Home winning streak on the line as Hoosiers face hot, determined Michigan team

Two separate streaks clash this weekend at the IU Softball Field.

Indiana (16-15, 1-2) this season currently has the sixth-best home winning streak in the NCAA at 15 games straight. Its last loss at home coincidentally took place nearly a year ago in a loss to Minnesota.

No. 20 Michigan (22-9 3-0) comes into Bloomington this weekend on a five-game win streak during the past week.

IU Coach Michelle Gardner said the win streak has been great for the team this season.

“We’re not really paying much attention to what happened last year with Michigan,” Gardner said. “We’re really trying to focus on what we need to do well this weekend to keep the streak alive.”

The last time the two teams met, the Hoosiers upset the then-No. 3 Wolverines on Michigan’s home field. The perfect chance for revenge presents itself in the face of the Wolverines to wreck the streak on Indiana’s home field this weekend.

The win last year has taken a different role in players’ preparations for this weekend’s play.

For example, senior infielder Samantha Berenter remembers the win in preparation for this weekend.

“That game was a game I will never forget,” Berenter said. “It’s something we’ve been talking about on the team pretty regularly. I’ve been thinking about how excited we were and having them come to our field is kind of our advantage now as well.”

Berenter has had an upswing in hitting consistency this season. Coming into this weekend’s games she has a .319 batting average, and the second-most RBI for the team with 16.

“I’m really trying to step up and be a leader here,” Berenter said. “I think it’s important for me but also important for my teammates that you can bounce back and come back from anything.”

On the other hand, sophomore outfielder Jenna Abraham has kept the Michigan memory in the back of her mind as she gears up for what she thinks will be a different style game.

“They have a lot of new players, we have a lot of new players,” Abraham said. “It’s going to be a battle. They are a good team.”

Berenter and Abraham will play a role in whether the Hoosiers can hang on to their win streak this weekend. One player is only in her second collegiate year, and the other is a seasoned veteran. However, both will compete to keep the streak alive.

“Being that it’s Michigan trying to wreck it makes it that much bigger,” Berenter said. “It’s all about protecting your home field.”