Shayla Starkenburg, a key starter in the circle. The Ankeny, Iowa, native led the team in every pitching category last season.
This season, she will be provided with relief, now that the Hawks added depth in the off-season. And Starkenburg greatly appreciates the added depth.
“Having other pitchers this season is going to be really nice and allow my arm to have some rest this here and there and to attack other teams as well,” she said.
Transfer Elizabeth Wiegand figures to be one of those pitchers. The junior joins the Hawks after spending two seasons at Tennessee-Martin. Wiegand appeared in 26 games with 21 starts for the Skyhawks in 2015, leading the squad in ERA (2.94) and wins (12). She should add needed depth to the pitching staff.
“We’ve got five in the bullpen and sixth that will be added,” head coach Marla Looper said. “One of them has been tested in Liz Wiegand; she’s transferred in, and she has Division-1 experience.”
Having a set pitching staff is important, but good performances require complementary defense. The Hawkeyes are focused on becoming one of the top-ranked defensive teams in the country.
“We’ve had a lot of momentum carry over from our defense, and we’ve won a lot of games from our defense,” senior Erin Erickson said.
Defense propelled the Hawks into the semifinals in the 2015 Big Ten Tournament, and they defeated No. 12 Minnesota to advance to the semifinal. Last season’s semifinal run was the program’s deepest run in the tournament since 2008.
Looper knows that defense was the team’s staple last season, but this year, she’s hoping for more of a balance among offense, speed, and defense.
“[Defense] has been our M.O.,” Looper said. “I’d like to see us be more of an offensive team. We’ve got more speed and power to go with that speed.”
Knowing that the team brings back depth and leadership, Looper expects the transition for the newcomers to be a smooth one.
And because of the experience Iowa has returning, Looper said the Hawkeyes are two or three months ahead of where they were in 2015. That should provide a wake-up call for their opponents.
“We got depth and new energy that will challenge our opponents,” Looper said. “If we bring the energy that we have and sharpness and crispness, opponents are not going to want to step on the field; they are going to get to the ball park, and take a breath, and say we got a battle on our hands.”
Iowa will open the season Feb. 12 at the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Tournament.
Follow @CSindberg32 for Iowa sports news, updates, and analysis.
