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(04/02/01 5:40am)
For three and a half innings Saturday, Minnesota and IU engaged in a pitching dual between the Golden Gophers' Piper Marten and the Hoosiers' Alison Cooke, a junior. The game was scoreless heading into the Hoosiers' half of the fourth when a two-run home run by sophomore third baseman Stormy Hanson gave IU (11-22, 1-3) a 2-0 lead they would not relinquish.\nJunior Brooke Monroe started things off in the bottom of the fourth with a double to left-center. Two batters later, Hanson hit a towering fly ball, which bounced off the left field fair pole for Hanson's second home run of the season. Unaware the ball had cleared the fence, Hanson paused at second until coach Diane Stephenson gave her the word she had in fact hit a home run.\n"I think that when she hit the ball, she didn't realize that it had gone out of the park," Stephenson said. \nHanson said she wasn't sure if the ball had cleared the fence.\n"When you hit the ball, you don't look where it goes, you just run. So that's what I did. I knew it was a long fly ball to left field," Hanson said. "I wasn't sure if it hit off the foul pole or the fence. I just stopped because I didn't want to run Brooke (Monroe) off the base. \nHanson has mastered the art of the suspenseful home run. Her two shots this year have cleared the yard by only a few feet, collectively.\n"A home run is a home run. Whether it hits the girl's glove and falls over or whether it hits the foul pole, it's still a homerun," Hanson said.\nNot to be forgotten in Hanson's heroics is the effort of Cooke, who improved her record to 8-12 and 1-1 in the Big Ten.\nStephenson said the Hoosiers' battery of Cooke and Monroe took care of the Gopher hitters.\n"Alison (Cooke) did a great job of controlling (Minnesota) and keeping them totally off balance," Stephenson said. "I think a reason Alison (Cooke) has had some success this year is because Brooke (Monroe) is really in tune."\nCooke scattered eight hits, while walking none and striking out five.\n"The way I approached the game is I was going to give it 190 percent out there," Cooke said.\nSunday, a five-run first inning wasn't enough to down Minnesota (23-11-1, 2-2), as the Gophers came back to beat IU 6-5.\nThe Hoosiers jumped out of the gate in the top of the first with seven hits off Minnesota starter Angie Recknor\nOnce Marten came into the game, Hoosier bats fell completely silent, as IU couldn't muster a hit against the freshman. Marten went six and a third innings, allowed no hits, walked one and struck out four for Minnesota.\nHoosier batters, who managed two runs against Marten Saturday, could not figure out the righthander Sunday.\n"I think we kept swinging at her rise ball, which is not good," senior rightfielder Melissa Narewski said. "Obviously, she pretty much shut us out."\nThe Hoosiers did have a shot at tying up the game in the seventh inning, with the heart of the order to up for IU. But Marten's dominance continued, as she got through the inning with only a walk to Monroe.\n"I knew they could have put one over just as easily today as they did yesterday," Marten said of facing Monroe and Hanson.\nHanson's hit-streak reached 10 games with a single in the first inning.\nCooke, who came into the game in relief of senior Jen Smith, picked up the loss, as her record fell to 8-13 and 1-2 in conference play.
(04/02/01 5:36am)
Coach Diane Stephenson has spent the entire season preaching to her team about the importance of intensity, claiming extra effort will be the determinant in whether the Hoosiers reach their goal of getting into the Big Ten tournament.\nBut it was No. 23 Wisconsin (19-12, 2-0) that came out with the needed intensity Friday. The Badgers used a three-run first inning to propel themselves to a 5-4 win in the first game of the doubleheader at Softball Field. The Hoosiers lost the second game to the Badgers 2-0.\nStephenson said the Hoosiers (10-21, 0-2 Big Ten) played with intensity in the first game, but two fielding errors allowed the Badgers to score two key runs -- the difference in the game.\n"I thought we came out and played well against Wisconsin, and the first game boiled down to an error at second base and an error at the plate." Stephenson said. "Both of those runs ended up moving around the bases and scoring. That's two runs that are the difference in us winning 4-3 and us losing 5-4."\nWith the Hoosiers trailing 3-0, Wisconsin's Lindy Barth reached base on an error by sophomore second baseman Heather Suca. Two batters later, designated player Nicki Starry collected her second RBI of the game with a double, scoring Barth.\nOffensively, the Hoosiers struggled to master the Badger's ace, Andrea Kirchberg, who struck out 11 batters. Kirchberg was dominating early, fanning 10 of the first 13 batters she faced.\n"We had a hard time getting on at first," sophomore shortstop Lisa Mattke said. "We had to go through the order a couple of times, then we ended up hitting her (Kirchberg) towards the end few innings."\nDown 4-0, the Hoosiers started making noise offensively in the bottom of the sixth inning. Junior catcher Brooke Monroe and freshman designated player Dawn Ramynke each walked to open the inning. Freshman first baseman Heather Stillians drove in Monroe and one batter later, leftfielder Abby Stark knocked in Ramynke to bring the Hoosiers within two.\nIn the top of the seventh, Wisconsin again took advantage of a Hoosier fielding error to score the run, which would be the difference in the game. With a runner on second, Jade Gosse bunted right in front of the plate and Monroe overthrew first base, which allowed Teresa Mendez to score for the Badgers.\nMonroe hit her eighth home run of the season in the bottom half of the seventh, which gave the Hoosiers their final two runs of the game.\n"After the seventh inning, when I made that error, I was upset with myself," Monroe said. "They shouldn't have scored that run. So, I wanted to try to do what I could for the team to come back. We just didn't get there all the way."\nIn the second game of the afternoon, the Hoosiers did not display the same spirited effort that allowed them to hang with Wisconsin in the first contest. Badger senior Jennifer Cummings allowed only two hits, as Wisconsin finished off a sweep of the Hoosiers with a 2-0 victory.\nMonroe said Cummings stuff was similar to the caliber of pitchers the Hoosiers have faced all season.\n"She was a little bit more of what we've been facing all season," Monroe said. "She was a junk pitcher."\nJunior Alison Cooke had a strong effort go to waste on the mound, Cooke (7-12, 0-1) scattered five hits, in a losing effort.\nStephenson said she was disappointed the Hoosiers were not able to display the same amount of effort in the second game.\n"The second game I was a little bit disappointed. I don't think we came out with the same intensity," Stephenson said. "We need to have a sense of urgency; every game in the Big Ten is going to count. You can't wait until the end and hope somebody-beats-somebody-beats-somebody and then you win to get into the tournament. So that's what I was talking to the team about -- every game is determining if you make it to the Big Ten tournament"
(03/30/01 5:08am)
Softball players Stormy Hanson and Brooke Monroe think they have a bond that will last a lifetime.\nHow do they know they've forged a lifelong friendship?\nPerhaps it's because Hanson can wake Monroe at 3 a.m., for fear Bigfoot is outside her window.\nMaybe it's because Hanson and Monroe once carried on a five-minute conversation without saying a word, but rather by simply staring at each other in the rearview mirror of a car during a lengthy drive.\nIt probably doesn't hurt that the two are roommates and softball team co-captains.\n"Stormy ... I've never really met anybody like her. She can make you laugh, or she can sit down and have a serious talk with you. She's a great friend," Monroe said. "Of course, she's wild, but she can also be serious and have a heart-to-heart with you."\nStephenson said she sees Monroe, who isn't quite as talkative as Hanson, as the type of leader who leads by example.\n"I definitely think Brooke is more the do-as-I-do type, but Brooke has come out and been more vocal," Stephenson said.\nCoach Diane Stephenson said she thinks Hanson's vocal nature is a significant contribution to the Hoosiers.\n"She's always been a pretty vocal person, and she brings that to the field," Stephenson Hanson. "I think people need to bring their personalities to the game, because that's what makes them a complete player. That's what Stormy does."\nHanson lets her softball skills do some talking as well. The sophomore third baseman is fourth on the team in fielding percentage, fifth in batting average and second in RBIs.\nMonroe's on-field performance makes for a hard act to follow. The junior catcher is leading the team in batting average (.344), home runs (seven) and RBIs (21), all while handling the pitching staff daily. These accomplishments have not gone unnoticed by her teammates.\n"I'd say she's holding up our team," Hanson said. "She comes out every day, works hard, displays it in the game and always has words of encouragement."\nNow the two friends are concentrating their efforts on leading the softball team, which starts Big Ten play at 2 p.m. today against Wisconsin at the IU Softball Field.\nAs co-captains, they are taking on the responsibility of preparing the young Hoosiers for conference play.\n"I think the biggest thing is that (Hanson and I) need to really remind everybody how important the Big Ten is and how exciting it is," Monroe said. "You can totally tell the difference between a conference game and a non-conference game. It's really exciting being out there."\nStephenson said she believes the co-captains' leadership skills are vital to the Hoosiers' success.\n"I think Brooke and Stormy bring a lot of leadership to our team -- not only by being vocal, but they also lead by example," Stephenson said. "They're hard workers in the weight room, and they're hard workers in practice. I think that their hard work and dedication will pay off."\nMonroe hopes the diligence starts to pay off quickly with four wins this weekend. \n"We need to remind people that this is our new season, and our goal is to get to the Big Ten tournament, and (today) is when it starts," Monroe said.
(03/30/01 5:08am)
The softball team has struggled to a 10-19 pre-conference record, and it won't get any easier with conference play set to begin today. IU embarks on its goal of making it to the Big Ten tournament with a doubleheader against Wisconsin (17-12) at 2 p.m. at the IU Softball Field.\n"I think Wisconsin is definitely going to be a tough opponent," coach Diane Stephenson said. "I talked to the team, and we definitely know we have to step it up a notch to be competitive in the Big Ten."\nLast season, the Hoosiers came close to making the Big Ten's postseason finale. This time around, the team wants to get started immediately on its quest for the tournament.\n"Last year we missed the Big Ten tournament by two games," Stephenson said. "Every game along the way makes a big difference."\nGetting to the postseason will not be a walk in the park, particularly early in conference play. After their doubleheader with the Badgers, who have lost three consecutive games, the Hoosiers welcome Minnesota (21-9-1), a team riding a nine-game winning streak.\nThe Golden Gophers, who are battling Purdue in West Lafayette today, will invade the IU Softball Field at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Gophers and Hoosiers will tangle again at 1 p.m. Sunday.\nJunior catcher Brooke Monroe said she feels having a successful first weekend in conference play will be important if the Hoosiers want to accomplish their goal.\n"It is really important that we get some wins, not only to build our confidence, but also to keep us up there in the standings," Monroe said.\nConsistency has been a problem for the Hoosiers, who have lost 10 of the past 15 games.\nStephenson said the Hoosiers' major problem is their inability to cap off innings and maintain momentum.\n"I think we're doing a good job of getting things happening, and now we have to finish innings, defensively and offensively," Stephenson said. "I think if we can do that, we're going to start to win a lot more games."\nStephenson said the hustle and effort has been there. Now the team hopes to put it all together for its "second season."\nSophomore shortstop Lisa Mattke also has her eyes on the postseason and today's conference opener.\n"Once you get into Big Ten, there is more intensity," Mattke said. "We know we're capable of making the Big Ten tournament, I think all we have to do is keep playing defense and keep getting hits in key situations"
(03/09/01 5:06am)
Another weekend means another tournament on the road for the softball squad. This time the Hoosiers travel to Kentucky for five games in three days.\nAlthough the Hoosiers fell to host Southern Illinois in the championship game of the Southern Classic last weekend, they carry momentum heading into the weekend. The Hoosiers are winners of four of their last five.\n"I think last weekend was a good step forward for our team," sophomore third baseman Stormy Hanson said. "For the most part we played great; hopefully it'll carry over to this weekend."\nIU (6-8) will play a doubleheader today, starting against Southeast Missouri State (0-5), followed by Kent (3-3).\nSaturday, the Hoosiers play the host team Wildcats (8-10), followed by Louisville (9-5), before rapping up play Sunday against Akron (3-2).\nJunior co-captain Brooke Monroe said the key for the Hoosiers this weekend is to get things going on offense, something the team worked on in practice this week.\n"We need to cut down on strikeouts and work on being more aggressive at the plate," Monroe said.\nAlthough the team is batting .219, Monroe is one of the Hoosiers not struggling at the plate. The power-hitting catcher is hitting .333, while leading the team in home runs (2) and RBIs (10).\nIU looks to use the rigorous pre-season schedule to prepare their young team for the Big Ten schedule. As the season progresses, the team has seen some of its freshman players start to come around and contribute. \nFreshman designated hitter Dawn Ramynke led the team in hitting at .409.\nThe team would like to continue its improvement at the plate, where last weekend the Hoosiers had their best effort offensively, culminating in a season-high 11 runs in a win against Northern Illinois.\n"We played really well last weekend," Monroe said. "We made some changes (heading into Kentucky), but we need to keep being aggressive and keep it going this weekend"
(03/02/01 5:51am)
Simply put, the softball team is unhappy with how its season has gone so far.\n"Nothing has gone right for us yet," junior outfielder Moe Bullock said. "Yes, we have won some games, but not the one(s) that we should be winning. We have a lot to improve on for the upcoming weekend."\nWith that in mind, the Hoosiers (3-7) take to the road for another weekend tournament, this time at Southern Illinois.\nA week of practice saw the Hoosiers trying to re-group and figure out what needs to be done to get back on track. One aspect the team worked on was communication on defense.\n"We have a lot to improve on for the upcoming weekend. We need to focus on communicating more on the field with each other better than we have been," Bullock said. "We are also working on keeping everybody in the game."\nIU opens with a doubleheader Saturday against Butler (0-3), followed by a game against Northern Illinois, which will be seeing its first action of the season.\nSunday, the team plays another doubleheader against Bradley and then host SIU (3-4).\nIU does bring some momentum into the tournament. Although the Hoosiers finished last weekend a disappointing 1-4, they did leave South Florida with a well-played 4-1 win against Pittsburgh. \nThe win was important to get the Hoosiers thinking positively heading into this weekend.\n"I think we needed the win," junior pitcher Alison Cooke said of the Pittsburgh game. "We did a good job bouncing back, but we need to do a better job this weekend."\nCoach Diane Stephenson plans to send Cooke, her ace, to the mound twice this weekend.\n"We like to pitch her once a day," Stephenson said. "It's key for us how she does."\nThe team will look to improve its hitting. The Hoosiers are hitting only .214 as a team. To do so, Bullock said the Hoosiers just have to play as well as they've been practicing.\n"Our goals for the upcoming weekend are to go out and play the way we have been practicing," Bullock said. "We are all looking forward to playing this weekend, and I believe that with the game win over Pitt, we will definitely carry that momentum over to the weekend"
(03/01/01 5:57am)
Junior Alison Cooke's approach to pitching is perhaps best summarized by her catcher, junior Brooke Monroe.\n"She's really smart," Monroe said of Cooke on the mound. "She remembers whether a batter got a hit or not, where they hit it, when they hit it. She always tells us who's coming up in the batting order. She's been a very effective leader."\nRemembering facts is important to Cooke, who plans on being a high school history teacher upon graduation. For Cooke, her quest towards being the best student she can be in the classroom is equally as important as being the best pitcher she can be. The key to success in both has been hard work.\n"Basically, I value school as much if not more than softball," Cooke said. "I highly value softball, but I think how you perform in the classroom will reflect how you perform on the field. If you put in the effort for your schoolwork, that's the same way you're going to approach the game."\nHer hard work has paid off this year in the classroom and on the field. Saturday, Cooke was selected as a recipient of the IU Scholastic Achievement Award, which is given to the team member with the highest grade point average.\nOn the field, Cooke has been a bright spot for the 3-7 Hoosiers. Cooke has pitched in seven contests, notching a 2-4 record on six complete games, while maintaining a 1.49 ERA. Enjoying the success has been easy for Cooke, who struggled her first two years while adjusting to the college game and dealing with injuries.\n"If you looked at my win-loss record, you wouldn't think it (the season) has been going that great, but I think overall I've been going out there and putting in a pretty solid performance," Cooke said. "Over the last few years, I've had some ups and downs, and some injuries, so my goal this year has been to just get back to the basics."\nCoach Diane Stephenson agrees Cooke is an integral part of the team and her performance is important in the team meeting its goal of reaching the Big Ten tournament. The Hoosiers are relying on her to take on a heavier workload in order to achieve their goal.\n"She (Cooke) is very important. Our goal as we get towards the Big Ten season is for her to throw three games a weekend," Stephenson said. "She's going to have to throw a lot for us to be competitive in the Big Ten."\nStepping into the role as the top pitcher on the staff meant added training in the off-season and a new mental approach for Cooke.\n"Alison has totally turned around her attitude this year and I think she's been a real force on the field," Stephenson said. "I know that her record doesn't indicate that, but I think as we start to come around, it will."\nCooke agrees that more responsibility meant a new approach to training and in preparing for the season.\n"I basically just prepared myself (for more innings) this summer," Cooke said. "I spent the summer trying to work on endurance and (pitch) location and make sure I'd be ready to last all season."\nWith her hard work and new approach to the season has come a tougher Cooke -- one ready to take on the challenge of being the team's ace.\n"The past two years, Teresa Martinez was always the older pitcher we relied on," Cooke said. "So with her graduating last year, I knew that this year I'd probably be stepping into her role."\nStephenson has also taken note of Cooke's newfound attitude.\n"I think definitely she has a new approach," Stephenson said. "I think working with Brooke and hopefully with us over the winter has helped her to get tougher. We asked her to do some things we hadn't asked her to do before and she has totally responded"
(02/23/01 6:25am)
Let the improvement begin.\nHeading into the season, coach Diane Stephenson said the Hoosiers would approach each opponent with the same mindset -- wanting to win every game. While they fell short of that goal last weekend at North Carolina State, the young squad displayed potential, while notching a 2-3 record.\nAs the Hoosiers prepare to travel to South Florida for the Gladstones Tournament, the team's credo is simple: keep on improving. Considering the team lost three one-run games, finding a way to get the job done in the crunch time has become a priority.\n"I don't think anyone was happy with (finishing the tournament) 2-3," junior pitcher Alison Cooke said. "The only thing that can come out of the weekend is that it was our first weekend and we showed potential. So I think this weekend we need to produce more in the crunch time."\nOne key area where emphasis will be placed is at the bottom of the batting order, where the Hoosiers struggled last weekend. Batters hitting in the fifth-through-ninth spots managed only eight hits in five games. Considering many of those players were freshmen who have been hitting well in practice, the lack of production could be chalked up to inexperience, sophomore pitcher Lisa Mattke said.\n"I think the bottom half, just looking at their faces (last weekend at North Carolina State), they looked nervous and they shouldn't be," Mattke said. "They've done a great job in practice. I think getting more experience is going to help. They are going to start to feel more comfortable. I guess there's just a lot of nerves for them that hopefully will go away."\nWhile the bottom of the line-up showed room for improvement, the pitching staff enjoyed an outstanding weekend. Cooke, the ace, pitched 22 innings and allowed only three earned runs. Despite her efforts, Cooke, who expects to pitch as many as three games this weekend, walked away with a 1-2 record.\n"I'll probably end up pitching every other game," Cooke said. "My goal every weekend is just to go out there and do my best. My job is to limit the hits and limit the runs scored, and let the rest of the team go out and get runs."\n Two players who had never taken the mound before in college also pitched for the Hoosiers. Freshman Heather Stillians picked up a win over Radford, while Mattke, who played but didn't pitch last season, suffered a tough loss to Elon, despite going nine innings with nine strikeouts.\n"Of course it was frustrating to lose," Mattke said. "But considering it was my first official game, I was personally pleased with how I pitched."\nThe Hoosiers will open up play with an evening doubleheader today. First, the Hoosiers play tournament-host South Florida. Directly after their game against the 6-9 Bulls, the Hoosiers will do battle with Hofstra. The Pride feature senior All-American Lisa Ciavardini.\nSaturday, the Hoosiers are scheduled for another doubleheader against Florida International (12-4) and Georgia State (5-2).\nTournament play wraps up Sunday, with IU facing Pittsburgh, who will be seeing their first action of the season.\nMeeting the challenge of the demanding schedule means bouncing back from last weekend's somewhat disappointing tournament, Cooke said.\n"I look forward to game time," Cooke said of the upcoming schedule. "I think we did a good job of bouncing back from the losses in a row last weekend (to Elon and Long Island), but we need to do a better job this weekend"
(02/16/01 7:27am)
Normally, junior Brooke Monroe and sophomore Stormy Hanson are just your run-of-the-mill energetic athletes. But this week the two have hardly been able to contain their excitement. \nAfter weeks of anxiously awaiting the start of the women's softball season, the Hoosiers' scheduled season opener Saturday at Evansville was canceled because of soggy field conditions. The cancellation of the game has made the co-captains that much more ecstatic about starting the season, which they will finally be able to do today against Virginia at the Triangle Classic at North Carolina State.\n"I think our whole team was all ready to go last weekend." Hanson said. "It was a disappointment; all the other teams are playing by this time, and we had to wait."\nCoach Diane Stephenson agrees the week was somewhat difficult for her young team to deal with, particularly the freshman players who might be unfamiliar with the practice of rain-outs, which have become a common event for the Hoosiers. Last season, inclement weather forced the Hoosiers to cancel four games.\n"Unlike other sports, it's hard for us to get geared up and then not play," Stephenson said. "I think for the younger players, it was hard for them to be ready to go and just like that have the game canceled."\nConsidering the long wait the team has had to endure, that first game against the Cavaliers carries somewhat greater significance.\n"We're looking to get some wins, but especially getting the first game," Monroe said of the team's goals for the classic.\nThe Hoosiers are paired in a pool with Virginia, Long Island and Elon. On top of their 2 p.m. game against UV, the team also has a 6 p.m. game against Elon (0-6) today, followed by a game at noon Saturday against Long Island.\nThe classic will be the first game of the season for both Virginia and LIU.\nAfter pool play has finished, the six pool winners and the top two second-place teams advance to the "gold bracket" while the rest of the second-place teams and the top four third-place teams will be placed in the "silver bracket." There will be a champion for each bracket. \nFor the Hoosiers, the tournament schedule is inconsequential; they just want to go out and win.\n"We want to win every game we play," Stephenson said. "We want to play against the game and just do the things we have to do."\nOne aspect of pre-season tournaments the Hoosiers like is the fact it allows them to come together as a team.\n"It's a bonding time; you room with two other girls, and everybody gets to know each other," Monroe said of the road-heavy pre-season schedule.\nA resounding theme for the Hoosiers is that they are just plain ready to get the season started and see what they're capable of.\n"It's just going to feel good to get out and play," Stephenson said. "We can't get better until we start playing"
(02/09/01 6:11am)
In the grand scheme of things, the softball team's first game at 3 p.m. Saturday at Evansville could be considered just another pre-season game. But coach Diane Stephenson sees it as a potential catalyst for a successful season.\n"I think every game is important, but we haven't had a lot of success around here lately," Stephenson said. "So it'll be interesting to see how we respond, because winning is a habit that is learned, so in terms of that I think the game is important."\nStephenson's players are champing at the bit to get the season under way.\n"After all these weeks of practice, I'm very excited to be playing," sophomore Lisa Mattke said. "All week I've just been thinking about the game on Saturday. I'm very anxious to get going."\nMattke will be one of three pitchers who will likely see action against the Purple Aces.\n"Lisa, Alison (Cooke) and Heather (Stillians) all should (pitch on Saturday)" Stephenson said. "I'd like to give everybody some innings."\nThe Purple Aces, who tied for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference last year with a 37-21-1 record, including 11-7 in conference, will provide the Hoosiers with a talented opponent.\nThe Aces return 12 letterwinners, including MVC Pitcher and Player of the year in seniors Maggie Ross and Jessica Huff.\n"They're a very good team -- all the way through their lineup they can hit and they are a very well-coached team," Stephenson said of the Purple Aces.\nAfter weeks of practice, the Hoosiers believe they are up to the challenge.\n"We've come along way, I can tell you that," junior outfielder Moe Bullock said. "I think we're ready to go."\nThe Hoosiers want to use these preseason games to gain confidence before Big Ten play.\n"These games will let us know what we are capable of. They're very important because they'll determine how far we will go later in the season," Bullock said.\nAnother important aspect of any squad's first game is for the team to find out how far it has progressed and where it needs to improve.\n"I think the big thing is to just get out and play and see how the defense is and how we're playing on offense," sophomore co-captain Stormy Hanson said. "Last year they were a pretty good team, so we can't just show up; we'll have to play well."\nWhile there are some unanswered questions surrounding the squad, the team does enter the season almost at full strength, with the primary exception being at second base, where regular starter Heather Suca is out with mononucleosis. Freshman Abby Stark will fill in for Suca.\n"I was quite upset when they told me that I would miss some time," Suca said. "But it's better to have happen now than if it were to happen during Big Ten season. And Abby is doing a really good job."\nSuca expects to return for the team's next game, Feb. 16 at the North Carolina Tournament.\nThe Hoosiers are looking for a repeat performance of the last time they met the Purple Aces at the Lloyd Expressway Complex, where the Hoosiers came out with a 6-3 victory.
(02/07/01 5:29am)
For softball coach Diane Stephenson, there is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding her squad this year. On top of the fact that her roster is dominated by underclassmen -- six freshmen and four sophomores -- poor weather has prevented the team from practicing outdoors, which has made it difficult for Stephenson to gauge her team's improvement. \nThe Hoosiers finally practiced outside Tuesday after spending several weeks throwing, hitting and running in Mellencamp Pavillion. \n"It's hard for me to know what to expect from them," Stephenson said after Tuesday's practice. "At least we were able to be outside today and not in a building. Having not played any games, it was nice to at least practice outside."\nWhile weather conditions have been less than ideal, inexperience also makes the outlook for the team hard to judge.\n"We're definitely a young team, but I don't want to use lack of experience as an excuse," Stephenson said. "No matter how young we are, we still have to go out and play the game; we still all have to do our job."\nEntering her 14th season at the helm for the Hoosiers, Stephenson is giving her young team a baptism by fire, asking young players to contribute immediately. A trio of freshmen could start on the Hoosier infield. \n"With Abby (Stark) at second base, and either Dawn (Ramynke) or Heather (Stillans) at first base, the whole right side of our infield is going to be freshmen," Stephenson said.\n"It'll be key for us this season, how the freshmen play."\nLike her coach, sophomore infielder and pitcher Lisa Mattke refuses to use youth as a reason to expect less from the team.\n"We're a young team, but even though we're young, with our ability we can still get the job done." Mattke said. "I am sure a lot of times we'll see three or four freshmen playing at a time, but we all expect the freshmen to play the best they can."\nRamynke, one of the freshmen on whom Stephenson will rely, emphasized the importance of leadership for the younger players.\n"I'd say Brooke Monroe and Lisa (Mattke) are the two I really look to," Ramynke said. "They're just great people, and they are two who really lead by example."\nLeadership is a role Monroe gladly embraces.\n"I'm an upperclassman, and there aren't many of us, so I know that the younger players are looking at me and watching what I do," Monroe said. "I remember when I was a freshman and a sophomore and how much I looked up to the older players."\nMonroe, a co-captain, provides some stability and experience to a team in need of both. The junior catcher comes into the season with 104 consecutive starts for the Hoosiers.\nThe Hoosiers' primary goal for the upcoming season is to advance to the Big Ten tournament, which is comprised of the top six finishers in the league. \n"I would like to get to the Big Ten tournament," Monroe said. "I think if we work together as a team, we have some definite strengths, and we can accomplish our goal."\nConsidering their difficulties last season, when the Hoosiers struggled to 15-32 and 5-13 in conference play, the team must use the pre-season to prepare itself for the difficult conference schedule.\n"It is hard to say where we are right now in terms of improvement," Stephenson said. "That's really why (Saturday) at Evansville and some of these pre-season tournaments we have coming up are so important."\nWith the start of the season approaching, freshmen players aren't quite sure what to expect from the weeks ahead.\n"I'm excited, but I am also nervous," freshman Valerie White said. "I really don't know what to expect."\nThere's no time for the team to be caught staring into the headlights; a fast start is important for the team to have a successful season. IU gets its shot to open the season with a win Saturday at Evansville.\n"We didn't have such a great year last year, and we lost a lot of close games," Stephenson said. "In order to build our confidence, a quick start is important for us"