Friday, March 1
Baton Rouge, La.
3:30 PM
Indiana University
vs
Stephen F. Austin
No. 16 Indiana Heads Down to Baton Rouge
2/28/2019 10:58:00 AM | Softball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - No. 16 Indiana Softball travels to Baton Rouge, La. this weekend for the Purple and Gold Challenge, hosted by LSU. There, Indiana will play Stephen F. Austin, No. 10 LSU, USC-Upstate and a pair of games against Illinois State.
The Hoosiers are off to the best start in program history at 14-0 and are one of just four undefeated teams remaining in the country (UCLA, Florida State and Alabama). In addition, it is the longest winning streak for the program since a 15-game streak towards the end of the 2011 season.
Live stats and a radio broadcast for all games will be available on IUHoosiers.com. Sam Neidermann will be providing play-by-play on the radio broadcast. In addition, Friday's game against LSU will be streamed on SECN+.
IU IN THE RANKINGS
• The Hoosiers' No. 16 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll is the best for the program since the poll began in 1995. In 1996, Indiana earned a No. 17 ranking in back-to-back weeks on March 6 and 13.
• Indiana received a No. 15 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today poll and were ranked No. 13 by College Sports Madness, No. 12 by Fastpitch News and cracked the top-10 at No. 10 by Softball America.
CHECKING OUT THE COMPETITION
Stephen F. Austin: The Ladyjacks are 11-5 on the season, including a pair of ranked wins against then-No. 24 Mississippi State on Feb. 10 and No. 25 Illinois on Feb. 23. Stephen F. Austin is batting .310 as a team, led by Cassidy Tucker (.400, 12 hits, 7 RBI) and Bryana Novegil (.320, 16 hits, 10 runs). In the circle, Kassidy Wilbur (1.73 ERA, 6-4, 52.2 IP) and Ashley Kriesel (1.87 ERA, 3-1, 33.2 IP) have split the majority of the innings. Last season, the Ladyjacks went 31-24 and participated in the National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC). IU holds a 4-0 series lead against Stephen F. Austin with the team's last playing in 1982.
LSU: The Tigers are Indiana's second top-10 opponent this season as the Hoosiers defeated No. 6 Georgia on Feb. 10. LSU is 14-3 on the year with the only losses coming against No. 19 Oregon, No. 1 Florida State and Stanford. The Tigers are batting .350 as a team, highlighted by Amanda Sanchez (.513, 20 hits, 14 runs, 12 walks) and Aliyah Andrews (.429, 24 runs, 21 hits, 15 stolen bases). The Tigers' pitching staff has a team ERA of 1.73 with Maribeth Gorsuch (1.19 ERA, 4-0, 29.1 IP), Shelby Wickersham (1.31 ERA, 4-1, 26.2 IP) and Shelbi Sunseri (1.85 ERA, 4-2, 34.0 IP) leading the way. Last season, the Tigers went 45-17 with an appearance in NCAA Super Regionals. LSU leads the all-time series with IU, 2-0, with the last meeting coming in 2007.
USC Upstate: The Spartans on 11-1 on the year and winners of eight straight games after picking up a 3-1 win against Duke on Wednesday. USC Upstate is batting .314 as a team, led by Alyssa Oakes (.419, 13 hits, 10 runs, 17 RBI) and Makenna Helton (.414, 12 hits, 8 runs). The Spartans have also been impressive in the circle with a 0.89 ERA, which is second in the country. Christina Biggerstaff (0.72, 6-0, 38.2 IP) and Erin Hill (0.78, 4-1, 27.0 IP) have thrown most of the innings. USC Upstate went 35-19 last year and advanced to the ASUN Tournament Championship. Indiana and USC Upstate met twice last season, with the Spartans taking both games.
Illinois State: The Redbirds are 3-12 on the season with two wins against Florida A&M and a victory against San Diego. Illinois State is batting .237, led by Shannon Felde (.349, 15 hits, 10 runs). Most of the innings in the circle have been split by Ali Domkuski (2.18 ERA, 2-1, 25.2 IP), Morgan Day (5.47 ERA, 0-4, 24.1 IP) and Felde (7.00 ERA, 1-5, 22.0 IP). In 2018, Illinois State went 21-33 and split a pair of games against Indiana in Norman, Okla. The Redbirds lead the all-time series, 22-18.
LAST TIME OUT
Indiana went 5-0 in the Black and Orange Challenge, hosted by Mercer. The Hoosiers earned a pair of wins against previously unbeaten Loyola Chicago, while also beating Akron, North Carolina A&T and Mercer. The win against the host Bears came in dramatic fashion as IU erased a 5-0 deficit to win in 11 innings.
TRAINER EARNS SECOND STRAIGHT BIG TEN PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONOR
• For the second-straight week, senior Tara Trainer was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week. The Lebanon, Ohio native collected a 4-0 record in the circle, striking out 37 batters in 25.0 innings of work. Trainer tossed a pair of complete games and posted an ERA of 0.28 while holding opposing batters to a .125 average.
• It is the fourth Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honor for Trainer, who earned it twice last year. Trainer also earned an accolade from the NFCA as she was tabbed as a Selected Top Performance for the second week in a row. Additionally, she was named a College Sports Madness National Player of the Week.
• In the opener against Akron on Friday, Trainer and fellow pitcher Josie Wood combined to toss a no-hitter with Trainer going 4.0 innings and striking out six. Trainer returned to the circle in the next game, tossing a complete game shutout versus previously unbeaten Loyola Chicago. Against Mercer on Saturday, Trainer stepped in at the beginning of the fifth inning and went the final 7.0 frames as the Hoosiers earned an 8-7 win in 11 innings. Trainer tied her career high with 16 strikeouts, which she set last season against Samford. The final win of the weekend came in another complete game outing against Loyola Chicago on Sunday, fanning eight Ramblers and giving up no earned runs.
NEWS AND NOTES
• IU's 14-game winning streak is the longest for the program since the 2011 squad put together a 15-game streak from April 9 to May 7. That streak ties as the third-longest as the 1994 won 16-straight and the 1983 team won 18-straight.
• The Indiana bats were on fire in Macon as the Hoosiers collected 10 home runs, including posting three three-homer games. Junior Katie Lacefield knocked four homers, sophomores Camryn Woodall and Annika Baez had two and sophomore Grayson Radcliffe and junior Bella Norton each had one home run.
• Lacefield is currently riding a nine-game reached base streak while Radcliffe has a team-best six-game hitting streak going.
• IU stole 16 more bases over the weekend to bring the season total to 42, compared to just 15 from opponents. Indiana's average of 3.00 stolen bases per game is sixth in the nation. Sophomore Taylor Lambert is a perfect 11-for-11 on the basepaths and her 0.79 stolen bases per game average is 22nd in the country.
• The Hoosier offense has been balanced through the first three weeks of the season as six have 10 or more hits while eight have at least nine. Lambert (.349, 15 hits, 11 runs) and Radcliffe (.333, 13 hits, 8 runs) are leading the way for Indiana.
• The Indiana pitching staff has been impressive as a group this season as the team's 1.07 ERA is sixth-best in the nation and first in the Big Ten. In addition, the team's 4.91 strikeout-to-walk ratio is good for 10th best in the country. Junior Emily Goodin has been stellar in relief, posting an ERA of 0.00 with 17 strikeouts in 12.0 innings pitched.
• Trainer's nine wins is tied for the most in the nation, while her 65 strikeouts on the season are good for 10th.
• During the first weekend of the season, Trainer surpassed Megan Roark (2003-06) for all-time career strikeouts and is quickly climbing higher in the record book:
1. Amy Unterbrink (1983-86) 1089
2. Gina Ugo (1993-96) 664
3. Tara Trainer (2016-pr.) 629
The Hoosiers are off to the best start in program history at 14-0 and are one of just four undefeated teams remaining in the country (UCLA, Florida State and Alabama). In addition, it is the longest winning streak for the program since a 15-game streak towards the end of the 2011 season.
Live stats and a radio broadcast for all games will be available on IUHoosiers.com. Sam Neidermann will be providing play-by-play on the radio broadcast. In addition, Friday's game against LSU will be streamed on SECN+.
IU IN THE RANKINGS
• The Hoosiers' No. 16 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll is the best for the program since the poll began in 1995. In 1996, Indiana earned a No. 17 ranking in back-to-back weeks on March 6 and 13.
• Indiana received a No. 15 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today poll and were ranked No. 13 by College Sports Madness, No. 12 by Fastpitch News and cracked the top-10 at No. 10 by Softball America.
CHECKING OUT THE COMPETITION
Stephen F. Austin: The Ladyjacks are 11-5 on the season, including a pair of ranked wins against then-No. 24 Mississippi State on Feb. 10 and No. 25 Illinois on Feb. 23. Stephen F. Austin is batting .310 as a team, led by Cassidy Tucker (.400, 12 hits, 7 RBI) and Bryana Novegil (.320, 16 hits, 10 runs). In the circle, Kassidy Wilbur (1.73 ERA, 6-4, 52.2 IP) and Ashley Kriesel (1.87 ERA, 3-1, 33.2 IP) have split the majority of the innings. Last season, the Ladyjacks went 31-24 and participated in the National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC). IU holds a 4-0 series lead against Stephen F. Austin with the team's last playing in 1982.
LSU: The Tigers are Indiana's second top-10 opponent this season as the Hoosiers defeated No. 6 Georgia on Feb. 10. LSU is 14-3 on the year with the only losses coming against No. 19 Oregon, No. 1 Florida State and Stanford. The Tigers are batting .350 as a team, highlighted by Amanda Sanchez (.513, 20 hits, 14 runs, 12 walks) and Aliyah Andrews (.429, 24 runs, 21 hits, 15 stolen bases). The Tigers' pitching staff has a team ERA of 1.73 with Maribeth Gorsuch (1.19 ERA, 4-0, 29.1 IP), Shelby Wickersham (1.31 ERA, 4-1, 26.2 IP) and Shelbi Sunseri (1.85 ERA, 4-2, 34.0 IP) leading the way. Last season, the Tigers went 45-17 with an appearance in NCAA Super Regionals. LSU leads the all-time series with IU, 2-0, with the last meeting coming in 2007.
USC Upstate: The Spartans on 11-1 on the year and winners of eight straight games after picking up a 3-1 win against Duke on Wednesday. USC Upstate is batting .314 as a team, led by Alyssa Oakes (.419, 13 hits, 10 runs, 17 RBI) and Makenna Helton (.414, 12 hits, 8 runs). The Spartans have also been impressive in the circle with a 0.89 ERA, which is second in the country. Christina Biggerstaff (0.72, 6-0, 38.2 IP) and Erin Hill (0.78, 4-1, 27.0 IP) have thrown most of the innings. USC Upstate went 35-19 last year and advanced to the ASUN Tournament Championship. Indiana and USC Upstate met twice last season, with the Spartans taking both games.
Illinois State: The Redbirds are 3-12 on the season with two wins against Florida A&M and a victory against San Diego. Illinois State is batting .237, led by Shannon Felde (.349, 15 hits, 10 runs). Most of the innings in the circle have been split by Ali Domkuski (2.18 ERA, 2-1, 25.2 IP), Morgan Day (5.47 ERA, 0-4, 24.1 IP) and Felde (7.00 ERA, 1-5, 22.0 IP). In 2018, Illinois State went 21-33 and split a pair of games against Indiana in Norman, Okla. The Redbirds lead the all-time series, 22-18.
LAST TIME OUT
Indiana went 5-0 in the Black and Orange Challenge, hosted by Mercer. The Hoosiers earned a pair of wins against previously unbeaten Loyola Chicago, while also beating Akron, North Carolina A&T and Mercer. The win against the host Bears came in dramatic fashion as IU erased a 5-0 deficit to win in 11 innings.
TRAINER EARNS SECOND STRAIGHT BIG TEN PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONOR
• For the second-straight week, senior Tara Trainer was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week. The Lebanon, Ohio native collected a 4-0 record in the circle, striking out 37 batters in 25.0 innings of work. Trainer tossed a pair of complete games and posted an ERA of 0.28 while holding opposing batters to a .125 average.
• It is the fourth Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honor for Trainer, who earned it twice last year. Trainer also earned an accolade from the NFCA as she was tabbed as a Selected Top Performance for the second week in a row. Additionally, she was named a College Sports Madness National Player of the Week.
• In the opener against Akron on Friday, Trainer and fellow pitcher Josie Wood combined to toss a no-hitter with Trainer going 4.0 innings and striking out six. Trainer returned to the circle in the next game, tossing a complete game shutout versus previously unbeaten Loyola Chicago. Against Mercer on Saturday, Trainer stepped in at the beginning of the fifth inning and went the final 7.0 frames as the Hoosiers earned an 8-7 win in 11 innings. Trainer tied her career high with 16 strikeouts, which she set last season against Samford. The final win of the weekend came in another complete game outing against Loyola Chicago on Sunday, fanning eight Ramblers and giving up no earned runs.
NEWS AND NOTES
• IU's 14-game winning streak is the longest for the program since the 2011 squad put together a 15-game streak from April 9 to May 7. That streak ties as the third-longest as the 1994 won 16-straight and the 1983 team won 18-straight.
• The Indiana bats were on fire in Macon as the Hoosiers collected 10 home runs, including posting three three-homer games. Junior Katie Lacefield knocked four homers, sophomores Camryn Woodall and Annika Baez had two and sophomore Grayson Radcliffe and junior Bella Norton each had one home run.
• Lacefield is currently riding a nine-game reached base streak while Radcliffe has a team-best six-game hitting streak going.
• IU stole 16 more bases over the weekend to bring the season total to 42, compared to just 15 from opponents. Indiana's average of 3.00 stolen bases per game is sixth in the nation. Sophomore Taylor Lambert is a perfect 11-for-11 on the basepaths and her 0.79 stolen bases per game average is 22nd in the country.
• The Hoosier offense has been balanced through the first three weeks of the season as six have 10 or more hits while eight have at least nine. Lambert (.349, 15 hits, 11 runs) and Radcliffe (.333, 13 hits, 8 runs) are leading the way for Indiana.
• The Indiana pitching staff has been impressive as a group this season as the team's 1.07 ERA is sixth-best in the nation and first in the Big Ten. In addition, the team's 4.91 strikeout-to-walk ratio is good for 10th best in the country. Junior Emily Goodin has been stellar in relief, posting an ERA of 0.00 with 17 strikeouts in 12.0 innings pitched.
• Trainer's nine wins is tied for the most in the nation, while her 65 strikeouts on the season are good for 10th.
• During the first weekend of the season, Trainer surpassed Megan Roark (2003-06) for all-time career strikeouts and is quickly climbing higher in the record book:
1. Amy Unterbrink (1983-86) 1089
2. Gina Ugo (1993-96) 664
3. Tara Trainer (2016-pr.) 629
Players Mentioned
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IF
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IF
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UT
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