Battle-tested Hoosiers ready for Louisville

When IU looks back on this season, it won't be disappointed about the strength of its schedule. Facing off against softball powerhouses Michigan, Nebraska, and Iowa earlier in the season should help prepare the Hoosiers (25-25, 2-8) for their upcoming game against the Louisville Cardinals (35-10).\n"If Louisville played some of the teams we have played this season like Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa, the game would be really competitive," IU coach Sara Hayes Nottger said. "We have our work cut out for us tomorrow." \nThe Cardinals, winners of their last 13 games, are coming to Bloomington looking to extend the streak. Louisville is fresh off its road trip to Houston -- sweeping the Cougars in three games by a combined score of 12-6. The Hoosiers faced this same Houston team earlier in the season -- losing the game, 12-2. \nAs a team, the Cardinals are batting .300. Freshman Audrey Rendon is leading the way for Louisville with a .405 batting average and freshman Courtney Moore who has 36 RBI's on the season. Junior Aja Sherman has amassed a 12-2 record this season on the mound and has a 1.38 ERA. \nIU is coming off a weekend where it earned its first two conference wins of the season. The team's second win against Minnesota was a breakout game for sophomore Meghan Connors who got her first collegiate hit against the Golden Gophers. Connors' first hit came in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs and proved to be the game winner as it drove in sophomore Lauren Hines. \n"I had the chance to win the game earlier in the weekend," Connors said, "but I popped out. When I got the hit against Minnesota, it was just a great feeling."\nNottger feels the Hoosiers will keep playing well with Connors in the lineup.\n"Meghan has been solid defensively and with (freshman) Kim Richards out with a hurt shoulder Meghan has been coming up big for the team," Nottger said.\nThe Hoosiers have been marred lately by untimely errors in the field. In last weekends loss to Minnesota, the Hoosiers committed eight errors, six of them coming in the fourth inning. The Hoosiers feel as long as they keep their bats warm they can still pull out the game against Louisville.\n"We just have to hit well against Louisville to get the win," senior Val White said. "We have been committing too many errors as a team but that is more of a mental thing so that can be worked out."\nThe Hoosiers face off against Louisville at 4 p.m., Wednesday at the IU softball complex. IU continues its conference schedule this weekend with games against Northwestern Friday and Saturday and a double header against Michigan State Sunday in East Lansing, Mich. \n-- Contact staff writer Mark Carlson at mecarlso@indiana.edu.