Team prepares for Michigan State series

IU (5-28, 1-7) will head to East Lansing, Mich., this weekend to face Michigan State (13-18, 0-5). But the stage for this game will be a little different from the usual.

The Big Ten Network will televise the games at noon Saturday and Sunday.

“There’s more hype around a game like this, but as a team, it’s just another game,” sophomore catcher Brittany Stein said.

After sophomore pitcher Sara Olson pitched a no-hitter against Ohio State in the Hoosiers’ 1-0 loss, the Hoosiers will look to jump on the Spartans’ shaky pitching.

Michigan State enters Saturday’s game with a team ERA of 5.05. While the Spartans give up a lot of runs, they can also put them up. With a team batting average of .290, the Spartans have had no problem getting runners on base.

This task figures to be a difficult one for the Spartans, if Olson can ride the momentum of her no-hitter into this weekend’s action.

“To know that we can compete with the best teams helps out our confidence for the rest of the way,” Stein said.