Indiana softball is moving on from the sweep it suffered at the hands of No. 9 UCLA last weekend, as the Hoosiers return to Bloomington to take on Butler University in a Wednesday night matchup.
Indiana managed a combined six runs over the three losses to UCLA, and the Hoosiers’ offense was completely shut down by UCLA senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley in Sunday’s game.
Despite underperforming, particularly from an offensive perspective, Indiana still can hang its hat on its overall production at the plate throughout the season. The Hoosiers are led in multiple hitting categories by junior utility player Aly VanBrandt.
VanBrandt leads the Hoosiers in at-bats with 126. She is first in batting average at .429 and holds the most hits with 54. VanBrandt also leads the Hoosiers in RBIs with 44 and in total runs with 46. She paces Indiana in home runs with 10.
Senior catcher Avery Parker ranks second on the team in batting average at .396, and she is fourth in hits with 38. Sophomore infielder Josie Bird is tied for second with junior utility player Alex Cooper in hits with 41. Bird has racked up 43 RBIs on the season, good for second on the team, and Parker sits just behind her with 40 RBIs.
On the mound, Indiana is steadied primarily by the efforts of sophomore pitcher Ella Troutt, junior pitcher Brooke Mannon and freshman pitcher Aubree Hooks. Troutt paces the Hoosiers with a 2.61 ERA, and Mannon has a 2.74 ERA. Hooks has a 2.90 ERA and has given up just 17 earned runs. Troutt leads Indiana with 43 strikeouts and 69.2 innings pitched. She has given up 26 earned runs and 66 hits.
Now, Indiana renews its focus on Butler, which currently sits at 17-12 overall and 9-3 in Big East Conference play.
Butler has picked up several notable wins over Big East opponents, as the Bulldogs swept Seton Hall University at home March 20-22 and recorded a road sweep over Villanova University on March 13-15. Butler’s offense combined for 30 runs over the three games against Villanova and combined for 22 runs in the series against Seton Hall.
Butler is tied for Big East best in batting average, along with St. John’s University, at .310. The Bulldogs are fifth in hits in the conference with 253 and second in RBIs with 183.
The Bulldogs are led by junior infielder Makena Alexander, whose .494 batting average is a team best. Alexander is in a three-way tie with senior outfielders Cate Lehner and Hailey Conger for a team-high 41 hits. Conger leads the Bulldogs in total runs with 41, and Lehner is second with 30.
Alexander has been Butler’s most consistent power threat, as she has hit 11 home runs with a 1.012 slugging percentage.
On the hill, freshman pitcher Alyx Johnson has the lowest ERA on the team at 4.57, despite being fourth on the team in innings pitched with 30.2. Junior pitcher Katie Petran leads Butler with 62 innings pitched in 15 appearances and 13 starts. Petran leads the Bulldogs in strikeouts with 48, but she has surrendered 85 hits and 41 earned runs. Petran also has Butler’s lowest WHIP mark at 1.77.
First pitch between Indiana and Butler will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington. The game will be streamed on Big Ten+.
