Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Set for Three Mid-Week Contests
4/21/2015 1:45:00 PM | Softball
| Indiana (14-31, 5-10 B1G) at Ball State (24-21)/vs. Purdue (27-18, 6-9 B1G) | |
| Date | April 21/22 |
| Location | BSU Softball Complex/Andy Mohr Field |
| at Ball State (Tuesday) | 4 p.m. ET | Live Stats |
| vs. Purdue (Game 1) | 5 p.m. ET | GameTracker |
| vs. Purdue (Game 2) | 7 p.m. ET | GameTracker |
| Home Promos | $1 hot dogs and $5 Papa Johns pizza and drink |
| Radio | Listen Live |
| Game Notes | Indiana | Ball State | Purdue |
| Social Media | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram |
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana softball team begins a stretch of seven games in eight days this afternoon as the Hoosiers head to Ball State before hosting Purdue for a doubleheader on Wednesday.
Game one against Purdue will be picked up where it left off when it was postponed on April 8, with Purdue runners on the corners after a lead-off triple and walk. The Boilermakers' Ashley Burkhardt will resume her position in the batter's box with a 2-0 count against Indiana pitcher Miranda Tamayo. Due to the timing of the rescheduled games, the contests will not count as conference games and will not affect either team's conference record.
The Last Meeting
May 8, 2014 Evanston, Ill.
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Stay tuned to IUHoosiers.com and @IUSoftball for all the latest news and info.
LAST TIME OUT
Indiana headed to Ann Arbor over the weekend to do battle with No. 4 Michigan. After dropping the first game of the series in five innings, 11-2, the Hoosiers battled back and played the Wolverines tough in Saturday's doubleheader.
In her sixth complete game of the season, senior pitcher Lora Olson threw 6.0 innings, giving up just three runs and one walk in the first game of the doubleheader. Freshman Rebecca Blitzturned in a 3-for-3 effort, but Indiana was unable to get on the board as the Hoosiers fell to Michigan, 3-0. In the series finale, Indiana and the Wolverines battled closely as Michigan took a 2-1 lead into the fifth, however the Wolverines scored five unanswered to come away with the 7-1 win.
SCOUTING BALL STATE
The Cardinals have won five of their last seven games and hold a 24-21 record, including a 10-3 mark in the MAC Conference.
Ball State's offensive production is led by Emily Dabkowski, who is hitting .367 with 54 hits, 42 runs, 40 RBI and 11 homers. Hanne Stuedemann is another threat, batting .357 with 45 hits, 36 runs, 40 RBI and seven home runs. Nicole Steinbach carries the primary pitching load as she has accumulated a 3.63 ERA with a 12-11 record. Carolyn Wilmes also sees a lot of time in the circle with a 5.25 ERA and a 6-5 mark.
Indiana and Ball State met at Andy Mohr Field last season, splitting a doubleheader. The Hoosiers took game two with Michelle Huber and Kelsey Dotson each turning in a 2-for-3 effort in the 3-2 victory.
SCOUTING PURDUE
The Boilermakers stand at 27-18 with a 6-9 conference record. Last weekend, Purdue dropped two out of three to Iowa in West Lafayette. After sweeping Wisconsin to open conference play, the Boilermakers have dropped nine out of 12 Big Ten games.
The Purdue offense is led by Burkhardt, who sits atop the Boilermakers' stats hitting .402 with 53 hits, 36 runs, 42 RBI and nine homers. Alyssa Koorsen has also been a major factor in Purdue's scoring by batting .318 with 42 hits and 28 runs. Lilly Fecho paces Purdue in the circle as she has accumulated a 1.67 ERA with a 17-12 record in 34 appearances. Gina Snyder is second on the team in appearances, with 18 on the year. She has a 3.00 ERA while working towards a 7-2 record.
The last time these in-state rivals met was in the 2014 Big Ten Tournament, which saw Purdue come away with a 4-2 victory.
BLITZING THE DEFENSE
Indiana freshman Rebecca Blitz turned in another shining weekend against Michigan, recording five hits, two walks, two stolen bases and a run in the three-game set. Her performance included a 3-for-3 outing in game one of Saturday's doubleheader and she is currently riding a four-game hitting streak.
Blitz is the lone Hoosier to start in all 45 games this season. The centerfielder not only makes spectacular plays in the outfield, she also gives the opponent's defense a tough assignment. The Birmingham, Ala. native has 50 base knocks and has scored a team-high 33 runs starting primarily in the lead-off spot.
OLSON'S STARTING FOR THE RECORD BOOK
After starting two games over the weekend, senior pitcher Lora Olson has now started 34 games this season, tied for fifth in a single season in program history. Her 109 career starts ranks third all-time in Indiana program history and she is one of only three Hoosiers to start at least 100 games in a career, joining Amy Unterbrink and Gina Ugo. Olson's 143 career appearances moves her into fourth place all-time.
One more win will send Olson into for a 7th-place tie with Janelle Campbell and Mariangee Bogado for career victories at 39.
TSIRIGOS HEATING UP
Sparked by her grand slam against Penn State on April 11, sophomore CaraMia Tsirigos has picked up a hit in four out of the last five games, including a knock in both games of Saturday's doubleheader. The Atlanta native also earned a walk in each of Saturday's twin bill.
In the first 32 games Tsirigos played this season, she hit .189 with 14 hits and 10 RBI, however in the last five games, she has batted .308 with four hits and five RBI to raise her average to .207 on the year.
SINGLE-SEASON HOME RUN MARK
With Tsirigos' grand slam on April 11 at Penn State, Indiana set a new program single-season record for home runs with 41. The previous high of 40 was set back in 2006.
Led by Dotson's 10 home runs, 10 different Hoosiers have homered this season. Tsirigos' grand slam in the April 11th win was her first of the year and fifth of the season for Indiana. Kelsey Dotson, Conenna andShannon Cawley (2) have also smashed grand slams this season.
WHAT ELSE IS ON TAP FOR 2015?
The Hoosiers will close out home play with a series against Michigan State April 24-26. Prior to Sunday's game, Indiana will honor seniors Bri Meyer, Lora Olson and Miranda Tamayo.
The last week of the regular season will see Indiana head to Indiana State on April 28 and Ohio State May 1-3.
The 2015 Big Ten Tournament will take place May 7-10 in Columbus, Ohio.
Media Contact: Caitlin Davis, davis288@indiana.edu
