TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State softball will continue MVC play with a road trip to Nashville for a three-game series against Belmont at E.S. Rose Park beginning on Friday, April 14 at 6 p.m. ET.
 
The Sycamores (19-20, 8-6) are coming off a 2-0 loss to Evansville on Tuesday while the Bruins (21-15, 7-6) fell to Murray State in extra innings in their most recent contest.
 
Indiana State and Belmont have met seven times prior, with ISU leading the all-time series 4-3. The two teams met most recently in 2020 with the Bruins defeating the Sycamores 13-5.  
 
Scouting Belmont
The Bruins are in their first season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference and have found some success midway through Valley action, sitting at 7-6 in league play. Belmont is led by Laura Matthews who is in her third season at the helm.
 
Leading the Belmont offense is Kristen Green who enters the weekend batting .340 with three home runs and 16 runs driven in. Emily Cockrill is batting .314 and leads the Bruins with 38 hits including eight doubles which is a team high. Brenna Blume has a team-best five home runs and 22 RBI. Bale Ensio leads the team with 11 stolen bases in 14 attempts.
 
In the circle for the Bruins, Maya Johnson is 11-4 with a 1.91 ERA to go along with 191 strikeouts. Johnson is the lone Division I pitcher who has recorded two 20-strikeout games this season. Emma Summers has a 2.88 ERA in 90 innings of action, recording 80 strikeouts. Ellie Giles has logged 52.1 innings of work and has a 3.75 ERA with 33 punchouts.
 
Indiana State Leaders
Leading Indiana State and second in the Valley, Isabella Henning is currently batting .398 with a team-high 45 hits. She has 10 doubles and four home runs, driving in 19 runs as well as scoring a team-best 26 runs. Kennedy Shade also ranks among the leaders in the MVC, batting .340 with 33 hits including seven doubles and two home runs. Shade has scored 18 runs and also recorded 18 RBI. Annie Tokarek is leading ISU with 25 RBI and owns a .282 average at the plate. Second on the Sycamores in hits is Olivia Patton with 34, currently batting .274 on the season.
 
Lexi Benko leads the Sycamore pitching staff with a 2.43 ERA and 92.1 innings pitched. She has recorded four complete games and 64 strikeouts. Cassi Newbanks has a 2.96 ERA in 16 appearances, logging 52 innings of work so far this season. Leading ISU in saves, complete games and strikeouts, Lauren Sackett has a 3.25 ERA in 64.2 innings pitched. Sackett has five complete games, four saves and 88 strikeouts. Hailey Griffin is 3-1 with a pair of saves in 21 appearances, recording a 3.35 ERA.

Up Next
The Sycamores will travel to Indianapolis on Wednesday, April 19 for a non-conference matchup with Butler at 4 p.m. ET.
 
For the latest information on Sycamore Softball, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.