MSU Takes On Indiana In Four-Game Set


Spartan Softball at Indiana
Dates	Friday, April 30, 4 pm Saturday, May 1 - 12 pm (doubleheader) Sunday, May 2 - 12 pm
Facility	Andy Mohr Field; Bloomington, Ind.
Fan Information	There is no general admission to this event
Television	None
Webstreams	Friday \| Saturday - Game One Game Two \| Sunday
Live Statistics	Click Here
Radio (Spartan Media Network)	None
Game Notes	Michigan State Indiana
Social Media	Facebook Twitter Instagram

The Weekend Ahead:
• Michigan State plans on a series at Indiana this weekend, headed to Bloomington for the four-game set.

• All four games will air live on BTN+, with links to the video webstream and live statistics available at
MSUSpartans.com.

The Matchup:
• Shonda Stanton is in her fourth season at the helm of the Indiana program, which enters the weekend with a 16-16 record this season. The Hoosiers are coming into the MSU series off a 2-2 split last weekend at Illinois, winning games two and four.

• MSU and Indiana meet for the 128th time on Friday. The Hoosiers own a 71-56 edge in the all-time series, and are 29-25 games played in Bloomington.

• The teams last met in 2019 in a three-game series held at Andy Mohr Field. IU has won six straight games in the series.

Team Notes:
• MSU has yet to play back-to-back weekends this season - should the Indiana series be played, it will be the first time the Spartans have played consecutive weekends since last year's spring break trip, (Feb. 28-March 7, 2020).

• The Spartans were supposed to play four games against Michigan (April 2-4) and Penn State (April 16-18), but both series were postponed due to Covid-19 issues within those programs. Games against both schools have been rescheduled, but the series will be reduced to two games against each opponent. MSU will host the Wolverines on Wednesday May 5, and will host Penn State for a doubleheader on Tuesday, May 11.

• At 25 games, MSU has played the fewest games this spring of anyone in the Big Ten. Penn State has played 27, and 10 schools have played the maximum (32). The Spartans have seven home games remaining against three opponents, and will play this road series at IU in addition to a four-game set at Ohio State.

• The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the look of the season schedule. The Big Ten will play a conference-only slate, allowing for each team to play each of the other 13 teams in the Conference.
   The Conference played two weekends of the season at the Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex in Leesburg, Florida. In week one (Feb. 26-28), each team played doubleheaders on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Spartans took on Northwestern, Nebraska, and Iowa in those three doubleheaders.
In week two (March 11-14), each team had a three-game series against two opponents (MSU faced Illinois and Minnesota).
   The more "traditional" portion of the season began in late March for each squad in the Big Ten. Each team is scheduled to play eight, four-game weekend series (four at home, four on the road).

• The Spartans have played each of the six teams in the B1G standings already. The top three teams - Michigan, Minnesota and Northwestern - are a combined 71-22.

• The Spartan pitching staff is averaging 1.89 walks per seven innings, which is the lowest number since 1.60 in 2004 and the first sub-2.00 since 2005. In addition, MSU's hurlers are combining for 7.35 strikeouts per seven innings, which would be a program record and the best since 6.64 in 2018.

• MSU's staff has three saves, tied with IU for third in the B1G. The Spartans have issued just 45 walks, the third-fewest among B1G schools, and its 10 homers allowed is the second-fewest among league staffs.

• MSU has 11 home runs on the season, and at 0.44 per game, ranks eighth in the Big Ten. MSU is also second in the B1G in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.89).

• The Spartans, with 0.24 triples per game, are sixth in the Big Ten and 56th nationally.

• Spartan head coach Jacquie Joseph is in her 28th season at the helm of the Spartan softball program, and is not only the longest-tenured coach in program history, but is now the longest-tenured head coach in MSU's athletics department. She earned her 700th victory as the Spartan mentor on March 8, 2019 vs. Mercer, and she owns 844 wins overall.

• Joseph is the third-longest tenured head coach in the Big Ten Conference, behind Carol Hutchins (Michigan, 37th season) and Rhonda Revelle (Nebraska, 29th).

• Joseph's staff consists of pitching coach Ben Sorden, hitting coach Corrie Hill, and volunteer Erin Pond. Sorden begins his fourth season with the Spartan pitchers, while Hill joined the staff in the fall of 2018. Sorden and Pond both have previous Big Ten experience - Sorden was on staff at Indiana before coming to MSU, and Pond was a Penn State letterwinner. Hill spent 16 seasons as the hitting coach at Texas after serving as the head coach at UTSA from 1998-2005.

Player Notes - Pitchers:
• Alli Walker led the Spartans with 11 innings in the Purdue series, striking out 15 and scattering 14 hits, surrendering five earned runs. On the year, she's posted a 3.91 ERA, 35 strikeouts, and nine walks in 28.2 innings. She is 10th in the B1G in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.78) and sixth in the conference in strikeouts per seven innings (8.3)

• Freshman Ashley Miller went 1-1 in three appearances vs. Purdue. On the season, she boasts a team-best 2.07 ERA. She leads the staff in innings (61.0), and is 5-4 with one save and one complete-game shutout.

• Miller ranks 10th in the Big Ten in ERA (2.07), 11th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.75), and ninth in strikeouts per seven innings (6.9).

• Sarah Ladd is second on the staff in innings pitched (54.0), and leads the squad in strikeouts (65). She has two saves, which is tied for third in the B1G. She owns a 4.02 ERA, is fourth in the B1G in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.0), fifth in K's per seven innings (8.4), and 11th in walks per seven innings (1.69).

• Jala Wright started game two vs. Purdue, and on the year has started four games in nine appearances. She boasts 16 K's in 23.1 innings, against just seven walks.

Player Notes - Field Players:
• Only two players have started all 25 games - the middle infield combo of Jenae Wash and Caitie Ladd. Three others have appeared in all 25 games.

• Caitie Ladd improved her season batting average to .322 with a big weekend at the plate vs. Purdue (9-for-16, .563, 2 doubles). On the year, she leads the team with eight extra-base hits, 10 multiple-hit games, and brings a five-game hitting streak into the IU series. With 33 career doubles, she sits in 11th place, one away from moving into MSU's all-time top 10.

• Junior Mackenzie Meech is hitting a team-best .352, with 25 base hits (three doubles) and has one homer. She hit .462 in the Purdue series with a pair of sac hits along with a 6-for-13 effort at the plate. She also owns a .987 fielding percentage as the team's starting 1B.

• Jenae Wash had a triple among her three base hits in the Purdue series, where she primarily played in the outfield or at DP. She's hitting .250 overall and has seven extra-base hits (three triples) and 12 RBI, a team best. She ranks third in walks (5) and is first in HBP (3).

• Courtney Callahan hit .500 in the Purdue series (6-for-12), boasting a triple and a homer, her first extra-base hits of the season. She owned a .917 slugging pct (best on the team) and also added a sac bunt and stolen base. Overall, she improved her season batting average to .211 and she has eight RBI, fourth on the team.

• A trio of freshmen have worked their way into the starting lineup of late. Alexis Barroso has seemingly cemented that role with 17 of her 20 starts at 3B, and delivered a walkoff RBI double in the finale of the Purdue series. On the year, she's hitting .228, with two doubles, two homers, and nine RBI and ranks second on the team in walks (6).

• Marissa Trivelpiece drew a team-best five walks in the Purdue series,and owns a team-best nine on the season. She's hitting .250 overall with two doubles, two homers, and four RBI. She has started 12 games in right, and five more in the middle infield.

• Zaquai Dumas has started the last five games for MSU, four at 2B. She hit her first career triple and home run in the Purdue series. With more consistency in seeing the field, she hit .300 against the Boilers with an .800 slugging percentage and three RBI.

• Kendall Kates, MSU's transfer catcher, has started 24 of 25 games. She is hitting .235 and leads the Spartans with 10 RBI, with two doubles and a homer to her credit. She is tied with Wash for third on the team with five walks.

• Shae Schreckengost's first pinch hit of the season was a big one, a seventh-inning RBI double that nearly brought MSU back from a six-run deficit in game two. She has three RBI on the season with two base hits and a walk in eight plate appearances.

• Abby Joseph came on in all four games against Purdue, and had a pair of base hits and two runs scored. She's hitting .150 on the year, a number which has improved as she's seen more consistent action. She has started nine of her 19 games this season.

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Players Mentioned

Alexis Barroso

Courtney Callahan

Zaquai Dumas

Abby Joseph

Kendall Kates

Caitie Ladd

Sarah Ladd

Mackenzie Meech

Ashley Miller

Shae Schreckengost

Marissa Trivelpiece

Alli Walker

Jenae Wash

Jala Wright