IU softball prepares for 2014 season

The IU softball team wants to shock the world this year.

Senior pitcher Meaghan Murphy said the team wants to not only win but also earn respect.

“We aren’t the same team that we were last year,” she said. “We are coming back with a little bit of vengeance, and we are going to turn a lot of heads.”

Murphy said the Hoosiers, who finished with an overall record of 19-35 last season, want to prove to everyone that they aren’t the same team that finished with a 3-19 mark in Big Ten play in 2013.

The Hoosiers start the season in Tempe, Ariz., against the Bradley Braves in the Kajikawa Classic on Friday.

After the tournament, IU will have plenty of opportunities during the season to earn national recognition.

According to the USA Today preseason Top 25 poll, IU is scheduled to face five of the top-ranked teams in the nation.

The first of those teams on IU’s schedule, the University of Florida, is currently No. 4 and received six first-place votes.

The Hoosiers will travel to Gainesville, Fla. to square off with the Gators in the Lipton Invitational Feb. 21.

Senior infielder Shelby Gogreve said she has high hopes for this year’s team.

“The main goal of our team is to win the Big Ten title and to earn an NCAA tournament berth,” Gogreve said.

The Big Ten boasts two of the top 10 teams in the nation, including No. 5 Michigan and No. 9 Nebraska, who IU will face on the road this season.

The Hoosiers face the task of replacing former infielder Amanda Wagner, who not only led the team in hits, doubles and total bases but also had the fourth-highest batting average in the Big Ten.

IU Coach Michelle Gardner said the continued improvement of the young players on the roster, including four freshmen, is going to help fill the void left by Wagner.

“We’ve added more talent,” Gardner said. “Also, some of the younger players who might have struggled last year are going to produce a little better in their second seasons. We are getting better every year.”

Despite losing one of the most productive hitters in the lineup, Gardner said she believes the adversity the team faced last year will ultimately lead to more team success in the future.

“When you face adversity, you have to be able to overcome it,” she said. “We faced a lot of injuries, which you have to work to overcome as a team. No matter what happened, the team kept coming back.”

Murphy said team unity will be a key to its success throughout the season.

“A key thing that we learned last year is that staying together is vital for team success,” Murphy said. “Even when things don’t go how we want them to, in terms of winning and losing, the team needs to stay together in order to be successful.”