Indiana University Athletics
Softball Arizona Bound This Weekend
2/27/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 27, 2014
| Wildcat Invitational- Tucson, Ariz. | |
| Dates | Feb. 28-March 2, 2014 |
| Location | Tucson, Ariz. |
| Game 1 (Friday) | Indiana vs. UT-Alrington • 1 p.m. ET |
| Game 2 (Saturday) | Indiana vs. Longwood • 11 a.m. ET |
| Game 3 (Saturday) | Indiana vs. Valparaiso • 1 p.m. ET |
| Game 4 (Sunday) | Indiana at No. 10 Arizona • 3 p.m. ET |
| Radio | Free Audio |
| Live Stats (All Games) | Arizonalivestats.com |
| Game Notes | Indiana Game Notes |
| Social Media | Twitter | Facebook |
The Hoosiers continue play through their 2014 slate at the Wildcat Invitational hosted by Arizona University in Tucson, Ariz. The six-team invite will feature squads from Arizona, Indiana, Iowa, Longwood, UT-Arlington, and Valparaiso.
A LOOK AT UT-ARLINGTON
Indiana will open the Wildcat Invite with UT-Arlington this weekend in the teams’ 12th game in the all-time series. The Hoosiers own an 8-3 advatange in the series and will face the Mavericks for the first time since 1992.
The Mavericks will bring a 10-6 record into Friday’s game and have won four of their last five. UTA is currently hitting .264 as a team with four players hitting above .300. The Mavericks’ pitching staff owns a 3.67 ERA and has struck out a total of 86 in 108.0 innings pitched.
SCOUTING THE LANCERS
The Hoosiers will face the Lancers for the first time in school history this weekend.
Longwood went 3-1 last weekend in its season-opening Longwood Spring Classic, picking up victories over Towson and Lafayette. The Lancers own a .289 clip, while Longwood pitchers have posted a 0.55 ERA through four games this season and have held opponents to a .168 batting average.
MEETING WITH VALPO
Indiana and Valparaiso square off for the seventh time in program history. The all-time series dates back to the 1996 season, with Indiana leading the series 6-0.
Valpo is 2-7 on the year with a recent 0-5 showing at the Ragin’ Cajun Invitational in Lafayette, La. The Crusaders are batting .271 on the season, while pitchers have put up a staff ERA of 3.22 in 58.2 innings.
ABOUT ARIZONA
The Wildcats will be the third Top-25 team the Hoosiers’ will see this season. Indiana and Arizona’s all-time series leans in a 5-2 favor to the Wildcats with the previous meeting dating back to 2011.
Arizona is 13-1 this year with its lone loss to Missouri back on Feb. 20 at the Mary Nutter Classic in Cathedral City, Calif. Four Wildcat players are hitting over .400 to help UA to a .366 team batting average. Arizona pitchers each own sub-one ERA’s for a team mark of 0.60. They have held opposing teams to a .161 batting average through 82.0 innings pitched.
GET ON BASE
CaraMia Tsirigos had a great start to her freshman campaign at Indiana. The Atlanta, Ga. native reached reached base in nine straight games to start the season. In that nine-game span, Tsirigos hit safely in five contests and drew a walk in six different games.
GOING STREAKING
After missing nearly all of the 2013 season due to injury, redshirt senior Breanna Saucedo has quickly made an impact in the Hoosiers’ lineup in her return this spring. Saucedo strung together a seven game hit-streak from Feb. 8 through Feb. 21 and has registered a hit in 9 or her 13 games played, including a season-best 3-for-4 performance against No. 1 Florida on Feb. 21.
LALICH LIGHTS IT UP
Natalie Lalich posted her best performance of her collegiate career last weekend in the Hoosiers’ 3-3 tie with Troy at the Lipton Invitational. The Greenwood, Ind. native scored two of the Hoosiers’ three runs and drove in the third in a career-best 4-for-4 effort at the dish that included an RBI-single and her first double of the year.
LOAD ‘EM UP
A pair of Hoosier hitters have found success with bases loaded this season. Both Michelle Huber and Kayla Mathewson have been perfect at the plate with runners on every base.
LET’S COMPARE
The Indiana pitching staff has given up fewer walks per game that its opponents this spring, issuing just 2.3 free passes per contest compared to opposing teams’ 3.3 walks/game. IU hurlers have also posted an average of 5.8 strikeouts per game while opponents have averaged 5.6.
