Softball Travels to Michigan State
Apr 28 | Softball
| Rutgers (23-27, 7-10 Big Ten) vs. Indiana (23-25, 4-13 Big Ten) East Lansing, Mich. | Secchia Stadium | ||
| Game 1 | Friday, April 29 - 4 p.m. ET | BTN Plus | |
| Game 2 | Saturday, April 30 - 1 p.m. ET | |
| Game 3 | Sunday, May 1 - 1 p.m. ET | BTN Plus | |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | |
RU'S LAST TIME OUT
Rutgers has won five of its last six contests, highlighted by a series sweep over Indiana last weekend. Despite dropping a tightly contested nonconference match at LIU Brooklyn (4-3 (8)) on Wednesday, RU carries a five-game conference winning streak into East Lansing.
Senior Stephanie Huang (Paramus, N.J.) leads RU with a .369 batting average and is tied for first in the conference with 59 hits on the season. In conference games, senior Jordan Whitley (Clayton, Del.) owns a team-high .319 hitting clip, while sophomore Sierra Maddox (Kennesaw, Ga.) follows with a .318 average to go with five home runs.
Junior Shayla Sweeney (Barrington, N.J.) (8-6) picked up two wins and a save against Indiana, posting a 0.68 ERA in three appearances in the series sweep. Senior Dresden Maddox (Kennesaw, Ga.) paces the crew with 112.1 innings pitched and a 9-11 win-loss record.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
Michigan State snapped a five-game skid with a 3-2 victory over Eastern Michigan on Wednesday. In conference, the Spartans own a series win over Indiana (2-1), along with series losses to Wisconsin (1-2), Penn State (0-3), Maryland (1-2), and Northwestern (0-3), and a pair of losses to No. 2 Michigan.
Three Spartans are batting over. 360 led by Celeste Wood with a .369 hitting clip and a team-high 38 RBIs. Lea Foerster follows with a .368 batting average, ranking second in the conference with 57 hits, while Sarah Gutknecht owns a .363 average.
In the circle, Kristina Zalewski paces the pitching staff with a win-loss record of 11-14 and four saves to go with a 3.68 ERA in 171.0 innings. Dani Goranson follows with a record of 7-7 along with a 4.04 ERA in 85.0 innings.
Head coach Jacquie Joseph is in her 22nd season at the helm of the program.
SERIES VERSUS THE SPARTANS
Michigan State edges Rutgers, 6-5, in the all-time series dating back to 1981. Last season, the Scarlet Knights earned a series sweep in the programs first meeting as Big Ten foes. After earning a 5-2 victory in the opener, RU rallied in the middle game to come out with a thrilling 22-17 win. The Scarlet Knights then completed the sweep with a 6-5 win in extra innings of the finale.
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