VALPARAISO, Ind. – A busy final week of the regular season for the IUPUI softball team begins on Tuesday, April 29, when it heads to Valparaiso, Ind., to take on the Valparaiso Crusaders in a mid-week doubleheader.

The Jags and Crusaders will play a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. ET, and the Tuesday doubleheader will begin a seven-game, five-day stretch. Following Tuesday's doubleheader, IUPUI will play its final five games of the regular-season at home beginning with a doubleheader against Wright State on Wednesday, April 30, and against IPFW May 2-3.

"This is an important week for us. We have seven games this week before postseason play begins next week and we play some good competition," head coach Amanda Rivera said. "We have said all along that for us to achieve our goals we need to be playing our best softball in May. This week will go a long way in determining whether we are ready."

IUPUI enters the week with a 20-19 record following a 1-2 weekend at Omaha last weekend. Entering the series, the Jags had yet to be shutout in conference play and were the top offensive team in many categories. However, the Jaguars ran into a pitcher that was on top of her game in Dana Elsasser and she notched two shutouts against IUPUI helping her team earn the series win.

Despite the offensive struggles in two of the games, IUPUI is still one of three teams in the conference to boast a team batting average higher than .300 at .305. It is led by freshman Roni Patterson, who ranks sixth in the Summit League in overall games with a .374 average. The Fishers, Ind.-native also ranks in the Top 5 in league play in home runs (5^th, 8 HR), triples (5^th, 3 3B) and slugging percentage (3^rd, .683).

Patterson isn't the only player hitting above .300 for the Jags as she is joined by five other players hitting above a .300 clip. Amongst those players, Ali Mosier paces the squad with 30 RBI.

Both Valparaiso and Wright State enter the week sitting in a tie for second in the Horizon League standings at 10-6.