Indiana University Athletics
Softball Opens B1G Play At No. 6 Michigan
3/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 19, 2014
| At No. 6 Michigan - Alumni Field | |
| Dates | March 21-23, 2014 |
| Location | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Game 1 (Friday) | Indiana at Michigan • 4 p.m. ET (GameTracker) |
| Game 3 (Saturday) | Indiana at Michigan • 2 p.m. ET (GameTracker) |
| Game 5 (Sunday) | Indiana at Michigan • 1 p.m. ET (GameTracker) |
| Live Steam (Subscription) | Watch Live |
| Radio | Free Audio |
| Game Notes | Indiana Game Notes |
| Social Media | Twitter | Facebook |
HOOSIERS OPEN B1G PLAY
The Indiana softball team will open up conference play this weekend when the Hoosiers travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. to take on the sixth-ranked Wolverines at Alumni FIeld.
Entering conference action this weekend, the Big Ten currently has four teams ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll (Michigan - sixth, Minnesota - 16th, Nebraska - 17th, and Northwestern - 23rd), the third most teams representing a single conference in the country, behind the SEC (8) and the Pac 12 (5).
A LOOK AT THE WOLVERINES
Indiana and Michigan will square off for the 100th time in program history. Indiana fell in its previous meeting with the Wolverines on April 16 last season, where U-M came back to win it 7-4 in nine innings
Michigan is currently 19-6 on the season and ranks second in the Big Ten in both team hitting (.330) and third in team pitching (1.90 ERA) and leads the conference in fielding (.980).
Sophomore shortstop Sierra Romero leads the B1G in batting average (.493), RBI (31), runs scored (26) slugging percentage (.791), on-base percentage (.615) and walks (24).
IN THE RANKS
Several members of the Indiana softball team rank in several B1G catagories. Kassi Farmer’s team-best .609 slugging percentage is 11th-best amongst conference hitters, while her six homeruns ties for second most and her 42 total bases is tied for 11th.
Breanna Saucedo’s 29 hits on the year tie for the 10th most in the Big Ten and her 10 stolen bases matches the fourth most by a B1G player
Brianna Meyer and CaraMia Tsirigos also rank in the top 10 for walk. Meyer’s 14 free passes are the seventh most, while Tsirigos is tied for ninth with 13.
In the circle, Lora Olson ranks eighth in innings pitched (71.2) and sixth in strikeouts looking (20). Meaghan Murphy currently has 53 strikeouts on the season, good for ninth most, while Brooke Boetjer leads the B1G in both games finished (12) and games in relief (13).
TSIRIGOS EARNS B1G AWARD
CaraMia Tsirigos was named the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week on March 18, the first for the freshman and the first IU player to earn freshman of the week honors since Brianna Meyer did so on April 23, 2012.
Tsirigos led Indiana at the plate in last weekend’s Hoosier Classic hitting .500 (3-for-6) and reached in every game to help herself to a .700 on-base percentage. The Atlanta, Ga. native totaled five at the Hoosier Classic including a career-best, three-RBI game against Wright State, where she drove in three on a shot over the centerfield fence for her second homerun of the season. Tsirigos then collected her third multiple-hit performance of the year with a 2-for-4 effort against UIC, driving in two for the Cream and Crimson.
GARDNER EARNS 300th WIN
With the Hoosiers’ 3-1 win over Valparaiso in Boise, Idaho at the SpringHill Suites Invitational, sixth year head coach Michelle Gardner earned her 300th career victory. Gardner, who landed her first head coaching job back in 2002 with Nevada, is now 300-345-1 (.464) in her coaching career with a 113-169-1 (.399) through six seasons at the helm in Indiana.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hoosiers went 3-1 at the 2014 Hoosier Classic last weekend, earning victories over Wright State, Toledo and UIC. The Hoosiers fell 10-9 to the Flames to close out the weekend. During that weekend, Indiana extended a six-game winning streak until a late comeback effort fell short on Saturday night with UIC.
Since 2011, Indiana has posted a 14-1 record at the Hoosier Classic and has won each respective invite in the last four seasons.
FARMER GOES YARD
With a pair of homeruns against Toledo, Kassi Farmer earned her second multi-homerun game of the season. Her two round-trippers represent the second multiple-homerun effort in her career (her first against San Jose State on Feb. 8, 2014) making her just one of three IU players to earn more than one multi-homerun game in their respective careers. Amanda Wagner (2010-13) and Sara Olson (2009-11) are the only other Hoosier softball players to do so during their time at Indiana.
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 16 of her 21 games played. At the Wilcat Invitational, Saucedo hit .500 (5-for-10) with atleast one hit in each of the Hoosiers’ three games and scored four runs.
On the season, Saucedo has reached base in all but four games and has registered a hit in 20-of-26 games played.
LALICH LIGHTS IT UP
Natalie Lalich has been a bright spot in the Hoosiers lineup after returning from a 2013 injury. The Greenwood, Ind. native tallied a career-high four hits against Troy on Feb. 23 where she drove in a run and scored twice. Lalich then went on to drive in six of the Hoosiers’ eight runs in IU’s win over UT-Arlington on Feb. 28, setting a career-high and making her just one of three IU softball players to drive in six-or-more RBI in a game in program history. Four of those runs resulted from Lalich’s first career homerun, a grand slam to right-center, helping her become one of three active players on the IU roster with a grandslam in their respective careers.
LET’S COMPARE
The Indiana pitching staff has given up fewer walks per game that its opponents this spring, issuing just 1.88 free passes per contest compared to opposing teams’ 3.32 walks/game. IU hurlers have also posted an average of 5.93 strikeouts per game while opponents have averaged 4.62.
