The MSU softball team hopes to continue its quest for a Big Ten title this weekend when it faces conference cellar dwellers Indiana and Purdue.
The fourth-place Spartans (30-14 overall, 8-5 Big Ten) will tussle with both the Hoosiers (17-27, 0-12) and the Boilermakers (31-22, 4-8) - 11th and ninth in the Big Ten, respectively - at Old College Field. The matchup with Purdue will be a Sunday doubleheader.
Indiana is 10th in the Big Ten in hitting with a .249 batting average. The Hoosiers are also dead last in the conference with a 3.19 team ERA, while Purdue is a shade in front at 10th place. Offensively, Purdue is at the opposite end of the spectrum. The Boilermakers hold the top team batting average in the conference with a .310 mark.
"The key to this weekend is we have to stay focused," MSU head coach Jacquie Joseph said. "This is a big weekend for us. Not because of the opponent, but because of the position we're in in the conference."
Joseph said dropping conference games early this season has put her team in a must-win situation this weekend. Anything less than her team playing up to its abilities would be a letdown.
Although Indiana has a horrible batting average, they are led by one of the Big Ten's best hitters.
Catcher Stormy Hanson ranks second in the conference with a .400 batting average and has 11 home runs.
On the mound, Indiana right-handers Heather Stillians (8-14, 2.80 ERA) and Katie Witham (6-12, 3.58 ERA) have split all of their team's 44 starts.
The Hoosiers aren't a stranger to the lopsided score as well. In Indiana's 12 conference losses, only four were one-run setbacks.
"We're trying to stay within ourselves and not worry about our opponents' statistics," senior center fielder Sandy Lewis said. "I don't think stats have an effect on the game. And if you worry about them too much, you can get hurt by it."
While Purdue's pitching is sketchy at best, the Boilermakers field a slew of hitters. Second base Andrea Hillsey leads the attack with an eye-popping .482 batting average, complemented by a .576 on-base percentage. Purdue also has four other players hitting over .300, along with having the top three RBI producers in the Big Ten.
MSU has gone 4-4 in its last eight Big Ten contests. And with so many teams jockeying for conference position as the season winds down, Spartan wins are a hot commodity.
"It'd be big if we went undefeated this weekend," freshman pitcher Katie Joosten said. "But even though they're not the conference's best, we still have to play hard."
The span of league games in which the Spartans came out .500 were all road contests. Lewis said she has the blueprint for MSU to possibly have an undefeated weekend.
"We need to score early and often," she said. "I really expect us to win every game, but you can't dwell on the losses. You have to learn from them.
"Plus, I'm really looking forward to playing at home again. We feel comfortable here and I think that can translate into some wins."
