Indiana University Athletics
Hoosier Softball Kicks Off Season in Oklahoma
2/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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Feb. 15, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - In its first event of the season, the Indiana Hoosier softball team will kickoff the 2006 campaign at the OU/Nike Classic on Feb. 17-19, hosted by the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. A two-day event, the Hoosiers open play against Nevada at 12:15 p.m. on Feb. 17, followed by a 4:45 matchup against host No. 10/12 Oklahoma. The Hoosiers continue action at 10 a.m. on Feb. 18 against North Dakota State, followed by a contest against Nevada at 12:15 p.m. IU concludes the tournament with two games on Sunday, first taking on North Dakota State at 12:15 p.m. before facing OU at 2:30 p.m.
HEAD COACH Stacey Phillips PREVIEW
"We are going into the tournament to win, and that is the way we have to approach every game and tournament this season," Phillips said. "Right now, we have the chance to beat anyone. Anyone in the country has that potential right now. The key for us will be to get out there and play consistently. We have the potential to obtain our goals this weekend as long as we stay focused. With practices and the fall season, our team is coming together nicely."
NEVADA PREVIEW
This is the first meeting between Indiana and Nevada. The Wolfpack are 1-4 on the season, losing to some of the nation's best in then-No. 6/9 Texas A&M (5-4), Arizona State (7-0), then-No. 9/7 Stanford (5-1) and then-No. 22/21 Nebraska (3-0) at the Kajikawa Classic hosted by ASU on Feb. 10-12. Nevada is coming off a 22-31 season a year ago, going 8-10 in the Western Athletic Conference. Head coach Michelle Gardner is in her fourth year with the program and led Nevada to an eighth-place finish in conference action in 2005.
The Wolfpack return nine letterwinners and six starters from last year's squad, and they lost three starters. Brittany Lorenzen and Lindsey Hall lead the Nevada offense, batting a team-best .333 and .250, respectively. In the circle, Candice Rainwater carries the pitching duties for NU, holding a 5.23 ERA, while Jordan McPherson has struck out a team-high 22 batters through four appearances and 19 innings.
OKLAHOMA PREVIEW
Oklahoma opened the 2006 season at the UNLV Alexis Resort Kickoff Classic on Feb. 10-12, going 4-1 on the weekend. The Sooners opened the classic with their first loss in a season-opener under head coach Patty Gasso's 12 years at the helm of the program. Then-No. 14/13 Washington proved too much for the Sooners, run-ruling OU, 12-4, in the opening contest of the classic and snapping their 12-game season opener win streak. Oklahoma has since bounced back to rattled off four straight wins. OU now takes their streak into their Wednesday, Feb. 15, doubleheader against Central Michigan.
The Sooners went 50-17 a year ago and 12-6 in Big Ten action en route to an NCAA Regional appearance and a final ranking of 12th.
On the young season, Kristin Vesely and Amber Spaulding lead the Sooners with a .500 batting average, while OU's pitching duties are spread across four pitchers evenly. Nicole Denes boasts the team's best numbers with a 0.88 ERA over two appearances and eight innings of work.
The last time Indiana and Oklahoma met on the diamond came last year, resulting in a 7-4 Hoosier loss. Overall, OU leads the series 3-2 and has won the past two meetings.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE PREVIEW
This is the first meeting between Indiana and North Dakota State. The Bison also open their 2006 season at the OU/Nike Classic on Feb. 17-19. NDST went 24-27 in 2005 and are coached by Darren Mueller who is in his fifth year with the program. The Bison compete independent of a conference and did not earn a trip to the NCAA tournament in 2005.
North Dakota State returns 12 letterwinners from a year ago and lost only four starters, leaving seven to return to the lineup in 2006.
SENIOR HURLERS
There are many strengths that the Hoosiers look to use to their advantage in 2006, but one of its greatest is a tough pitching staff that looks to be one the best in the Big Ten this coming season. The duo of senior Mariangee Bogado and Megan Roark look to carry the bulk of the load for IU, while junior Christy Wahl also will see some action throughout the season.
The 2006 campaign marks the first season both Bogado and Roark are in top form, as Roark sat out a part of 2004 due to injury, while Bogado missed most of last season recovering from an injury of her own. In 2006, the two look to combine to be one of the best 1-2 punches in the league and in the country.
In 2004, Bogado, in the absence of Roark, led IU with a 1.62 ERA and fanned a record-setting 207 batters in the process. In 2005, Roark held most of the duties in the circle, tabbing a 2.97 ERA and struck out 219 batters. Both strikeout efforts by the Hoosier hurlers rank fifth (219) and sixth (207) in Indiana's all-time record book in the category.
IT'S THE "RIGHT" TIME
Senior right fielder Lauren Hines enters the 2006 campaign with an expectation of success compared to previous years. Hines returns after hitting the fifth-best batting average on the team, .225, and made an appearance in all but one of the team's games last season.
Hines stepped up to bat 142 times, collecting eight runs, 32 hits, four doubles, four homeruns and brought in 14 RBI. Through her four years with Indiana, Hines has seen the good and the bad, but sees a distinct difference in this year's squad and talent. With a fresh coaching staff and the addition of key freshman to the lineup, Indiana is poised to make a run in the Big Ten.
