Softball team meets first ranked opponent of season at DeMarini Invitational

The DeMarini Invitational this weekend marks the first instance the Hoosiers (7-7) face a ranked opponent this season. IU Coach Michelle Gardner said she believes the Hoosiers have the potential to do great things if they stay consistent with their past wins.

“We have to continue to play with the same intensity that we played with this past weekend,” Gardner said. “We had it. I saw it on the back end of Las Vegas. Last weekend, I saw it, and we just need to keep rolling with that.”

In the opening game of the tournament for Indiana, the Hoosiers play No. 11 Stanford (13-3) at 2 p.m. Friday.

The seven returning upperclassmen lead the Cardinals in their run to the top 10 this season. The main batting focus from Stanford appears to be Ashley Hansen, a two-time All-American and reigning Collegiate Player of the Year. This season, Hansen has batted .341 and recorded 13 RBI.

The Hoosiers will likely see Teagan Gerhart in the circle. Gerhart has a 61-20 career record with 505 strikeouts. This past weekend she led the sweep of the Cathedral City Classic. After the performance, she was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week after allowing just one run in 31.2 innings with 30 strikeouts.

Stanford will meet Indiana while coming off a seven-game winning streak.

In the next game, IU will take on Oregon State (13-4) at 6:45 p.m.

The Beavers are coming to the DeMarini Invitational while on a five-game winning streak. Oregon State’s pitching this season has been successful, thanks to Marina Demore. Demore is 5-1 this season with a 1.62 ERA and 45 strikeouts. In her past 16.2 innings, she did not give up a run.
IU will plays its first game Saturday against Florida International (7-7).
The Panthers’ biggest strength is their hitting this season. Offensively minded, the Panthers hold a team batting average of .244 while outscoring their opponents 64-to-39. Senior Ashley McClain has 15 hits, eight of which have been higher than a single. Because of this power, McClain has a .667 slugging percentage thus far.
IU’s second game Saturday is against Southern Mississippi (4-5).
After most of their second tournament was cancelled, the Golden Eagles dropped three of five games. With five seniors returning from this past season, experience is a virtue they possess. The Golden Eagles’ pitching roster is full of experience in Gabby Luciani and Beth Dietrich. Luciani is 2-0 with a 2.51 ERA. Dietrich has allowed 10 runs in 17 innings this season.
The Hoosiers’ final game Sunday is against the East Carolina Pirates (7-6).
The Pirates are led primarily by underclassmen. The top two hitters for East Carolina are sophomores Jill Jelnick and Alex Fieldhouse. Jelnick has kept a .355 batting average while picking up six RBI. Fieldhouse has batted in 10 runs this season with 12 hits.
Mixing ranked and unranked opponents alike, this weekend’s lineup is unlike anything the Hoosiers have faced this season. However, Gardner said she believes no matter who the team is playing, her players will need to come out with everything they have.
“They all better be the same. We have to go out like that,” Gardner said. “It doesn’t matter who’s on the other side of the field because we still have to do our business.”