CHICAGO (April 15, 2021) - Fresh off a series win against Bradley, Loyola University Chicago (7-20, 3-8 MVC) will try to slow a red-hot Northern Iowa team this weekend when the Panthers invade Loyola Softball Park for a three-game set, April 16 and 17. The Ramblers are looking to win consecutive Missouri Valley Conference series for the first time since 2019 when they swept a three-game series from Indiana State (April 6 and 7) and won a doubleheader against Valparaiso (April 9)

Loyola is in the middle of a 12-game homestand but is just 2-5 through its first seven contests during that extended stay in Rogers Park. 

In her last three outings, all starts, junior righthander Sydney Ruggles is 1-1 with a 2.95 earned-run average and 19 strikeouts in 19.0 innings pitched. Although she has walked 18 batters in those 19.0 innings, Ruggles has yielded just 12 hits and eight earned runs.

Loyola – Northern Iowa – The Series

The Ramblers and the Panthers are meeting for the 25th time and Northern Iowa owns a sizable 19-5 advantage in the all-time series. Since it joined the Missouri Valley Conference for the 2014 season, Loyola is 5-12 overall against UNI and is 2-6 versus the Panthers at Loyola Softball Park. After winning just one of the first eight meetings between the teams since becoming a Valley member, Loyola is 4-5 in its last nine encounters with UNI. When the teams last battled, May 4 and 5, 2019 in Chicago, Northern Iowa out-scored Loyola, 20-2, in a three-game series sweep. 

Scouting Northern Iowa

Heading into this weekend's series, Northern Iowa has won 11 of its last 12 outings, including each of the last eight. The Panthers are 5-9 in true road games this year and have claimed three of their last four away from Cedar Falls, Iowa. Redshirt senior shortstop Sammey Bunch is having an unbelievable season and entered this week batting .478 (44-for-92) with 40 runs, 18 home runs and 40 RBI, while possessing an eye-popping .625 on-base percentage and a 1.174 slugging percentage. Redshirt sophomore Kailyn Packard is 12-5 with a 1.43 earned-run average and 104 strikeouts in 102.2 innings of work.

Up Next

Loyola hosts Valparaiso in a doubleheader April 21 at Loyola Softball Park.