Hoosiers to play in Georgia Tech Classic

After spending last weekend in Tempe, Ariz., for the first tournament of the 2013 season, the IU softball team faces its second set of games in as many weeks at the Georgia Tech Classic in Atlanta, Ga., this weekend.

The Hoosiers will face Miami (Ohio) 10:30 a.m. Friday, followed by a matchup with Marshall at 12:30 p.m. They will then play the Thundering Herd again 10:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by a game with Georgia Tech at 12:30 p.m. They will again play the Yellow Jackets 1 p.m. Sunday.

Coming out of the Feb. 8-10 Kajikawa Tournament in Tempe, Ariz., with a 2-3 record, the Hoosiers displayed decisive wins against Bradley and Portland State.

The team’s losses to No. 3 California, No. 4 Arizona State and No. 21 Stanford gave them an idea of what they could be up against come tournament time.

“Playing some of the better teams in the country helped show us what we need to work on to improve and to end up beating those teams down the road,” senior third baseman Amanda Wagner said.

Despite the team’s overall record of 2-3, they are currently third in the Big Ten Conference for batting average, coming in at .317. They are also ranked in the top five amongst Big Ten teams in nine other categories.

However, IU’s pitching has allowed the second most runs in the conference thus far, with an earned run average of 5.66.

Against Stanford, California and Arizona State, the group allowed a combined 25 runs.
“The first weekend out is tough,” IU Coach Michelle Gardner said. “I felt like if we just could have had a better pitching performance we could’ve stayed in those games, but from the first game to the last game we made tremendous adjustments.”

Last weekend’s tournament will help the team prepare for the Georgia Tech Classic, its second of the season.

Both Gardner and Wagner said the team hopes to improve on pitching and other areas of play in order to secure a winning record in Atlanta.

“We’re trying to swing at better pitches, play cleaner defense, score more runs and have a better pitching performance,” Gardner said.

In the most recent top 25 poll, Georgia Tech received votes. The school is 5-0 this season, and Marshall, another of IU’s opponents, is 2-3.

However, Gardner said the team isn’t counting out any of the other competitors.

“It’s Miami of Ohio’s first weekend out, so they’re going to be excited to play. Marshall is also a good team. Every weekend is tough competition,” Gardner said. “Just when you think it’s easy, someone picks it up and plays really well.

“Everybody’s competing at a higher level right now.”

 With one month remaining until their home opener in the new Andy Mohr Field, Wagner said they are hoping to utilize this weekend’s games to work on some of the team’s flaws.

“We just want to keep improving, cutting out some of the errors from last weekend and just really dominate the field,” Wagner said. “We want to come out on top every game.”