IU to take on Indiana State

After a tough series during the weekend against Ohio State, the IU softball team is set to take on the Indiana State Sycamores at 5 today at Andy Mohr Field.

The Sycamores are off to a 17-14 start this season. They went 1-2 in a series against Illinois State last weekend.

IU Coach Michelle Gardner said pitching will be key for the Hoosiers’ success
today.

“We need to be a whole lot better in the circle,” she said.

Pitching was an issue for IU during the final two games of the Ohio State series. The IU pitching staff allowed 17 earned runs in 10 innings of play during those games.

Most of those runs were allowed in big innings. IU allowed seven runs in the third inning of Friday’s win and nine in the first inning of the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader.

IU junior pitcher Lora Olson said in order for the team to be successful, they will need to focus on the smaller things.

“We know every team we play will be tough, no matter where their season is going,” Olson said. “We are going to have to come out and play Indiana softball every time out. It’s going to take every single person on the team to win. We need to stay positive and keep each other out. We need to win pitches, outs, innings and then games.”

Errors continue to be an issue for IU, with 50 for the season so far and five in the Ohio State series alone. The team has seven more errors than the second-closest team in the category, Purdue, with 43.

It won’t be getting much easier for the Hoosiers as they face an offensive attack led by Indiana State freshman utility player Kassie Brown, who has a .396 batting average and an on-base percentage of .431 in her 21 games played.

IU will also attempt to contain senior utility player Morgan Allee, who leads the team with an on-base percentage of .474. Allee is also a threat when she gets on base, stealing 22 bases on 27 attempts this season.  

From an offensive standpoint, IU will need senior shortstop Breanna Saucedo to continue to play at a high level.

Against Ohio State, Saucedo recorded a hit in every game, extending her hitting streak to 10 games.

Saucedo stole her 12th base of the season Sunday, which gives her the fourth-highest total in the Big Ten.

“Bre has been playing very well,” Gardner said. “She’s really coming along, and she has been a huge factor for us.”