IU travels south to face Louisville

After a long home stretch, the IU softball team is traveling to Louisville to compete against the Cardinals today at 5 p.m.\nThe Hoosiers (18-6, 1-3) will be facing a team that IU coach Stacey Phillips said is a mirror image of her own team.\n“Louisville is a team that has been compared to us a lot,” Phillips said. “They were a tournament team last year, and I expect it to be a great match up.”\nThough the Hoosiers have been improving during the season, they hit a dry spell this weekend at home, losing three of four games against Big Ten foes Iowa and Illinois. Sophomore Monica Wright said she thinks her team can overcome the losses.\n“We just have to take the good with the bad and improve,” Wright said. \nIU improved at the end of their homestand and ended on a high note. \nSenior first basemen Rachel Terry hit two home runs that might have affected more than just the outcome of their final game against the Illini.\n“I think that was a turning point,” Phillips said. “In order for it to be a turning point I think we’ll have to win this next game, but I think it was a huge hit for our team.”\nThis road trip will be the first for IU since their shutout loss at Ball State on March 28. Despite the outcome of that contest, freshman Jennifer Glueckert said she doesn’t think the road aspect of the game will affect her club because of their last outing.\n“I don’t think being on the road will matter because our team came together in our last game,” Glueckert said. “I think the team definitely started a hot streak and that we’ll all get it this time around on the road.”\nOne aspect of the Hoosiers’ game that has been improving is pitching. \nWright and junior Jennifer Moore have both been slowly progressing this season. Phillips said her pitching staff will keep up the good work by keeping its composure. \n“I think if they go out there and hit their spots and gain confidence that they’ll be able to get their game going,” she said.\nDespite their record during the weekend, the last game-ending runs by Terry have helped the Hoosiers to have confidence heading into their next game. \n“I think we can win if we come out with an attack mode and improve on the feelings we had in the last game,” Wright said. “I think it’ll be a good challenge and we’ll come out on top.”