Indiana University Athletics
HOOSIERS OPEN THE BIG TEN AT HOME
3/29/2000 12:00:00 AM | Softball
HOOSIERS OPEN THE BIG TEN AT HOME
Game Data
Indiana opens the Big Ten season at home as they host a double-header with Michigan on Saturday, March 31 at 2:00 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, April 1 and 2, Indiana will host Michigan State for single games starting at 1:00 p.m. on both days. All games will be played at the IU Softball Field in Bloomington, Indiana.
No. 13 Michigan
Michigan is coached by Carol Hutchins who is in her 16th season with the Wolverines. Michigan is currently ranked 13th in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll after posting a 22-6 pre-Big Ten record. Freshman Lisa Mack and senior Pam Kosanke lead all batters with .429 and .427 batting averages. Junior pitcher Marie Barda holds a 7-3 record with a 0.27 ERA.
The Series
The Wolverines lead the series 43-26-0. Earlier this season, Michigan defeated Indiana 4-0 on February 27 at the University of South Florida-Gladstones tournament in Tampa, Florida.
Michigan State
Jacquie Joseph is in her seventh season as the head coach for the Spartans. Michigan State is currently 19-12. The Spartans have a double-header with Detroit today, March 29 and will travel to Purdue for a double-header on Friday, March 31. Junior Shealee Dunavan is batting .379 for the Spartans with 39 hits and nine RBI. Sophomore pitcher Keri Dejong holds a 9-4 record with a 2.06 ERA.
The Series
Indiana leads the series 44-35-0 over the Spartans. In their last meeting, the Spartans defeated the Hoosiers 5-4 and 4-0 in a double-header in East Lansing on April 28, 1999.
Weekly Update
Indiana defeated Kent 1-0 on Tuesday, March 28. Indiana scored one run in the bottom of the sixth to clench the win. In the sixth, senior Sheri Savko singled and then advanced to second on an error by the shortstop Kerry Kaser. Senior Staci Meek laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Savko to third. Freshman Heather Suca singled to left field bringing in Savko to take the 1-0 lead. Senior Teresa Martinez improved to 3-9 on the season with the shutout, her first of the season. Martinez allowed only four hits and struck out one during her seven-inning performance.
Can You Weather the Storm?
Freshman Stormy Hanson is currently on a four game hitting streak and posts a .290 batting average. Hanson is second on the team in games with a hit (14), total hits (18), and runs scored (9). She also leads the team in walks with 11.
Alison Cooks The Competition
Sophomore pitcher Alison Cooke is currently on a three game winning streak after the win over Ball State on Saturday, March 25. Cooke had four strikeouts in the wins over Evansville and Butler. Cooke posts a 1.95 ERA and 5-6 on the year.
Mighty Meek
Senior Staci Meek has had at least one hit in the last seven of nine games. She has compiled nine hits and six RBI during that stretch. Meek also leads the team with seven stolen bases in seven attempts (1.000) and posts a perfect fielding percentage of 1.000.
State Showdown
Indiana is currently 3-2 versus Indiana schools. The Hoosiers defeated Evansville 6-3 on Friday, March 17 at Evansville, Indiana. On Tuesday, March 21, Indiana split a double-header with Butler losing 2-1 and then rallying to defeat the Bulldogs 10-2 in the second game. On Saturday, March 25, Indiana split double-header with Ball State winning 3-2 in ten innings and then dropping game two 1-0.
Game Results
Complete game results will be made available on the web at www.athletics.indiana.edu following the event. They can be viewed and printed out by choosing softball from the main menu. Weekly updates and season best lists can be obtained at www.athletics.indiana.edu all season long.
The Coaches
Diane Stephenson begins her 13th season as head coach for the Hoosiers. She has produced winning records in seven of her 12 seasons. Stephenson has accumulated a 366-320-3 (.534) career record, including a 150-149 (.502) record in Big Ten play. Her team made the NCAA Mideast Regional in 1994 and finished with a record of 49-16.
Assisting Stephenson will be Donna Bonebrake, now in her 5th season, and newcomer Jen McIntyre. McIntyre comes to Indiana from Penn State where she played third base for the Nittany Lions.
Coaches Corner
Head Coach Diane Stephenson:
"Our focus is going to be on Indiana. We can control everything and
we just have to approach it that way. We've got Michigan coming in here
on Friday. We played them 4-0 earlier in the season and I know they're
a really good ball club. But, they're coming to our home turf and hopefully
we can make some exciting games."
