SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team is set for a pair of Big Ten Conference opponents this week. The Fighting Irish will head to Michigan State Tuesday evening, before taking on Indiana at Melissa Cook Stadium Wednesday night. The Irish enter the contests off of a 3-1 week, taking a series at Louisville.
Head coach Deanna Gumpf is on the cusp of history as she looks for career win 849. That win would pass Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame head coach Muffet McGraw for the most wins ever by a Notre Dame head coach.
Notre Dame enters the contest at 23-11-1, going 6-0 in midweek competition. These will be the fifth and sixth matchups against opponents from the Big Ten Conference, having gone 1-3 against Ohio State and Northwestern at the ACC/B1G Challenge hosted by Clemson in February.
Carlli Kloss leads the Irish offense with a .367 average, hitting 12 doubles and three triples. She adds 31 runs scored with five stolen bases. Joley Mitchell adds a mix of power and speed, hitting seven home runs, driving in 27 and leading the team with nine stolen bases. Karina Gaskins leads the team with 12 home runs, while being tied with Lexi Orozco with 32 RBI on the season.
Payton Tidd owns 21 appearances in the circle with 16 starts. She’s earned a 3.03 ERA in 104.0 innings of work, striking out 81 hitters. Shannon Becker adds a team-best 22 appearances with 65.2 innings of work to go with six wins. Micaela Kastor has 20 appearances with eight starts. She’s earned a 1.99 ERA in 56.1 innings, striking out 55 hitters.
Michigan State enters Tuesday’s contest with an 11-20 overall mark, and are currently on a three-game losing streak having been swept by Iowa last week.
The Spartan offense hits at a .251 clip, led by Jessica Mabrey. The senior outfielder owns a team-best .352 average with 17 runs scored, five home runs and 16 RBI. She adds five doubles and a pair of triples to go with four stolen bases. Macy Lee is the only other Spartan to hit over the .300 plateau at .328. Lee has three extra-base hits, six RBI and scored four times.
In the circle, Ashley Miller, Faith Guidry and Madison Taylor have logged the majority of innings. Miller leads the team with 19 appearances, 13 starts and 79.1 innings of work. She’s struck out 94 hitters, earning six wins, and equivalent of complete games and a save. Guidry has 17 appearances with 11 starts. She adds 33 strikeouts in 63.1 innings and four complete games. Taylor has three wins in 15 appearances and 45.1 innings.
Indiana comes into the week with a pair of ACC matchups. Before heading to Melissa Cook Stadium, the Hoosiers will host the Louisville Cardinals Tuesday evening. The Hoosiers, receiving votes in both the NFCA Coaches poll, and ESPN.com poll, are 30-11 overall and 9-2 in conference play. In true road games, IU has earned a 10-3 record.
The Hoosier offense is a formidable one, hitting at a .333 team average with six players over the .300 plateau. Taryn Kern and Taylor Minnick are each over the .400 mark, led by Kern’s .434 average. Kern adds a team-best 17 home runs and 47 RBI, while scoring 43 times. Minnick adds seven home runs and 11 doubles and ranks as one of the toughest players in the country to strikeout, punching out just five times in 95 at bats.
Three Hoosiers have made starts in the circle. Brianna Copeland is 14-0 on the season in 27 appearances. She owns a 2.67 ERA in 94.1 innings. She’s thrown four complete games and picked up a save to go with 94 strikeouts. Heather Johnson leads the team with 29 appearances and 74.0 innings of work. She’s struck out 38 hitters, picked up three saves and earned a 10-6 record. Macy Montgomery adds 20 appearances and seven starts. She struck out 28 hitters in 48.1 innings of work.