Indiana University
Nebraska
Red Hot Hoosiers Return Home to Host Nebraska
4/5/2018 4:46:00 PM | Softball
Friday's series opener has been pushed up to 2 p.m. due to the weather forecast. All three games will be streamed on BTN2Go and admission is free.
SCOUTING THE HUSKERS
Nebraska has split its Big Ten games this season, taking two of three from Michigan State and dropping two of three to Northwestern. Along with Northwestern and MSU, other common opponents between the Huskers and the Hoosiers include Arizona State, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Green Bay and Oklahoma. Nebraska is 7-5 amongst that opposition while Indiana is 5-8. The Huskers are hitting .279 as a team, led by Tristen Edwards (.374, 43 hits, 21 runs, 10 HR, 34 RBI) and Alyvia Simmons (.364, 43 huts, 26 runs, 15 RBI). In the circle, Kaylan Jablonski (3.00 ERA, 17-7, 126.0 IP) and Olivia Ferrell (3.58 ERA, 7-4, 72.1 IP) have carried most of the innings.
This weekend marks the first time since 2014 that Indiana and Nebraska have played each other. The Huskers swept that three-game series in Lincoln.
LAST TIME OUT
Indiana swept Michigan State last weekend in East Lansing to move to 6-0 in Big Ten action. IU won both games of Friday's doubleheader, 3-2, and earned a 5-1 victory in the series finale. It was the first time Indiana has swept a road Big Ten series since taking all three against Penn State in 2015,
STANTON EARNS CAREER WIN NO. 600
With Indiana's 5-1 win on Saturday, head coach Shonda Stanton collected her 600th victory as a Division I head coach. Stanton won 560 games at Marshall and 27 at IUPUI.
FLIPPING A SWITCH
After starting the year 4-19, Indiana has flipped a switch, winning seven straight and 9 of the last 11 games.
• Indiana is hitting .277 in the last 11 games compared to the .221 average during the first 23 games.
• IU recorded a fielding percentage of .976 with just seven errors in the last 11 games compared to a percentage of .942 with 35 errors.
• In the last 11 games, the Hoosiers have been led by the bats of Gabbi Jenkins (.457, 16 hits, 12 runs), Rebecca Blitz (.419, 13 hits, 10 runs) and Maddie Westmoreland (.412, 14 hits, 3 runs).
• IU has also seen many others step up at the plate, including senior Rachel O'Malley. O'Malley has been batting .296 with eight hits in the last 11 games. That's compared to her six total hits in the first 23.
• During IU's seven--game winning streak, the Indiana pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 1.71 as Indiana has outscored its opponents, 38-13. Junior Tara Trainer has collected four wins, while sophomore Emily Goodin has three.
• Indiana's seven-game winning streak is the longest for the program since 2011.
HOOSIER QUICK HITS
• Jenkins is riding a 15-game reached base streak, while Westmoreland's is at 12 games. Meanwhile, Blitz is sitting at an eight-game hitting streak.
• Jenkins had a pair of triples over the weekend, bringing her season total to five, which is third-most in the conference and tied for eight-most in the country.
• The Hoosiers now have 64 stolen bases on the year, the second-most in the Big Ten and eighth most in a single season in program history. Jenkins has 17 stolen bags, which is the second-most in the conference, while Blitz has 16, the third-most in the Big Ten.
• The majority of Indiana's scoring has come in the middle innings has the Hoosiers have scored 23 runs in the fifth and 21 runs in the fourth this season.
• Junior Tara Trainer's 117 strikeouts this season is good for fourth-most in the Big Ten. The Lebanon, Ohio native has 473 strikeouts in her career, the sixth-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. Morgan Melloh (2011) - 494
6. Tara Trainer (2016-pr.) - 473
• 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 sets top-10 in nearly offensive career category at IU, including:
Hits:
1. Karleen Moore (1984-87) - 238
2. Michelle Venturella (1992-95) - 225
3. Monica Armendarez (95-98) - 222
4. Breanna Saucedo (2010-14) - 219
5. Aimee Lonigro (1994-97) - 214
6. Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 210
Stolen Bases:
1. Aimee Lonigro (1994-97) - 90
2. Karleen Moore (1984-87) - 83
3. Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 76
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.) - 120
WHAT'S AHEAD IN 2018
The Hoosiers have 54 games on tap in 2018, including 20 to be played at Andy Mohr Field. This year, Indiana will play 16 games against teams who reached the NCAA Tournament last season and nine against teams ranked or receiving votes in this week's USA Today/NFCA Poll.
Other home Big Ten series remaining include Penn State and Michigan, while road Big Ten series left for Indiana include Maryland, Purdue and Rutgers. IU also has non-conference games remaining against Butler and Louisville. The 2018 Big Ten Tournament will be hosted by Wisconsin in Madison from May 10-12.
