CLEVELAND – IUPUI softball hits the road for the first time in its Horizon League schedule with four games at Cleveland State over the weekend. The Jags and Vikings will play double headers on Saturday (March 20) and Sunday (March 21).
#HLSB Series Two
IUPUI Jaguars (3-11, 1-3 Horizon) at Cleveland State Vikings (7-9, 2-2 Horizon)
Saturday, March 20 // 12 p.m. (DH) // Live Stats (
Game 1) (
Game 2) //
ESPN3
Sunday, March 21 // 12 p.m. (DH) // Live Stats (
Game 1) (
Game 2) //
ESPN3
QUICK HITTERS
IUPUI went 1-3 in its opening weekend against Oakland. Three of the games against the Golden Grizzlies were decided by less than three runs with one game going in to extra innings.
Morgan Gilbert leads IUPUI with a .348 batting average. The Jaguars lead-off hitter had a team-high 16 hits and is second on the team with seven runs. Gilbert is currently riding a six-game hitting streak and has multiple hits in four of those six games.
Gilbert likes to swing away. The freshman does not have a walk this season in her 46 at bats. When she gets on base she is lethal as Gilbert is 6-for-6 in stolen bases this year.
Lauren Youngblood is second the team with a .324 batting average and 12 hits. Youngblood is tied for the team lead with two doubles and leads the team with eight runs scored.
Youngblood is also one of five Jaguars to lead the team with five walks.
Maicey Bedrick is tied with Youngblood at three doubles. Half of Bedrick's hits this year have been doubles.
Jennah Speth is one of two Jaguars to go deep this season (
Jordan Barnes has one home run). Speth leads the team with three home runs with all three of them being solo shots. Speth has driven in a team-high six runs.
The Jaguar offense has picked up over the last few games as IUPUI has finished with double-digit hits in three of its last five games. IUPUI's season-high in hits before that was six in the season opener.
Jordan Barnes was shown a lot of respect as IUPUI's cleanup hitter. The Jaguar catcher was intentionally walked twice by Oakland. Barnes is tied with Gilbert for a current team-high six-game on-base streak.
Lexi Lucas has been extremely solid for IUPUI in the circle. The junior has a 2.86 ERA in six starts and 44 innings pitched. Lucas has issued just five walks this season and struck out 19 batters. Her .247 opposing batting average leads the team.
In her last four appearances, Lucas has allowed just one walk over 23.1 innings.
SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
Cleveland State began its Horizon League schedule splitting four games at Purdue Fort Wayne. The Vikings earned a 10-7 win in the last game of the series against the Mastodons.
Sydney Bajusz leads the team in multiple offensive categories. Bajusz is tops on the team in hits (20), doubles (8), home runs (3), RBI (15), runs scored (18) and is tied for the team lead in walks (8).
Taylor Duncan has driven in 10 runs on the year and is second on the team with 14 hits.
Kiera Frascone is dangerous on the bases, going 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts.
In the circle, Hannah Griffin leads the team with a 3.95 ERA but Taylor Betz is right behind with a 3.98 ERA. Griffin leads the team with a 4-2 record and Betz is best on the staff with 23 strikeouts in 31.2 innings pitched.
ALL TIME SERIES
IUPUI owns the all-time series against the Vikings with a 9-5 record. The Jags won the last two meetings in the series, taking two of three games in the series in 2019, the last time the two teams met.
