Indiana softball will look to build off its series sweep over Purdue last weekend as with two games in two days against two Atlantic Coast Conference opponents this week. The Hoosiers host the University of Notre Dame on Tuesday. Indiana will then travel to face the University of Louisville on Wednesday.
The Hoosiers are coming off a dominant performance last weekend against their in-state rival Purdue. Indiana limited Purdue’s offense to just two runs over three games, and the Hoosiers’ offense kept pace with the pitching rotation, combining to score 18 runs over the three-game set.
Junior utility player Aly VanBrandt leads Indiana at the plate. She is hitting .438 and leads the Hoosiers in hits, home runs and RBIs. She added five RBIs and three hits to her season total last weekend against Purdue.
Indiana will first focus on the matchup with Notre Dame on Tuesday.
The Fighting Irish have struggled this season, heading into Tuesday’s matchup with a 17-25 overall record and a 6-12 mark in ACC play.
Notre Dame ranks in the middle of the pack in several statistical categories in the ACC. The Fighting Irish are just 10th out of 15 teams in the ACC with a .293 team batting average. They rank ninth in the conference with 328 total hits and are tied with Syracuse University for last in home runs with 24. The Fighting Irish rank in the bottom half of the ACC in RBIs with 178.
On the mound, Notre Dame holds the sixth-highest mark in the ACC with a team ERA of 4.52. However, the Fighting Irish have racked up 320 hits given up and 177 earned runs, which rank third and fifth in the conference, respectively. Notre Dame’s most consistent hitter is freshman infielder Ava Zachary, who is second on the team in hits and home runs and leads the Fighting Irish in RBIs. She has registered 42 total knocks, along with four home runs, 15 extra-base hits and 23 RBIs.
Indiana will then turn its attention to the road matchup with Louisville on Wednesday.
Louisville currently holds a 34-9 overall record and a 10-5 mark in ACC play. The Cardinals rank fourth in the ACC in team batting average (.354), total hits (411) and RBIs (290). They are toward the bottom of the conference when it comes to the long ball, as Louisville has hit 32 home runs on the year.
The Cardinals hold the fifth-lowest team ERA in the ACC at 3.67. They have given up 297 total hits along with 148 earned runs.
Senior outfielder Chelsea Mack primarily paces Louisville at the plate. She ranks fifth in the ACC with a .476 batting average and has picked up 70 hits this season. Sophomore catcher/utility player Madison Pickens has recorded 52 RBIs and leads the Cardinals in home runs with eight.
On the hill, sophomore left-handed pitcher Anna Wise leads the team with a 2.85 ERA. Wise has made 22 appearances with three starts and has given up 62 hits and 24 earned runs. Junior left-hander Brooke Gray is just ahead of Wise with a 3.31 ERA. She has appeared in 19 games with 10 starts and given up 56 hits and 26 earned runs.
Senior right-hander Alyssa Zabala leads the Cardinals in strikeouts with 81. In 30 appearances and 15 starts, Zabala currently has a 3.35 ERA and has surrendered 90 hits and 45 earned runs. Wise ranks second on the team with 38 strikeouts, while Gray has 32 strikeouts.
First pitch between Indiana and Notre Dame will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington. The contest between Indiana and Louisville is slated for 8 p.m. Wednesday at Ulmer Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. Both games will be streamed on Big Ten+.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Joe Elms (@JoeElms1 and @jpelms@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana softball season.
