Indiana, No. 15 Michigan Set for B1G Showdown on Senior Weekend

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana Softball closes out home play this weekend as the Hoosiers host Big Ten-leading No. 15 Michigan is a series that could decide the Big Ten regular season title. The Hoosiers, with a 15-2 conference record and a .882 winning percentage, are just behind the Wolverines, who sit at 13-1 with a .929 winning percentage. Both teams have six Big Ten games remaining.

First pitch of the series is slated for Friday at 6 p.m. Sunday's game will feature pre-game Senior Day festivities as their Hoosiers honor their five seniors. Admission to all home games is free of charge and all three games will be streamed on BTN Plus.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN
The Wolverines bring a 14-game winning streak into the weekend, with their lone conference loss coming against Iowa on March 23. Michigan is hitting .322 as a team, led by Faith Canfield (.413, 64 hits, 38 runs, 35 RBI), Madison Uden (.381, 40 hits, 29 runs, 27 RBI) and Tera Blanco (.370, 44 hits, 24 runs, 42 RBI). Uden is the younger sister of Indiana senior Taylor Uden. The Wolverines' team ERA of 1.03 is second-best in the nation as they have used three pitchers this season - Meghan Beaubien (0.74 ERA, 27-2, 160.1 IP), Blanco (1.35 ERA, 9-2, 82.2 IP) and Sarah Schaefer (1.45 ERA, 2-3, 48.1 IP).

Michigan leads the all-time series, 85-28, having won the last 15 meetings. The last time the Hoosiers defeated the Wolverines came in a 7-2 victory on March 31, 2012.

SENIOR WEEKEND
• Five Hoosiers are getting set to play their final weekend at Andy Mohr Field - Rebecca Blitz, Emily Kirk, Aimilia McDonough, Rachel O'Malley and Taylor Uden.

• Rebecca Blitz - has started 210 out of 212 games, primarily in the leadoff spot. Blitz, a two-time All-Big Ten and All-Region selection, will leave Indiana as one of the most decorated players to wear the uniform. Blitz is currently second all-time in career hits (230) and stolen bases (87). She is also fourth in career runs (131),

• Emily Kirk - has made 63 appearances in the circle, including 19 starts. The Round Rock, Texas native has won seven games for IU and struck out 56.

• Aimilia McDonough - transferred to Indiana prior to her sophomore season and has played in 108 games for the Hoosiers. McDonough has scored 25 runs for IU on 47 hits.

• Rachel O'Malley - has started 203 games for the Hoosiers and was named to the 2017 All-Big Ten Defensive Team for her remarkable play at shortstop. O'Malley has scored 63 runs with 127 hits and 65 RBI.

• Taylor Uden - another four-year starter, Uden has been a staple at first base. She's scored 88 runs with 144 hits - including 18 home runs - and brought in 95 runs. Uden was named to the 2016 Big Ten All-Tournament Team.

LAST TIME OUT
• Indiana traveled to Purdue on Wednesday, taking both games of the doubleheader, 1-0 and 11-4.

• In the opener, Taylor Uden's solo homer proved to be enough for Indiana as Tara Trainer struck out 10 in the win.

• The nightcap saw the Hoosiers blast a season-high four homers on the way to scoring a season-best 14 runs.

• The sweep was Indiana's fifth conference sweep of the season and IU's 15 Big Ten wins are already the most in a single season since 2011.

• Last weekend, Indiana took all three games against Penn State. The Hoosiers twice run-ruled the Nittany Lions, winning Friday and Sunday's games, 8-0. In the finale Sunday, Trainer tossed her second career no-hitter.

• IU outscored Penn State in the series, 20-1.

HOOSIER QUICK HITS
• Blitz is currently riding a 22-game hitting streak, the longest active streak in the Big Ten.

• Westmoreland has a team-best 10 home runs and 50 RBI on the season, which is the second-most in the Big Ten. In addition, her 50 RBI is the most ever for an IU freshman and third-most overall in a single season. Her 10 homers is tied for the eighth most in a single year at IU.

• Since starting the season 4-19, Indiana has completely flipped the script and have gone 19-6 since that time, which dates back to the Hoosier Classic March 16-18.

B1G PLAY
• Indiana is hitting .317 as a team in Big Ten - compared to a .182 opponent average. Indiana is led by a .421 average from Blitz as the senior has collected 24 hits and 14 runs in Indiana's 18 Big Ten games. Westmoreland is batting .404 with 21 hits, 7 home runs and 31 RBI in that span. Overall, IU has eight hitting .250 or better in Big Ten play.

• The Hoosiers are out-scoring Big Ten opposition 95-29 this season. IU's pitching has a conference ERA of 1.17, while its opponents' ERA is 5.27,

• The Indiana pitching staff has combined for 331 strikeouts this season, the most in the Big Ten. Trainer has been tremendous in conference action, going 11-2 with a 1.02 ERA and 89 strikeouts.

STOLEN BASE RECORD
• During IU's 4-1 victory on Saturday, the Hoosiers broke a 30-year old program record for stolen bases (91). With 107 bases on the year, the Hoosiers led the Big Ten. IU's 2.23 stolen bases per game average is ninth in the country.

• Senior Rebecca Blitz leads the team with 27 stolen bases, the sixth most in a single season in IU program history (record - 35).

TRAINER, WESTMORELAND EARN WEEKLY AWARDS
• For the second time this season, junior Tara Trainer and freshman Maddie Westmoreland earned three weekly Big Ten honors. Trainer was named Co-Big Ten Pitcher of the Week while Westmoreland was named Big Ten Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week. The duo were also named as NFCA Selected Top Performances.

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. Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 230

Stolen Bases:
1. Aimee Lonigro (1994-97) - 90
2. Rebecca Blitz (2015-pr.) - 87

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.) - 131

• Trainer's 184 strikeouts in 2018 are a new career best and good for third-most in the Big Ten. The Lebanon, Ohio native has 540 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.) - 540

WHAT'S AHEAD IN 2018
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.

Indiana, No. 15 Michigan Set for B1G Showdown on Senior Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Rebecca Blitz

Emily Kirk

Aimilia McDonough

Rachel O'Malley

Tara Trainer

Taylor Uden

Maddie Westmoreland