Hoosiers face tough weekend doubleheader

Coming within one pitch of snapping a two-year conference losing streak is something that can be disheartening to any team. But the Hoosiers will have a chance to rectify their demons as Northwestern rolls into Bloomington for Friday and Saturday games before IU plays a doubleheader against Illinois Sunday.\nNorthwestern stands at 21-11 (3-5 Big Ten), including a recent sweep at the expense of the No. 20 Ohio State Buckeyes. The Wildcats have amassed five wins over ranked opponents this season, including a victory against California, the defending national champions.\nNorthwestern's main offensive weapon is sophomore Erin Mobley. Mobley comes into the game sporting a team-leading .375 batting average and a .587 slugging percentage. She was also named the Big Ten Softball Player of the Week and stands behind only one other conference player in triples this season.\nIllinois boasts its own bag of tricks, with a 25-8 (3-3) and a No. 24 ranking in last week's USA Today poll. Junior Amanda Fortune paces Illinois on the mound with a 1.29 ERA and a 16-5 record while freshman Rachelle Coriddi adds a .350 batting average in 120 tries at the plate to the Illini offensive cause.\nWith such tough opponents coming into Bloomington this weekend, the Hoosiers will certainly have to bring their best game to the IU softball field. With all of the accolades this weekend's opponents bring, the Hoosiers are coming into the weekend with confidence and an extra day of practice thanks to a canceled contest against the Louisville Cardinals on Wednesday.\n"We've had a week of solid practices, and we got an extra day of practice," senior Heather Suca said. "We all know we can pull out some wins this weekend, and we know these are beatable teams."\nDespite a 0-6 conference record, the Hoosiers are far from out-gunned coming into this weekend. Three of those losses came by two runs or less. Last weekend's tough losses actually gave the team a new zeal to play harder, players said.\n"It's an inspiration, we battled extremely hard, we're comfortable with ourselves as a team and individually," junior Heather Stillians said. "Everybody seems to have come together; it's like a big family."\nSenior Stormy Hanson has consistently paced IU's offensive attack and is the current leader in 12 offensive categories. Hanson also stands among the top five in the conference in five offensive categories.\nFreshman slugger Lauren Hines adds a little power of her own with a .318 batting average and a .471 slugging percentage. Stillians remains as the Hoosier mainstay on the mound with a 2.42 ERA and a 7-9 record.\nGoing winless in conference games can be tough on the morale of any team, but coach Sara Hayes said she is happy with the play the Hoosiers have shown as of late.\n"The team has raised their level of intensity and focus," Hayes said. "They're playing at a level now that they have to in order to compete in the Big Ten"