Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Ohio University
Hoosiers Open Home Schedule with Indiana Classic
3/11/2016 2:51:00 PM | Softball
THE LINEUP
Saturday, March 12
2:30 p.m. Ohio (8-6) at Indiana (11-8)
4:45 p.m. Evansville (10-5) at Indiana
Sunday, March 13
12:15 p.m. Evansville at Indiana
Monday, March 14
1/3 p.m. Drake (7-7) at Indiana (doubleheader)
CHECKING OUT THE COMPETITION
Indiana's first opponent of the weekend is Ohio, who has started its year 8-6, including wins against Virginia and Texas Tech. Mikayla Cooper (19 hits, 8 runs), Casie Hutchinson (18 hits, 8 runs, 14 RBI) and Madison Claytor (11 hits, 8 runs, 15 RBI) lead the way offensively. In the circle, the Bobats rely primarily on Danielle Stiene (4-2, 2.86 ERA) and Savannah Jo Dorsey (4-4, 3.74 ERA).
Evansville is currently sitting at a 10-5 mark. Michal Luckett leads the Aces with a .449 average, 22 hits and 12 runs. Morgan Florey (5-0, 2.11 ERA) and Amanda Blankenship (2-3, 5.15 ERA) have seen the most time in the circle this season.
The Hoosiers wrap up play in the Indiana Classic with a Monday afternoon doubleheader against Drake, who is 7-7. The Bulldogs have been productive offensively, hitting .287 as a team. Drake has eight players who are in double-digits in hits, led by 16 base knocks for Kaitlyn Finneran. Kennedy Frank and Tasha Alexander are tied for the team lead in RBI with 11. Nicole Newman has carried most of the workload in the circle with 55 innings pitched, a 6-3 record and 2.93 ERA.
LAST TIME OUT
Indiana headed to Lexington, Ky. on Wednesday for a midweek battle with No. 17 Kentucky. The Wildcats used a three-run fifth inning to propel them to a 3-1 victory.
The Hoosiers traveled to Auburn, Ala. over the weekend for the Wilson/DeMarini Classic. Indiana picked up a pair of wins against Murray State, as well as a single game against Georgia State in the second meeting of the year between the two teams. IU went toe-to-toe with No. 3 Auburn as a grand slam from Cara Tsirigos sparked the Hoosiers to a 7-0 lead. However, the Tigers responded and scored eight unanswered to win the game in eight innings, 8-7.
HOME SWEET HOME
After 19 straight games away from Bloomington, the Hoosiers begin a 16-game homestand at Andy Mohr Field. Of IU's next 22 games, 18 are in Bloomington.
TSIRIGOS' BIG WEEKEND
The junior registered a team-best six RBI over the weekend, including five against No. 3 Auburn, tied for third-most in a single game in IU history. Following her second career grand slam against the Tigers, Tsirigos picked up another RBI on a double down the left field line in the third inning. The following day, Tsirigos recorded her sixth RBI of the weekend on a single en route to Indiana's 5-1 win against Murray State.
For the season, Tsirigos is second on the team with a .344 average, and leads the Hoosiers with a .625 slugging percentage and 11 RBI. Additionally, her two home runs is tied for the lead.
CIRCLE THIS
Once again, the Indiana pitching staff put up impressive performances over the weekend. Freshman Josie Wood went 2-0 in Alabama with a 1.34 ERA. Against Georgia State, Wood one-hit the Panthers on the way to a 3-0 shutout. It was her second career one-hitter. Wood also picked up a shutout against Murray State on Sunday. Including those two games, Wood has now tossed three complete game shutouts. Fellow freshman Tara Trainer posted a 2.40 ERA over the weekend, pitching solidly against No. 3 Auburn and then racking up 10 strikeouts in six innings against Murray State on Saturday. The Indiana pitching staff has now registered seven games on the year with at least 10 strikeouts, which is the most in a single season since 2011. Trainer has put up 10 strikeouts in three games this season, while Wood has registered one 10-K game.
For the season, Trainer sits at third in the conference with an opposing batting average of just .192. In addition, she's fifth in the Big Ten with 74 strikeouts on the year. Wood is also near the top as her 61 strikeouts is good for sixth in the conference. In addition, her 65.1 innings pitched is third in the Big Ten.
On a national scale, Trainer is ranked 22nd in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings - including fourth best among freshmen, tied for 25th in strikeouts - second-best among freshmen, and tied for 48th in hits allowed per seven innings. Meanwhile, Wood's three shutouts is tied for 12th-best nationally.
DEFENSE GETTING IT DONE
Along with solid pitching performances, this year's Hoosiers have been productive with their gloves on defense. Indiana's .974 fielding percentage is best in the conference. The outing is a dramatic improvement from the 2015 season, which saw the Hoosiers finish last in the Big Ten with a .941 percentage. Additionally, the Hoosiers are ranked 22nd in the nation in fielding percentage.
MAKING IT ON BASE
Sophomore Rebecca Blitz saw her 17 on-base streak snapped against Murray State on Sunday. Meanwhile, senior Kelsey Dotson is currently riding a 17-game on-base streak. Dotson is fourth in the conference with a .531 on-base percentage and is tied for fourth in the conference with 13 walks on the year.
TUNE IN
For the first time, every Indiana Softball home game will be available for streaming, starting with this weekend's home-opening Indiana Classic.
Each home contest will be streamed through BTN Plus, a web-only streaming service that is available for a small monthly fee. Of the 23 home games, 11 will be streamed through a full broadcast, while the other 12 will be filmed using a one-camera setup.
Indiana's away series at Michigan State (April 15-17) and Maryland (May 6-8) will also be available on BTN Plus.
Additionally, the Hoosiers will play a pair of games on Big Ten Network, as both games of the April 5 doubleheader at Purdue will be carried on the network.
WHAT ELSE IS ON TAP?
Next weekend sees Indiana hosting the Hoosier Classic and playing UIC, Western Illinois and Wright State. After a mid-week game against Indiana State on March 23, Indiana begins Big Ten play with back-to-back weekend series against Iowa and currently No.2-ranked Michigan.
Other home Big Ten meetings include Penn State (April 8-10) and Ohio State (April 29-May 1). Remaining non-conference games include Louisville (April 12) and Ball State (April 20).
Road conference series for Indiana begins with a doubleheader against Purdue on April 5. The Hoosiers also travel to Michigan State (April 15-17), Rutgers (April 22-24) and Maryland (May 6-8). Penn State will play host to the Big Ten Tournament beginning on May 12.
