INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI softball team returns home on Friday, April 6, to open a three-game Summit League set against Southern Utah at the IUPUI Softball Complex with a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m.

The Jags are coming off a 9-1 loss to in-state foe Purdue on Tuesday, which dropped their record to 10-23 on the season. IUPUI had a weekend away from Summit League competition last weekend and come into action against the Thunderbirds with a 2-7 conference mark.

Despite two mid-week losses to BYU, Southern Utah makes the cross country-trip to Indianapolis with a 20-15 overall record and an 8-4 conference record after taking two of three from UMKC last weekend in Cedar City, Utah.

Over the past 10 games, the Jags have struggled as a team offensively hitting just .215, but their pitching staff has held their opponents to just a .216 average. Despite the offensive struggles, Nicole Checkie has been a bright spot at the plate hitting .394 (13-of-33) since March 20.

Aundria Basquez and Kelsey Rupert are the only other players hitting over .270 during this stretch hitting .294 and .273, respectively.

In the circle, Jocelyn Oppenhuis has been a steady performer on the mound posting a 2.10 ERA in six starts since the latter third of March. Since that point, Oppenhuis has made five starts and she went the distance in three of those outings.

Oppenhuis and the rest of the pitching staff will have to be on their game when the Thunderbirds come to town as they are one of the top hitting teams in the conference collectively hitting .321. SUU has two players hitting over .400 in Mikkel Griffin (.435) and Terysa Dyer (.411), and Griffin also leads the squad with eight home runs. Five players have already driven in more than 20 runs this season.

As a pitching staff, Southern Utah owns an ERA of 3.57 and Heather Black is the ace of the staff owning a 2.66 ERA in 131.1 innings of work.