Indiana University
Illinois - Quarterfinals
IU Softball Set for Big Ten Tournament
5/9/2018 3:42:00 PM | Softball
Every game of the Big Ten Tournament will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network. Live stat links will be available on IUHoosiers.com.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
The Fighting Illini are hitting an impressive .323 as a team, led by Kian Sherlund (.404, 80 hits, 52 runs, 47 RBI) and Carly Thomas (.369, 65 hits, 47 runs, 46 RBI). The team's ERA is 3.37 with Emily Oestreich (3.38 ERA, 15-9, 140.2 IP) and Taylor Edwards (3.41 ERA, 14-7, 129.1 IP) carrying most of the innings. Illinois leads the series, 17-7, with the last meeting resulting in a Fighting Illini sweep in 2015.
INDIANA IN B1G TOURNAMENT
• The Hoosiers will play in the Big Ten Softball tournament for the fifth straight season and the ninth time in program history.
• Indiana is 4-9 all-time at the tournament.
•The No. 3 seed this season is the highest in Indiana's B1G Tournament history, The previous best was the No. 4 seed in 1996. The third-place finish in conference is the best since 2011, but there was not a conference tournament that season.
• Indiana has not played at Wisconsin's Goodman Softball Complex since 2010.
IU EARNS EIGHT BIG TEN HONORS
The Big Ten announced its yearly honors on Wednesday with the Hoosiers earning seven spots on conference teams, including First Team All-Big Ten accolades for junior Tara Trainer and freshman Maddie Westmoreland. Senior Rebecca Blitz and sophomore Gabbi Jenkins earned Second Team honors, while Blitz was also named to the All-Defensive Team. Westmoreland and fellow freshman Taylor Lambert both earned a spot of the All-Freshman Team. In addition, senior Rachel O'Malley was named Indiana's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree.
• The four First and Second Team selections for Indiana is the most overall since the Second Team honor was added in 2000. Trainer and Westmoreland's selections to the First Team marks the first time since 2011 that Indiana has placed multiple student-athletes on that list.
• Trainer is having the best season of her career, registering a 2.54 ERA with 208 strikeouts in 188.1 innings pitched, all career bests for the Lebanon, Ohio native. Nationally, she comes in at No. 27 in season strikeouts. In Big Ten play, Trainer has registered a 1.63 ERA with 113 strikeouts in 107.2 innings pitched. Her 113 conference strikeouts rank as the second-most in the Big Ten. For her career, Trainer's 564 strikeouts rank fifth all-time in program history.
• Leading the Hoosiers in home runs with 10 on the year, Westmoreland is hitting .318 with a .563 slugging percentage. The Glendale, Ariz. native has 51 RBI on the season, tied for the second-most in a single season in program history. Seven of her home runs and 32 of her RBI have come in conference action.
• Blitz earns Second Team All-Big Ten honors for the third straight season, as she is hitting .328 with 58 hits, 28 runs and 29 stolen bases. From March 18 to April 28, Blitz put together a Big Ten-leading 23-game hitting streak and is currently riding a 28-game reached base streak. The Birmingham, Ala. native currently sits second all-time in program history with 234 career hits and 89 stolen bases. In conference action, Blitz leads the team with a .373 average and 28 hits. Defensively, Blitz has been a force in centerfield with a .986 fielding percentage and becomes the second Hoosier in a row to earn the All-Defensive Team accolades as O'Malley did so in 2017.
• With a .366 average and 63 hits on the season, Jenkins leads the Indiana offensive attack. Jenkins is also a threat on the base paths as she has 26 stolen bags on the season. The Floyds Knobs, Ind. native has been exceptional in conference play with a .370 average, 27 hits and 22 runs.
• Another standout in Big Ten action has been Lambert, who hit .315 in Indiana's 23 Big Ten games. Her four home runs this season have all come in conference play as she has knocked 17 hits and scored 13 runs.
B1G PLAY
• Indiana is hitting .293 as a team in Big Ten - compared to a .203 opponent average. Overall, IU has eight hitting .250 or better in Big Ten play.
• The Hoosiers out-scored Big Ten opposition 109-51 this season. IU's pitching staff has a conference ERA of 1.55, while its opponents' ERA is 4.36,
• The Indiana pitching staff has combined for 352 strikeouts this season, the most in the Big Ten.
• During IU's 4-1 victory against Penn State on April 21, the Hoosiers broke a 30-year old program record for stolen bases (91). With 111 stolen bases on the year, the Hoosiers lead the Big Ten. IU's 2.06 stolen bases per game average is 16th in the country.
• Taylor Uden has been closing out her senior campaign on a high note. Dating back to the Maryland series April 13-14, Uden is hitting .395 with 15 hits, 10 RBI, 10 runs, 4 home runs and 3 doubles. In those 15 games, she has collected at least one hit in all but four contests.
CAREER MILESTONES
• Blitz is closing in on numerous program milestones, including:
Hits:
1. Karleen Moore (1984-87) - 238
2. Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 234
Stolen Bases:
1. Aimee Lonigro (1994-97) - 90
2. Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 89
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.) - 132
• Trainer's 208 strikeouts in 2018 are a new career best and good for third-most in the Big Ten and eight most in a single year in Indiana history. The Lebanon, Ohio native has 564 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.) - 564
