Hoosiers travel to Muncie for matchup with rival Ball State

Indiana in-state battles usually consist of IU against Purdue, but Ball State will be vying for the title of the state’s best team when it faces the Hoosiers in Muncie today.\nIU is 38-26 all-time against Ball State in a series that dates back to the 1974 season, IU’s first with softball as a varsity sport. The Hoosiers have won the last three matchups.\nThe two teams set the stage for another battle when they competed against each other in the Kay Brechtelsbauer Southern Classic at Southern Illinois on March 4. \nIU came out with a 6-2 win in a game that came down to a grand slam by junior Jennilee Huddleston. \nHuddleston said that the Hoosiers didn’t want the game to be as close this time and that her team had something to prove.\n“We definitely want to take it to Ball State,” she said. “We want to prove that we’re the best team in Indiana because we are.”\nThough Huddleston is confident, assistant Tarrah Beyster said the Ball State game won’t be a walk in the park.\n“Being an in-state rivalry definitely adds some fuel to the fire,” she said. “(Ball State’s players) are fighters, they’ve got some hitters and great defense and they won’t lie down and give us the win.”\nHuddleston has been on a recent hitting streak since the grand slam and has helped her team to rebound from a slow start. Her hitting will be one of the determining factors in the outcome.\n“I plan on keeping my hitting streak going by seeing the ball well ... taking it each bat at a time,” Huddleston said. “I plan on getting at least one hit a game to keep my streak up.” \nDespite the Hoosiers’ recent offensive tear, Beyster said the game will come down to defense.\n“I think the game will come down to taking care of the ball. We’re going to have to relax and focus while taking it one step at a time,” she said. “We played (them at) Southern Illinois earlier this year and we know we’ll have to fight for this one.”\nSophomore pitcher Monica Wright will be one of the major factors in the Hoosier counter to the Cardinal attack. She is 11-7 on the season. Wright said she thinks her team will perform well in what will be only it’s third road game.\n“If we are able to make adjustments during the game and play solid defense we’ll be able to perform the way we want on the road,” she said.