The MSU softball team expected to sit higher than sixth place in the Big Ten at this point in the season.
The Spartans took third in the Big Ten and had one of their best seasons in club history last year, so it's easy to understand why the Spartans (26-21, 6-10 Big Ten) are frustrated with their conference record.
Despite the loss of six starters from last year, MSU head coach Jacquie Joseph still said she anticipated the team to be mentally stronger and winning more games.
But with six outings to go and the Big Ten Tournament coming up, MSU hasn't given up.
"We faced a lot of bumps and didn't come out like we hoped," freshman designated player Dayna Feenstra said.
Senior pitcher Jessica Beech agreed the team has seen some ups and downs but said that it's not giving up.
"We still feel like we can accomplish good things, we just need to be balanced," she said.
The six starters the team lost from last year were big leaders, senior outfielder Angel Merren said.
"They took us as far as regionals; it was their doing, that just tells you how big senior leaders are," she said.
As a senior herself this year, Merren said all the Spartans can do is try the best they can, and they're trying their hardest.
The Spartans went into the weekend's games with the highest Big Ten batting average, .301, but dropped 28 points during their doubleheader splits against Purdue and Indiana.
Throughout the season, MSU showed its talent, winning all of its five games in the Florida International Tournament, but then fell short in areas such as mental toughness by losing to teams it had just beaten, as in last weekend's doubleheaders.
Joseph said she plans to continue to challenge the team at practice and work on mental toughness.
Beech added that the team needs to work on being consistent, with all members bringing their best game mentally and physically.
Four of the Spartans' last six games are against Big Ten teams, and they need to stay in the top eight to play in the Big Ten Tournament. This year's tournament is different from previous years and takes the top eight with single elimination, instead of the top six with double elimination.
The Spartans face Michigan (No. 1 in the Big Ten) in a home-and-home series beginning Friday, and Northwestern (No. 4 in the Big Ten) at home May 8-9.
"On any given day, any team could beat anyone, we're all the same - the Big Ten," Merren said. "That's what we have to expect, is that all of our opponents are going to have the game of their life on our day, so we just have to step up."
Joseph stressed that no game is more important than another, and Feenstra said they're going to play every game like it's their last and not dwell on past games.
"We have to give it all we have and take it one game at a time," Feenstra said.
MSU's next game is against Eastern Michigan (13-24) at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Old College Field.
