Indiana University
University of Kentucky
Hoosiers Host No. 20 Kentucky on Wednesday
4/18/2017 1:43:00 PM | Softball
Admission to all Indiana Softball games is free of charge.
THINK PINK
IU will wear special pink jerseys on Wednesday night in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Night. In addition, the first 200 fans in attendance will receive a free pink Indiana t-shirt.
SCOUTING KENTUCKY
The Wildcats, who are Indiana's seventh ranked opponent of the season, are coming off a series against No. 3 Florida. Kentucky took game two on Saturday, beating the Gators 5-1. However, Florida secured the series on Sunday with a no-hitter and a 2-0 win.
Kentucky is hitting .278 as a team, led by a .346 average from Katie Reed, who has 46 hits, 17 runs and 13 RBI. Abbey Cheek is close behind, batting .330 with 37 hits, 21 runs and 27 RBI. Cheek leads the team in homers with seven on the year.
The Wildcats' pitching has shined this season a 1.96 team ERA, 27th in the country. Meagan Prince has seen the most innings, amassing a 1.45 ERA with a 13-6 mark in 121.0 IP. Erin Rethlake (1.66 ERA, 6-2, 59.0 IP), Shannon Smith (2.55 ERA, 6-3, 44.0 IP) and Larissa Spellman (3.33 ERA, 1-2, 40.0 IP) round out the UK pitching staff.
Indiana and Kentucky have played each of the last three seasons with the Wildcats winning all three. Last season, Kentucky defeated the Hoosiers in Lexington, 3-1.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hoosiers traveled to Columbus over the weekend to face No. 25 Ohio State. Indiana came away with a 3-1 victory in game two, marking the first win against a ranked opponent since 2013. However, Ohio State secured the series with an 8-2 win on Sunday.
Prior to the weekend series, the Hoosiers split a doubleheader with Purdue on Tuesday, April 11.
DEFENSE CONTINUES TO BE STRONG
• The Indiana defense once again had a strong outing in Columbus, making many impressive snags. IU is second in the Big Ten with its .965 fielding percentage, including a .979 mark in conference action. Last season, the Hoosiers finished with a .958 fielding percentage.
TSIRIGOS MAKING HER MARK IN THE RECORD BOOKS
• Senior CaraMia Tsirigos had another productive week at the dish. In Indiana's five games, she batted .364 with four hits, three RBI and a run while adding seven walks. Tsirigos knocked a two-run homer during Sunday's series finale at Ohio State, bringing her season total to eight, a new career high and most on the team.
• Tsirigos' 25 career home runs is tied for fifth-most in program history.
• Tsirigos also leads the team in walks with 27 and has 107 in her career, which is third in the Indiana record books.
• In Big Ten action, Tsirigos is hitting .469 with 17 RBI, 15 hits, 13 walks, 7 runs and 6 homers.
KIRK'S BIG WEEK IN THE CIRCLE
• Redshirt sophomore Emily Kirk had a solid week in the circle for Indiana. She tossed her second complete game of the season against Purdue, taking a loss but surrendering just one earned run.
• Kirk took home the victory against the Buckeyes, throwing 5.0 hitless innings with the only two batters reaching via a walk and hit by pitch.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
• IU has knocked 22 home runs this season, led by eight from Tsirigos and six from Uden. Last season, the Hoosiers finished the year with 26 homers.
• Indiana's 136 walks this year is fourth in the Big Ten. Tsirigos leads the team with 27, which ranks 61st in the country and third in the Big Ten, while freshman Katie Lacefield has 22.
• Indiana now has 59 doubles on the year, which is third in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers finished the 2016 campaign with 69 doubles, which was fourth all-time in program history.
• IU is out-doubling its opponents, 59-51
• Indiana's 1.37 doubles per game average is 62nd in the country.
• Junior Taylor Uden has 10 doubles, which ties her career high she set during her freshman campaign. Lehman and juniors Rachel O'Malley and Aimilia McDonough each have seven on the year.
TRAINER'S STRIKEOUT RANKINGS
Tara Trainer has 142 strikeouts on the year, good for 36th nationally and third in the Big Ten. For her career, she has 325 strikeouts which puts her eighth in Indiana program history.
A season ago, the righty, who was named No. 21 on Fastpitch News' Preseason Top 50 NCAA Softball Pitchers List, set the Indiana freshman strikeout record with 183.
Trainer has tossed 13 complete games so far this year, more than doubling her number from 2016.
TIME CHANGE FOR MICHIGAN STATE SERIES
• Indiana's game against Michigan State on May 5 has been moved up to a 4 p.m. first pitch.
