Iowa and Drake open NCAA Regional softball action on Friday. The Hawkeyes are serving as hosts of a regional that includes Missouri, Long Beach State and Creighton. They will take on high -scoring Mizzou in the opening round.
Iowa coach Gayle Blevins says the Tigers have tremendous speed and the Hawks will need to slow down the Tiger’s running game. She says the stolen base is one of the big cogs in their offense and they need to keep that in check.
Drake opens a regional in Evanston, Illinois and takes on DePaul in the opener. The Bulldogs have victories over a number of teams that are playing in the tournament and coach Rich Calvert says that should provide them with added confidence. He says those accomplishments along the way have help them as they move into postseason.
Calvert says DePaul has always had good pitching, and they have speed and power. He says DePaul has a history of making it to the softball World Series. Creighton and Northwestern collide in the other first round game.