Hoosiers face Wildcats

At the core of every great team is veteran leadership. This year's IU softball team is no different, with four seniors guiding the Hoosiers to a surprisingly successful season. As IU (28-27, 4-10 Big Ten) rolls into Lexington to play Kentucky (24-27-1), the Hoosier seniors have all played different roles in the team's success.\nSenior Karly McCormack leads with her performance rather than with vocal leadership. The same is true of fellow senior Abby Stark. \n"When the team is down, I feel like the best thing I can do is make that extra effort and make the big play," Stark said. \nIf the team is looking for a vocal leader, it needs to look no further than seniors Heather Stillians and Val White.\n"Heather is probably our most vocal leader," IU coach Sara Hayes Nottger said. "She's the one who talks to the team if we are having problems."\nMcCormack, who is playing her first season as a Hoosier, decided to transfer to IU after playing at Central Michigan for the past three seasons and said the team's performance comes as no surprise to her. \n"I really didn't have many expectations going into this season," McCormack said. "I didn't know much about the team, but we are having a great year." \nAs the season winds down, it is evident how much the seniors have brought to the team. If the team keeps pace, it will finish the season with its first winning record since 1997. \n The team has played the toughest teams in the Big Ten earlier in the season and has three series left against Penn State, Purdue and Ohio State. Each of which are close to the bottom of the Big Ten standings. \n"This is the best team I have played on in four years," Stark said. "We are in a position where we handle our own destiny." \nNottger hopes the team can earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, but to do so, it needs to keep its record above .500. \n"The team and myself are very excited as we travel to Kentucky," Nottger said. \nIU will begin its doubleheader at 4 p.m. Wednesday in Lexington. The second game will follow immediately after at 6 p.m. \n-- Contact staff writer Mark Carlson at mecarlso@indiana.edu.