The U.N.I. softball team returns to Missouri Valley Conference action this weekend with a visit to Illinois State. The Panthers are 22-15 overall and it has been a busy week for coach Ryan Jacobs’ team. After losing at Iowa State on Tuesday the Panthers won both ends of a doubleheader at South Dakota State on Wednesday.
Jacobs says it is a typical schedule where they try to get a few home games in early as well as playing some of the regional teams. U.N.I. is 6-3 in the Valley and visits an Illinois State team that is second in the league race at 7-1. Jacobs says the Panthers need to continue to work on the little things it takes to win close games.
He says if they execute the fundamentals of bunting and moving the runner over, making the routine ground ball plays, they can clean up the things they need to. Jacobs feels the Panthers can stay in the thick of the league chase. He says it all boils down to pitching the consistency they can get.
By Elwin Huffman KOEL Oelwein