Indiana University
Louisville
IU Closes Out Non-Conference Play Wednesday Against Louisville
4/17/2018 4:55:00 PM | Softball
First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. and admission is free of charge. The game will also be streamed live on BTN Plus and live stats are available on IUHoosiers.com
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Louisville is 27-14 with a 7-7 ACC record, having split with Syracuse in a doubleheader over the weekend. The Cardinals took two of three from Duke, NC State and Virginia while getting swept by Notre Dame. Common opponents for Louisville and Indiana include Butler, Northwestern, Ohio State, South Carolina, Maryland, Lipscomb and Kentucky. Louisville went 4-5 against those common opponents while the Hoosiers went 7-7. The Cardinals are hitting .301 as a team, led by Megan Hensley (.374, 43 hits, 16 runs, 33 RBI), Celene Funke (.350, 41 hits, 24 runs) and Caitlin Ferguson (.339, 43 hits, 27 runs, 37 RBI). In the circle, Hensley (3.14 ERA, 12-5, 138.1 IP) and Danielle Watson (2.41 ERA, 13-7, 110.1 IP) have carried the vast majority of innings this season.
The Cardinals lead the all-time series, 16-3, and have won three straight against Indiana. Last season, Louisville defeated the Hoosiers, 2-1, at Ulmer Stadium. IU held onto a 1-0 lead until the fifth when the Cardinals used a two-run single to seal the win. Tara Trainer tossed a complete game, allowing just one earned run and striking out two Cardinals.
LAST TIME OUT
• Indiana visited Maryland over the weekend, sweeping all three games against the Terrapins. IU outscored Maryland in the series, 28-5.
• It marked the third sweep out of four Big Ten series the Hoosiers have played this season. It is the most conference sweeps in a single year since 2011.
• With the victories, the Hoosiers improved to 10-2 in Big Ten play, keeping them in second place in the conference.
• IU has already surpassed last year's conference wins total (9) and have tied with 2016 as the most Big Ten wins in a season since 2012.
• Indiana cranked six home runs over the weekend, including two from freshman Taylor Lambert. Lambert hit .400 against the Terrapins with six RBI.
• Senior Taylor Uden also had a big weekend in College Park, batting .500 with five hits, four RBI and three runs.
• McLean, Va. native Bella Norton delivered for the Hoosiers at Maryland. She added two pinch hit singles in the first two games, while collected her second home run of the year in the finale.
TRAINER HITS 500 CAREER STRIKEOUTS
• Junior Tara Trainer racked up 16 strikeouts over the weekend, moving into fifth place in program history with 507 strikeouts. Trainer surpassed Morgan Melloh, who had 494 career punchouts.
HOOSIER QUICK HITS
• Since starting the season 4-19, Indiana has completely flipped the script and have gone 14-5 since that time.
• In that period, which dates back to the start of the Hoosier Classic on March 16, Indiana is hitting .291, compared to a .221 average in the 23 games prior.
• After picking up four more hits against Maryland, senior Rebecca Blitz is currently riding a 16-game hitting streak. Blitz has posted a team-high 15 multi-hit performances this season.
• Lambert has been a key contributor during the team's success over the last month, especially as of late. The freshman is currently on an eight-game hitting streak, having collected 12 hits during that time.
• The Hoosiers now have 85 stolen bases on the year, the most in the Big Ten and tied for the third most in program history (record is 91). In addition, their 2.02 stolen bases per game average is good for 17th in the nation. Blitz leads the team with 23 stolen bags, which is the second-most in the conference, while Jenkins has 19, tied for the third-most in the Big Ten.
• Indiana is 15-0 this season when the Hoosiers are leading after five innings.
• The Indiana pitching staff has combined for 289 strikeouts this season, the second most in the Big Ten.
• Junior Tara Trainer's 151 strikeouts in 2018 are good for fourth-most in the Big Ten. The Lebanon, Ohio native has 507 strikeouts in her career, the fifth-most in IU program history:
Career Rankings:
1. Amy Unterbrink (1983-86) - 1089
2. Gina Ugo (1993-96) - 6643
3. Megan Roark (2003-06) - 577
4. Mariangee Bogado (04-06) - 569
5. Tara Trainer (2016-pr.) - 507
• Senior Rebecca Blitz collected career hit No. 200 March 18 against UIC, becoming just the sixth member of the 200-plus hit club in IU program history. Blitz is closing in on numerous program milestones, including:
Hits:
1. Karleen Moore (1984-87) - 238
2. Michelle Venturella (1992-95) - 225
3. Monica Armendarez (95-98) - 222
Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 222
Stolen Bases:
1. Aimee Lonigro (1994-97) - 90
2. Karleen Moore (1984-87) - 83
Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 83
Runs Scored:
1. Aimee Lonigro (1994-97) - 156
2. Monica Armendarez (95-98) - 139
3. Michelle Venturella (1992-95) - 137
4. Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 126
WHAT'S AHEAD IN 2018
Indiana will next play host to Penn State this weekend for a three-game series. Next week, the Hoosiers will travel for a midweek doubleheader at Purdue Wednesday evening before returning home to face Big Ten-leading Michigan. Indiana will close out the regular season with a trip to Rutgers May 4-6. The 2018 Big Ten Tournament will be hosted by Wisconsin in Madison from May 10-12.
