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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

sports softball

IU looks to turn things around at weekend tournament

In a season filled with close games and dramatic finishes, IU (2-8) has been on the losing end a majority of the time. It will have a chance to turn things around this weekend.

“We are battling,” IU Coach Michelle Gardner said. “We are a young team, and we just have to remain focused and prepared for what’s next.”

The Hoosiers will once again head to the west coast, this time to Cathedral City, Calif., to compete in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.

On Thursday, the Hoosiers will take the field against two top-15 teams in No. 8 Georgia and No. 12 UCLA.

It will be only the second time the Hoosiers will play Georgia, who is off to a 10-0 start to begin the 2015 season. The last time these two teams played was in 2011 when the Bulldogs were ranked No. 1.

Thursday’s second game against UCLA will be only the third matchup between the two schools, with the most recent meeting in 2009. It resulted in a 10-2 victory for the Bruins. UCLA is off to a 9-2 start to begin the 2015 season, including winning seven consecutive games.

IU’s first game Friday is a matchup with Loyola Marymount, who is 3-5 this season. This will be the fourth meeting against the Lions, a series in which the Hoosiers have a 2-1 lead.

The second game of Friday’s doubleheader pits the Hoosiers against a 5-5 Cal Poly team. The Mustangs lead the all-time series 5-1 — the only time IU beat Cal Poly was back in 2011.

The tournament will conclude for the Hoosiers on Saturday afternoon as they take the field against BYU. The Cougars, who have started the season 6-4, lead the all-time series against the Hoosiers, 3-1.

In their previous two tournaments, the Kajikawa Classic and the Wilson/DeMarini Classic, the Hoosiers have walked away with a 1-4 record. But players said they believe they are just a few plays away from coming away with a victory in these close games.

“We are going through a transition, especially with eight freshmen,” senior Shannon Cawley said. “But once we do, we are going to be a dangerous team to play.”

Cawley’s personal transition from sitting on the bench last season because of an injury has her coaches and teammates excited.

“She’s a competitor,” Gardner said. “She is swinging the bat well, and she is being a leader to the players on this team.”

Cawley hit .389 last weekend, including three home runs, seven RBIs and six runs scored. She leads the team with four home runs and ten RBIs.

A big part of Cawley’s success goes to the two players who hit in front of her, freshmen Rebecca Blitz and Taylor Uden.

The two are hitting a combined .310 and have .402 on-base percentage resulting in 15 runs.

IU will look to avoid its worst start in school history since starting the season 1-17 in 2009.

The Hoosiers are just seven wins away from reaching the 1,000 program wins milestone. Since the softball program started in 1974, IU has an all-time record of 993-975-8.

“I’ve been seeing great things,” Gardner said. “These girls will continue to improve and continue to battle, and eventually the wins will come.”

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