Young duo of pitchers adjusts to Big Ten pressures as matchup with Purdue looms

The Hoosiers (17-17, 2-4) look to assert the 1-2 punch between freshman pitcher Lora Olson and sophomore pitcher Meaghan Murphy this weekend during their matchup with in-state rival Purdue (23-9, 6-0).

The Hoosiers have relied on the young pitching duo to learn quickly in the pre-conference season and adjust accordingly early in Big Ten play.

This season, Olson has 24 appearances with 16 starts. In those appearances, she has a 4.44 ERA with an 8-7 record.

“It has been really exciting,” Olson said. “It is a lot different than any other softball that I have played in the past. Obviously, being in the Big Ten, there is a lot of good competition. But working with (catcher) Cassie Gogreve and the rest of the team, the freshmen have been able to blend in well.”

While the senior leadership of Gogreve, Samantha Berenter, Lindsay Callanan and Heather Nelson has helped the freshman blend into her surroundings, Olson has another personal coach who most collegiate athletes do not have in their pocket: her older sister.

Sara Olson, a former Hoosier softball player, returned this season as a student assistant coach for the team.

“It has helped me because during games she helps me understand what the hitters are thinking since she was playing just last year,” Olson said. “That helps me think about what I should be doing as I’m pitching.”

Murphy brings with her one more year of experience in the circle. However, in that year, Murphy placed just one game under her belt. In that game she recorded a five-inning shutout — her first shutout in her first collegiate game.

Since then, Murphy has seen more time in the circle.

“It’s been a huge adjustment, especially mentally,” Murphy said. “Although I am a sophomore, I don’t have as much pitching experience as a typical sophomore. Just being ready to go out there and pitch on a regular basis has been the biggest adjustment, but it has been a good adjustment.”

This season, Murphy has 25 appearances with 18 starts. In those appearances, she has a 4.51 ERA with a 9-10 record.

Two of Murphy’s wins have come against both Big Ten opponents the Hoosiers have faced thus far. Following a 6-5 start, Murphy picked up her first two Big Ten wins in the last two weekends against Ohio State and No. 20 Michigan.

“It felt great to get those two wins over very tough teams,” Murphy said. “Our team played them very tough, so the wins should be credited to the entire team and not just my record.”

Teamwork has been a characteristic of this year’s pitching staff, working together to share duties between games.

“We both understand that we are working together as a pitching staff,” Olson said. “We are always ready to go. We just try to stay ready for each other in case the other needs help. We know we have to be there for each other.”

Murphy said the “opposites attract” theory is shared.

“The best thing about Lora and I is that we complement each other very well,” Murphy said. “We are two different pitchers, but that seems to work. If one of us has an off day, the other one has been on.”