Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
University of Minnesota
Indiana Travels to No. 7 Minnesota This Weekend
4/6/2017 12:41:00 PM | Softball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana Softball (17-18, 3-3 Big Ten) heads to Minneapolis this weekend to face the No. 7 ranked Golden Gophers (32-3, 5-1 Big Ten). It marks the first time since 2013 the two teams have played each other, with the last meeting resulting in a Minnesota series sweep in Minneapolis.
Due to the Sunday weather forecast, Indiana and Minnesota will now play a single game Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 2 p.m. ET. All three games will be streamed on BTN Plus. Stats and a live radio broadcast for all the games can be found on IUHoosiers.com.
WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
Game One - Friday, 7 p.m. ET - BTN Plus
Game Two - Saturday, 2 p.m. ET - BTN Plus
Game Three - Saturday, 4 p.m. ET - BTN Plus
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
The No. 7 Golden Gophers opened their 2017 campaign 19-0 before falling to No. 8 Washington on March 10. Minnesota lost twice to the Huskies in the Washington Tournament and the team's only other loss this year came against Illinois last weekend.
Minnesota is hitting .348, best in the Big Ten and fifth in the nation. They also rank in the top 10 nationally in scoring (6th - 7.17 runs per game), slugging percentage (5th - .537), home runs per game (4th - 1.03 per game) and on-base percentage (8th - .435). The Gophers have four hitting .400 or better, led by Makenna Partain (.425, 45 hits, 29 runs, 20 RBI) and Sydney Dwyer (.411, 44 hits, 15 runs, 46 RBI). Kendyl Lindaman leads the Big Ten in homers with 13 on the year.
In the circle, two-time All-American Sara Groenewegen leads the Big Ten with a 0.50 ERA, which is also third in the nation. The pitching staff's 1.40 ERA is eighth in the country. Amber Fiser (2.35 ERA, 6-0, 41.2 IP) and Tori Finucane (2.86 ERA. 5-1, 44.0 IP) could also see time in the circle this weekend.
LAST TIME OUT
IU traveled to Penn State last weekend. The Hoosiers earned a 6-1 victory in the series opener, but fell in the two final games as the Nittany Lions came away with the series victory.
WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS
• Juniors Rachel O'Malley and Taylor Uden put up strong numbers during the series against Penn State. O'Malley hit .500, going 5-for-10 with three doubles, three RBI and a run scored. Uden batted .444 with four hits, four runs, two RBI and a homer.
• Redshirt sophomore Emily Kirk tossed her first complete game of the year in Friday's second game. She pitched solidly, giving up just six hits and three runs in the 6.0 innings.
• Sophomore Tara Trainer also had a strong weekend in the circle. Trainer started two games, picking up a 1.85 ERA, striking out nine and allowing three runs in 11.1 innings of work. against the Nittany Lions.
SEEING DOUBLE
• The Hoosiers picked up six more doubles at Penn State and now have 54 on the season, which is second in the Big Ten.
• Indiana's out-doubling its opponents 54-37 this year
• For comparison, through 35 games last season, Indiana had 39 doubles. The Hoosiers finished the 2016 campaign with 69 doubles, which was fourth all-time in program history.
• Uden leads the way with nine doubles, while O'Malley and junior Aimilia McDonough have each knocked seven.
• The Hoosiers have seven players on the roster who have doubled at least four times this season.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
• Indiana freshman Gabbi Jenkins is hitting .305 this year and has picked up a hit in 13 of the last 15 games while hitting in the leadoff spot.
• Fellow freshman Katie Lacefield has also been impressive as of late. Since Indiana's March 5 game against Long Beach State, she is batting .395 with 15 hits and 10 runs. She has raised her average from .167 prior to that game to .294 for the season.
• As a team, Indiana is batting .282. Last season, the Hoosiers hit .272.
• IU has knocked 18 home runs this season, led by five from Uden and senior CaraMia Tsirigos. The five homers is a career best for Uden while Tsirigos' career high is seven from a season ago.
PURDUE DH TO BE SHOWN ON BTN
Both games of Indiana's April 11 doubleheader against Purdue will be aired live on the Big Ten Network. The DH, which starts at 4 p.m. at Andy Mohr Field, will make it five total Indiana games shown on BTN this season.
HOOSIERS SET RECORDS IN 23-2 WIN
The Indiana offense exploded for a 23-2 win against Rutgers on Friday. The game set numerous records for the Hoosiers such as:
• 23 runs is the most scored ever in a Big Ten game in IU history and the most in any game since 1978 when Indiana scored 40 runs.
• 20 hits is the most in head coach Michelle Gardner's nine-year tenure
• 23 RBI is the most in a single game under Coach Gardner
• Four home runs is the most under Coach Gardner as CaraMia Tsirigos, Taylor Uden, Rachel O'Malley and Nicole Lawvere all went yard in the win.
• 14 different Hoosiers scored at least one run and 13 picked up at least one hit
TRAINER'S STRIKEOUT RANKINGS
Tara Trainer has 128 strikeouts on the year, good for 27th nationally and third in the Big Ten.
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.
