IU travels to Tennessee to compete in Frost Classic

After two weeks off, the IU softball team (1-4) heads south to Chattanooga, Tenn., to participate in the Frost Classic as the Hoosiers look for their second victory.\n“We are looking just to get some big wins,” said senior infielder Jennilee Huddleston.\nThe Hoosiers open play Friday morning against Connecticut. The Hoosiers come in to the game looking to build on the momentum they gained after getting their first win of the season against Tulsa two weeks ago. Senior infielder Kari Bettenbrock’s two-run, walk-off home run sealed the win over the Golden Hurricanes on Feb. 17 in California.\n“That win gave us confidence,” IU coach Stacey Phillips said. “We hope coming into this weekend’s games we can build on that.”\nThe Hoosiers have spent the past two weeks working on those aspects of their game they struggled with during their trip to California. \n“We worked a lot on our confidence and mental aspect of the game,” Phillips said. “We worked a lot on the small things.”\nAnother thing that hurt the Hoosiers in their first set of games was a lack of communication.\n“Our first weekend out, we did not communicate as effectively as we needed to,” junior infielder Sarah Padove said. “I think if we are able to improve our communication as a team, we will see a substantial difference in our level of play.”\nThe Hoosiers catch a bit of a break in this weekend’s games – their opponents’ records are not as impressive as those they faced in California. \nOf the teams the Hoosiers face this weekend, none made it to the NCAA tournament last year, as opposed to two of the five teams they played two weeks ago. Aside from host Chattanooga (9-7), the other four teams have losing records, and three of those teams have yet to win a game this season. \nAfter the two-week layoff, the Hoosiers are anxious to get back on the field and pick up some wins.\n“I expect us to come out on fire this weekend,” Padove said. “It is hard to start playing games and then have two weeks of practice again, and I know we are all ready to get back on the dirt and compete. I am confident we will have a much more successful weekend.”\nAfter the game against Connecticut, the Hoosiers will face Eastern Illinois (0-3) Friday at noon. On Saturday, IU opens play against Buffalo (0-5), followed by a bout with Chattanooga later in the afternoon. The Hoosiers finish play Sunday afternoon against Kentucky (5-7).