Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Michigan State
Hoosiers Head to Michigan State This Weekend
3/29/2018 9:20:00 AM | Softball
Due to the weather forecast, the teams will play a doubleheader Friday at 1 p.m. with the final game of the series scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. All games this weekend will be streamed on BTN Plus via BTN2Go.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
Michigan State opened home play on Wednesday, defeating Western Michigan, 6-1. Last weekend, the Spartans dropped two games to Nebraska before winning the final game in five innings, 9-1. McKenzie Long (.355 average, 27 hits, 12 runs), Lea Foerster (.329 average, 26 hits, 14 runs) and Ebonee Echols (.318 average, 27 hits, 18 runs) lead the way offensively. In the circle, Kristina Zalewski (1.81 ERA, 6-6, 73.2 IP) and Bridgette Rainey (3.68 ERA, 4-6, 57.0 IP) have carried most of the workload.
Indiana leads the all-time series against Michigan State, 65-58. The two teams met four times last season to close out the year - a three-game set at Andy Mohr Field and in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Hoosiers won the first game behind a complete game shutout by Tara Trainer, but the Spartans won the next three meetings.
LAST TIME OUT
Indiana opened Big Ten play over the weekend by sweeping a three-game series against No. 18 Ohio State. The Hoosiers took both games of Friday's doubleheader in commanding fashion, 6-0 and 9-3, and won the series finale Sunday, 4-1, as the Hoosiers outscored the Buckeyes, 19-4. The wins marked the first time since at least 2004 IU has defeated a ranked opponent three times in a single season.
IU SWEEPS BIG TEN WEEKLY AWARDS
For the first time since 1995, Indiana Softball swept the Big Ten Weekly Awards as freshman Maddie Westmoreland earned Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week and junior Tara Trainer earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, the conference office announced on Monday.
The Big Ten Freshman of the Week award was added in 2011 so it marks the first time in program history IU has won three weekly awards.
Westmoreland batted .429 with a 1.429 slugging percentage in the series, recording seven RBI with two home runs, three hits and two runs scored. She knocked a two-run homer and had a sacrifice fly while going 2-for-2 at the plate in Indiana's 6-0 win Friday. In the second game of the doubleheader, she hit a three-run homer and laid down an RBI sacrifice bunt to help IU defeat the Buckeyes, 9-3.
For the season, Westmoreland is hitting .342 with a team-leading 23 RBI and five home runs.
Trainer became the first Hoosier to win Big Ten Pitcher of the Week since Morgan Melloh in 2011 after earning two complete game victories against the Buckeyes. For the weekend, she collected a 0.50 ERA and struck out 21 total batters while allowing just two extra base hits. In game one, she two-hit Ohio State on her way to the shutout win, striking out 12. In Sunday's series finale, she surrendered just four hits and one earned run as IU clinched the sweep with a 4-1 win. Trainer, who won Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolades three times in 2016, is third in the conference with 107 strikeouts on the season.
MORE ACCOLADES FOR TRAINER, WESTMORELAND
• In addition to the Big Ten Awards, Trainer and Westmoreland were also picked by the NFCA for Selected Top Performances. Trainer was also named College Sports Madness' Big Ten Player of the Week.
HOOSIER QUICK HITS
• Another key factor in Indiana's success over the weekend was sophomore Katie Lacefield, who led the Hoosiers with a .500 average. She recorded four hits, scored three runs and registered her first career home run in game two.
• Senior Rachel O'Malley delivered a bases-clearing double in Sunday's game to secure Indiana's 4-1 win. O'Malley has collected seven hits over the last seven games, including a pair of multi-hit outings.
• Sophomore Gabbi Jenkins is riding a 12-game reached base streak, while Westmoreland's is at nine games.
• The Hoosiers now have 54 stolen bases on the year, the second-most in the Big Ten. Jenkins has 15 stolen bags, which is the second-most in the conference, while Blitz has 13, tied for third-most in the Big Ten.
• Junior Tara Trainer's 107 strikeouts this season is good for third-most in the Big Ten. The Lebanon, Ohio native has 463 strikeouts in her career, the sixth-most in IU program history:
Career Rankings:
1. Amy Unterbrink (1983-86) - 1089
2. Gina Ugo (1993-96) - 664
3. Megan Roark (2003-06) - 577
4. Mariangee Bogado (04-06) - 569
5. Morgan Melloh (2011) - 494
6. Tara Trainer (2016-pr.) - 463
• Senior Rebecca Blitz collected career hit No. 200 March 18th against UIC, becoming just the sixth member of the 200-plus hit club in IU program history. Blitz sets top-10 in nearly offensive career category at IU, including:
Hits:
1. Karleen Moore (1984-87) - 238
2. Michelle Venturella (1992-95) - 225
3. Monica Armendarez (95-98) - 222
4. Breanna Saucedo (2010-14) - 219
5. Aimee Lonigro (1994-97) - 214
6. Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 205
Stolen Bases:
1. Aimee Lonigro (1994-97) - 90
2. Karleen Moore (1984-87) - 83
3. Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 73
Runs Scored:
1. Aimee Lonigro (1994-97) - 156
2. Monica Armendarez (95-98) - 139
3. Michelle Venturella (1992-95) - 137
4. Karleen Moore (1984-87) - 119
5. Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 117
