Great lake trip slates great teams

IU will try and accomplish something today they have not done in 32 games, dating back two years; winning a Big Ten Game.\nThe Hoosiers embark on their last multi-game road trip of the season, this time heading to East Lansing, Mich. on Friday and Saturday and Ann Arbor, Mich. on Sunday for a doubleheader.\nPicking up that elusive first conference win will be no easy task on this trip as the Spartans and the Wolverines have a combined 60-23 overall record. But, both have been struggling a bit of late. \nIU (17-27, 0-12) will attempt to play the role of spoiler this weekend as they try and sneak up on MSU and UM and gain some ground in the Big Ten standings.\n"This is a good chance to really shake things up in the Big Ten and pick up some good wins," junior Abby Stark said. "(Michigan) is a great team and MSU is a strong team, but their coaches will not let them come out not ready to play."\nIU's first chance to snap the conference losing streak will come on Friday against Michigan State. IU has not won a game on Friday since the opening weekend of the season in February. The game will also mark the 26th game the Hoosiers have played away from The IU Softball field in Bloomington. \nSenior Stormy Hanson will try to become the ninth player in IU history to end the season batting over .400, and the first player since Monica Armendarez's. 437 clip six years ago. Hanson's .466 on-base percentage is one of 12 offensive categories the senior is leading the team in. \nAlso hitting well of late is junior Valerie White, who is second on the squad with a .301 batting average and 46 hits, just six behind Hanson's 52 knocks.\nBut, the pitching staff has been struggling as IU pitchers have given up an opponents team batting overage over .300. \nThe Spartans (30-14, 8-5), meanwhile, have won six of eight but are coming off a split with Oakland University. \nThey are led by six players batting over .300 and standout junior Jessica Beech, who has recorded two thirds of the team's wins with a 20-6 record and a miniscule 0.99 ERA. Beech did not pitch in the series against Oakland, Calif. and is likely to go against IU on Friday.\nAt Ann Arbor, Mich. on Sunday, the Hoosiers will not be escaping the wrath of good pitching, as Michigan senior and Big Ten pitcher of the week for the second straight week Marissa Young had a 3-0 record last week to go along with a 0.33 ERA. \nFor the season, Young has a 17-1 record, 1.07 ERA, 12 complete games in just 18 starts and 166 strikeouts to 37 walks -- a near five to one ratio. \n"She will go right at us and be aggressive," IU coach Sara Hayes said. "Strong pitching can catapult your program, a pitcher like Young has the ability to keep the team in games and help the team pick up wins."\nPicking up a Big Ten win is on all the Hoosiers' minds, but no one seems to be panicking. That's something Hayes said she wants to see more.\n"I think that is the thing we have been frustrated with," coach Hayes said. "We seem to play without a strong sense of urgency."\nGoing into this weekend, the mentality of the Hoosier players is competing without pressure.\n"We have nothing to lose," senior Katie Joy said. "We will be playing good teams, but on any given day anyone can beat anyone"