Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Penn State
Indiana Hosts Penn State This Weekend
4/19/2018 4:00:00 PM | Softball
First pitch is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. and admission is free of charge. The game will also be streamed live on BTN Plus and live stats are available on IUHoosiers.com.
THIS WEEK'S PROMO
Saturday will be the Think Pink game for the Hoosiers as fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.
SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS
Penn State is currently 13th in the Big Ten with a 3-11 mark and are 7-32 overall on the season. The Nittany Lions have picked up a win each from Maryland, Rutgers and Michigan State. Penn State hosted Saint Francis on Wednesday, dropping both games of the doubleheader. Hitting .226 as a team, the Nittany Lions are led offensively by Tori Dubois (.320, 39 hits, 18 runs, 22 RBI, 7 HR) and Toni Polk (.275, 33 hits, 10 runs, 13 RBI). In the circle, the majority of innings have come from Jessica Cummings (4.56 ERA, 5-11, 124.1 IP) and Madison Shaffer (6.45 ERA, 2-17, 101.0 IP).
Indiana leads the all-time series, 37-28. Last season, the Nittany Lions took two of three in State College with both coming in the form of one-run victories.
LAST TIME OUT
• The Hoosiers hosted Louisville on Wednesday evening, falling to the Cardinals, 11-7.
• IU drew a season-high 10 walks against Louisville, but could not overcome five errors in the loss.
• Indiana visited Maryland over the weekend, sweeping all three games against the Terrapins. IU outscored Maryland in the series, 28-5.
• Indiana cranked six home runs over the weekend, including two from freshman Taylor Lambert. Lambert hit .400 against the Terrapins with six RBI.
B1G PLAY
• IU has already surpassed last year's conference wins total (9) and have tied with 2016 as the most Big Ten wins in a season since 2012 (14).
• Indiana's sweep of Maryland marked the third sweep out of four Big Ten series the Hoosiers have played this season. It is the most conference sweeps in a single year since 2011.
• Hitting .295 as a team in conference play, Indiana is led by a .439 average from Rebecca Blitz. The senior has collected 18 hits and 11 runs in Indiana's 12 Big Ten games. Lambert has hit .414 in those games with 12 hits, 8 runs and 7 RBI. Overall, IU has seven hitting .250 or better in conference play.
• With a 1.42 ERA in Big Ten action, the Hoosiers' pitching staff is second in the conference.
HOOSIER QUICK HITS
• Since starting the season 4-19, Indiana has completely flipped the script and have gone 14-6 since that time.
• In that period, which dates back to the start of the Hoosier Classic on March 16, Indiana is hitting .289, compared to a .221 average in the 23 games prior.
• After picking up two more hits against Louisville, senior Rebecca Blitz is currently riding a 17-game hitting streak. Blitz has posted a team-high 16 multi-hit performances this season.
• Lambert has been a key contributor during the team's success over the last month, especially as of late. The freshman's eight-game hitting streak came to an end Wednesday against Louisville, but has reached base safely in nine straight games.
• Sophomore Bella Norton has come up clutch for the Hoosiers recently, having collected five hits in the last four games. She delivered a pair of pinch hit singles in the first two games of the series at Maryland before knocking a three-run homer in the finale. Against Louisville, she collected a career-high four RBI, including a bases-clearing double in the seventh inning.
• The Hoosiers now have 87 stolen bases on the year, the second most in the Big Ten and tied for the third most in program history (current record is 91). In addition, their 2.02 stolen bases per game average is good for 18th in the nation. Blitz leads the team with 23 stolen bags, which is the second-most in the conference, while Jenkins has 19, tied for the third-most in the Big Ten.
• Indiana is 15-0 this season when the Hoosiers are leading after five innings.
• The Indiana pitching staff has combined for 294 strikeouts this season, the most in the Big Ten.
CAREER MILESTONES
• 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 is closing in on numerous program milestones, including:
Hits:
1. Karleen Moore (1984-87) - 238
2. Michelle Venturella (1992-95) - 225
3. Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 224
Stolen Bases:
1. Aimee Lonigro (1994-97) - 90
2. Karleen Moore (1984-87) - 83
Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 83
Runs Scored:
1. Aimee Lonigro (1994-97) - 156
2. Monica Armendarez (95-98) - 139
3. Michelle Venturella (1992-95) - 137
4. Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 128
• Junior Tara Trainer collected career strikeout No. 500 over the weekend and moved into fifth place in program history. Trainer surpassed Morgan Melloh, who had 494 career punchouts.
• Trainer's 155 strikeouts in 2018 are good for fourth-most in the Big Ten. The Lebanon, Ohio native has 511 strikeouts in her career, the fifth-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. Tara Trainer (2016-pr.) - 511
WHAT'S AHEAD IN 2018
Next week, the Hoosiers will travel for a midweek doubleheader at Purdue Wednesday evening before returning home to face Big Ten-leading Michigan. Indiana will close out the regular season with a trip to Rutgers May 4-6. The 2018 Big Ten Tournament will be hosted by Wisconsin in Madison from May 10-12.
