The Indiana Hoosiers (6-8) are back at Andy Mohr Field for the Hoosier Classic this weekend where they look to build a consistent brand in their play as they have four games between Saturday and Monday.
Team 50 has been on the road for three consecutive weekends with the most recent at the UNCG Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“It’s always great to play at home,” head coach Shonda Stanton said of the recent road trips the team has had to make on the young season.
After some slight rescheduling due to inclement weather, the Hoosiers’ first game is set against Green Bay at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday. The Phoenix (7-7), are coming off a successful 3-1 weekend at the Lindenwood Invite in St. Charles, Missouri.
On Sunday, Indiana begins its double-header where it faces a Big Ten opponent for the first time all season at 3 p.m. — the Wisconsin Badgers (6-6). The Badgers are looking for consistency as they began the season 0-4 and have most recently strung up a four-game winning streak.
Sunday’s action continues for the Hoosiers when they take on in-state opponent Purdue Fort Wayne (4-12) at 5:15 p.m. This will only be the fourth meeting between Indiana and the Mastodons. The last came in 2015 as the Hoosiers were victorious, 9-2.
The ‘weekend’ is extended for Indiana as IU plays IUPUI on Monday at noon to close out the Hoosier Classic. The Jaguars (2-10) have struggled all season long as this will only be the second meeting between these two teams in 20 years. IUPUI defeated the Hoosiers 6-1 on March 23, 2003 in Bloomington.
As for Indiana, there are certainly things to watch out for, especially at the pitching circle.
The Hoosiers are set to continue pitching by committee and Stanton emphasized how it was not replacing a pitcher, rather “putting somebody new in.”
It is a competitive environment throughout the whole team where players will be moved around and in different scenarios very frequently. In particular, Cora Bassett and Bri Copeland will likely play as many as three different positions throughout the weekend.
Stanton has plenty of faith in the young team, but is looking more on how there can be a consistent level of play by Team 50.
“Who do we give the game ball to?” Stanton said of not exactly knowing who has been that person to consistently step up in big moments this season.
Overall, the season is still very early as the conference series have not even begun yet. However, this weekend can show a testament of what Indiana has been improving on since the 0-5 weekend in Clearwater two weekends ago.
