Analytics is not just for Major League Baseball and has made its way to college softball. Northern Iowa leads the Missouri Valley race with an 11-1 record and ranks at or near the top in virtually every offensive category except one. They rank last in bunts and in 33 game have only four sacrifice bunts.

That’s UNI coach Ryan Jacobs who says former professor Robin Lund taught him that bunts are a waste of outs. Lund would go on to join Rick Heller’s baseball staff at Iowa and is now a coach with the Detroit Tigers. Despite their lack of bunting the Panthers are averaging better than six runs per game.

Heller says their view of the sacrifice bunt has completely changed.

The Panthers return to action Tuesday night at home by hosting Drake.

NEW YORK – University of Iowa Fifth-Year center Monika Czinano was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks with 26th overall pick in the WNBA Draft. Czinano is the third Hawkeye that has been drafted in the WNBA since 2019. (Kathleen Doyle, Megan Gustafson)

Czinano finished her Iowa career with 2,413 points, 787 rebounds, and shot at least 67% the past four seasons. She was the fifth Hawkeye to net more than 2,000 points in a career.

17 Hawkeyes have been drafted or signed in the WNBA since the league originated in 1997.

Czinano broke the Big Ten Tournament single game field percentage record, going 11-of-12 (.917) to help Iowa to their 2023 Big Ten Championship victory over Ohio State. She reached double figures in 28 games this season and in 11 of them she netted more than 20 points.

Czinano finished her decorated Hawkeye career with Unanimous First Team All-Big Ten honors, was on the All-Big Ten Tournament, and earned honorable mention from the Associated Press in 2022-23.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State senior Ashley Joens became the 16^th player in school history and the second to be selected in the 2023 WNBA Draft. Joens was picked No. 19 by the Dallas Wings in the second round, joining teammate Stephanie Soares (Round 1, Pick 4, Washington (Traded to Dallas) in Dallas after a trade earlier in the night.

Joens becomes the fourth highest WNBA Draft pick in school history.

The Iowa City, Iowa, native recently concluded arguably the most decorated career in Cyclone women’s basketball history. She’s a three-time recipient of the Cheryl Miller Award, a four-time unanimous All-Big 12 First Team selection and a two-time WBCA All-American.

Joens, who started all 158 games in her career, finished as Iowa State’s all-time leading scorer with 3,060 career points and was just the 14^th player in NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball history to reach 3,000 points.

She averaged 19.4 points per game in her career to break the school record and rank eighth in Big 12 history. Joens exhibited the ability to score at all levels during her career, connecting on 344 career 3-pointers (fifth in Big 12 history) and making 740 free throws (third in Big 12 history). She shot 83.1 percent at the charity stripe.

Joens also dominated the glass, collecting 1,391 career rebounds and recording 65 career double-doubles.

In her career, Joens was recognized with 13 Big 12 Player of the Week honors, the second-most in Big 12 history behind only Baylor’s Brittney Griner.

In 2022-23, Joens poured in 21.6 points and pulled down 9.7 rebounds. She was named Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship Most Outstanding Player after averaging 26.7 points and 11.0 rebounds in leading the Cyclones to the tournament title. She scored 30 against Baylor, 22 against Oklahoma and 28 in the championship game against Texas.

Joens was the second Big 12 player drafted

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State senior forward/center Stephanie Soares became the 15^th player in school history to be selected in the WNBA Draft on Monday evening when she was chosen by the Washington Mystics with the No. 4 pick. Moments later, Soares was traded to the Dallas Wings.

Soares is the highest draft pick in school history, with the previous high being Alison Lacey with the 10^th pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft. She joins Lacey as the second first-round pick in school history. 

Soares played just one season at Iowa State and it was cut short due to a knee injury suffered at Oklahoma on Jan. 8. She came to the Cyclones after a standout career at NAIA The Master’s University.

Despite playing just 13 games with the Cyclones, the Sao Paulo, Brazil, native, made an immediate impact for ISU. She averaged 14.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game for the Cyclones, reaching double figures in 11 contests and recording eight double-doubles.

Her season-high of 23 points came in wins against UNI and Michigan State. Soares pulled down 20 rebounds against West Virginia, recording the sixth 20-rebound game in school history.

Prior to transferring to Iowa State, Soares was a two-time NAIA Division I Player of the Year.

 Soares was the first Big 12 player selected in the draft