By Jacob Miller
Despite its current record and losing streak, the Iowa softball team’s energy and expectations have not wavered.
The Hawkeyes will try to end their 12-game losing streak and win their first game in March this weekend at the Jayhawk Invitational in Lawrence, Kansas. Iowa will go up against Drake, Missouri-Kansas City, and Kansas.
Drake and Kansas are familiar foes for the Hawkeyes; this year will be the first time the Hawkeyes will face Missouri-KC.
“Kansas, they’re a good Big 12 team, and we need to go down into their house and wreak a little havoc,” head coach Marla Looper said. “Not to mention UMKC, it’s in their backyard, and we have great opportunities sitting in front of us. The challenge is taking advantage of those opportunities and setting ourselves up for chance of success.”
When the Hawkeyes competed in the Judi Garman Classic March 2, they had an up and down weekend. In their games against top-10 opponents, the Hawkeyes failed to take advantage of the opportunities given to them, but they played significantly better in Saturday’s games. The energy they had for Saturday’s games is something they hope they will be able to carry over for future games.
“The first day against Florida and Washington, I kind of took it to myself as an embarrassment,” redshirt senior Shayla Starkenburg said. “I knew that we could play better than that, so coming out on Saturday I just wanted to give it my all and give the team my all, so I went out there and was ready to attack against Arizona State. I think that helped our team out a little bit, helped them get a little bit more confidence as well, and I think if we carry that over the rest of this year, we’re going to be sitting pretty good in conference.”
That confidence and high energy typically comes when the Hawkeyes have a fast start. It almost seems as if the Hawkeyes are two different teams based on whether they score first or not. For senior Kaitlyn Mullarkey, scoring first is what leads to success and victories.
“I think we need to come out firing and not on our heels,” Mullarkey said. “Obviously, we haven’t had the success that we want, and we’re definitely capable of being successful, so I think we need to come out with that fire and score first right away.”
No matter what their record is, the Hawkeyes will continue to keep their energy up and will continue to fight in each game.
“We have a lot of season to turn this record around, but even still if we grow from it and build from it, the season will still be a success,” Looper said.
The Jayhawk Invitation kicks off the Hawkeyes’ spring break games. Later in the week, the Hawkeyes will be competing against Missouri in a double-header on March 15. This will be followed by the Hawkeye Invitational on March 18. This will also be the first time that Iowa will compete at home this season.
