After splitting its home opener with North Dakota, the University of Wisconsin softball team heads to Bloomington this weekend to face Indiana.

The Badgers (10-20, 0-2 Big Ten) look to get back to the .500 mark in conference play against the Hoosiers (3-22, 0-2 Big Ten) Saturday and Sunday.

UW head coach Chandelle Schulte was unhappy with her team’s performance against North Dakota Wednesday, citing Wisconsin’s sloppy play and shaky pitching as secondary to the team’s biggest problem.

“We need to hit behind runners, we need to play 60 feet at a time, move them over,” Schulte said.

In the Hoosiers, the Badgers face a team ranking last in the Big Ten in almost every major offensive category. Opponents outscored IU by 81 runs so far this season, in large part because of its 4.53 team ERA. Taking advantage of the struggling Hoosiers might be the boost the Badgers need to get on a roll.

“I think this weekend is really important for us, for a lot of reasons,” Schulte said. “Certainly to get some wins in the Big Ten, but really to just get some confidence back into what we’re doing, some consistency.”

UW outfielder Ashley Hanewich hopes to build some hitting consistency after going 3-for-6 against North Dakota, including a two-run double that drove in the Badgers’ only runs in the first game. Hanewich is eager to try to continue her hot hitting against an Indiana pitching staff that allows a .305 opponent’s batting average.

“I’m excited, yeah, I think so. This last pitcher was nothing special. I don’t know, I felt good (hitting) off her, so hopefully I can carry that on to [this next game],” Hanewich said.

UW pitchers Letty Olivarez and Leah Vanevenhoven will take the circle for the Badgers this weekend. Both Olivarez and Vanevenhoven pitched complete games against North Dakota, with Olivarez taking the loss in the first game. Olivarez said an improvement in the team’s pitching performances will be crucial to bolstering their overall confidence.

“It’s actually gonna be really important, because lately I feel that me and Leah both haven’t been pitching to our potential, knowing what we can do,” Olivarez said. “We should be able to hold our team in a game, if not [keep the score] 0-0.”

Indiana will counter with sophomore Sara Olson, who leads the team with a 3.03 ERA and 2-5 record. Olson is also first in RBIs for the Hoosiers with 11. IU catcher Brittany Stein hits only .238, but leads the team in slugging percentage (.444) and home runs (4).

Last time these teams met, UW split a double-header at home, taking the second game 3-0. Olson took the loss for Indiana, giving up three runs off four hits, though she struck out 10. Olivarez went 2-for-3 against Olson in the Badgers’ win.

Regardless of whether Olivarez continues that success into this matchup, UW will get a boost knowing their leadoff hitter, Jennifer Krueger, is expected to play. Wisconsin’s leader in on-base percentage and walks left the late game against North Dakota after being hit in the hand with a pitch. X-rays were negative and, with two days between games to heal, Schulte thinks Krueger will be able to contribute. Losing her would have left holes both in the offense and defense.

“Her ability to steal bases is huge for us and if we can’t move her, then possibly we can steal her,” Schulte said. “She’s a very good center fielder, so without her out there, we become weaker.”

Though the Hoosiers struggled mightily this season under a new coach, the Badgers will not assume these games are wins. Wisconsin’s focus will be on their own play, regardless of Indiana’s hitting and pitching woes.

“We saw that [against North Dakota] it didn’t matter. It’s vitally important that we keep their run production low,” Schulte said. “You have to score to win for us, so really, again, our pitchers sometimes have come out and thrown a good game, but our offense hasn’t been there. … It’s got to be a 13-part series where everyone’s doing something.”

If all aspects of UW’s game are clicking against Indiana, it could be a step towards establishing the consistency the team has struggled to find all season. Playing well in Bloomington would provide a number of positives to carry into the rest of the schedule.

“I think it’ll encourage our team to play behind me and allow all of us to string things together,” Olivarez said. “It just picks up the momentum and the energy when one person’s hitting or doing their job and feeding off of each other.”