Team topples last year's victory total in half as many games

Coming off of a sweep of Wright State and pulling the team record back to .500, the Hoosier softball team is heading into this weekend's four-game home stand with some steam. Sitting at 14-14 overall and an 0-2 conference record, IU is poised to rectify some of the hardships from last year's 13-31 campaign. \nWith over 20 games left in the season, IU has already surpassed last season's win total. However the team is certainly not dwelling on this landmark.\n"It feels good (to have overtaken the 2002 win total), but I expected this team to come out and win more games than last season," junior Valerie White said.\nWith two Big Ten rivals coming into Bloomington this weekend, the Hoosier softball team is going to need more than momentum to overtake their adversaries. Provided that the weather agrees with the team, IU is slated to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday and Saturday along with a double-header against the Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday. \nThe Golden Gophers are coming into Friday and Saturday's match-ups with a 20-10-1 overall record and a winless 0-2 record in the Big Ten. IU is certainly not taking its match-up against the Gophers lightly.\n"On the pitching staff, (junior) Piper Marten has 141 strike outs in 106 innings, and that is pretty big," coach Sara Hayes said. "She's going to be tough on the mound. Their hitters are pretty powerful, and they're solid defensively."\nFlanking Marten's prowess on the mound is senior Jordanne Nygren, who is Minnesota's main weapon at the plate with a .374 batting average along with eight home runs and a .744 slugging percentage.\nOnce the Gophers leave Bloomington, IU is certainly not out of the woods with a double-header against Wisconsin on Sunday. The Badgers enter the weekend with an 11-14 overall record and an 0-2 conference record. \nDespite their sub-.500 record, the Wisconsin Badgers are not without their merits. Sophomore Boo Gillette is Wisconsin's top hitter with a .284 batting average, a .433 slugging percentage, and two home runs. Senior hurler Andrea Kirchberg is coming into the weekend with an impressive 0.92 earned run average along with 186 strike outs in only 129 innings of action.\nSenior Stormy Hanson continues to pace the Hoosier softball team with a .419 batting average and has belted six home runs. Hanson also sports an .814 slugging percentage and 13 stolen bases in 15 attempts. Following up Hanson's efforts is freshman Lauren Hines who comes into the weekend with a .355 batting average and 17 RBIs. \nComing into the weekend on a two-game tear has brought confidence to the Hoosier softball team, but IU's confidence is tempered with the reality that there are some things to work on. \n"We're making sure we're covering all of our holes," junior Heather Stillians said. "Staying confident and making sure we're being consistent on the field is important for our game."\nWith such a teeming amount of rodents pouring into Bloomington this weekend, Hayes is expecting the Hoosiers to come into the match-ups with swinging bats and strong pitching.\n"We need to continue to hit if we are going to be successful this weekend," Hayes said. "And we need leadership on the mound."\nSaturday's match with the Gophers is also the aptly-named "T-Shirt Day" where the first 100 fans in attendance will walk away with free T-shirts.