Indiana University
Purdue
IU Visits Purdue for a Midweek Doubleheader
4/24/2018 4:23:00 PM | Softball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana Softball travels to Purdue on Wednesday for a doubleheader, which will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network. Lisa Byington and Leigh Ross Dakich will both be on the call for Big Ten Network.
First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 4 p.m. With eight games to go in the regular season, the Hoosiers are 13-2 in conference play and just half a game behind Michigan for first place in the Big Ten.
SCOUTING PURDUE
The Boilermakers are currently 11th in the Big Ten with a 4-10 mark, highlighted by a series win against Northwestern. Purdue is 5-5 in games played at Bittinger Stadium this season. Hitting .247 as a team, the Boilermakers are led by Stephanie Ramsey (.328, 45 hits, 22 RBI, 12 runs) and Jenny Behan (.313, 40 hits, 29 RBI, 23 runs). In the circle, Kaitlynn Moody (4.11 ERA, 7-17, 126.0 IP) and Sydney Bates (5.32 ERA, 5-14, 127.2 IP) have carried most of the workload for Purdue.
Purdue leads the all-time series, 39-32. Since the series switched to a two-game set in 2015, the teams have split every season. Last year, Tara Trainer tossed a complete game shutout as Indiana won the first game, 4-0. In the nightcap, Purdue plated a pair of runs in the seventh inning to come away with a 2-1 win.
LAST TIME OUT
• For the fourth time in five series, the Hoosiers earned another Big Ten sweep over the weekend, taking all three games against Penn State.
• The Hoosiers twice run-ruled the Nittany Lions, winning Friday and Sunday's games, 8-0. In the finale Sunday, Trainer tossed her second career no-hitter.
• IU outscored Penn State in the series, 20-1.
STOLEN BASES RECORD
• During IU's 4-1 victory on Saturday, the Hoosiers broke a 30-year old program record for stolen bases (91). With 101 bases on the year, the Hoosiers led the Big Ten. IU's 2.20 stolen bases per game average is tied for ninth in the country.
• Senior Rebecca Blitz leads the team with 25 stolen bases, the sixth most in a single season in IU program history (record - 35).
TRAINER, WESTMORELAND EARN WEEKLY AWARDS
• For the second time this season, junior Tara Trainer and freshman Maddie Westmoreland earned three weekly Big Ten honors. Trainer was named Co-Big Ten Pitcher of the Week while Westmoreland was named Big Ten Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week. The duo were also named as NFCA Selected Top Performances.
• Trainer, who shared the accolade with Minnesota's Amber Fiser, recorded a 0.82 ERA with a 3-1 mark against Louisville and Penn State. She recorded 21 strikeouts and made three starts with 17.0 innings pitched in those four games. In the three games against the Nittany Lions, Trainer collected a pair of shutout victories, capped by her second career no-hitter on Sunday. She also earned the win in the Saturday game, tossing 4.0 scoreless innings in relief.
• Westmoreland led the Hoosiers this week with a .636 average and 1.182 slugging percentage, collecting at least one hit in every contest and totaling 11 RBI. In the series against the Nittany Lions, Westmoreland batted .857 with nine RBI, six hits – including two home runs – and three runs scored. For the season, Westmoreland has a team-best nine home runs and 47 RBI on the season, which is tied for second-most in the Big Ten. In addition, her 47 RBI is the most ever for an IU freshman and third-most overall in a single season.
HOOSIER QUICK HITS
• Blitz is currently riding a 20-game hitting streak, the longest active streak in the Big Ten.
• Since starting the season 4-19, Indiana has completely flipped the script and have gone 17-6 since that time, which dates back to the Hoosier Classic March 16-18.
• 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 (14). At 13-2 with eight games left, the Hoosiers are guaranteed their first season above .500 in Big Ten since 2012.
• Hitting .316 as a team in Big Ten - compared to a .180 opponent average. Indiana is led by a .420 average from Blitz as the senior has collected 21 hits and 14 runs in Indiana's 15 Big Ten games. Westmoreland is batting .409 with 18 hits, 6 home runs and 28 RBI in that span. Overall, IU has seven hitting .250 or better in conference play.
• The Hoosiers are out-scoring Big Ten opposition 83-25 this season. IU's pitching has a conference ERA of 1.26, while its opponents' ERA is 5.16.
• The Indiana pitching staff has combined for 313 strikeouts this season, the second-most in the Big Ten. Trainer has been tremendous in conference action, going 10-2 with a 1.16 ERA and 77 strikeouts.
CAREER MILESTONES
• Senior Rebecca Blitz collected career hit No. 200 March 18th 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. Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 227
Stolen Bases:
1. Aimee Lonigro (1994-97) - 90
2. Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 85
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.) - 128
• Trainer's 172 strikeouts in 2018 are good for third-most in the Big Ten. The Lebanon, Ohio native has 528 strikeouts in her career, the fifth-most in IU program history:
Career Rankings:
1. Amy Unterbrink (1983-86) - 1089
2. Gina Ugo (1993-96) - 664
3. Megan Roark (2003-06) - 577
4. Mariangee Bogado (04-06) - 569
5. Tara Trainer (2016-pr.) - 528
WHAT'S AHEAD IN 2018
The Hoosiers will close out home play this weekend in an important series against current Big Ten leaders 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.
