Indiana University
Penn State University
Indiana Heads to Penn State This Weekend
3/30/2017 11:34:00 AM | Softball
The final two games of the series will be streamed on BTN Plus. Stats and a live radio broadcast for all the games can be found on IUHoosiers.com.
WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
Game One: Saturday - 1 p.m.
Game Two: Saturday - 3 p.m. - BTN Plus
Game Three: Sunday - 1 p.m. - BTN Plus
SCOUTING PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions are 12-18 on the year, including 0-3 in Big Ten play after being swept by No. 19 Michigan last weekend. Penn State traveled to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, falling to the Panthers, 7-1. The series against Indiana marks the home opener for Penn State.
Penn State is hitting .267 as a team, led by Rebecca Ziegler (.356, 32 hits, 18 RBI, 16 runs), Kristina Brackpool (.340, 32 hits, 15 RBI, 12 runs) and Shelby Miller (.310, 22 hits, 17 RBI, 11 runs).
The Nittany Lions have used six different pitchers this season, however have relied primarily on four in Marlaina Laubach (4.03 ERA, 5-5, 64.1 IP), Madison Seifert (4.22 ERA, 3-7, 63.0 IP), Madey Smith (3.69 ERA, 2-1, 24.2 IP) and Jessica Cummings (6.49 ERA, 2-3, 22.2 IP), As a unit, the pitching staff has a 4.65 ERA.
Indiana and Penn State last met in Bloomington last season. The Nittany Lions took the first two games to clinch the series, but IU won the final game in six innings, 11-2. Indiana last played at Beard Field in the 2016 Big Ten Tournament. There, the Hoosiers defeated Wisconsin in the first round before exiting after a loss to Michigan. IU last played the Nittany Lions in University Park in 2015, sweeping Penn State.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hoosiers visited Louisville on Wednesday night for a midweek showdown. The Cardinals came away with the 2-1 victory.
Indiana opened Big Ten play last weekend at Andy Mohr Field taking the series against Rutgers by going 2-1. The Hoosiers swept both games of Friday's doubleheader, 9-2 and 23-2, before falling in the finale, 7-5.
LACEFIELD AS OF LATE
• After picking up a base hit against Louisville on Wednesday, freshman Katie Lacefield extended her team-best reached base streak to 10 games.
• In those 10 games, dating back to the March 11 contest at Memphis, Lacefield is batting .455 with 10 hits, nine runs and seven walks.
SEEING DOUBLE
• The Hoosiers have 48 doubles on the season, tied for second in the Big Ten.
• For comparison, through 32 games last season, Indiana had 37 doubles.
• Junior Taylor Uden leads the way with eight doubles, while junior Aimilia McDonough has knocked seven.
• The Hoosiers have seven players on the roster who have doubled at least four times this season.
1-2 PUNCH
• For the season, leadoff batter and freshman Gabbi Jenkins is third on the team with a .314 average and 27 hits. Jenkins saw her 11-game hitting streak snapped at Louisville. Prior to the loss against the Cardinals, Jenkins had collected 20 hits, scored 11 runs and added nine RBI while hitting .465 in the previous 11 games.
• Junior Rebecca Blitz, who has been hitting behind Jenkins as of late, is currently second on the Hoosiers with her .344 season average and leads the team in hits with 33 and 20 runs. Blitz saw her 10-game hit streak halted at Louisville. She had 20 hits, 14 runs and eight RBI with a .556 average in that 10-game frame. During the weekend series at Rutgers, Blitz hit .700 with seven base knocks, five runs four RBI and three walks.
HOOSIERS SET RECORDS IN 23-2 WIN
The Indiana offense exploded for a 23-2 win against Rutgers on Friday. The game set numerous records for the Hoosiers such as:
• 23 runs is the most scored ever in a Big Ten game in IU history and the most in any game since 1978 when Indiana scored 40 runs.
• 20 hits is the most in head coach Michelle Gardner's nine-year tenure
• 23 RBI is the most in a single game under Coach Gardner
• Four home runs is the most under Coach Gardner as CaraMia Tsirigos, Taylor Uden, Rachel O'Malley and Nicole Lawvere all went yard in the win.
• 14 different Hoosiers scored at least one run and 13 picked up at least one hit
TRAINER'S STRIKEOUT RANKINGS
Tara Trainer has 119 strikeouts on the year, good for 27th nationally and second in the Big Ten.
A season ago, the righty, who was named No. 21 on Fastpitch News' Preseason Top 50 NCAA Softball Pitchers List, set the Indiana freshman strikeout record with 183.
WEEKLY AWARDS THIS SEASON
Emily Goodin:
-Big Ten Freshman of the Week - 2x (Feb. 27 and March 13)
-NFCA Selected Top Performance (March 14)
Bella Norton:
-College Sports Madness Big Ten Player of the Week (March 14)
Taylor Uden
-Big Ten Co-Player of the Week (March 20)
-Fastpitch News Player of the Week (March 21)
-NFCA Selected Top Performance (March 21)
WHAT'S AHEAD IN 2017
The Hoosiers have 53 games on tap in 2017, including 16 to be played at Andy Mohr Field. Of Indiana's 32 opponents in 2017, six are ranked in this week's USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll. Another four opponents received votes in this week's poll.
Home Big Ten battles for Indiana includes Rutgers, Purdue, Maryland and Michigan State. IU will travel to Penn State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Michigan. The 2017 Big Ten Tournament will be hosted by Michigan in Ann Arbor May 11-13.
