IU ready for tune-up before Big Ten season opener against Spartans

After seven days off, including a rare weekend with no games, the IU softball team will take the diamond at 2 p.m. today at the IU Softball Field for a doubleheader against University of Illinois-Chicago.\nBecause a game versus Indiana State was called due to rain March 23, the Hoosiers have not played in a week. The rest helped the cream and crimson recover from some nagging injuries.\n"We were able to recuperate some, both mind and body," said IU coach Stacey Phillips. "It was a well-deserved rest for us."\nThe Hoosiers are coming off a stretch of five games that saw them win three, including a March 22 6-0 victory over Ball State.\nAfter struggling on a spring break road trip, Phillips is glad to see her team improving.\n"We're getting better inning by inning," Phillips said. "The week off really helped us get rid of the fatigue."\nIU will face off against a tough UIC team that has won 11 straight games after losing 11 of 12 games to start the season. The Flames' last loss came March 13.\nThe Hoosiers would like nothing more than to snap UIC's winning streak.\n"It would feel really good, especially being the underdog," said senior second baseman Ashley Griffiths. "We would be really confident going into Big Ten play."\nGriffiths hit her first home run of the season last week in the win over Ball State.\nUIC starter Brittany McIntyre was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week after going 2-0 in three appearances with a .044 ERA. The Flames offense is led by junior Nicole Shepard and sophomore Liz Jacoby. Both players are hitting at a .471 clip.\nIU starter Megan Roark will try to stop the UIC offense, which is scoring a little under five runs a game.\nRoark has been the team MVP so far this season with seven wins and 13 complete games. She also is striking out more than a batter an inning, with 155 K's in only 146 innings pitched.\nIU is excited for Big Ten play to start this weekend, but they are not looking past the Flames.\n"It would definitely help team morale if we beat UIC," said freshman shortstop Jennilee Huddleston. "Any win is a good win."\nThe Hoosiers are not going to let UIC intimidate them.\n"We're going to play IU softball and do what we need to do to win," Phillips said. "A win would give us a lot of confidence going into Friday's game versus Michigan State."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Tim O'Brien at tpobrien@indiana.edu.