Thursday, February 6
Orlando, FL
6:00 P.M.
Indiana University
at
UCF
IU Softball Set To Open 2020 Season in Orlando
2/5/2020 9:35:00 AM | Softball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The 2020 Indiana Softball season officially gets underway this weekend as the Hoosiers travel to Orlando, Florida to play in the UCF Black & Gold Tournament. Head Coach Shonda Stanton enters her third season at the helm of the Cream and Crimson.
IU will face off against four teams in the Sunshine State - host UCF for two games, Duke, St. John's, and Clemson. These will be the first meetings with UCF for IU since the 2013 season, and the first meeting with Clemson in program history as 2020 is their inaugural season. Indiana played Duke and St. John's a year ago.
Live stats and a radio broadcast for all games will also be available on IUHoosiers.com. Sam Neidermann will be providing play-by-play on the radio broadcast.
CHECKING OUT THE COMPETITION
UCF: IU will play two contests in Orlando against the hosting UCF Knights. The Knights went 34-21 last season with an 11-10 AAC mark, making it to the conference quarterfinal. UCF is led by second year head coach Cindy Ball-Malone who leads a team comprised of five seniors, eight juniors, five sophomores, six freshmen and one red shirt freshman. UCF's biggest returning bat from last season is sophomore outfielder Damaria Cannon, who hit .327 with 16 hits and eight runs in 2019. In the circle, the Knights return senior right hander Alea White who had a 1.61 ERA with 174 strikeouts over 221.1 innings pitched last season on her way to being named AAC All-Conference first team. The all-time series record between Indiana and UCF is 3-0 in favor of the Knights with the most recent meeting being in 2013.
Duke: The Blue Devils went 25-31 last season, posting a 11-13 mark in ACC play, reaching the conference tournament quarterfinals a year ago. They are led by head coach Marissa Young who enters her third season at the helm. Their roster is comprised of two seniors, two red shirt juniors, six juniors, seven sophomores and three freshmen. Duke's top returning bat is sophomore infielder Deja Davis who hit .324 with 61 hits and 16 RBI's in 2019. In the circle, junior right-hander Peyton St. George returns for Duke. She was named All-ACC second team a year ago collecting a 2.58 ERA with 90 strikeouts over 89.2 innings pitched. Indiana leads the all-time series against Duke 2-0, with the only meetings taking place last season. Friday will be the first of three scheduled meetings between the Hoosiers and Blue Devils in 2020, as IU will travel to Durham next weekend for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
St. John's: Indiana's third opponent of the weekend is a St. John's team that went 26-22 last season with a 14-4 BIG EAST mark. They advanced to the BIG EAST tournament semifinal last year, and were picked to finish third in the preseason conference poll for 2020. This will be the second season for head coach Bob Guerriero who was promoted prior to the 2019 season. The Red Storm return senior utility player Marrissa Rizzie who was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team after hitting .403 with 56 hits, 12 home runs and 34 RBI's in 2019. In the circle, they return sophomore Angela Saric who held a 4.21 ERA with 58 strikeouts over 108.0 innings pitched. This will be just the second meeting between IU and St. John's, as Indiana leads the series 1-0 after their 2019 victory.
Clemson: Indiana will play their final game of the tournament against the Tigers of Clemson University. 2020 is the inaugural season for Clemson Softball, and Saturday's matchup will be the first meeting in both programs' history. Clemson is under the guidance of head coach John Rittman. Former Volunteer Assistant Coach and Student Manager for IU Softball Jake Combs serves on the Clemson staff as a Graduate Assistant. The Tigers are comprised of 12 freshman, four juniors and two seniors with five transfer students.
RECAPPING 2019
In her second campaign at the helm of the Hoosiers, Stanton built upon the success of her inaugural season as the Hoosiers opened the year with a 14-0 mark, the best start in IU program history. Thanks to the hot start, Indiana earned a spot in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, the first ranking for the team since 1996. IU would spend six straight weeks ranked, picking up wins against two top-10 teams in No. 6 Georgia (Feb. 10) and at No. 10 LSU (March 1), the first time that has been done at Indiana. IU's final record of 36-21 was the best for the Hoosiers since the 2011 season, while the team's non-conference record (26-8) was the best since 1986. The team impressed on the base paths, setting the single-season IU steals record with 141, which is also good for the third-most by a Big Ten team in history.
For the second year in a row, pitcher Tara Trainer earned First Team NFCA All-Midwest Region honors as well as All-Big Ten accolades after leaving IU as one of the most decorated pitchers in Indiana history. This season, Trainer posted career-best numbers with a 1.82 ERA, 231 strikeouts and a 26-11 record. Trainer graduates second all-time in strikeouts (803), appearances (170) and games started (130). In addition, she is third in career wins (68) and innings pitched (742.0) and fourth in shutouts (19). Trainer became just the fourth Hoosier to be drafted in the National Pro Fastpitch league when she was selected 21st overall by the Aussie Peppers on April 15.
RETURNING IN 2020
The Hoosiers return six starters from last year's roster:
- Outfielders Gabbi Jenkins (.295, 46 hits, 25 runs, 21 SB in 2019) and Taylor Lambert (.289, 52 hits, 36 runs, 22 SB in 2019)
- Infielders Katie Lacefield (.313, 47 hits, 33 RBI in 2019) and Grayson Radcliffe (.293, 43 hits, 39 runs, 9 HR in 2019)
- Pitcher Emily Goodin leads the way in the circle after coming off a pair of career seasons (2.41 ERA, 129 K, 107.1 IP in 2019).
- Catcher/Designated Players Bella Norton returns to her role behind the dish after her best career season (.269, 42 hits, 24 RBI in 2019)
• IU brings back six of the top seven hitters from last season in terms of average, led by Lacefield, Jenkins and Radcliffe. Lacefield is the leading returner from last season in batting average at .313 followed closely by Jenkins (.295) and Radcliffe (.293)
• Indiana recorded a program record 141 steals in 2019. The Hoosiers return three base runners with over 20 steals each last season including Tete Hart with 23, Taylor Lambert with 22 and Gabbi Jenkins with 21.
NEW TO THE HOOSIERS
Indiana has nine newcomers to the team, including one transfer and eight freshmen:
• Sophomore utility infielder Hannah Davis joins Indiana from Kentucky. A native of Georgetown, Ky., Davis attended Scott County High School, where she led the team to three state championships and was a four-time All-Region, All-District and team Offensive MVP selection. One of those state titles came in a senior campaign that saw Davis bat .600 with 71 hits, 75 RBI and 13 home runs.
• The freshmen class includes pitcher Kate Rehberg, catcher Desiree Dufek, outfielders Tatum Hayes, Caraline Woodall and Columbia Holeman, infielders Chloe Stienhaus and Abi Stahlhut and utility player Abby Meeks.
STAFF UPDATES
From a staff perspective, the Hoosiers have only one update from last season:
• Former LSU starting catcher and 2019 SEC Community Team member Michaela Schlattman joins the Hoosiers as a graduate student manager, joining Gwen Svekis at the position.
WHAT'S AHEAD IN 2020
The Hoosiers have 53 games on tap in 2020, including 16 to be played at Andy Mohr Field. Indiana will face 14 opponents who ended the 2019 season inside the top 100 RPI. They will also play five teams that made NCAA Regionals and two that advanced to the College World Series.
Following the Black & Gold Tournament, IU will return to the Big Ten/ACC Challenge hosted by Duke on Feb. 14-16, again playing two games versus the Blue Devils and Syracuse.
The following weekend, Indiana will return to North Carolina where they will participate the Fairfield Crabtree Invitational hosted by NC State. Indiana is set to play a pair of games against Saint Joseph's and Bucknell, while also clashing with host school NC State.
Indiana heads west to Tucson, Ariz. the weekend of March 6 for the Wildcat Invitational. They will square off against SIUE, South Dakota and Boise State, who ended the season at No. 35 in the RPI, before taking on host Arizona who was a College World Series participant in 2019 and No. 4 in the final RPI of the season.
Rounding out tournament play, Indiana travels to Madeira Beach, Fla. on March 12 for the annual Spring Games. While in Madeira Beach, the Hoosiers will face Creighton, NCAA participant Toledo, Central Michigan, Brown, South Dakota State and Buffalo.
Play at Andy Mohr field kicks off on Mar. 10 as the Hoosiers play host to Miami (OH) at 4 p.m.
Wrapping up the non-conference schedule, Indiana will see three midweek games including NCAA Regional participants in Louisville and Notre Dame. The Cardinals will come to town on March 24 at 5 p.m. before the Hoosiers clash with the Fighting Irish on March 31 beginning at 4 p.m. Both teams were top 50 in RPI, Louisville was No. 38 in while Notre Dame checked in No. 39. Rounding out the nonconference schedule, Indiana will take on Morehead State on April 22.
Indiana opens up Big Ten play against Penn State at home March 20-22. Other conference home weekends include NCAA participants Ohio State (Mar. 27-29) and Minnesota (Apr. 17-19), who advanced to the Women's College World Series, before concluding the 2020 regular season at home vs. Iowa (May 1-3).
The Big Ten road slate commences on April 3-5 when the Hoosiers travel to College Park to take on Maryland. Other road games include Nebraska (Apr. 10-12) and Illinois (Apr. 24-26), who made NCAA Regionals last season, prior to the annual doubleheader vs. Purdue on April 29 in West Lafayette.
This year's Big Ten Tournament will be hosted by Illinois from May 7-9.
IU will face off against four teams in the Sunshine State - host UCF for two games, Duke, St. John's, and Clemson. These will be the first meetings with UCF for IU since the 2013 season, and the first meeting with Clemson in program history as 2020 is their inaugural season. Indiana played Duke and St. John's a year ago.
Live stats and a radio broadcast for all games will also be available on IUHoosiers.com. Sam Neidermann will be providing play-by-play on the radio broadcast.
CHECKING OUT THE COMPETITION
UCF: IU will play two contests in Orlando against the hosting UCF Knights. The Knights went 34-21 last season with an 11-10 AAC mark, making it to the conference quarterfinal. UCF is led by second year head coach Cindy Ball-Malone who leads a team comprised of five seniors, eight juniors, five sophomores, six freshmen and one red shirt freshman. UCF's biggest returning bat from last season is sophomore outfielder Damaria Cannon, who hit .327 with 16 hits and eight runs in 2019. In the circle, the Knights return senior right hander Alea White who had a 1.61 ERA with 174 strikeouts over 221.1 innings pitched last season on her way to being named AAC All-Conference first team. The all-time series record between Indiana and UCF is 3-0 in favor of the Knights with the most recent meeting being in 2013.
Duke: The Blue Devils went 25-31 last season, posting a 11-13 mark in ACC play, reaching the conference tournament quarterfinals a year ago. They are led by head coach Marissa Young who enters her third season at the helm. Their roster is comprised of two seniors, two red shirt juniors, six juniors, seven sophomores and three freshmen. Duke's top returning bat is sophomore infielder Deja Davis who hit .324 with 61 hits and 16 RBI's in 2019. In the circle, junior right-hander Peyton St. George returns for Duke. She was named All-ACC second team a year ago collecting a 2.58 ERA with 90 strikeouts over 89.2 innings pitched. Indiana leads the all-time series against Duke 2-0, with the only meetings taking place last season. Friday will be the first of three scheduled meetings between the Hoosiers and Blue Devils in 2020, as IU will travel to Durham next weekend for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
St. John's: Indiana's third opponent of the weekend is a St. John's team that went 26-22 last season with a 14-4 BIG EAST mark. They advanced to the BIG EAST tournament semifinal last year, and were picked to finish third in the preseason conference poll for 2020. This will be the second season for head coach Bob Guerriero who was promoted prior to the 2019 season. The Red Storm return senior utility player Marrissa Rizzie who was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team after hitting .403 with 56 hits, 12 home runs and 34 RBI's in 2019. In the circle, they return sophomore Angela Saric who held a 4.21 ERA with 58 strikeouts over 108.0 innings pitched. This will be just the second meeting between IU and St. John's, as Indiana leads the series 1-0 after their 2019 victory.
Clemson: Indiana will play their final game of the tournament against the Tigers of Clemson University. 2020 is the inaugural season for Clemson Softball, and Saturday's matchup will be the first meeting in both programs' history. Clemson is under the guidance of head coach John Rittman. Former Volunteer Assistant Coach and Student Manager for IU Softball Jake Combs serves on the Clemson staff as a Graduate Assistant. The Tigers are comprised of 12 freshman, four juniors and two seniors with five transfer students.
RECAPPING 2019
In her second campaign at the helm of the Hoosiers, Stanton built upon the success of her inaugural season as the Hoosiers opened the year with a 14-0 mark, the best start in IU program history. Thanks to the hot start, Indiana earned a spot in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, the first ranking for the team since 1996. IU would spend six straight weeks ranked, picking up wins against two top-10 teams in No. 6 Georgia (Feb. 10) and at No. 10 LSU (March 1), the first time that has been done at Indiana. IU's final record of 36-21 was the best for the Hoosiers since the 2011 season, while the team's non-conference record (26-8) was the best since 1986. The team impressed on the base paths, setting the single-season IU steals record with 141, which is also good for the third-most by a Big Ten team in history.
For the second year in a row, pitcher Tara Trainer earned First Team NFCA All-Midwest Region honors as well as All-Big Ten accolades after leaving IU as one of the most decorated pitchers in Indiana history. This season, Trainer posted career-best numbers with a 1.82 ERA, 231 strikeouts and a 26-11 record. Trainer graduates second all-time in strikeouts (803), appearances (170) and games started (130). In addition, she is third in career wins (68) and innings pitched (742.0) and fourth in shutouts (19). Trainer became just the fourth Hoosier to be drafted in the National Pro Fastpitch league when she was selected 21st overall by the Aussie Peppers on April 15.
RETURNING IN 2020
The Hoosiers return six starters from last year's roster:
- Outfielders Gabbi Jenkins (.295, 46 hits, 25 runs, 21 SB in 2019) and Taylor Lambert (.289, 52 hits, 36 runs, 22 SB in 2019)
- Infielders Katie Lacefield (.313, 47 hits, 33 RBI in 2019) and Grayson Radcliffe (.293, 43 hits, 39 runs, 9 HR in 2019)
- Pitcher Emily Goodin leads the way in the circle after coming off a pair of career seasons (2.41 ERA, 129 K, 107.1 IP in 2019).
- Catcher/Designated Players Bella Norton returns to her role behind the dish after her best career season (.269, 42 hits, 24 RBI in 2019)
• IU brings back six of the top seven hitters from last season in terms of average, led by Lacefield, Jenkins and Radcliffe. Lacefield is the leading returner from last season in batting average at .313 followed closely by Jenkins (.295) and Radcliffe (.293)
• Indiana recorded a program record 141 steals in 2019. The Hoosiers return three base runners with over 20 steals each last season including Tete Hart with 23, Taylor Lambert with 22 and Gabbi Jenkins with 21.
NEW TO THE HOOSIERS
Indiana has nine newcomers to the team, including one transfer and eight freshmen:
• Sophomore utility infielder Hannah Davis joins Indiana from Kentucky. A native of Georgetown, Ky., Davis attended Scott County High School, where she led the team to three state championships and was a four-time All-Region, All-District and team Offensive MVP selection. One of those state titles came in a senior campaign that saw Davis bat .600 with 71 hits, 75 RBI and 13 home runs.
• The freshmen class includes pitcher Kate Rehberg, catcher Desiree Dufek, outfielders Tatum Hayes, Caraline Woodall and Columbia Holeman, infielders Chloe Stienhaus and Abi Stahlhut and utility player Abby Meeks.
STAFF UPDATES
From a staff perspective, the Hoosiers have only one update from last season:
• Former LSU starting catcher and 2019 SEC Community Team member Michaela Schlattman joins the Hoosiers as a graduate student manager, joining Gwen Svekis at the position.
WHAT'S AHEAD IN 2020
The Hoosiers have 53 games on tap in 2020, including 16 to be played at Andy Mohr Field. Indiana will face 14 opponents who ended the 2019 season inside the top 100 RPI. They will also play five teams that made NCAA Regionals and two that advanced to the College World Series.
Following the Black & Gold Tournament, IU will return to the Big Ten/ACC Challenge hosted by Duke on Feb. 14-16, again playing two games versus the Blue Devils and Syracuse.
The following weekend, Indiana will return to North Carolina where they will participate the Fairfield Crabtree Invitational hosted by NC State. Indiana is set to play a pair of games against Saint Joseph's and Bucknell, while also clashing with host school NC State.
Indiana heads west to Tucson, Ariz. the weekend of March 6 for the Wildcat Invitational. They will square off against SIUE, South Dakota and Boise State, who ended the season at No. 35 in the RPI, before taking on host Arizona who was a College World Series participant in 2019 and No. 4 in the final RPI of the season.
Rounding out tournament play, Indiana travels to Madeira Beach, Fla. on March 12 for the annual Spring Games. While in Madeira Beach, the Hoosiers will face Creighton, NCAA participant Toledo, Central Michigan, Brown, South Dakota State and Buffalo.
Play at Andy Mohr field kicks off on Mar. 10 as the Hoosiers play host to Miami (OH) at 4 p.m.
Wrapping up the non-conference schedule, Indiana will see three midweek games including NCAA Regional participants in Louisville and Notre Dame. The Cardinals will come to town on March 24 at 5 p.m. before the Hoosiers clash with the Fighting Irish on March 31 beginning at 4 p.m. Both teams were top 50 in RPI, Louisville was No. 38 in while Notre Dame checked in No. 39. Rounding out the nonconference schedule, Indiana will take on Morehead State on April 22.
Indiana opens up Big Ten play against Penn State at home March 20-22. Other conference home weekends include NCAA participants Ohio State (Mar. 27-29) and Minnesota (Apr. 17-19), who advanced to the Women's College World Series, before concluding the 2020 regular season at home vs. Iowa (May 1-3).
The Big Ten road slate commences on April 3-5 when the Hoosiers travel to College Park to take on Maryland. Other road games include Nebraska (Apr. 10-12) and Illinois (Apr. 24-26), who made NCAA Regionals last season, prior to the annual doubleheader vs. Purdue on April 29 in West Lafayette.
This year's Big Ten Tournament will be hosted by Illinois from May 7-9.
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballSB: 5-17-25 NCAA Fayetteville Regional Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, May 18
SB: 5-16-25 Postgame Press Conference
Friday, May 16
Softball: NCAA Fayetteville Regional Media Availability
Thursday, May 15
NCAA Columbia Regional Day 2 Postgame Press Conference
Saturday, May 18