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(10/12/18 2:22am)
The Big Ten conference hosted its annual Big Ten Basketball media day Thursday, Oct. 11 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Rosemont, IL. We heard from Indiana head coach Archie Miller and senior captains Juwan Morgan and Zach McRoberts talk about a variety of topics heading into the 2018-2019 season. Here are some of the best moments from Indiana from media day.
Archie Miller
Last week, Miller named Morgan and McRoberts captains for Indiana this season after being voted on by their teammates. Miller addressed the toughness of McRoberts on the court and the respect he's earned from his teammates, in addition to the team being very competitive in practice. At the media roundtable, Miller addressed more specific topics such as a recovery update on De'Ron Davis' achilles, and his high expectations for sophomore's Al Durham and Justin Smith entering the season.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1050411299174264832[/embed]
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1050412869320396801[/embed]
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1050450863448309765[/embed]
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1050452445070061568[/embed]
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1050454641622827010[/embed]
Juwan Morgan
Morgan earned the "gold jersey" during the first week of official practice. He addressed how the prize intensifies practice and creates friendly competitiveness among the group. Morgan also talked about the point guard battle at practice between junior Devonte Green and freshman Rob Phinisee.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1050461548475506688[/embed]
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1050457143479029762[/embed]
Zach McRoberts
The one-time walk-on McRoberts was named co-captain last week by his teammates. The Hoosier Network sat down with him as the Carmel native talked about his process going from Vermont to being just a regular student and now nicknamed the hardest working-man in college basketball.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1050456143863173121[/embed]
(09/28/18 6:08pm)
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/user-303673382/indiana-basketball-podcast-assembly-calls-jerrod-morris[/embed]
Indiana Basketball season is one month away, but with Hoosier Hysteria taking place on Saturday we were joined by Jerrod Morris from the Assembly Call. Morris spoke about his perspective covering the Hoosiers as a fan and previewed the top storylines heading into the 2018-2019 season.
(09/27/18 4:48pm)
The 2018-2019 season of Indiana basketball is upon us. With Hoosier Hysteria happening Saturday September 29 at 4 p.m., the Hoosiers held their annual media day Wednesday.
As Archie Miller enters his second year as head coach of the program, there are an abundance of storylines coming into the year starting with the star studded freshman class led by Romeo Langford.
Langford was very soft-spoken at the podium during media day, but his senior leaders Juwan Morgan and Zach McRoberts were very vocal about winning this season and getting back to the NCAA tournament after a two year drought.
Here are the most quotable moments from 2018 media day...
Archie Miller
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1045033071739908101[/embed]
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1045034747259498497[/embed]
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1045036113025540098[/embed]
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1045050443494289410[/embed]
Romeo Langford
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1045063089991962624[/embed]
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1045066561172770817[/embed]
Juwan Morgan
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1045068542834552833[/embed]
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1045064754384064512[/embed]
De'Ron Davis
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1045070790096564224[/embed]
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1045071890660937728[/embed]
Zach McRoberts
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1045071232222334976[/embed]
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1045071954422706176[/embed]
(07/20/18 10:35pm)
Jeff Mercer is the new Indiana baseball head coach. After four seasons of coach Chris Lemonis at the helm in Bloomington, he’s now moved on to Mississippi State.
Since being named as head coach on July 2, Mercer has completed the rest of his coaching staff. The biggest name on the staff is seven time MLB All-Star and World Series Champion Scott Rolen who will be IU’s Director of Player Development.
The Hoosier Network caught up with rising IU sophomore outfielder Sam Crail, who is spending his summer playing baseball in the Northwoods League with the Kalamazoo Growlers, to get his reaction to the new coaching staff.
Hoosier Network: How did you find out about Coach Lemonis going to Mississippi State and what was your initial reaction to that?
Sam Crail: First of all, I found out on twitter and then we all got together in the GroupMe and we were talking about it. First off it was kind of sad because it was the guy who recruited me and everything and I went through that whole process with him. It was really just a sad moment for me and I didn’t know how to feel about it. But then after hearing about who we got, and I was obviously happy for Coach Lemonis because it’s a great opportunity for him, but getting Jeff Mercer is really exciting for me.
HN: What have you heard about Coach Mercer so far?
Crail: I’ve heard he’s really a player’s coach and I actually know him a little bit because he recruited me out of high school. He’s really just a cool guy who knows the game.
HN: What were those conversations like when he was recruiting you coming out of high school?
Crail: My last summer, he was in the process of becoming the new head coach and he didn’t really recruit me very heavily until the last weekend and it was kind of like a rush. But the way he treated me and my family was unparalleled. He’s such a great guy, took time out of his day and the situation he was in, he was really busy. He just really treated me with respect.
HN: How cool do you think that he grew up an Indiana fan and now he’s finally getting his dream of becoming a head coach for IU?
Crail: Man, I think it’s awesome for him because I grew up around the (Indiana) Bulls organization and he’s kind of come full circle, it seems to me. He played in the Bulls organization and then went to Wright State and he’s always had dreams of coming back to IU, especially with his dad coaching at IU. I think it’s going to be really cool.
HN: It was also just announced that Scott Rolen would be joining the coaching staff, how awesome is that to have a former big leaguer and World Series champion helping coach you guys?
Crail: Yeah, what a great opportunity for everyone. It’s going to be amazing to hear and taught by such a great pro mind like him. I really can’t put it into words how excited I am about it.
(06/25/18 3:46am)
Indiana baseball head coach Chris Lemonis is leaving Bloomington after four seasons with the Hoosiers.
It was announced Sunday night that Lemonis will be hired as the next Mississippi State baseball head coach. The Hoosier Network confirmed the report that was first broke by Kendall Rodgers from D1baseball.com.
He will be the 18th head coach in Mississippi State history.
[embed]https://twitter.com/KendallRogers/status/1011072118774263808[/embed]
“I will be forever grateful to Fred Glass and Indiana University for giving me the opportunity to be a head coach,” Lemonis said in a press release. “Our four years in Bloomington were better than we could have ever expected. The University and Bloomington communities wrapped their arms around our family from day one. It is tough saying goodbye to so many great friends, colleagues, fans, and most importantly, the players. I am confident that Fred is going to find a great replacement to continue the IU baseball tradition.”
Lemonis spent four seasons at Indiana after coming over from Louisville where he was assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for eight seasons.
In his time at Indiana, Lemonis compiled a 141-91-2 career record, three NCAA regional appearances and a single-season high 40-wins in 2018.
[embed]https://twitter.com/HailStateBB/status/1011340716822450177[/embed]
Mississippi State made their 10thNCAA College World Series appearance in 2018, but with an interim head coach.
MSU head coach Andy Cannizaro resigned from the program after three games into his second season at the helm in Starkville in 2018. Gary Henderson took over as interim head coach, steered a struggling program in the right direction and all the way to a CWS semifinals.
Lemonis replaced former Hoosier head coach, Tracy Smith, after departing for Arizona State in 2014. He became the first IU coach in school history to reach three NCAA regionals in his first four seasons.
Lemonis kept the program in the national spotlight following Smith's tenure. The three tournament appearances were all at-large bids, the only at-large bids in school history, and IU was ranked consistently in the top 25 throughout the 2018 season.
"Chris Lemonis cemented Indiana’s reputation as the premier baseball program in the Big Ten by guiding our program to three NCAA Tournament appearances in four years," IU Athletic Director Fred Glass said. "Chris cared deeply for his players, represented Indiana University with class and distinction, and is a good friend to so many of us here at IU and around the state. We wish him and his family the best at Mississippi State."
During his time at Indiana, 13 players were selected in the MLB draft, including four this season.
[embed]https://twitter.com/HailStateBB/status/1011412792673472519[/embed]
Glass stated that assistant coaches Kyle Bunn and Kyle Cheesborough will remain in their positions until a successor is named and determines their roles. Cheesborough will be Indiana's interim head coach for the time being.
The next head baseball coach hired by the Hoosiers will be the 25th in school history and the third in the last six seasons.
"Indiana University is committed to building upon our established excellence as a baseball program and have already begun a diligent and thorough process to find the next head coach," Glass said. "This is a great job, with great facilities, at a world class university, and we will find a great leader for IU Baseball.”
(06/16/18 7:37pm)
All four Indiana Hoosiers who were picked in the 2018 MLB draft have signed with their respective teams.
Outfielder Logan Sowers (28thRound, Chicago White Sox) was the only senior out of the group while right-handed pitcher Jonathan Stiever (5thRound ,Chicago White Sox), third baseman Luke Miller (22ndRound, Philadelphia Phillies) and left-handed pitcher Tim Herrin (29thRound, Cleveland Indians) will all forego their senior seasons at Indiana.
Stiever was the highest Hoosier selected in the MLB draft since Kyle Schwarber (Round 1, Pick 4) in 2014 and the first pitcher to be drafted in the top five rounds since 2013 (Aaron Slegers, Round 5, Minnesota).
After leading the Big Ten in strikeouts with 97, and strikeouts looking with 37 in 100.1 innings thrown this year, Stiever received a $386,000 signing bonus from the White Sox.
[embed]https://twitter.com/jimcallisMLB/status/1006357405700120577[/embed]
He has been assigned to the Great Falls Voyagers, the White Sox advanced rookie affiliate, who began its season Friday June 15.
Sowers is also joining Stiever at advanced rookie ball in Great Falls. Sowers made his debut Friday night for the Voyagers, starting in left field and hitting sixth in the lineup.
He went 0-for-3 with a walk, run scored and a strikeout in his first professional game. Great Falls is also where former Hoosier outfielder Craig Dedelow started after he was drafted a season ago.
[embed]https://twitter.com/gfvoyagers/status/1007757824728809472[/embed]
Dedelow hit .321 with 12 home runs and 54 RBI’s in 60 games at advanced rookie ball and is now in Single-A this season with the Kannapolis Intimidators.
Miller, the 22ndround pick by the Phillies, received a signing bonus of $100,000. He hit .309 with 13 home runs and 34 RBI’s in 47 games during his junior season.
The Indiana third baseman is very versatile in the field and according to this report by philly.com, Miller was signed as an outfielder.
This doesn’t come as a surprise after the Phillies drafted third baseman Alec Bohm out of Wichita State third overall and two other third basemen in the 18thand 20throunds.
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Miller has not yet been assigned to a minor league club in the Phillies organization, but could head to the Williamsport Crosscutters, Philadelphia’s rookie ball affiliate.
Herrin, the 29thround pick by the Indians, had a breakout junior season at Indiana, leading to him being drafted for the first time ever.
In 17 appearances, Herrin made 10 starts and pitched to a 3.22 ERA in 64.1 innings with 39 strikeouts.
Herrin has not been assigned to a minor league club yet either in the Indians organization but could be headed to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, Cleveland’s rookie ball affiliate.
(06/06/18 10:51pm)
The 2018 MLB draft has come and gone and four Indiana Hoosiers were selected.
Junior right-handed pitcher Jonathan Stiever was the highest Hoosier selected, going in the fifth round to the Chicago White Sox.
He was the only Hoosier taken on day two of the draft and on day three, a trio of Hoosiers heard their names called.
The Philadelphia Phillies took junior third baseman Luke Miller in the 22nd round. Senior outfielder Logan Sowers was picked up by the Chicago White Sox in the 28thround and junior left-handed pitcher Tim Herrin was drafted in the 29thround by the Cleveland Indians.
[embed]https://twitter.com/MLBDraft/status/1004069013020991488[/embed]
Stiever (5thRound, Pick 138) is the highest Hoosier selected in the MLB draft since the Chicago Cubs selected Kyle Schwarber (Round 1, Pick 4) in 2014. He is also just the sixth pitcher in program history to be drafted in the top five rounds and first since Aaron Slegers (5thRound, Minnesota Twins).
This is the first time Stiever has been drafted in his career as he led the Big Ten in strikeouts with 97, and strikeouts looking with 37, this season in 100.1 innings. His fastball consistently sits in the low 90s, but reached 97 mph in a start against Illinois on April 27.
TheHoosierNetwork.com spoke to D1baseball.com’s Aaron Fitt after Stiever’s outing against Illinois on April 27. Fitt said he projects Stiever as a back end bullpen arm in the majors with a heavy fastball and sharp breaking ball.
It is likely that Stiever will sign with the White Sox with the bonus slot being $386,000. If this is the case, Indiana will have to find a new Friday night starter for next season to lead the rotation.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/989975647945666562[/embed]
Miller (22ndRound, Pick 647) was selected for the second time in his amateur career. After being taken in the 31stround by the Minnesota Twins last year, the junior third baseman improved nine rounds in 2018.
He hit .309 with 13 home runs, 34 RBI’s in 47 games this season for Indiana. Miller missed 12 games in April with a foot injury, but made his presence in the lineup felt once again by hitting 6 home runs and driving in 15 in 21 games to end the season.
The junior Miller can return for his senior season if he chooses and see if he can increase his draft stock once again. But, with Miller turning 22-year-old this July, he may forego his senior year and get into the Phillies system as early as possible.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1003454759481806848[/embed]
Sowers (28thRound, Pick 828) was also drafted for the second time in his amateur career. He was a 31stround pick out of high school by the San Diego Padres, but decided to spend four years at Indiana instead.
In his career, Sowers hit .281 with 37 home runs and 137 RBI’s in 221 games played. He also started every single game he played in an Indiana uniform.
Sowers will have to sign with the White Sox since he has exhausted his eligibility at Indiana.
The White Sox have now drafted three Hoosiers over the last two seasons with Stiever and Sowers this year and former IU outfielder Craig Dedelow drafted in the 9thround in 2017.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/997984713787805701[/embed]
Herrin (Round 29, Pick 883) was a pleasant surprise to hear his name called. The junior left-hander had a breakout season for Indiana and moved into the starting rotation mid-way through the season.
In 17 appearances and 10 starts, Herrin pitched to a 3.22 ERA in 64.1 innings with 39 strikeouts in 2018. Also, opponents only hit .234 against him this season.
Herrin had never been drafted before but has tremendous upside as a lefty. If he decides to return for his senior year at Indiana, he’ll become a force in the weekend rotation and improve his draft stock as well.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/986435485475237888[/embed]
(06/04/18 3:15pm)
Indiana baseball battled all the way until the final out Sunday night, but fell just short to Texas in the Austin Regional, 3-2.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth, the Longhorns had to bring on Friday night starter, Chase Shugart out of the bullpen, to get Matt Lloyd swinging and end the game.
Although, Indiana’s season came to a close against Texas, the Hoosiers finished with a record of 40-19; the most single season wins in the Chris Lemonis era.
[embed]https://twitter.com/NCAACWS/status/1003507909588930562[/embed]
"I hated it for my guys that we had to come up on the short end,” IU coach Chris Lemonis said. “My heart goes out to them, they played their tails off, it has been a long couple days in the heat, and they competed pitch after pitch.”
Less than three hours after Indiana eliminated Texas A&M to reach the regional final in the 100 degree Texas heat, they had to turn around and face the Longhorns.
The Hoosiers turned in the same lineup for the second straight game with sophomore left-hander Andrew Saalfrank on the mound, and he was sensational.
Lemonis told the ESPN TV broadcasters prior to the game that the goal was to get Saalfrank through four innings.
His longest outing of the season to this point had been 3.2 innings, but with the season on the line, Saalfrank turned in a 5.1 inning performance with eight strikeouts and two earned runs.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1003468907112484865[/embed]
“I thought he was awesome. Really to come out, you just want to tell an older guy to get us through the first couple innings,” Lemonis said. “I told him when I took him out, I was so proud of him, the way he competed and fought, in a great environment against some great hitters.”
Saalfrank pitched well enough to keep Indiana in the game and his offense backed him up with a pair of RBI singles in the third inning from Luke Miller and Jeremy Houston.
The Hoagland, Indiana native exited in the sixth with the game tied at 2, but in the seventh Big 12 player of the year Kody Clemens drove home the game winning run for Texas on a two-out double.
“Today was one of those days you just want to pitch because it’s a great environment to throw in,” Saalfrank said. “I just wanted to go out there and help my team win.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1003454759481806848[/embed]
The Hoosiers almost tied the game in the bottom of the eighth, but had some tough luck on their side. With two outs and Miller on first, Matt Gorski bounced a ground-rule double off and over the six-foot left field fence.
If the ball would have stayed in the yard, there was a good chance Indiana would have scored and tied the game. But, since the ball went over for a ground-rule double, Miller had to halt at third and would be left stranded there.
“If I hit it ten feet to the right or ten feet further, it was out,” Gorski said. “It’s just how the ball bounces sometimes. Sometimes you get a good bounce and sometimes you don’t.”
The Hoosier season comes to a close with a regional final loss, but Lemonis is building the foundation for this program year-by-year.
After concluding his fourth season at the helm, he’s taken the Hoosiers to three NCAA tournaments and registered four 32-plus-win seasons. Indiana also set a season-high in team ERA (3.09) and batting average (.284) in 2018 under Lemonis.
Logan Sowers is the only senior starter that will depart the program in the offseason, but they also have a handful of juniors who may forego their senior years for professional baseball.
If Indiana gets the likes of Lloyd, Miller and starting pitchers Jonathan Stiever and Pauly Milto back for another season, they’ll be dangerous and a serious threat nationally once again next season.
(06/03/18 11:43pm)
Texas A&M jumped all over Indiana baseball during the Austin Regional opener on Friday, by putting up seven runs in the fourth inning and sending the Hoosiers to the losers bracket.
Sunday, in an elimination game the Hoosiers and Aggies faced off again and Indiana made sure to return the favor. The Indiana offense sent 13 men to the plate in the first inning and scored nine runs on eight hits.
Those first inning runs was the only scoring Indiana did in the game, but it was enough to get past the Aggies, 9-7, and set up a date with Texas in the regional championship.
“Man, thank God for the first inning for us. We were able to score nine and hang on the rest of the way," IU coach Chris Lemonis said. "A great effort by Texas A&M and it was tight all the way to the finish. But, sometimes we preach to our guys you can win it in the first inning and we were able to do that today."
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1003355601714532353[/embed]
The first five Hoosier hitters reached safely in the game as they jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. Indiana’s first out of the game was a RBI sac fly from Ryan Fineman to push the fourth run across the plate for the Hoosiers.
Then the power kicked in for Indiana, Scotty Bradley’s 2-run home run made it a 6-0 game and forced a Texas A&M pitching change after 1/3 of an inning.
Four batters later, Matt Lloyd picked up his second hit of the inning, a 3-run home run, to push the lead to 9-0.
"The whole season we’ve had one word, and that’s just: respond," starting pitcher Cameron Beauchamp said. "We’ve responded a lot through the season and that just shows. Us coming back from the loss on Friday and getting the one yesterday, and then getting the win today it just shows that we can respond in any situation."
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1003358259191873537[/embed]
After the big first inning, Indiana had some flexibility with its starting pitching. Beauchamp took the mound with a nine-run cushion and was able to get through 4.2 innings, battling the Texas heat.
The Aggie offense continued to chip away after being down nine runs to open up the game and put up five runs on 10 hits against Beauchamp.
"I just went out there and it’s 100 degrees, but the thoughts that went through my head was just keep competing, keep making pitches," Beauchamp said. "Being up It lets you settle down a little bit, but the nerves still got to me and they got to the first."
Texas A&M tallied 17 hits and nine doubles throughout the game as the Indiana offense went scoreless in the final eight frames. But the Hoosier pitching staff did a decent job of limiting the damage as the Aggies left nine runners on base.
Once Beauchamp’s day was done, Lemonis turned the ball over to Tim Herrin who allowed just one run in three innings of work.
Lloyd came in with two outs in the eighth, the game-tying run at the plate, and locked down the Aggies. He did allow a run to score in the ninth, but picked up the game winning double play ball to give Indiana the win.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1003398842589511686[/embed]
"Pretty good day by Matt Lloyd and I was worried with all the heat and everything," Lemonis said. "We talked about bringing him in in the eighth and just bringing Timmy (Herrin) back out there and using him in the jam. He does a lot of great things for us."
The Hoosiers will have a quick turnaround as first pitch against the Longhorns is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET tonight.
Indiana will have to beat No. 1 Texas twice in order to advance to the super regional. The Longhorns beat Texas Southern 10-0 in the opening round of the tournament, Texas A&M 8-3 last night and are one win away from a regional championship.
“It is hot, but we managed the championship arena," Lemonis said. "We’ve prayed for it all year long. So, I think those guys will be ready, probably a little fatigued or whatever, but you just have to fight through it."
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1003404837512470528[/embed]
(06/02/18 10:24pm)
With its backs against the wall in the NCAA Tournament, Indiana baseball turned to its most consistent starting pitcher this season, Pauly Milto. And he did not disappoint.
The junior right-hander took care of Texas Southern with ease on Saturday, tossing a complete game shutout and tied his career-high with 10 strikeouts.
The Hoosiers 6-0 win over the Tigers keeps them alive in the Austin Regional and advances them to Sunday.
“It was just a great effort, controlled the lineup and then really helped us out being able to go a complete game shutout at regionals,” IU coach Chris Lemonis said. “I told him that was the best start I’ve seen in four years.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1003021985977389057[/embed]
Milto got better as the game went on. Of his 10 strikeouts, nine of them came in the fourth inning or later and although it was a scorching 100-degrees in Austin Saturday, Milto said the heat helped him stay loose later on in the matchup.
This bounce back starting pitching performance on the mound is exactly what Indiana needed.
After Hoosier ace Jonathan Stiever allowed seven runs and failed to get out of the fourth inning on Friday, Indiana was forced to burn four bullpen arms.
The Hoosier staff gave up 10 runs on 14 hits against the Aggies, but Milto controlled Texas Southern Saturday allowing just four hits all afternoon and giving the bullpen a day off.
With potentially two more elimination games tomorrow against the potent offenses of Texas A&M and Texas, it was important for Milto to toss a complete game and Lemonis said it was huge that he kept the relievers fresh.
“We didn’t even have to crank anyone up. He was that dominant,” Lemonis said. “It was nice to hopefully be able to prepare for tomorrow. And even though everyone is on call when you’re in this situation, but it was nice today to not be able to crank anybody up.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1003012712341917701[/embed]
Indiana’s offense was kept off the board in the first three innings behind Milto, but in the fourth they broke out.
Three straight RBI extra base hits from Ryan Fineman, Justin Walker and Jeremy Houston put Indiana out to 3-0 lead and that’s all Milto would need.
Indiana added two more runs in the fifth via RBI’s from Logan Sowers and Scotty Bradley and in the eighth; Fineman punctuated the scoring with a solo home run.
The Hoosier offense that was held to just three runs on five hits against A&M Friday put up six runs on 11 hits Saturday.
“I thought we had some big two out hits,” Lemonis said. “We were a victim of it the day before and today we were able to get some to spread the game out for us.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1003005940961079297[/embed]
Indiana was expected to win against Texas Southern Saturday and they did exactly that, now the real test restarts again Sunday.
The Hoosiers will play Texas A&M for the second time in the tournament who brought the hammer down on Indiana Friday.
IU will most-likely send junior left-hander Tim Herrin to the mound against the Aggies to see if he can contain the powerful Aggie bats in the elimination game at 3 p.m.
If they win, they’ll play top-seeded Texas at 9 p.m. Sunday night.
Lemonis will have to rely on his fresh bullpen and strong bats to get two wins Sunday and force a championship game Monday against the Longhorns.
(06/02/18 1:18am)
Indiana baseball starting pitcher Jonathan Stiever and Texas A&M starter John Doxakis went toe-to-to through the first three innings, each facing the minimum.
But the fourth inning was a different story for Stiever. He only recorded two outs as the Aggie offense exploded, putting up a seven spot on the Indiana ace.
That monster fourth inning was all the Aggies needed as they took control and never looked back, beating Indiana 10-3 to open up the Austin Regional in the NCAA tournament.
“It is probably most of it on myself, not being able to get ahead in the count and when I was able to make quality pitches they were able to take advantage in those scenarios,” Stiever said. “Give them credit but I am more frustrated with myself in those scenarios.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/AggieBaseball/status/1002706838947749890[/embed]
Texas A&M’s potent offense ran Stiever out of the game in the fourth, but they were also backed by a stellar start on the mound from Doxakis.
The sophomore left-hander struck out 12 Hoosiers through six innings, while only allowing one hit and one unearned run Friday.
The first time through the lineup, Doxakis struck out seven-out-of-nine Hoosiers.
Shortstop Jeremy Houston was the only Hoosier to reach base safely in the first three innings after being hit by a pitch, but Doxakis quickly picked him off at first to end the third.
“Usually fastball command isn’t my best saying and once I established that it was easier to throw the slider and keep it in the same plane as the fastball,” Doxakis said. “I really didn’t feel like they knew what was coming.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/AggieBaseball/status/1002708425006972929[/embed]
After Indiana was quiet at the plate last weekend in the Big Ten tournament, it was more of the same against A&M Friday.
The Aggie pitching staff dominated the SEC, leading the conference with a 3.23 team ERA this season and Doxakis backed up that stat while recording his second consecutive 10-plus-strikeout game.
“His slider was good and the fastball he pitched in and out just all day long kept us off-balance,” IU coach Chris Lemonis said. “It’s a good arm, he’s going to beat a lot of people in his career but the slider was tough too, we just had a hard time getting on him.”
After the seven-run fourth, the Aggies added runs in the fifth, seventh and eighth innings to extend their lead.
Indiana scored on an error in the sixth for its first run of the game and the lone bright spot for the Hoosier offense was a pair of Luke Miller solo home-run’s in the seventh and ninth.
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaBase/status/1002699668638326785[/embed]
As a team, Indiana struck out 17 times while racking up just five hits in the contest.
The loss moves Indiana to the losers bracket in the Austin Regional Saturday, as they will face off against No. 4 Texas Southern at 2:30 p.m. ET in an elimination game. The Tigers lost 10-0 to No. 1 Texas Friday night.
Junior right-hander Pauly Milto will get the nod on the mound Saturday as the Hoosiers look to extend their season at least one more day.
“Give my guys credit for fighting and coming back, but against that pitching staff and that arm seven runs is a lot,” Lemonis said. “We have our back against the wall now and we’ll just play it one game at a time from this point on.”
(05/30/18 9:41pm)
The field of 64 is set for the 2018 NCAA baseball regional and the Indiana Hoosiers are a No. 2 seed for the second consecutive season.
Indiana will head to the Austin Regional hosted by No. 1 Texas and joined by No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 4 Texas Southern. The Hoosiers earned the two-seed in large part to their high RPI (29) and strong start to the season with a record of 29-6 through the first 35 games.
The Hoosiers have tailed off since then, going just 9-11 in their last 20 games. But, if they can get production out of their strong lineup and gain quality pitching, there’s a shot they could win this regional.
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Let’s take a look at how each team stacks up against Indiana heading into this weekend.
No. 4 Texas Southern (27-26 overall, 17-6 SWAC, 11-21 Away, 4-3 Neutral)
Texas Southern is not a threat to any of the top-three seeds in this tournament. They earned an automatic postseason berth after beating Grambling State 18-3 in the SWAC tournament championship.
The Tigers dominated their conference all season long, but only picked up 10 wins in the nonconference. They were 0-8 against NCAA Regional teams this season while losing to Texas 10-2 on April 18.
It’ll be tough for the Tigers to pull out a win, but do be on the lookout for outfielder Christian Sanchez who is hitting .343 with 17 home runs and 60 RBI’s this season.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TXSOTigers/status/998327820467294209[/embed]
No. 3 Texas A&M (39-20 overall, 13-17 SEC, 7-10 Away, 5-2 Neutral)
Indiana will open up the tournament against Texas A&M Friday night at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The Aggies, in addition to the Hoosiers and Longhorns, have a legit shot to advance to the Super Regionals.
After starting the season 16-1, Texas A&M finished just 23-19 and were under .500 in conference play. Although, they were tested every weekend with the SEC having 10 tournament teams and four of them being regional hosts.
In the SEC tournament, the Aggies beat three regional teams, Vanderbilt, Georgia and Auburn, before being bounced by eventual conference champion Ole Miss in the semifinals, 2-1.
[embed]https://twitter.com/AggieBaseball/status/1001156145568890880[/embed]
The Aggies pose threats both at the plate and on the mound. As a team they hit .284 with 50 home runs this year while averaging close to six runs per game.
Michael Helman leads the club with a .366 batting average, and while there’s not one power hitter that stands out, seven Aggies have at least five home runs and five have at least 30 RBI’s.
On the mound, quality starting pitching from John Doxakis (2.89 ERA, 80 K’s, 87.1 IP) and Mitchell Kilkenny (3.00 ERA, 87 K’s, 93 IP) help pace A&M while closer Nolan Hoffman (1.24 ERA, 14 saves, 51 K’s, 51 IP) has shutdown hitters all season.
Texas A&M’s 3.23 team ERA was tops in the SEC this season which will cause major issues for Indiana if the bats stay quiet like they have been during most of the last 20 games.
One way Indiana could get past the Aggies is if Jonathan Stiever can be the lock down ace that he has been all season and the bullpen and defense backs him up as well.
No. 1 Texas (37-20 overall, 17-7 Big 12, 27-7 Home)
It’s the Longhorn’s regional to lose. After starting the season 9-9, they completely flipped the script and finished 28-11 and Big 12 regular season champions.
Texas and Indiana had opposite seasons with the Longhorns being cold to start then finishing hot, and that’s a major reason why they’re a regional host and the Hoosiers are not.
The Longhorns don’t have stellar pitching with a team ERA of 4.36 and their top-starting pitcher, Blair Henley, holds an ERA of 3.54, but they get it done at the plate.
If Indiana is matched up against Texas, they’ll have to capitalize on poor pitching and shutdown the Longhorn offense led by Big 12 player of the year and Golden Spikes Award finalist, infielder Kody Clemens.
Clemens is the son of seven-time Cy Young award winner Roger Clemens and leads the Longhorns with a .341 batting average, 19 home runs and 61 RBI’s. The potent Longhorn offense matches Indiana’s season total scoring six runs per game.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TexasBaseball/status/1001460665771544577[/embed]
The Longhorns also have home-field advantage, which will give them even more of an edge.
Even in Indiana’s first round matchup against A&M, you can guarantee that Aggie fans will travel well just two hours west to Austin, and Longhorn fans will want to see an old rivalry of Texas-Texas A&M renewed in round two.
Indiana will face a hostile environment all weekend long being the only non-Texas team in the regional.
Can the Hoosiers advance?
IU Coach Chris Lemonis said it the best at the end of the regular season, they’ll need quality starting pitching, timely hitting and strong defense in order to make a deep postseason run.
In the Big Ten tournament, Indiana struggled in each of those phases at some point as they were ousted after three games of the double elimination tournament.
Against A&M in game one, IU will have to go toe-to-toe with the Aggie pitching and hope the bats can capitalize on mistakes.
If they get to face Texas, the Longhorn lineup will be a cause for concern against Indiana’s pitching staff and the Hoosier bats will have to take care of Texas’ not-so-stellar pitching.
If the Hoosiers face Texas Southern in an elimination game, they’ll have to just play their game and Indiana will be fine.
It’ll be a new and hostile environment in Texas all weekend long for Indiana players, but maybe they can click on all phases, get it done and advance to a super regional.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TexasBaseball/status/1001627548097437702[/embed]
(05/24/18 11:15pm)
Indiana baseball head coach Chris Lemonis said the Hoosiers would need quality starting pitching, lockdown defense and timely hits to have success in the postseason.
The Hoosiers struggled in all three of those categories until they were down to their final out Thursday afternoon in an elimination game against No. 8 Michigan State.
Down three runs in the bottom of the ninth, outfielder Matt Gorski sent a three run moonshot to left to tie the game 5-5. In the tenth inning, Wyatt Cross walked-off the Hoosiers with a RBI single to complete the dramatic 6-5 win over Michigan State and kept the Hoosiers alive in the Big Ten tournament.
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaBase/status/999766437097963520[/embed]
“We’re a really powerful team and we do a lot of great things,” Gorski said. “We run well, we hit well, and power is a really big strength for us and we really had to adjust with this big ballpark and new atmosphere.”
For most of the game, and the tournament, Indiana struggled at the plate as they were coming off a two hit, one run performance in the 7-1 loss to No. 4 Illinois Wednesday night.
Thursday afternoon, MSU starting pitcher Mason Earla held Indiana hitless through the first 5.1 innings in a 5-0 game. His no-hit bid was finally snapped after a Matt Lloyd RBI single in the sixth to make it a 5-1 deficit.
From there, Indiana had opportunities, but still struggled to bring runs across the plate. The Hoosiers struck out with the bases loaded in both the seventh and eighth innings in prime scoring opportunities.
Through the first eight innings, Indiana left eight runners on base and was two-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
But much like we’ve seen all season long the Hoosiers came back late and won in dramatic fashion after the three-run shot by Gorski in the ninth to tie it, and the walk-off by Cross in the 10th to win it.
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaBase/status/999771946186309632[/embed]
“I feel like the attitude of our team, we’re just a bunch of scrappers and we’re not going to go down without a fight,” Cross said. “Everybody on this team wants to play, wants to be here and wants to win a Big Ten championship.”
While Indiana executed at the plate in the very last moments of the game, poor defense and starting pitching almost eliminated the Hoosiers.
Wednesday night against Illinois, the defense was a let down in the sixth inning of a scoreless game.
It looked as if starting pitcher Jonathan Stiever was going to escape a jam with two runners on. Instead, two costly two out errors by shortstop Jeremy Houston and right fielder Logan Sowers allowed three Illini runs to come across and make it a 3-0 game. Illinois would blow it open in the seventh with a 3-run home run and eventually send IU to the elimination bracket.
Against Michigan State on Thursday afternoon, the starting pitching wasn’t sharp. Junior right-hander Pauly Milto and his 2.00 ERA took the hill to try and keep Indiana from heading home early.
After three scoreless innings, Milto couldn’t record an out in the fourth inning as Michigan State went up 3-0 after the fourth and would later extend the lead to five.
[embed]https://twitter.com/lemo22/status/999795980768825344[/embed]
Although the Indiana offense had just two hits through the first 14.1 innings in Omaha, they found a couple of clutch hits late to avoid going 0-2 in the Big Ten tournament for the first time since 1991.
“They way our offense is built, we do hit the long ball,” Lemonis said. “It’s probably not built great for this park, but it gives us an opportunity to come back. Not a great game, but a great finish for us, we live to play another day which is exciting."
Indiana will try to avenge its Wednesday night loss by playing Illinois again Friday night at 8:30 p.m. ET in an elimination game.
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(05/20/18 1:23am)
It was a senior day to remember for Indiana baseball outfielder Logan Sowers.
Riding an eight-game hit streak, the West Lafayette native picked up four hits, five RBI’s and belted two home runs in his final game at Bart Kaufman Field.
His torrid day at the dish led Indiana to a 13-3 win Saturday and series sweep over Maryland. Indiana ends the regular season with a record of 37-15 overall and 14-9 in Big Ten play heading into the conference tournament.
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“I always get into these spurts where I see the ball real well and I hit for some nice power,” Sowers said. “I really haven’t done that a whole lot this year, I feel like, regarding the power. You know, it’s a good time to start doing it.”
After hitting just five home runs through Indiana’s first 45 games, Sowers has teed off for four long balls in the Hoosiers last seven.
In addition to his four home runs, Sowers is 13-for-29 with 13 RBI’s at the plate in that span leading the Hoosiers to six straight wins to end the regular season.
It’s the perfect time for Sowers to heat up as the Hoosiers head into the Big Ten tournament as the No. 5 seed next week and play No. 4 Illinois in the first round.
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaBase/status/997952287162052608[/embed]
“You know, we’ve been really hot, the last week-and-a-half, two weeks,” Sowers said. “We’re feeling really good. Confidence is a huge thing in baseball. I think, for the most part, everybody on our team is feeling pretty confident.”
The turnaround and strong finish at the end of the year was exactly what the Hoosiers needed. Indiana was ranked as high as No. 8 in the country at one point in the season with a record of 29-6.
But a steep decline in late April and early May saw them lose nine of 11 games, drop out of the top 25 and fight for position in the Big Ten standings to even make the conference tournament.
They took two of three at Nebraska last weekend, picked up a major mid-week extra innings win at Louisville and swept Maryland to end the year on a high-note.
Now, they’re a very dangerous five seed with a strong NCAA tournament resume.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/997992052418908161[/embed]
“I thought it was huge for us to be able to get into the five-seed and just keep building our resume, RPI, that, the feeling of the program,” IU head coach Chris Lemonis said. “I think some of our hitters feel like we're back and we're clicking. I've said it all year, but right now is probably some of the best baseball we're playing.”
Lemonis said early in the season when the Hoosiers were 23 games above .500, they still weren’t clicking as a team. Now with the increased play of Sowers, Luke Miller and Matt Lloyd at the plate, plus Jeremy Houston defensively at shortstop he feels like they have more of a chance.
Indiana has a legit shot to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament this season and head to its first College World Series since 2013. Lemonis said the keys to making a deep run are good starting pitching, solid defense and timely hits.
As Sowers career winds down, his 230 hits rank 10thall time in school history and 36 home runs have him tied for eighth all time. With all the success Sowers has had in his four years, he’s missing one thing: a championship ring.
After being bounced in the Lexington regional a year ago, he’s expecting bigger and better things from his team in 2018.
“This is the most confident I’ve ever felt, going into a post-season,” Sowers said. “I think we’ve got a really strong chance of going really far. And I’m really looking forward to it.”
(05/14/18 2:50am)
At the beginning of the year, Indiana baseball certainly didn’t want to be sitting at sixth in the Big Ten standings with an 11-9 conference record heading into the final weekend of the season.
But that’s where they are now. After losing nine of its last 11 games, it seems as if Indiana is coming back to life at the right time as they won two of three at Nebraska this weekend.
Following Friday night’s 5-2 loss, the Hoosier offense hit .346 with 10 extra base hits, including four home runs, in 6-3 and 8-6 wins in the final two games of the series against the Cornhuskers.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/995754030088339456[/embed]
IU’s team batting average over the last 11 games was a mere .246 after starting the year off at .296 as a team with a 29-6 record.
But against Nebraska, a handful of struggling Hoosier power hitters turned in quality performances at the plate and seem to be heading in the right direction as the regular season comes to a close and postseason tournaments are around the corner.
Senior right fielder Logan Sowers racked up six hits in the series, two being home runs which snapped a 13-game home run drought, and four RBI’s in the three game set.
During Indiana’s previous 10 games, he only had two RBI’s in the middle of the Hoosier order.
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Junior Matt Lloyd picked up seven hits on the weekend after being in a free-fall at the dish since hitting two home runs in one game against Northwestern on April 13.
Lloyd saw his season batting average dip from .289 after that day all the way down to .256 at one point in the Illinois series during the end of April. He is now riding a five-game hit streak with 11 knocks during his streak.
Junior third baseman Luke Miller hit his first home run since March 17 in Saturday’s 6-3 win.
After starting off the season with seven bombs in the first 18 games, Miller missed 12 games in April with a foot injury. But in his ninth game back from injury, he finally connected for his first home run and team leading eighth of the season.
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Indiana missing production out of those three guys was big for them during its losing skid.
A couple of key players who are still struggling after this weekend are junior center fielder Logan Kaletha and junior catcher Ryan Fineman. The two combined to go just two-for-26 in the box against Nebraska.
Kaletha’s batting average has plummeted from .329 to .272 and Fineman’s average has quickly dropped from .341 to .291.
Although Kaletha and Fineman have struggled lately, some surprise performances have filled the void.
Freshman Drew Ashley is starting to earn everyday starts and is 13-for-29 with three home runs and six RBI’s in his last eight games while sophomore first baseman Scotty Bradley launched his sixth home run of the season Saturday.
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaBase/status/995399285264044032[/embed]
Another key element that gives Indiana a chance to win every time out is the starting pitching.
Ace Jonathan Stiever was handed the loss Friday night, but pitched well enough to keep the Hoosiers in the game going six innings and allowing just three earned runs.
Saturday, IU welcomed back junior right-hander Pauly Milto, who made his first start in a month due to arm soreness, and picked up 6.2 innings of one run ball from its starting rotation ERA leader.
A healthy Milto down the stretch will eat innings and keep the bullpen fresh for Indiana like he did in the first part of the season. Indiana struggled on Saturday’s without Milto over the last month going 1-2 during games he would have started and averaged less than five innings per start from sophomore left-hander Cameron Beauchamp.
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaBase/status/995409621782335489[/embed]
The emergence of junior left-handed starting pitcher Tim Herrin on the mound for the Hoosiers has also been a pleasant surprise of late as he went five innings of one run ball on Sunday.
Indiana has won four of Herrin’s last five starts when he throws five-plus innings as he’s now pushed himself into the Sunday starter role.
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Postseason Outlook?
The last three weeks have been ones to forget if you’re an Indiana baseball fan, but with slumping hitters coming through this past weekend and the starting rotation staying competitive and getting Milto back, Indiana will be just fine.
They won’t be in the mix as a regional host anymore, but if the Hoosiers can close out the regular season strong, take some momentum and win games in the Big Ten tournament, we should expect a No. 2 seed from this club.
At the beginning of the week, Indiana was slotted as a No. 3 seed in the Clemson regional in D1 Baseball’s Projected Field of 64.
With an RPI of 27, a mid-week game at Louisville (RPI 26) and a weekend series at home against Maryland, (24-27 overall, 9-11 Big Ten) this last week is important for locking up a spot in the Big Ten tournament (Top eight teams qualify) and finishing off a strong regular season resume.
Last season, Indiana was 33-22-2, had an RPI of 26 and locked up the No. 2 seed in the Lexington Regional. There’s no reason to think that this 2018 club, whose record is 33-15 at the moment and has a RPI of 27 can’t do the same thing.
Baseball is a long season and adversity was almost bound to hit after starting the year 23 games above .500. If Indiana can right its wrongs and keep the momentum going after two wins to end the weekend, this team can still make a deep run in both the Big Ten and NCAA tournament and finish off a very special season on a high note.
(05/09/18 3:16am)
In the game of baseball, it’s often the little things such as base running and executing with runners in scoring position that separate wins from losses.
For Indiana baseball, it struggled heavily in both of those categories Tuesday night at home against No. 21 Kentucky, losing 7-6.
The Hoosiers have now lost eight of their last 10 games and have seen their record go from 29-6 to 31-14 in the last 10 games.
“It’s been like that for two weeks,” IU Head Coach Chris Lemonis said. “We just keep losing close games and we’re leaving guys out there and not executing.”
(04/30/18 11:40pm)
It’s official. Romeo Langford is an Indiana Hoosier.
So let’s take a look at the projected starting five for Indiana next year and where Langford will fit in.
The Hoosiers had nine different players over the course of the 2017-2018 season make starts. The two most consistent were senior guard Robert Johnson and junior forward Juwan Morgan combining to start all but one game for Indiana in last years 16-win season.
With Johnson and Josh Newkirk graduated, this opens up two guard spots that were occupied in the starting lineup for most of last season.
Devonte Green has the most returning starts from a season ago with 12 and started the last seven games to end 2018.
We saw what Green could do when he was a pass first guard and inserting him in the starting lineup next to Langford at shooting guard will only make Green’s all-around game better.
Here’s our projected starting five for the 2018-2019 season:
Langford slotted in at shooting guard will be an x-factor for Indiana scoring the ball. It also gives the Hoosiers some size in their guard play.
At 6-foot-5, Langford becomes the tallest guard on the Hoosier roster and replaces the 6-foot-1 Newkirk and 6-foot-3 Johnson. Indiana was undersized all of last season and especially hampered when Davis went down with a season ending Achilles injury in early January.
After Davis went down, Coach Archie Miller put a major emphasis on guard rebounding, as for the majority of the games; the 6-foot-8 Morgan was the tallest Hoosier on the court. Langford size will definitely help Indiana with their guard rebounding.
We saw Zach McRoberts earn 17 starts last year, and although he is a fan favorite that can do it all, he’ll be much more utilized as a spark plug off the bench. An older more polished Justin Smith should slot in nicely at forward with Morgan and a healthy Davis.
Where does Romeo help Indiana the most?
Langford adds help where Indiana needs it the most: offense.
As a team, the Hoosiers were 11thin the Big Ten in scoring (71.9 ppg), 13thin 3-point FG percentage (.322) and eighth in field goal percentage (.456).
Langford’s ability to catch and shoot, create his own shot and shoot off the dribble will help the Hoosiers tremendously in these areas. Plus he can serve as a great decoy on offense as well.
Every player on each opposing team will know who he is and be aware of where he is on the court at all times. Miller can easily take Langford completely out of a play on offense and open up more room on the court for Green to drive to the basket or Morgan to work down low with Davis or Smith.
[embed]https://twitter.com/Frankie_Vision/status/972907535589142528[/embed]
What about the rest of the guards?
Langford is most likely a lock in the starting lineup for Indiana at shooting guard, but the point guard position is up in the air.
Green’s strong finish to last season puts him ahead as of now, but an older Al Durham and incoming freshman Rob Phinisee are both very much be in the mix for the starting point guard role.
Also, incoming freshman Damezi Anderson should serve as a three-point shooting threat off the bench in relief of Langford.
Indiana pulling in Langford is not only big for Archie Miller to lay the foundation of his program, but also to get ahead of other Big Ten programs.
Langford at number six, according to 247 sports, is the highest ranked Big Ten commit out of the 2018 class. Maryland’s Jalen Smith (No. 14) and Illinois Ayo Dosunmu (No. 30) are the only other top 30 players to sign with Big Ten teams.
With Langford, the ceiling is high and the talent will impact Indiana immediately. The real question is how long will he stick around in a cream and crimson uniform?
(04/29/18 11:06pm)
Indiana baseball’s silent bats were brought back to life Sunday afternoon.
Back to back home runs from Scotty Bradley and Matt Gorski in second inning pushed Indiana out to an early 3-0 lead as the offense continued to roll and beat Illinois 9-2 to win the series.
“They disappeared for a little while for us,” IU head coach Chris Lemonis said. “But Scotty’s home run and getting those two home runs back to back I think kind of took it off everybody’s shoulders and we could relax and play the game.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/990661404956024832[/embed]
After averaging slightly over three runs per game in the last six, the Hoosiers broke out for nine runs on 10 hits, including three home runs Sunday.
The offensive revival was exactly what Indiana was missing over the last six games. They dropped the series opener to the Illini after putting up just two runs Friday and then won a 2-1 game in 12 innings Saturday.
Sunday, they were able to get ahead and let starting pitcher Tim Herrin settle in to throw a career high seven innings while holding the Illini to just two earned runs.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/990702391111700482[/embed]
“They have a good offense and I was going in there trying to execute pitches,” Herrin said. “Throw strikes, pitch to contact and I had a lot of good plays behind me with Jeremy at shortstop, Drew Ashley at third and then a few good plays in the outfield too.”
Herrin only struck out one over his seven innings of work but picked up 11 groundouts and let his defense get the job done behind him.
Lemonis said when Herrin has his best stuff; he doesn’t strikeout a lot of hitters, but rather lets opponents pound his two-seam fastball into the dirt for ground balls.
The Hoosiers are no stranger to strong pitching however, leading the nation with a 2.40 ERA. Without Pauly Milto (1.83 ERA) in the rotation this weekend due to injury, Indiana starters were still able to throw 19.2 innings over three games allowing just five earned runs.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/990705185856073728[/embed]
Perhaps the biggest thing the Hoosier pitching staff did all weekend was limit Illini first baseman Bren Spillane at the plate. He entered the series leading the nation in batting average (.444), and the Big Ten in home runs (16) and RBI’s (46), but went just 2-for-9 against Indiana this weekend.
“Don’t let him beat us, that was our biggest approach going into this weekend,” Herrin said. “Their whole lineup is good but we knew he was one of the best in the country and we wanted to go into this weekend, not pitch around him but execute pitches and just not let him be the one guy that beats us this weekend.”
The series win now puts Indiana back on track with a 31-10 overall record and near the top in a very compacted Big Ten standings at 9-5 in the conference.
With three conference series left for Indiana, Michigan stands a top the conference at 12-2 followed by Minnesota (11-3), Purdue (10-4), Illinois (10-5) and Indiana (9-5).
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/990708050557272065[/embed]
The Hoosiers head to Minneapolis next weekend to take on the Gophers in what could be a very critical series if the Hoosiers still want to contend for a Big Ten regular season title.
“We had a rough week so coming in and winning and fighting after that really tough Friday night loss was huge for us,” Lemonis said. “It keeps us resume building and it keeps us in the top half of the Big Ten so that will be a big weekend next weekend.”
(04/28/18 11:14pm)
With two outs in the top of the ninth in a 1-0 game, Indiana baseball head coach Chris Lemonis opted to pull reliever Cal Krueger after 2.2 innings pitched and bring in BJ Sabol for a lefty-lefty matchup.
The move didn’t work. Illinois tied the game 1-1 and Indiana could feel its four game losing streak possibly pushing to five with extra innings on the horizon.
With the game still tied in the bottom of the 12th, freshman Drew Ashley, checking in at 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, led off the frame. He sent a fly ball to right field perfectly into the jet stream sailing over the wall for a walk-off home run as Indiana snapped its four game losing streak 2-1 and picked up its 30thwin of the season.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/990348887809576960[/embed]
“It just kind of kept carrying and carrying and I’m glad it did,” Lemonis said. “He’s a smaller guy so you don’t know but there’s some juice in the bat but he’s been hot of late too, just usually has really good at bats.”
The walk off was Ashley’s first career home run as a Hoosier, but that wouldn’t have been possible without the stellar start from sophomore Cam Beauchamp on the mound.
Making his second consecutive Saturday start he allowed just two hits and struck out four to keep Indiana ahead all game until the ninth.
He gave up just one hit through his first five innings of work and faced one over the minimum in innings three through five. That kept his pitch count down finishing at 88 on the afternoon and allowed him to escape a tough first and third jam with two outs in the sixth to keep Indiana ahead in a tight game.
“It was his best outing of his career I think it’s the first time he really pitched,” Lemonis said. “And he just pitched and it’s a good lineup and he just pitched in and out and didn’t leave them any balls over the plate and gave us a great outing.”
The last time Beauchamp pitched six innings was March 18 against Northern Illinois. With Indiana’s usual Saturday starter Pauly Milto out for the second straight weekend with arm soreness and with the game going to extra innings, Lemonis said it was key for him to eat up innings.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/990354364060569601[/embed]
As for Ashley, he picked up the first three hit game and home run of his Indiana career Saturday. After getting the start back-to-back days, he’s now 5-for-8 in the series.
“Whenever you’re trying to do it for the team, you’re not really worried about your individual results,” Ashley said. “That’s when everything comes together and that’s why we’re a team.”
Indiana still owns the best team ERA in the nation at 2.41, but the hitting has struggled to get it going as of late averaging just over three runs in the last five games.
On Saturday they struggled once again by picking up just two extra base hits in the 12 inning affair, but they finally pulled through with the big hit off the bat of Ashley to end the four game skid.
“It feels good our kids are joking because we give out a game shirt and they want to burn number 30 because its been sitting there all week,” Lemonis said. “For our guys it was a good win, tough win, we’re still not swinging it great but when you pitch and play defense you always have a chance.”
(04/26/18 10:50pm)
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUjAWIjBPjI&feature=youtu.be[/embed]
Indiana baseball junior outfielder Logan Kaletha leads the team in home runs (7) and slugging percentage (.563) while serving as the Hoosier lead off hitter.
He doesn't get his hands in a traditional power position at the plate, yet he's still able to drive the ball out of the yard.
In addition to his power at the dish, he's 2nd in the Big Ten in on base percentage (.490), third in walks (30) and fourth in all of the NCAA in hit by pitches (18).
The Hoosier Network's Zain Pyarali talks with Kaletha about where his power comes from and his approach at the plate in this Indiana Baseball Breakdown.