Behind the Plate

A Look at Michigan State

2010-05-13T21:33:00.007-04:00

Overall Record - 30-16
Conference Record - 8-10
Team BA - .325 (IU - .321)
Team ERA - 5.21 (IU - 6.57)

Hitter to watch for: Eli Boike. While the Spartans have many solid hitters (7 starters hit .330 or better), I chose Boike as the player to watch for. Boike leads the Spartans in average (.373), slugging percentage (.599), triples (4), homeruns (7), and OB% (.442).

Probable Starters:
Friday - AJ Achter - 4.01 ERA, 83 IP, 85 hits, 68 Ks, 32 BBs
Saturday - Kurt Wunderlich - 4.58 ERA, 74.2 IP, 90 hits, 42 Ks, 25 BBs
Sunday - Tony Bucciferro - 4.66 ERA, 77.1 IP, 89 hits, 45 Ks, 15 BBs

Speedsters:
Michigan State has stolen 81 bases this years much in part to the speedy duo of Jeff Holm (22 SBs) and Brandon Eckerle (21 SBs). The IU pitchers and Dylan Swift must be very aware of these two, as well as Derek Roof (13 SBs) and Ryan Jones (9 SBs) when they are on the basepaths.

High Scoring Games:
With two of the best offensive teams in the Big Ten, look for this weekend to potentially turn into high scoring affairs. IU should be able to put up runs against a Michigan State starting rotation that will give up hits. While I shouldn't have any problems scoring this weekend, IU must get solid starting performances from its own weekend starters against a Spartan team that comes into the weekend with the best batting average in the Big Ten.

Carr has been great on Sundays, and we will need the same out of him this weekend. Leienger needs to get back to what he was doing early in the season and a Saturday guy (whether it be Hoffman, Stadler, Igel, or an other) needs to give IU 5+ good innings. If the Hoosier pitching cannot keep the Michigan State offense at bay, look for these game to get into double digits very quickly.

Go Hoosiers!

Strong Pitching Gives IU Series Victory in Game 3

2010-05-12T19:01:00.006-04:00

Strong Pitching behind Matt Carr (who has been phenominal since recovery from injury) and Chris Squires led IU to a much needed series victory against a good Northwestern squad. The series was very important in the conference standings as IU now holds a spot in the top 6 teams in the conference.

Recap ~~~ Box Score

Hoosiers Split Games 1 and 2 with Northwestern

2010-05-09T11:55:00.003-04:00

Game 1
After finally getting off to a strong start by jumping out to to 9-0 lead much in part to 4 homers in 2 innings (2 from Earley and 1 each from Dickerson and E. Wilson), IU was able to hold off Northwestern in Game 1 in route to a 11-9 victory. While still giving up 9 earned runs, Leininger held the Northwestern offense to 9 hits and struck out 6 while giving IU a much needed 7.1 innings pitched before handing the game over to Squires who finished the game to notch his 7th save of the season. Offensively, the Hoosiers were led by their 4 (Dickerson) and 5 (Earley) hitters who combined for 6 hits, 4 runs scored, 3 homeruns, and 7 RBI. Additionally, Lambert, Rogers, and Swift all finshed with 2 hits a piece.
Box Score ~~ Recap

Game 2
Much in part to a weak starting performance by Freshman Jonny Hoffman, 5 errors (3 by Tyler Rogers) committed by the Hoosier defense, and only 8 hits, IU fell to Northwestern 11-4 in Game 2. After obtaining an early 9-0 lead in Game 1, the Hoosiers started slow against Northwestern in Game 2 falling behind 9-0 through 4 innings. Relief pitching was solid, however, as Zerman, Igel, and Smith combined for 4 innings pitched while only allowing 3 hits, 1 earned run, while striking out 4. At the plate, Dickerson (HR, 2B), Rogers, and Wilson all chipped in 2 hits a piece.
Box Score ~~ Recap

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Purdue

2010-05-04T08:50:00.002-04:00

The Indiana baseball Hoosiers hosted the Boilermakers of Purdue this past weekend for a three game set and came away with a win (12-11 in Game 2) and two losses (12-10 in Game 1, 10-7 in Game 3) for the series. This series was one that IU needed badly, but unfortunately things didn't work in the Hoosiers' favor. While Indiana easily could have won all three games, they were only able to get it done in Game 2 on Saturday, and as a result, they now sit in a three-way tie for 6th in the Big Ten with Michigan State and Penn State at 7-8 in conference play and 21-21 overall. Here's a breakdown on what was good, what was bad and what was ugly this weekend:

The Good
- 29 Runs in 3 Games - After being shut-out twice a weekend ago at Minnesota, the Hoosier offense roared back this past weekend against Purdue. IU's hitters knocked around Purdue's pitching all weekend long, but unfortunately the Hoosier hurlers couldn't tame the Boilermakers at the plate, thus the reason for IU's 1-2 mark for the series.

- Micah Johnson - In his first match-up with arch-rival Purdue, the freshman went 9-17 with 2 doubles, a triple, a pair of home runs, 7 runs scored, and 5 runs batted in. Not a bad weekend to say the least.

The Bad
- 24 Strikeouts in 3 Games - I've harped on this before, but IU's hitters continue to give up at-bats at the plate. While the Hoosiers did put up plenty of runs on the board against Purdue, with the way things have been going on the mound for Indiana, the pitchers need all the help they can get. That means cutting down on strikeouts offensively.

- 4 Errors in Games 1 and 2 - While the 2 errors committed by the Hoosier defense didn't cost IU in Game 2, the pair of errors made by Micah Johnson and Matt Ernest in Game 1 led to 2 unearned runs, which ultimately proved to be the difference in the final outcome (a 12-10 loss)

The Ugly
- 33 Runs in 3 Games - At the end of the day, Indiana's pitching staff simply doesn't have the depth and talent necessary to compete with the Big Ten's elite teams this season. Yes, there are bright spots and solid performances for the most part each and every weekend, but overall IU's pitching continues to be a big weakness for this team.

- Drew Leininger - After dominating throughout the first half of the season, the sophomore left-hander has now been roughed up in 2 consecutive starts. Leininger gave up 11 runs on 10 hits, 2 walks, a HBP, 4 wild pitches and a balk. Obviously, he struggled mightily. I certainly hope he gets things back on track next weekend at Northwestern, but I will admit I am concerned that Leininger is either injured or hit some sort of "wall" and that his recent performances might negatively impact his confidence moving forward. Hopefully I am wrong, though.

Next Up - Northwestern
It's finals week at IU, so that means no mid-week games for the Hoosiers. Next up on the Big Ten docket is Northwestern, the surprise of the Big Ten in 2010. The Wildcats entered conference action at the bottom of the standings and little was expected of them in Big Ten play. However, Northwestern has jumped out to a 9-6 conference record entering next weekend's showdown with the Hoosiers and is currently tied with Ohio State for first place in the Big Ten. Needless to say, next weekend's tilt will be a crucial series for the Hoosiers as they look to make a move up in the standings and solidify their place as one of the top six teams in the conference.

Go Hoosiers!

Hoosiers Crushed 17-4 by Sycamores

2010-04-29T09:25:00.003-04:00

Once again, the Indiana baseball Hoosiers fell behind early (4-0 in the 1st) and were never able to recover as they dropped Wednesday's contest at home against in-state foe Indiana State (27-12) by a score of 17-4. The Hoosiers were outhit 15-8, committed 3 errors and were essentially outplayed by the Sycamores in virtually all aspects of the game. Jerry Kleman got the start on the mound and ultimately took the loss as he yielded 4 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks in 3 innings of work.

Player of the Game - Tyler Rogers
Rogers went 2-4 with a pair of doubles and a run batted in. The offense didn't do much against ISU, but Rogers was one of the few bright spots.

Stat of the Game - 12 Walks
Indiana's pitchers allowed 12 bases on balls on Wednesday. Clearly, that is far too many free passes. At the very least, the Hoosiers hurlers need to give themselves a chance by throwing strikes and letting the defense (which I know has been porous at times) make plays behind them.

Breakdown - Pitching?
While I understand that IU's pitching is very thin when it comes to mid-week games, I was nevertheless disappointed by yesterday's lopsided defeat. Yes, ISU has a good record and is a very solid team by all accounts, but I still thought the Hoosiers should have given them more of a game at the very least. This makes 3 lopsided losses in the last 4 games. Let's hope this is not a trend that continues and that the Hoosiers get things turned around this weekend against Purdue.

Next Up - Purdue (24-16)
Conference arch-rival Purdue comes to town for a crucial 3-game set. Both the Hoosiers and Boilermakers sit in a three-way tie for 5th in the Big Ten Standings at 6-6, 1 game back of four teams tied for first heading into this weekend. Obviously, this series will be huge for both squads.

Go Hoosiers!

Hoosiers Take Game 2, Drop Game 3 at Gophers

2010-04-26T18:00:00.003-04:00

Game 2 - Indiana 7, Minnesota 2
The Hoosiers picked up their lone victory of the series behind 5.2 strong innings of work from starter Jonny Hoffman and a pair of hits (including what was likely one of the longest home runs in IU history) and 3 runs batted in from Alex Dickerson. Micah Johnson, Josh Lyon and Dylan Swift each recorded 2 hits a piece as well, and Walker Stadler pitched 3.1 innings of scoreless relief to notch his first career save as a Hoosier.

Click here for the box score and here for the recap from IUHoosiers.com.

Game 3 - Minnesota 10, Indiana 0
For the second time in three days, the Hoosier offense was silenced as the Golden Gophers drubbed the Hoosiers in the weekend finale to pick up a much-needed series victory. Unfortunately for IU, Michael Earley's triple was all the Hoosiers could muster at the plate on the day as the team finished with just that 1 hit, a season low, and 10 strikeouts. Even worse, the pitching was just as bad on Sunday. Although it was nice to see Matt Carr back on the mound for the first time all season, outside of his first 2 innings of work and Jerrud Sabourin's scoreless inning of relief in the 8th, the Hoosier hurlers struggled mightily on the mound. Carr took the loss, but it was Chris Squires' performance that really opened the flood gates and put this one out of reach. The normally reliable right-hander allowed 6 runs on 7 hits in 2.2 innings of work.

Click here for the box score and here for the recap from IUHoosiers.com.

Let's hope for a bounce back performance out of the team next weekend as the Hoosiers play host to rival Purdue. The conference race is still very much up in the air, and a series victory would obviously be huge for IU.

Go Hoosiers!

Hoosier Fall in Game 1 to Minnesota

2010-04-24T12:26:00.004-04:00

In Game 1 at the Metrodome in Minnesota, the Hoosiers struggled from both the mound and the plate. With only 3 hits (2 from Mack, 1 from Earley) and 0 runs in the entire game from one of the best offensive teams in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers could not get anything going at the plate. On the other hand, the Gophers were seeing the ball very well as they banged out 12 hits and 7 earned runs in 3.1 innings off IU ace Drew Leininger who entered the game with a 1.20 ERA. After chasing Leininger out of the game, the damage continue as the Minnesota bats put up 12 more hits and 7 more earned runs off Hoosier relievers Alex Zerman an Derek Roof.

Click here for the recap and here for the box score from IUHoosiers.com.

Let's hope the Hoosiers can put together a better showing today and tomorrow leave Minnesota with the series victory.

Go Hoosiers!

Meet the Minnesota Gophers

2010-04-22T18:45:00.014-04:00

Record: 14-23 (4-5 in Big Ten)

Projected Starters:
Friday-Seth Rosin. According to Rosin's bio, he is a "power pitcher who throws strikes and mixes in a curve ball." After being named Third-Team All-Big Ten last year going 7-1 with a 4.21 ERA while striking out 65 batters in 77 innings of work, Rosin (pictured on right) was invited to the prestigious Cape Code league where he flourished finishing with an 1.87 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 33.1 innings for the Hyannis Mets. So far this year, Rosin is 3-3 with a 4.15 ERA. While those numbers are not overly impressive, he has struck out 49 batters compared to only 2 (yes, only 2) walks on the year. He propensity to throw strikes, however, has gotten him into a little trouble with the longball as he has given up 6 on the season. IU's sluggers will need to capitalize on this.

Saturday-TJ Oakes. As a 6'5", 215 freshman, Oakes (3.94 ERA) has stepped in as the regular Saturday guy and has performed very well. He has a solid K/BB ratio with 31 to 13 and is holding hitters to a .277 batter average.

Sunday-Phil Isaksson. Although Isaksson is the Sunday guy, this may be the one IU hitters should fear the most. I say this for two reasons: 1) He is lefthanded and 2) He has a good curveball. With our #1, #3, #4, and #6 hitters all batting from the left side, look for Isaksson to utilize the curve early and often to keep the IU sluggers off balance. For the season, he has a 3.95 ERA with 35 Ks in 43.1 innings pitched.

Best Hitter: Michael Kvasnicka
The switch hitting Kvasnicka (.352 BA) leads the Gophers in nearly all major offensive categories including batting average, hits, doubles, homeruns, RBIs, and slugging percentage. To make matter worse, he sports a 28-10 walk to strikeout ratio.

Key Matchup:
Scott Matyas (Minn) vs. Chris Squires (Ind)
With arguably the two best closers in the Big Ten facing off this weekend, the Hoosiers must get the lead early so we see Squires rather than Matyas on the mound in the ninth. Matyas is a very good strikeout pitcher striking out 25 in 18.1 innings pitched for the season. He is not unhittable, however, allowing more than 1 hit per inning and 3 homeruns in only 18.1 innings.

Interesting Stat:
Alex Dickerson is tied at 16 homers with Minnesota's entire roster.

Hoosiers Fall to Red Hawks 8-6

2010-04-21T09:01:00.002-04:00

The loss ended IU's 4-game win streak. The Hoosiers are now 19-16 overall and 5-4 in Big Ten play heading into this weekend's trip to Minnesota to take on a Golden Gophers squad that is 4-5 in conference action and 14-22 overall.

Click here for the recap and here for the box score from IUHoosiers.com.

Go Hoosiers!

Josh Lyon Named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week

2010-04-20T08:24:00.002-04:00

- Click here for the release from IUHoosiers.com.

- Click here for an article on Josh from the Indiana Daily Student.

Congrats Josh.

IU Sweeps Iowa with 21-12 Victory

2010-04-19T08:05:00.003-04:00

Holding on to just a meager 1 run lead at 13-12 heading into the bottom of the 8th in Sunday's series finale with Iowa, IU exploded for 8 runs in the frame and held the Hawkeyes scoreless in the top half of the 9th to secure a 21-12 victory and a series sweep. Matt Igel picked up his first win of the season on the hill, throwing 6 innings in relief of Walker Stadler, who started but was only able to record 1 out in the first. Igel was shaky and inconsistent at times much in part to a very small strikezone, but at the end of the day he only gave up 3 earned runs over his 6 innings of work. The win moves IU to 5-4 in Big Ten play and 19-15 overall and catapults the Hoosiers into a tie for third in the conference standings.

Click here for the box score and here for the recap from IUHoosiers.com.

Player of the Game - Dylan Swift
There were a number of guys who easily could have taken home this honor for yesterday's performance (Josh Lyon, Jerrud Sabourin and Tyler Rogers come to mind), but I am going to go with Swift. The catcher went 3-5 with a double and 5 runs batted in on Sunday in addition to playing his usual stellar defense behind the plate.

Stat of the Game - 5 Errors
Once again, defensive lapses plagued Indiana on Sunday. Simply put, 5 errors (which led to 4 unearned Iowa runs) is entirely too many, especially at this level of play.

Breakdown - Sweep
Great weekend for the Hoosiers. Not only did IU pick up its first Big Ten series win of the year, but they went a perfect 3-0 in doing so. Although it's still early in conference action and there are still numerous games to be played, I personally felt Indiana needed a sweep this weekend in the worst kind of way so they could hop back into the thick of contention, and fortunately, the team was able to follow through and do just that.

Next Up - Miami (OH) Red Hawks
The Hoosiers travel to Oxford, OH for a 6pm ET showdown with the Red Hawks (16-19) of Miami (OH), where Coach Tracy Smith used to call home prior to coming to IU. IU will be aiming to record its 5th consecutive victory.

Go Hoosiers!

- Click here for the series recap from the Indiana Daily Student.

IU Takes Game 2 4-3 to Sweep Doubleheader

2010-04-18T09:24:00.002-04:00

It took extra innings, but when the dust settled on Saturday, the Hoosiers had added a pair of crucial conference W's to the season's win column. IU capitalized on 5 innings of one-run baseball from freshman Jonny Hoffman to take an early 2-1 lead, and while an error ultimately allowed the Hawkeyes to even the score at 3 in the 9th, Chris Squires held down Iowa in the 10th as the Hoosiers pushed one across in the bottom half of the inning to to seal the deal. The win moves IU to 4-4 in Big Ten action and 18-15 overall.

Click here for the box score and here for the recap of both games from IUHoosiers.com.

Player of the Game - Jonny Hoffman
While it was tempting to give this one to Jerrud Sabourin given that he had 3 hits, I am going to give the "game ball" to Hoffman. It was a surprise to even see the freshman take the mound to start the second game of yesterday's twin bill as Matt Igel was slated to start, but the young right-hander certainly didn't disappoint. Hoffman tossed 5 strong innings and allowed just single run on 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3. Great effort overall.

Stat of the Game - Srikeout:Walk Ratio at the Plate
The Hoosiers struck out 7 times while recording only 1 walk in Game 2 to follow up a 6 strikeout, 1 walk effort in Game 1. Needless to say, IU's hitters need to be more patient and disciplined at the plate.

Breakdown - Pitching was the Difference
Surprisingly enough, it was the pitching and not the hitting that powered the Hoosiers in this one. Hoffman, Igel, Walker Stadler and Chris Squires combined to hold the Hawkeyes to just 1 earned on 9 hits, and I can't say enough good things about how the pitchers threw on Saturday. Let's hope for more of the same moving forward.

Next Up - Going for the Sweep
The Hoosiers have already secured their first Big Ten series victory of the year, and today they will go for the sweep. First pitch is slated for 1:00pm ET at Sembower Field in Bloomington.

Go Hoosiers!

Hoosiers Take Game 1 from Hawkeyes 4-1

2010-04-17T13:15:00.005-04:00

In the first game of yesterday's twin bill with Iowa, the Hoosiers topped the Hawkeyes 4-1 behind 7.2 strong innings of work from Drew Leininger. In picking up his 6th win of the year, the sophomore left-hander allowed just a single unearned on 7 hits and 4 walks while striking out 2. Chris Squires came on in relief of Leininger in the 8th and held down the Hawkeyes the rest of the way to pick up his 6th save of the season.

Click here for the box score from IUHoosiers.com.

Player of the Game - Alex Dickerson
The sophomore continued his hot hitting ways with another solid performance in the first game of yesterday's doubleheader. Dickerson went 2-3 with a double, a home run (his 15th) and 2 runs scored.

Stat of the Game - 3 Hoosier Errors
This stat is alarming, especially since this team has demonstrated a propensity to commit defensive miscues this year. Fortunately, though, the errors didn't burn the Hoosiers in Game 1 on Saturday. Moving forward, IU simply has to play better defensively.

Breakdown - Getting the Job Done
This was a game that IU needed to win and should have won, and the Hoosiers took care of business in doing so. As has been the norm thus far this season, Leininger was strong on the mound, and Indiana used a pair of long balls and timely hitting to put enough runs on the board to secure the victory. Obviously, this win was a great way to get the day and the series underway.

An Article on Blake Monar

2010-04-14T09:49:00.002-04:00

This article on sophomore left-hander Blake Monar appeared in yesterday's edition of the Indiana Daily Student. I know we are all eagerly awaiting his return, and all indications point to him beginning to log more time on the mound in the coming weeks. Monar pitched for the first time since the season opener Sunday at Ohio State, and hopefully we will have him back at full strength for the stretch run sooner rather than later!

IU Picks Up 11-2 Road Win at Valpo

2010-04-14T09:24:00.003-04:00

The Hoosiers took care of business on Tuesday evening at Valparaiso with an 11-2 victory. Freshman Jerry Kleman got the start on the hill for IU and pitched 3 innings of scoreless baseball to pick up his first win as a Hoosier. In total, 5 pitchers (including new roster addition Alex Zerman) combined to hold Valpo to just a pair of runs. At the plate, 3 Hoosiers (Alex Dickerson, Josh Lyon and Wes Wilson) recorded multi-hit performances as the team cranked out 11 hits in this one.

Click here for the box score and here for the recap from IUHoosiers.com.

Player of the Game - Alex Dickerson
It was just another day at the office for Dickerson. The big lefty went 3-4 with 3 runs batted in, 2 runs scored and his 14th home run of the year to lead the way offensively for IU.

Stat of the Game - 10 Strikeouts
While this was a pretty solid performance all the way around for Indiana, it was nonetheless alarming to see that IU's hitters struck out 10 times against Valpo's hurlers on Tuesday. This team simply can't afford to have so many empty plate appearances, especially against the heightened competition the Hoosiers will face in conference action moving forward.

Breakdown - Taking Care of Business
This was a game the Hoosiers should have won on paper, and they went and did just that. Valpo was definitely the inferior team on Tuesday evening, and it was good to see IU jump on them early and not let them hang around. Hopefully the Hoosiers will now carry some momentum into this weekend's showdown with Iowa as they try to pick up their first Big Ten series win of the season.

Next Up - Iowa
Indiana plays host to the Hawkeyes of Iowa this weekend in Bloomington. The first pitch for Friday's series opener is slated for 3:05pm ET.

Go Hoosiers!

Click here for the recap from today's Indiana Daily Student.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Ohio State

2010-04-13T20:13:00.007-04:00

The Good
Drew Leininger - Leininger (9 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 8 K) simply has not received the credit he deserves for his performance thus far this season. While I realize he doesn't throw 97 (like Eric Arnett) or even 94 (like Matt Bashore), he has been nothing short of phenomenal this year. I'll admit I had my doubts as to how long the lefty would keep this up, but with back-to-back top-notch efforts in Big Ten play against the likes of the stellar Michigan and Ohio State offenses, I am convinced Leininger is the real deal.

Michael Earley - While protecting Alex Dickerson is no small task, Earley has proven up to the challenge as of late and continued his hot hitting against Ohio State by going 5-12 at the dish, including a pair of clutch 9th inning home runs.

The Bad
Slow starts - In Games 1 and 3 (losses), the Hoosiers were outscored a combined 5-1 in the first inning. While that disparity is not as large as in previous games, it is still a continuation of what has been a troubling trend for this team throughout the season.

24 K's in 3 games - While this number is skewed in part by the fact that OSU's Alex Wimmers fanned 14 Hoosiers on Friday, it is still startling nonetheless. IU simply cannot afford to come up empty-handed at the plate so often.

The Ugly
The #2 hole - The duo of Sterling Mack and Brian Lambert combined to go 0 for 10 with 5 strikeouts for the series. If the production out of this spot does not improve soon, it is possible Coach Smith may look to move Sabourin, Dickerson and Earley up in the order. Regardless, the Hoosiers need people getting on base at the top of the order, and last weekend's effort out of the #2 slot in the order simply isn't getting the job done.

Hoosier defense - Although averaging 2 errors a game (IU committed 6 in 3 games against Ohio State) doesn't sound awful, those errors led to a staggering 10 unearned runs last weekend.

IU Falls 10-8 to Bucks in Series Finale

2010-04-12T08:38:00.004-04:00

"Disappointed that too many of our games depend on us outslugging our opp. Guys need to step up on mound. Same song."

- Tracy Smith

Once again, Coach Tracy Smith's Twitter feed says it all about yesterday's game. The Hoosiers put 8 runs on the board, but the pitching couldn't hold down the Buckeyes in a 10-8 loss in the weekend series finale. The loss dropped IU to 2-4 in conference action and an even 15-15 overall. The Hoosiers continued a problematic trend on Sunday by allowing Ohio State to score 4 first-inning runs and digging themselves into a hole that ultimately proved too difficult to climb out of. Freshman Walker Stadler (3-3) took the loss as he yielded 8 runs (4 earned) on 10 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2 in 4.2 innings of work. At the plate, 3 Hoosiers (Alex Dickerson, Michael Earley, Josh Lyon) connected for home runs, and Micah Johnson (2 hits), Dickerson (2 hits) and Lyon (3 hits) had multi-hit games.

Click here for the box score and here for the recap from IUHoosiers.com.

This was definitely a disappointing loss and a game Indiana could have and probably should have won. While the pitching certainly hasn't been great this year, unearned runs continue to plague this team, and they had 4 more on Sunday. One note of interest to Hoosier fans from this one was that staff ace Blake Monar returned to the mound for the first time since the season opener at San Diego. He only threw to one batter in relief, but it was definitely good to see the left-hander back on the hill. Hopefully we will see more of him in games to come.

IU is back in action on Tuesday with a mid-week game against Valparaiso (11-18) at 7pm ET at Railcats Stadium in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Go Hoosiers!

- Click here for an article on the series from the Indiana Daily Student.
- Click here for the recap from OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

Hoosiers Top Bucks 6-4 in Game 2

2010-04-11T08:41:00.002-04:00

"Leininger was lights out, Q was Q, and Earley played like a beast today. Good Big Ten win today."

- Tracy Smith

It took extra innings, but Indiana came from behind on Saturday to defeat Ohio State 6-4 in 10 innings. The Hoosiers pushed a run across in the 8th to tie the score at 4 and then scored 2 more in the top half of the 10th before Chris Squires shut the Buckeyes down in the last half of the final frame to seal the deal for IU. Drew Leininger picked up the win on the mound (his 5th of the year) for the Hoosiers, who are now 15-14 overall and 2-3 in Big Ten play.

Click here for the box score and here for the recap from IUHoosiers.com.

Great win today for Indiana. Let's hope they can pick up another W in this afternoon's series finale and even their record in conference action.

Go Hoosiers!

Hoosiers Drop Game 1 to Bucks 7-1

2010-04-10T08:43:00.004-04:00

"We ran into a buzz saw tonite in Wimmers. Good news is we wont see him again this wkend. Igel starting to settle in - good for us."

- Tracy Smith

I think this Tweet from Coach Smith pretty much sums up the game in a nutshell. Matt Igel pitched well, but the dominance of pitching sensation Alex Wimmers simply couldn't be matched. The reigning Big Ten co-Pitcher of the Year went the distance in this one, yielding just 6 hits and striking out 14 in doing so.

Click here for the box score and here for the recap from IUHoosiers.com.

The outcome of Game 1 was pretty much what I expected. Hopefully the Hoosiers will rebound today and add another W to the win column.

Go Hoosiers!

Ohio State: Pitching Match-ups, Logistics

2010-04-09T08:49:00.004-04:00

Indiana at Ohio State
Bill Davis Stadium • Columbus, Ohio
All games feature live video feed on BigTenNetwork.com

Friday, April 9 - 6:35 p.m. ET
Game broadcast live on WHCC 105.1 FM in Bloomington
Big Ten Network rebroadcast Saturday, 4/10, 6 p.m.
IU - LHP Matt Igel (0-3, 9.00) | OSU - RHP Alex Wimmers (6-0, 1.98)
GameTracker | Live Audio

Saturday, April 10 - 1:05 p.m. ET
Big Ten Network rebroadcast Sunday, 4/11, 5 p.m.
IU - LHP Drew Leininger (4-1, 1.66) | OSU - RHP Drew Rucinski (3-1, 2.53)
GameTracker | Live Audio

Sunday, April 11 - 1:05 p.m. ET
Big Ten Network rebroadcast Tuesday, 4/13, 2 p.m.
IU - RHP Walker Stadler (3-2, 5.06) | OSU - RHP Dean Wolosiansky (2-3, 5.60)
GameTracker | Live Audio

- Click here for series broadcast information.
- Click here for an article on the series from the Indiana Official Sports Report.
- Click here for another article on the series from the Indiana Daily Student.
- Click here for an article on Alex Dickerson and Drew Leininger from the IDS.
- Click here for The Buckeye Nine's series preview, which includes an interview with our own Coach Smith.

Series Preview: Ohio State

2010-04-06T17:31:00.006-04:00

Indiana travels to Columbus, OH this weekend for a 3-game set with the Ohio State Buckeyes, who enter the contest with a record of 17-8 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play. Last weekend, the Buckeyes took 2 of 3 at Northwestern, who easily has the conference's worst record to date. While winning a Big Ten series is always a good thing, I would think the Buckeyes may be concerned they didn't sweep a team that had just 6 wins for the year prior to last weekend. In addition to dropping one to the Wildcats, Ohio State also recently fell prey to DII opponent Rollins and NAIA opponent Webber International in back-to-back games to conclude their spring break trip. I am not sure how much one should read into these bad losses, but at the very least I would say its an indication that the Buckeyes are vulnerable and probably not quite the team they were a season ago. Nevertheless, playing on the road is never easy, and Ohio State is a talented team that will present the Hoosiers with a big challenge this weekend.

While I am by no means an expert on Ohio State baseball, here's a quick rundown from my perspective on the Buckeyes and this weekend's series:

Best Hitter - Dan Burkhart
While the Buckeyes sport several talented hitters, the best among the bunch is probably junior catcher Dan Burkhart. The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year garnered second-team preseason All-American honors from both Ping! Baseball and the NCBWA, and thus far he hasn't disappointed. Despite the fact that he probably doesn't see a whole lot good to hit in many cases, Burkhart is hitting .378 with 10 doubles, 2 triples, 17 runs batted in and 16 walks against just 9 strikeouts in 2010. Burkhart will be a tough out for IU's pitchers this weekend, and the Hoosier hurlers must be extra careful when he is at the dish.

Best Pitcher - Alex Wimmers
OSU's top hurler is undoubtedly Alex Wimmers. If you've followed Big Ten baseball at all over the last few years, then you've heard his name before. The junior right-hander was a preseason first-team All-American (by both Collegiate Baseball and Ping! Baseball) and is 6-0 with a 1.98 ERA and 46 strikeouts against 13 walks in 41 innings of work on the year coming off a 2009 campaign in which he was named Big Ten co-Pitcher of the Year and received All-American honors. Needless to say, OSU will be tough to beat when Wimmers is on the hill.

Biggest Strength - Plate Discipline
While Ohio State has a number of key strengths, the one thing that jumped out at me right away was their plate discipline. On the year, the Buckeyes have nearly a 1:1 strikeout to walk ratio, something that is pretty rare for a team at this level. Ohio State has struck out less than any other Big Ten team (112 times to be exact) while recording 99 walks on the season. A team that is patient at the plate from top to bottom and doesn't beat themselves will always pose a challenge for pitchers, and the Buckeyes will be no exception this weekend. It will be especially crucial for IU's pitchers to throw strikes and get ahead early in counts as a result.

Biggest Weakness - Team Speed
For a team that is 16-8 on the year, I didn't expect many big weaknesses to be readily apparent, but one thing that I did notice was that Ohio State doesn't exactly appear to be swift of foot. Among Big Ten teams, the Buckeyes rank last in both steals (13) and steal attempts (23), and they've hit into more double plays (27) than any other team in the conference as well. I could be wrong, but Ohio State's team speed doesn't seem to be something the Hoosiers need to be weary of this weekend.

Key Match-up - IU's Hitters vs. OSU's Pitchers
Indiana ranks among the conference leaders in most every offensive statistical category, and in particular, they lead the Big Ten in slugging percentage, home runs and total bases and rank second in doubles. Meanwhile, Ohio State's pitching staff is among the best in the Big Ten, statistically speaking. They may well have the best pitcher in the conference in Wimmers, and as a team they sport an impressive 4.56 ERA to go along with the fact that they've allowed the fewest number of doubles, home runs and earned runs in the Big Ten to date. As they say, "something's got to give."

BtP Prediction: IU Takes 2 of 3 from the Buckeyes
I see no way the Hoosiers beat Wimmers, but I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the Hoosiers will take 2 of 3 from the Buckeyes this weekend in Columbus. IU's effort in the Michigan series was very encouraging, and when you couple that with the fact that the Buckeyes have had several bad losses of late, I like to think Indiana can step forward and win both games Wimmers doesn't pitch. I think IU's bats will get the best of the aforementioned key match-up overall and pave the way for the first Big Ten series victory of the year for the Hoosiers.

Go Hoosiers!

Indiana Tops Ball State 12-6

2010-04-06T17:24:00.005-04:00

Behind 14 hits and 5 home runs, the Hoosiers defeated visiting Ball State 12-6 on Tuesday afternoon. Jerrud Sabourin got the start for IU and gave up 3 runs in 2 innings of work, and Dylan Swift came on after him to pitch 4 innings of 3-run relief to pick up the win on the mound. After falling behind 2-0 in the top half of the first, the Hoosiers answered with 4 of their own and never trailed the rest of the way. The victory moves IU's overall record to 14-13 on the year.

Click here for the box score and here for the recap from IUHoosiers.com.

Players of the Game - Jerrud Sabourin and Ethan Wilson
This one was just too close to call. Sabourin was perfect at the dish for the day, going 4-4 with a double, a home run, 3 runs scored and 3 runs batted in. This was an extremely impressive performance to say the least, but it is one that we've almost come to expect. Wilson, meanwhile, was 2-3 himself with a pair of home runs and 4 runs batted in. He's been struggling at the plate a bit of late, so hopefully this was the performance he needed to break out of that funk.

Stat of the Game - 5 Hoosier Home Runs
IU has certainly become a big fan of the long ball this season. Today the Hoosiers tacked 5 more onto their conference-leading total as 4 different players (Sabourin, Dickerson, Lyon and Wilson) got in on the action.

Breakdown
IU took care of business today. This was a team IU should have beaten on paper, and they came out and did just that. It was another impressive performance by IU's hitters, and IU's pitchers were effective enough to finish off the Cardinals.

Next Up
The Hoosiers travel to Columbus, OH this weekend for a showdown with the Buckeyes of Ohio State. First pitch for the series opener on Friday is slated for 6:35pm ET. The game will be aired live online via the Big Ten Network (BTN.com) and will be broadcast on WHCC 105.1 FM in Bloomington in addition to the regular live coverage provided by IUHoosiers.com.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Michigan Series

2010-04-06T15:56:00.009-04:00

The Indiana baseball Hoosiers opened conference play last weekend by playing host to Michigan and walked away with a win and a pair of losses for the series. In this edition of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, I will provide some insight on the Michigan series. Overall, I thought the Hoosiers played pretty well this weekend, but there are definitely areas where this team needs to be much better as the Big Ten season progresses.

The Good
26 Runs and a Win in Game 3 - Needing a win in the worst kind of way, virtually everything went right for IU on Easter Sunday. The 26 runs were the most an IU team has ever scored in Big Ten play.

Offense - 40 runs, 55 hits, 12 extra-base hits, and a .423 team batting average are stats that made for impressive weekend for IU at the plate. Five Hoosier regulars (Tyler Rogers, Josh Lyon, Michael Basil, Alex Dickerson and Jerrud Sabourin) hit over .500 for the series, and while these stats are certainly inflated by Sunday's record-setting performance, it just goes to show what the Hoosier hitters are capable of.

Tyler Rogers - The senior second baseman started all 3 games against Michigan and made the most of his time on the field. In 13 trips to the plate, Rogers went 8-11 with 2 doubles, a home run, 8 runs batted, a walk, a HBP and only a single strikeout. Great weekend all around for Rogers!

Defense - No errors in 3 games. Great effort by IU in the field this weekend. The defense has been sketchy at times thus far, but I can't say enough good things about Indiana's glove work against Michigan, especially when you consider that the Wolverines committed a whopping 11 errors over the weekend. The Hoosier hurlers need all the support they can get behind them, and this past weekend's performance was certainly a step in the right direction for IU's defense.

The Bad
1 Win in 3 Games - Simply put, at the very least IU should have won 2 games this weekend. They let Game 1 get away on Friday, and that just can't happen moving forward if this team hopes to contend in conference play.

Chris Squires in Game 1 - The Hoosiers' normally reliable closer struggled in the series opener, and while he didn't take the loss, he was a big reason why this game even went to extra innings in the first place. Squires entered the game in the top half of the 7th and in 2.2 innings of work allowed 4 Wolverines to cross the plate, including the game-tieing and go-ahead runs in the 8th. Not what you would expect from a guy who had established himself as one of the top relievers in the Big Ten. Hopefully this performance was simply an aberration.

Brian Lambert - Lambert started all 3 games and in 8 at-bats recorded only a single hit while striking out 4 times (I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Lambert's lone hit was a 2-run home run, though). With everyone else seemingly clicking on all cylinders, Lambert had a pretty rough weekend. Hopefully he will rebound next weekend at Ohio State.

Pitching - The pitching wasn't great against Michigan, but it was definitely much-improved as the weekend progressed. After allowing 16 runs to start things off on Friday, the staff responded by allowing just 12 over the next 2 games combined. While allowing 6 runs per game is not exactly setting the world on fire, IU's offensive firepower does allow some room for error most days. For the weekend, the staff allowed 28 runs on 41 hits and 18 walks while striking out 27. The team ERA was 9.00 over those three games, and Michigan hit .345 for the series. While those numbers are skewed by Michigan's big outburst in Game 1, there is still significant room for improvement here. The return of Blake Monar to the bump will hopefully help out in a big way in this regard.

The Ugly
16 Runs Allowed in Game 1 - One would think that 10 runs would be more than enough to go home victorious, but such was not the case on Friday for the Hoosiers. Giving up 16 runs to the opposition in one game makes it pretty difficult to win, and that held true in the Big Ten opener. There's not much more that you can say about this performance out of the Hoosier Hurlers. Chalk it up as a learning experience and move on. Hopefully we won't see the Hoosiers on the wrong end of too many more lopsided scores the rest of the way.

Walks Allowed - IU's pitchers issued 18 bases on balls this weekend for an average of 6 per game. That is far too many free passes for a pitching staff that needs all the help it can get most days.

Hoosiers Lose 1, Win 1 to Finish Out Michigan Series

2010-04-05T12:27:00.003-04:00

Game 2 - Michigan 6, IU 4
Click here for the recap and here for the box score from IUHoosiers.com.

Game 3 - IU 26, Michigan 6
Click here for the recap and here for the box score from IUHoosiers.com.

The Hoosiers are now 13-13 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten. The team will be back it on Tuesday as they host Ball State at 3:05pm ET in preparation for next weekend's showdown with Ohio State in Columbus.

Go Hoosiers!

Click here for a nice article on sophomore left-fielder Alex Dickerson from today's Indiana Official Sports Report.

Hoosiers Drop High-Scoring Game 1 to Wolverines

2010-04-03T10:44:00.002-04:00

Final score was 16-10 in this extra-innings affair. For the second game in a row the Hoosiers blew a late-inning lead (9-8) as they allowed Michigan to push 2 runs across in the top half of the 8th to take a 10-9 lead. Fortunately IU was able to bounce back with a run of its own in the bottom half of the 8th to send the game into extra frames after a scoreless 9th. The Wolverines were too strong late, though, as they scored 6 in the top of the 10th, and the Hoosiers were unable to respond in their final at-bat of the day.

A wild one it was indeed. I never imagined that yesterday's game would involve 26 runs. Another tough loss for the Hoosiers, though, as this was one that definitely got away.

Click here for the box score and here for the recap from IUHoosiers.com, and click here for a story on the team and yesterday's game from the Indiana Official Sports Report.

The team will be back at it again today with the first pitch slated for 1pm ET. Hopefully they can bounce back with a winning effort this afternoon.

Go Hoosiers!

Michigan: Pitching Match-ups, Logistics

2010-04-02T13:40:00.000-04:00

The Indiana baseball Hoosiers open conference play today with a 3-game set at home against Michigan. The Wolverines come to Bloomington with a 13-9 record on the year. Here are the projected pitching match-ups, game times and listening options for this weekend's series:

Friday, April 2 - 3:05 p.m. ET
IU - RHP Walker Stadler (3-2, 4.91) | UM - RHP Alan Oaks (3-3, 2.79)
GameTracker | Live Audio

Saturday, April 3 - 1 p.m. ET
IU - TBA | UM - LHP Bobby Brosnahan (2-2, 4.15)
GameTracker | Live Audio

Sunday, April 4 - 1 p.m. ET
IU - LHP Drew Leininger (3-1, 1.22) | UM - TBA
GameTracker | Live Audio

- Click here for an article on Tracy's Terrace that appeared in the Indiana Daily Student this week.

- Click here for another article on the team that ran in the Indiana Daily Student today.

If you will be in Bloomington this weekend, head on over to Sembower Field and take in a game or two or three.

Go Hoosiers!

Big Ten Outlook

2010-04-01T11:26:00.002-04:00

Click here for a Big Ten outlook courtesy of formerlyanonymous over at the MGoBlog. He does a pretty good job breaking down the conference race, and for the most part I tend to agree with him. I think a 4th-place finish in the Big Ten for the Hoosiers this year is pretty accurate and at the same time achievable, and I think people in and around the program would be pretty happy with this outcome, especially considering all that was lost off of last year's NCAA tournament team.

Go Hoosiers!

Series Preview: Michigan

2010-04-01T11:15:00.009-04:00

In advance of this weekend's showdown with Michigan in the Big Ten opener for both clubs, I exchanged some Q&A with Jared (formerlyanonymous), who writes for the MGoBlog, to get you up to speed on the Wolverines. His responses to my questions are below, and my responses to his questions can be found over on the MGoBlog here. I hope you enjoy reading analysis on Michigan's baseball squad from someone who has actually seen them play on more than one occasion this season (instead of the alternative, which would have consisted of me pulling together a preview looking at stats, box scores and game recaps). Big thanks to Jared for getting this great Q&A going.

Without further ado....

BtP: As of Monday, Michigan is 13-9 on the year. Would you say the team's performance thus far has exceeded, been on par with or failed to meet preseason expectations?

FA: For not having our Preseason All-American candidate since game 3 of the season, I think we're about on par with what we expected. Our strength of schedule over the first three weeks was impressive to say the least. We had one of the tougher schedules at the Big Ten/Big East Challenge with Louisville's ace Royse, St. John's when they were hot, and USF. We had a three game set at North Carolina when they were ranked in the top 15, and we played a pair with Coastal Carolina when they were RPI #1. All of that was without our best player. The only thing disappointing so far were the two losses to Texas Tech, but those were shell-shocked as we lost our best player in the first of those two games. And even those losses aren't as bad as initially anticipated as the Red Raiders also have a win over Texas.

BtP: What is the biggest strength for the 2010 edition of the Michigan baseball Wolverines? Biggest weakness?

FA: It's tough to pin down just one strength right now, but I'll lean toward pitching depth. Alan Oaks has turned into a workhorse of an ace, and we've got 3 or four other pitchers capable of starting a game behind him, and 3 more relievers capable of closing anyone out. Two of those relievers could probably be a #2 starter on half of the other Big Ten's rotations. As far as weaknesses, it's our outfielder's thumbs. We lost Ryan LaMarre in game 3 of the season, and we probably won't get him back this week, although there is a tiny chance he could pinch hit (I wouldn't count on it), and we lost one of our make shift backup outfielders Kevin Krantz to a broken thumb this weekend. He's still waiting to be evaluated.

BtP: What player has been the biggest surprise for the Wolverines in 2010? Biggest disappointment?

FA: The biggest surprise is our top three hitters. Freshman Patrick Biondi is a monster in the lead off spot. The guy gets on base, knocks the ball to the gaps with some power, and man can he run. In the 3-hole and clean up are our two catchers, Chris Berset and Coley Crank. Berset missed most of last season with a broken finger, and he's more than made up for LaMarre's bat this season. Crank has come out of near nowhere to be a hitting machine, second only to Dickerson in the Big Ten slugging this season. The only major disappointment was how hard we tanked after LaMarre left. It took us three weeks to recuperate. We were so close to knocking off all of those great teams, but we just didn't have that last little edge. I have to feel if we stay healthy, you see Michigan on the edge of the top 25 right now.

BtP: Who can IU expect to see on the mound as starters this weekend and what are their relative strengths and weaknesses?

FA: Oaks is the definite Friday ace. He's a hard throwing righty with a good slider. He's a workhorse that should go 7+ innings, give up a tough earned IU run on a double and three ground outs. It seems like that's the only way a team scores on him lately. Saturday is Bobby Brosnahan, former Michigan H.S. pitcher of the year who sat out last year with Tommy John surgery. He's a sporadic lefty, really gets into pitching, but a little bit of control issues from time to time. Sunday depends on how the bullpen gets used. The current plan is to use Burgoon only if we have to as we want to ensure victory on Friday and Saturday. That leaves Miller as the probable starter on Sunday. He's another tall righty with a power arm, but he has an inning per start that tends to see 3 runs score. Burgoon may start if he doesn't get worked earlier in the weekend. Burgoon is a calm, collected, righty, with not a lot of height, but he brings 5 good pitches in his arsenal. Since recovering from the shoulder injury mid-season last year, he's been near untouchable through the Cape Cod League and this regular season. Look for both he and Miller to split the Sunday start.

BtP: Who's the one guy in Michigan's lineup IU pitchers should fear the most and why? Runner up?

FA: Berset is to be feared. He's taken over the best offensive catcher title from Burkhart this season. He's got great patience and good power to all fields. He's almost been guaranteed base runners in front of him, too. And for that reason, I'm going to go with Biondi over Crank as the runner up. Biondi is the lead off guy and he just gets on base with blazing speed. He'll make a triple out of a double easy, whether it's legging out the hit or stealing bases.

BtP: Senior right-hander Chris Squires is the Hoosiers' go-to-guy at the end of games. Who fills this role for the Wolverines and what assets does he bring to the rubber on the mound?

FA: It's been interesting, but we haven't needed a closer really this season. If anything I have to say Brandon Sinnery or Kolby Wood. Both are capable of closing out one inning, or throwing 3 perfect innings on any given night. They've been used in the slightly longer roles as of late. Either of them could be a #3 starter on any other Big Ten team right now, maybe a #2 on some of the bottom tier teams. You'll probably see each of them on Friday and Saturday respectively. But I guess I'd be remiss not to include Burgoon in this list.

BtP: Coming off a solid sophomore campaign in which he earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, junior outfielder Ryan LaMarre was named to Baseball America's preseason All-America third team. He sustained an injury in the third game of the year and has not played since. What is his status and when is he expected back on the field?

FA: As I mentioned, he was tentatively schedule to possibly make it back this weekend, but I don't see it happening. It's more likely you see him break back into the lineup at home next week during the mid-week, and take over his starting spot the weekend after. That's probably for the best as who knows what he'll be like after 5 weeks off.

BtP: What are your predictions for the weekend?

FA: Time for some patented Michigan arrogance as I predict a Michigan sweep. I really think Michigan has the experience and depth to win all three. That said, that's not an extremely high confidence level. Our Saturday and Sunday starting pitchers all have the tendency to let an inning go, and the right timed offensive explosion in the middle of the Hoosier lineup has me cautious, especially that extra inning loss to Vandy and the 1 hour and 15 minute(!!!), 7-5 win(!!) at San Diego(!). I think worst case Indiana can take 2 of three on a bad luck game early in the series and an Michigan implosion late in the series. But yeah, I'm confident for the first time in a while that Michigan can actually take care of business in a Big Ten series.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Pre-Conference Play

2010-03-31T15:32:00.000-04:00

With conference play set to begin on Friday, here's a pre-conference edition of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

The Good
- 12-11 Record - Entering conference play a season ago, the Hoosiers record sat at 7-14, so this year's record heading into Friday's Big Ten opener is a significant improvement.

- 11-1 Record When Leading after 8 Innings - They were 11-0 in such situations before Tuesday's ninth inning loss to Louisville, but nevertheless, the Hoosiers have taken care of business with the lead in the final frame, and that is definitely a good thing.

- Team Power - As a team, IU leads the Big Ten in doubles, home runs and slugging percentage. In particular, the long ball has been kind to the Hoosiers as they have nearly twice as many home runs as any other team in the conference. While there is no question that the team's power bodes well for IU's outlook moving forward, the Hoosiers need to be careful not to become too reliant on the long ball.

- Jerrud Sabourin, Alex Dickerson and Drew Leininger - Hard to do a The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly without mentioning these three guys under The Good. Much has been said about them on this blog, and anyone who follows IU Baseball at all knows how crucial they've been to IU's success thus far. They each rank among the conference leaders in several major statistical categories, and there is no doubt that IU's outlook the rest of the way depends upon each of them continuing to play at a high level.

The Bad
- Defensive Miscues - The Hoosiers have committed 37 errors in 22 games (to their opponents' 31), which ranks as the third most in the conference. Given IU's young, inexperienced and inconsistent pitching, the team can ill afford to make mistakes in the field. IU's play defensively has improved of late, but there is definitely still room for improvement here.

- Plate Discipline - Offensively, IU ranks among the top three teams in the Big Ten in strikeouts with 168 on the year, and they rank ninth in the conference in walks with just 73 in 2010. These numbers do not make for a good ratio. The team's plate discipline must improve for the team to be successful come Big Ten play.

The Ugly
- Outscored 48-28 in First 2 Innings - When you dig yourself into a hole early, it is oftentimes difficult to overcome. The Hoosiers certainly aren't doing themselves any favors by allowing their opponents to jump out to early leads, and given that IU is just 2-8 on the year when the opposition scores first, I think it would be safe to say that this discrepancy needs to begin moving back in IU's favor sooner rather than later.

- Pitching - While there have definitely been some bright spots (see Leininger, Squires, Stadler), the pitching has mostly not been good for the Hoosiers to this point in the season. IU's team ERA (6.08) ranks in the bottom third of the conference, and only Northwestern has allowed more hits and runs than the Hoosier hurlers. IU's pitchers rank second-to-last (ahead of only Penn State) in the Big Ten with 103 walks, and they lead the conference in wild pitches, balks, hit batters and home runs allowed. All those statistics combined certainly don't bode well for the staff with the level of competition set to improve considerably come Friday. Needless to say, it is imperative that these numbers improve ASAP, and the effort Tuesday against Louisville was a step in the right direction. Hopefully guys like Blake Monar, Matt Ernest and Matt Carr will be back on the bump to help the cause soon.

Hoosiers Drop 5-4 Heartbreaker to Louisville

2010-03-30T20:45:00.000-04:00

After taking a 4-3 (to break a 3-3 tie) lead with 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th thanks to a Louisville error on a bouncer to first off the bat of DH Josh Lyon that scored Jerrud Sabourin from second, Drew Leininger surrendered a two-run home run to Andrew Clark with 2 outs in the 9th to propel #8 Louisville to a 5-4 victory on Tuesday afternoon in Bloomington. The loss drops the Hoosiers to 12-11 on the year, while the win moved Louisville to an impressive 21-3 in 2010.

Click here for the box score and recap from IUHoosiers.com.

Player of the Game: The game ball goes to Sabourin. The junior went 2-3 with a pair of runs batted in and a run scored.

Stat of the Game: This was IU's first loss of the season when leading after 8 innings. They were 11-0 when leading after 8 prior to dropping today's contest.

Play of the Game: I thought it was going to be the Louisville error that allowed Sabourin to scamper home, but ultimately it has to be Leininger surrendering the homer to Clark in the 9th, which proved to be the difference in this one as the Hoosiers failed to put any runs on the board in the bottom half of the final frame.

Breakdown: Tough loss any way you look at it for IU. The Hoosiers were one out away from defeating a top-ten ranked opponent, and this would have undoubtedly been huge for this team heading into conference play. I know Leininger has pitched brilliantly all season and Chris Squires pitched 3 innings on Saturday, but I was somewhat surprised Coach Smith opted not to go with the senior right-hander in the 9th. Defeating Louisville would have been a signature win for this squad, and while "moral" victories can sometimes be hard to stomach, hopefully the Hoosiers will use this as a confidence-builder and know that they are more than capable of competing with a top-ten team (which by the way there are none of in the Big Ten right now).

Next Up: The Hoosiers open conference play at home on Friday afternoon as they play host to Michigan. First pitch is slated for 3:05pm ET.

Looking to Get Over the Hump Against Louisville

2010-03-30T08:18:00.002-04:00

Click here for an article from the Indiana Official Sports Report in advance of today's game. Go Hoosiers!

Dickerson Named Big 10 Co-Player of the Week

2010-03-29T16:21:00.001-04:00

Click here for the release from IUHoosiers.com. Congrats Alex.

Leininger Named to Watch List for Pitcher of the Year

2010-03-29T12:45:00.003-04:00

Sophomore left-hander Drew Leininger was named to the College Baseball Foundation's Pitcher of the Year Watch List on Monday. Click here for the release from IUHoosiers.com. Congrats Drew. Here's to him staying among the front-runners for this award all season long.

Article on this Weekend

2010-03-29T11:03:00.002-04:00

Click here to read an article on this past weekend's action from Pat Hickey of the Indiana Daily Student.

IU hosts Louisville on Tuesday at 3:05pm ET and then opens up conference play with Michigan coming to town for games on Friday (3:05pm), Saturday (1pm) and Sunday (1pm).

Go Hoosiers!

Hoosiers Pick Up Win #12

2010-03-28T09:08:00.003-04:00

Down 4-1 heading into the bottom of the 6th, Indiana scored 1 in the bottom half of the inning and then three more in the 7th to win 5-4 (click here for the box score and click here for the recap from IUHoosiers.com) over NAIA opponent Taylor University (18-4) on Saturday afternoon at Sembower Field in Bloomington. The win was IU's sixth in the last seven games and moves the Hoosier's overall season record to 12-10. Chris Squires picked up the win in relief as he tossed 3 innings of scoreless baseball behind 1.2 innings of shutout baseball from Matt Igel, who relieved starter Mike McKinley in the 5th. The win was Squires' second of the year, and he is now 2-1 with 4 saves, a 2.65 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched in 2010.

It was a rather light-hitting day at the plate for the Hoosiers on Saturday as IU connected for just 7 hits for the game. As has come to be expected, Alex Dickerson had another big day offensively. He blasted his 10th home run of the year and had 3 hits and 2 runs batted in for the day. No other Hoosier had more than a single hit in this one, and Jerrud Sabourin snapped his 14-game hitting streak with an 0-4 effort.

It was great to see the Hoosiers pick up another victory, but I was again expecting a much more convincing performance in this one. Yes, Taylor does have a very good record, but the fact that they are an NAIA school had me looking for a much larger margin of victory. Just like on Friday, a win is a win, but at the same time I hope this was not a case of IU taking an opponent too lightly.

The Hoosiers are back at again Tuesday with their final game before conference play begins next weekend. The team will host Louisville at home with the first pitch slated for 3:05pm ET.

Go Hoosiers!

IU Tops St. Francis 7-3

2010-03-26T17:42:00.002-04:00

Behind 7 strong innings on the mound from RHP Walker Stadler and 3 more hits and 3 RBI from Jerrud Sabourin, Indiana defeated the Cougars of St. Francis 7-3 on Friday afternoon at Sembower Field. In picking up his second win of the year, Stadler gave up 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 2 in his 7 innings of work. Derek Roof and Chris Squires then held down the Cougars over the final 2 innings, each working a scoreless inning of relief.

While Sabourin continued his hot hitting ways, Alex Dickerson chipped in with another multi-hit (2) effort and drove in a run, and Josh Lyon entered the game at catcher off the bench and promptly slugged a 2-run home run in the 7th. Only a single error in the field for the Hoosiers this afternoon as well, another positive step in the right direction.

Given St. Francis' 3-20-1 record heading into this afternoon's tilt, I honestly expected a much more lopsided victory for the Hoosiers. Nevertheless, a win is a win, and this win moved IU above .500 overall as they now stand at 11-10 on the year. The team will be back at it tomorrow at 1pm ET with a match-up against Taylor University (16-3), an NAIA school in Upland, IN. Listen live here, or follow the action on GameTracker here.

Go Hoosiers!

Hoosiers Defeat Xavier 17-8

2010-03-26T13:42:00.002-04:00

IU's bats were working in high gear Wednesday afternoon at Sembower Field as the Hoosiers beat the Musketeers of Xavier 17-8 (click here for the box score and recap from IUHoosiers.com) in their 2010 home opener. IU set season highs with 17 runs, 22 hits and 6 home runs as 8 different Hoosiers recorded multiple hits. Leading the way was Jerrud Sabourin, who tied the school record with 5 hits, including a double and his 3rd and 4th home runs of the season, and also drove in 4 runs and scored 5 runs himself. Michael Earley and Alex Dickerson also had big days at the plate. Earley also blasted 2 home runs and had 2 doubles to go along with his 4 runs batted in, while Dickerson drove in 3 and connected on his 9th home run of the year.

Also worth noting is the performance at the plate of sophomore Blake Monar, who was expected to be IU's ace on the mound heading into the season. Still working his way back from a minor shoulder injury incurred during IU's first game of the season, Monar saw his first at-bats of the season (and his IU career) during the team's spring break trip to Florida, and he came off the bench against Xavier to go 2-2 with 3 runs batted in and now has 3 his in 9 at-bats for the year. I did some digging (which essentially consisted of a simple Google search) to try and find some high school hitting stats on Monar since all he did as a freshman was pitch, and I learned that he hit over .600 as a high school senior. While I don't know what the plan is for the left-hander once he returns to the mound as far as at-bats go, I would think we will continue to see more and more of Monar at the plate (as either the DH, at 1B or as a pinch-hitter) as the season progresses.

Back to the game, Jonny Hoffman picked up his first career victory as a Hoosier with 4.2 innings of 4-run baseball in relief of starter Ethan Wilson. Wilson, Hoffman and Casey Smith combined to give up 8 runs on 12 hits while walking 6 and hitting 3 Musketeer hitters, and while those are by no means impressive statistics, their combined efforts were more than enough in this one. The Hoosiers did have 2 more errors to bring their season total to 24, but fortunately those errors did not impact the outcome.

The Hoosiers are now an even .500 (10-10) on the year, and they return to action today with a 3:05pm ET tilt against St. Francis. Freshman Walker Stadler will be on the mound looking to pick up his third win of the season for IU. As always, you can listen live via IUHoosiers.com by clicking here and follow the game on GameTracker by clicking here.

Go Hoosiers!

Hoosier Baseball Articles

2010-03-24T11:20:00.002-04:00

- Click here for a nice article on freshman Micah Johnson from today's Indiana Official Sports Report.

- Click here for an article on the team that appeared in today's Indiana Daily Student.

- Click here for Sunday's edition of the Indiana Official Sports Report and an article on sophomore pitcher Drew Leininger.

IU Falls to Morehead State in Slug Fest

2010-03-24T01:02:00.002-04:00

Typically one would think that 15 runs, including 5 home runs, would be enough to propel a team to victory, but that was not the case for Indiana on Tuesday afternoon. The Hoosiers banged out 19 hits, 8 of which were for extra bases, and put up 10 runs in the 6th, but after taking a 14-9 lead heading into the bottom half of the 6th, IU allowed 11 Eagles to cross the plate in the final 3 innings to seal the deal in a 20-15 loss. While there is no question that the Hoosiers struggled on the mound in this one, the 5 errors they committed on the afternoon certainly didn't help matters. Those errors translated into 7 unearned runs, an alarming statistic considering the final margin of victory was just 5.

Freshman Mike McKinley gave up 6 runs on 8 hits in 1.2 innings of relief to take the loss for the Hoosiers. In addition to yielding 24 hits and 20 runs, the Hoosier hurlers walked 6 and only struck out 1 for the game.

Several guys had big days at the plate for IU. Alex Dickerson connected for 4 hits and drove in 2, Michael Earley had a pair of hits (including his 2nd home run of the year) and 3 RBIs, and Josh Lyon cranked out 3 extra-base hits (2 doubles and a home run) and had 3 runs batted in as well.

Disappointing loss for IU. No matter how thin your pitching is, any time you score 15 runs you should win. Click here for the box score and here for the recap from IUHoosiers.com.

The Hoosiers are back at it again tomorrow as they host Xavier in their home opener at Sembower Field in Bloomington. Ethan Wilson is scheduled to take the mound for Indiana, and the first pitch is slated for 3:05pm ET. If you are going to be in town, come spend the afternoon at Sembower.

Go Hoosiers!

Hoosiers On a 4-Game Winning Streak

2010-03-23T12:52:00.003-04:00

I'm a little late with this, but here is the box score and recap courtesy of IUHoosiers.com from IU's 10-3 victory over Akron on Saturday in the finale of their schedule at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. Sophomore Drew Leininger continued his mastery on the mound as he extended his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 26 in picking up his 3rd win of the season. Freshman shortstop Michael Basil led a contingent of 6 different Hoosiers who recorded a pair of hits at the plate with 3 runs batted in. As a team, IU cranked out 14 hits and put double-digit runs on the board for the second game in a row.

The Hoosiers have now won 4 in a row and 5 of their last 6 to even their record at 9-9 on the year. Next up for IU is a trip to Morehead, KY for a game at Morehead State today at 3pm ET followed by their home opener at Sembower Field in Bloomington tomorrow against Xavier at 3:05pm ET.

Go Hoosiers!

Hoosiers Pick Up 2 More Victories

2010-03-19T23:30:00.002-04:00

Coming off a big come-from-behind win over Bradley on Tuesday, IU picked up victories on consecutive days with a 9-6 win over Eastern Illinois (click here for the box score) on Thursday and a 11-5 win over UMBC (click here for the box score) this afternoon to move their season record to 8-9 with one game left on this spring break swing before heading back to Bloomington. The Hoosiers have now won 3 in a row and are 4-1 in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.

Eastern Illinois
Jerrud Sabourin took home the "game ball" in this one as the junior threw 5 innings on the mound to pick up the win and go along with his 4 hits at the plate. Freshman Micah Johnson helped the cause with a pair of hits, including his 6th home run of the year, and 3 runs batted in, while left-fielder Alex Dickerson chipped in with a pair of hits, a home run (his 7th) and 3 RBI as well. Outside of this trio, only two other Hoosiers (T.C. Knipp and Sterling Mack) recorded hits. Chris Squires came on in the 9th and shut the door on the Panthers with a scoreless inning and 2 strikeouts to pick up his 4th save of the year.

UMBC
Freshman Walker Stadler got the nod on the mound and threw 5 innings of 3 run baseball with 7 strikeouts and 3 walks to pick up his second career victory. The three-headed monster of Johnson, Sabourin and Dickerson continued their hot-hitting ways as the trio combined to go 8-13 with 6 runs and 8 runs batted in. Johnson recorded a triple and stole 2 bases, Sabourin cranked out a double and Dickerson hit his 8th home run of the season. Other Hoosiers got into the act in this one as well as the team for 17 hits on the afternoon. Freshman shortstop Michael Basil went 3-3 with 2 doubles and drove in 2, and second baseman Tyler Rogers had a pair of hits as well. I don't think UMBC was exactly a high-quality opponent, but it was good to see IU take care of business today nevertheless.

IU concludes its week in Florida tomorrow with a 11am tilt against Akron at Warner University in Lake Wales, Florida. I haven't seen anything official to this point, but I would imagine that Drew Leininger will be on the mound. Hopefully the Hoosiers can make it 4 in a row.

Go Hoosiers!

Hoosiers Come From Behind to Win 6-5 Over Bradley

2010-03-17T10:17:00.002-04:00

It required extra innings, but behind 5 strong scoreless innings of relief from Ethan Wilson and a big game-tying home run from Micah Johnson, the Indiana baseball Hoosiers rallied from behind with 5 runs in the final 4 innings to overcome a 5-1 deficit against Bradley in picking up their sixth win of the season. Wilson relieved freshman starter Mike McKinley, who struggled to the tune of 5 runs and 3 walks in 2 innings of work, and pitched brilliantly over the next 5 frames, yielding just a single hit and 2 walks while striking out 3. Senior Chris Squires took the mound after Wilson and put forth 3 more scoreless of innings of baseball to record his first victory of the season.

Offensively, the Hoosiers cranked out 12 hits, including 2 a piece from Johnson, Jerrud Sabourin and Alex Dickerson, who also combined to drive home 4 of the team's 6 runs on the day. Freshman shortstop Michael Basil drove in the game-winning run with a base hit over second in the top of the tenth. It was his only hit of the day, but it was certainly a big one for the Hoosiers.

Fresh off of picking up Big Ten Co-Player of the Week Honors, Johnson continued his hot hitting ways as his game-tying home run was his fifth in the last eight days. Pretty impressive stuff from the young freshman. Equally as impressive thus far has been the performance of the infielder turned pitcher Wilson, who now has a 1.93 ERA in 9.1 innings of work (4 appearances) and is holding opponents to a meager .100 batting average.

Great win yesterday for the Hoosiers. Let's hope they can build some confidence from that effort, generate some momentum and string together a few victories heading into Big Ten play. After an off day today, IU will be back at it tomorrow with a 3pm ET tilt against Eastern Illinois.

Go Hoosiers!

- Box Score
- Recap from IUHoosiers.com
- Recap from the Indiana Official Sports Report

Update on First Three Games

2010-03-16T10:18:00.004-04:00

The Hoosiers went 1-2 in the first three games of their Florida spring break trip. They opened with a 19-7 loss to Miami (Ohio) University, and followed that up with a 9-0 win over Central Michigan and a 10-6 loss to Yale. The victory over Central Michigan featured a complete game shutout by sophomore left-hander Drew Leininger, the first by an IU pitcher since 2006. Below is a rundown of the good hitting and pitching performances from IU's players thus far on the trip.

Good Hitting Performances:
Micah Johnson - 5 for 15, 2 HRs
Alex Dickerson - 4 for 10, 3 HRs
Josh Lyon - 4 for 9
Michael Basil - 3 for 8
Ethan Wilson - 3 for 7, 1 HR
Michael Earley - 2 for 6
Dylan Swift - 2 for 6
Blake Monar - 0 for 1, 2 walks

Good Pitching Performances:
Drew Leininger - 9 IP, 8 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 Ks
Jerry Kleman - 1.1 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Matt Igel - 4.2 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 3 BBs, 5 Ks
Dylan Swift - 2 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

The Hoosiers will be back on the field this afternoon with a game against Bradley. Hopefully they can put together a good all-around performance and even their record for the week.

Go Hoosiers!

Hoosiers Prepare for Florida

2010-03-11T11:29:00.004-05:00

The Hoosiers are 1-2 in their last 3 games, but if you are a believer in "moral victories," then you have to like the effort put forth by IU against top-25 opponents Vanderbilt and Louisville in the last week. Yes, the team ended up losing both games, but the fact that this young and relatively inexperienced team competed with a pair of the nation's better teams this early in the season is a positive sign for things to come.

Beginning on Saturday, the Hoosiers will take part in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, which will include 7 games against the likes of Bowling Green (3-7), Central Michigan (4-3), Yale (4-1), Bradley (3-3), Eastern Illinois (1-9), UMBC (0-4) and Akron (5-6). While I will be the first to admit that I don't know much about any of these teams at this point in time, what jumps out at me immediately when looking at the teams IU is scheduled to play over spring break is that none of these teams hail from the NCAA's 6 power conferences. With this in mind, I would like to think that the Hoosiers can go down and win at least 4-5 games in Florida.

I know that what conference a given team competes in doesn't always matter, particularly in baseball, and I also know that the Hoosiers struggled mightily in this same invitational a season ago, but given how IU played against Louisville and Vanderbilt in its last 2 games, I see no reason why IU can't win at least 4 games next week. Seven games in eight days may present a problem from a pitching depth standpoint, but all the teams IU will play next week will likely be in the same boat. Although it is unlikely to play out this way, I honestly believe IU could go 7-0 during their spring break trip. I for one will be happy with 4-3.

Go Hoosiers!

Kent State and Vanderbilt

2010-03-05T18:17:00.002-05:00

Saturday, March 6, 2010 • 1 p.m. ET - Kent State
Hawkins Field - Nashville, TN
IU - LHP Drew Leininger (0-0, 2.38) | KSU - LHP Kyle Hallock (0-0, 8.68)
GameTracker | Live Audio

Sunday, March 7, 2010 • 5 p.m. ET - Vanderbilt
Hawkins Field - Nashville, TN
IU - RHP Ethan Wilson (0-0, 0.00) |VANDY - RHP Jack Armstrong (1-0, 4.50)
GameTracker | Live Audio

Sorry for not getting more on here in advance of this weekend's Music City Challenge. Midterms for me this week in Bloomington, so my time has been limited. If you are looking for more coverage, click here for a release on this weekend's games from IUHoosiers.com. Go Hoosiers!

Hoosiers Defeat Redbirds 6-4

2010-03-05T18:09:00.001-05:00

IU picked up its third win of the season with a 6-4 victory over Illinois State on Friday afternoon. Walker Stadler turned in another strong performance, throwing 5.1 innings while giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks to go along with 3 strikeouts. Mike McKinley relieved Stadler in the 6th, and while he gave up 2 runs in just 2 innings of work, it was enough for the freshman to pick up his second win of the year. Chris Squires came on to pitch the final 1.2 innings and did not allow a run to cross the plate in picking up the save.

At the plate, Jerrud Sabourin led the way once again with 3 hits and a RBI. Sterling Mack drove in 2 runs, and Josh Lyon and Tyler Rogers registered a RBI a piece as well.

The Hoosiers are now 3-5 on the year, and they will return to action tomorrow afternoon at 1pm ET to face Kent State. Go Hoosiers!

Preview: Illinois State

2010-03-03T10:09:00.003-05:00

Friday, March 5, 2010 • 1 p.m. ET - Illinois State
Hawkins Field - Nashville, TN
IU - RHP Walker Stadler (1-1, 4.63) | ISU - RHP Corey Maines (1-0, 2.53)
GameTracker | Live Audio

The Hoosiers open the 2010 Music City Challenge with a tilt against the Redbirds of Illinois State, who enter the contest with a 4-2 overall record. While the teams they've defeated on the young season are certainly not college baseball powerhouses, the thing that jumps right out at you is the number of runs they put on the board. Under the tutelage of Mark Kingston, who is in his first year as the Redbirds' head coach, Illinois State has scored 77 runs in 6 games, which equates to nearly 13 a game. As a team, ISU is hitting .371 with Kevin Tokarski (.600, 6 2B, 1 3B, 8 SB, 8 BB, 2 SO in 25 at-bats) and Chad Hinshaw (.440, 12 RBI, 10 BB, 6 SB in 25 at-bats) leading the way.

On the mound, IU will face right-hander Corey Maines, who was 6-5 with a 4.26 ERA in 14 starts a season ago. The 6'0", 200-lb junior sports a 1-0 record with an ERA of 2.53 in 2 starts and 10.2 innings of work this season. Maines has struck out an impressive 14 batters on the young season, and opponents are hitting just .184 against him.

The Redbirds do score runs at an incredible rate, but working in IU's favor is that their pitching doesn't appear to be anything to write home about. ISU's staff ERA sits at 7.85, and their hurlers allow opponents to hit at a .306 clip. While Maines seems to be more than capable of putting forth a strong effort against the Hoosiers, the bullpen has definitely been a big weakness for the Redbirds in 2010.

Hopefully Stadler can hold down ISU's high-octane offense, the defense can make plays behind him and IU's hitters can be patient at the plate. I know it's not near that easy, but if they do, that sounds like a winning combination to me.

Starting Rotation: Music City Challenge

2010-03-02T21:48:00.002-05:00

Via Twitter, Coach Smith informed us that the starting rotation for this weekend's Music City Challenge in Nashville will look like this:

FRI (3/5) @ 1pm ET v. Illinois State - Walker Stadler
SAT (3/6) @ 1pm ET v. Kent State - Drew Leininger
SUN (3/7) @ 5pm ET v. Vanderbilt - Ethan Wilson

Stadler and Leininger have been strong thus far, and given Igel's struggles on the young season, I guess Coach Smith wanted to give someone else an opportunity. I certainly didn't see Wilson being the guy, but you can't deny that he's been very successful in limited action this season. It will be interesting to see how many innings Wilson can give the Hoosiers on Sunday.

Go Hoosiers!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Big Ten/Big East Challenge

2010-02-28T15:42:00.004-05:00

The Good:
- Mike McKinley in Relief
In picking up the first career victory in what we hope will be a long, successful career in an IU uniform, McKinley threw 2.1 innings of perfect baseball and kept the Hoosiers in position to ultimately walk away with a big win.

- Walker Stadler in Game 2
Although he was tagged with the loss, the freshman right-hander posted his second consecutive strong start against Villanova. Stadler gave up 3 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work on Saturday. While by no means brilliant, if the Hoosiers can continue to get this kind of effort out of Stadler, their prospects for success will be much improved.

- Tyler Rogers at the Plate
After the Hoosiers got virtually no offensive production last weekend out of the middle infield, it was nice to see Tyler Rogers go 4-8 with a double and a pair of RBI while striking out just twice for the weekend to follow up an 0-3, 3 strikeout effort in San Diego.

- Ethan Wilson on the Mound - 2 IP, 0 hits
The infielder turned pitcher threw 2 more innings of scoreless relief against UConn, and he has now thrown 3 innings of scoreless, hitless, walkless relief on the young season. For his efforts, Coach Smith has tabbed Wilson to start in Game 3 of this weekend's Music City Challenge against Vanderbilt.

- Jerrud Sabourin Named to All-Challenge Team
The junior was selected as the team's first baseman after hitting .462 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI for the weekend, including a 4-hit, 3-RBI effort in the thrilling victory over WVU.

The Bad:
- 9 Errors in 3 Games
With IU's youth, inexperience and relative lack of depth on the mound, there is no room for defensive miscues, especially in such large quantities. That is now 16 errors on the season for the Hoosiers, and that number is obviously far too high for a team that can ill-afford such mistakes.

- Michael Earley's Lack of Production
Coming off a strong summer, the senior just hasn't produced at the plate thus far. Earley went 0-6 with 2 strikeouts for the weekend, and he now has just 2 hits in 15 at-bats (.133 average) in 2010. It is still very early, so there is time for Early to turn things around. Let's hope he does so sooner rather than later.

- 1 Win in 3 Games
After a thrilling come-from-behind victory against WVU to open the Big Ten/Big East Challenge, I expected IU to come home with at least 2 wins for the weekend. Bad losses plagued IU a season ago, and while Villanova may in fact be better than some people thought, the Hoosiers still must avoid bad losses and win games they are supposed to win moving forward.

The Ugly:
- Matt Igel's Pitching Line
Expectations were pretty high for Igel coming into the season, but so far the sophomore left-hander hasn't come anywhere close to delivering. Against UConn, Igel yielded 6 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks with just 1 strikeout in 1+ innings of work, dropping him to a paltry 0-2 with a 33.00 ERA, 11 walks and only 1 strikeout on the year.

- Loss to Villanova
Picked to finish 11th out of 12 teams in the Big East, Villanova is a team the Hoosiers should have beaten, and at the very least IU should have been in the game. Despite a strong start from Stadler, the offense couldn't get anything going, and the defense struggled mightily to the tune of 4 errors. That combination doesn't lead to many wins.

- Outscored 12-2 Combined in First Two Innings
It's pretty difficult to win games when you dig yourself in big holes early. On the season the Hoosiers have yieled 27 total runs in the first two innings and scored just 5 themselves. Give the team credit for battling back in both the West Virginia and UConn games, but IU simply can't afford to get behind big in games right off the bat.

- 25 Runs Allowed in 3 Games
At the end of the day, you can't expect to be very successful when you give up over 8 runs per game on average. Defense and pitching need to improve overall across the board.

UConn drops IU to 2-5 with 9-5 Win

2010-02-28T15:29:00.002-05:00

After an encouraging come-from-behind win in Game 1 of the Big Ten/Big East Challenge, the Hoosiers dropped their second consecutive contest with a 9-5 loss at the hands of the Connecticut Huskies on Sunday. Matt Igel had his second consecutive poor start of the young season as he failed to record an out in the second inning before exiting with 6 earned runs to his credit. The sophomore left-hander's final line read 1 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB and 1 K, and he is now 0-2 with a 33.00 ERA, 11 walks and just 1 strikeout for the year. Needless to say, the Hoosiers were expecting and really need a lot more out of Igel this season.

Offensively, Micah Johnson, Josh Lyon and Tyler Rogers each recorded 2 hits, and Rogers drove in 2 and Lyon knocked home another. Strikeouts plagued the Hoosiers in this one as the team struck out a combined 11 times on Sunday, including 2 each for the top three hitters in the order (Brian Lambert, Micah Johnson and Jerrud Sabourin).

IU trailed 9-2 at one point, so it was at least encouraging to see the guys battle back to a certain extent. More than anything, the team needs to get more innings and stronger performances out of its starting pitchers. It's still very early in the season, though, so hopefully they can get things turned around.

Go Hoosiers!

Hoosiers Fall 8-1 to Villanova

2010-02-27T23:55:00.002-05:00

Disappointing effort by the Hoosiers today. I thought this was a game IU should have won, and at the very least I expected them to be in the game. Four hits (two of which came from Jerrud Sabourin) aren't going to win you too many games, though. Hopefully the guys can rebound and pick up a win tomorrow.

Click here for the recap from IUHoosiers.com and here for the box score.

Go Hoosiers!

IU Comes From Behind to Down WVU 10-8

2010-02-27T23:52:00.001-05:00

Click here for a recap from IUHoosiers.com and here for the box score.

Predictions: Big Ten/Big East Challenge

2010-02-25T14:20:00.004-05:00

I tried this last weekend, and while I was spot on in picking the Hoosiers to win 1 of 3 at San Diego, I wasn't close in terms of how I thought they would get that victory. Nevertheless, I am going to give it a go again in advance of this weekend's Big Ten/Big East Challenge.

BtH Prediction: IU drops game 1 against West Virginia but takes games 2 and 3 against Villanova and UConn to go 2-1 for the weekend.

Game 1 - West Virginia
Although I look for Leininger to put forth another solid outing, I think Summers will prove to be too much for IU's hitters, and the Mountaineers will get just enough off of IU's hurlers to take home the victory.

Game 2 - Villanova
On paper, Villanova is a team that IU should definitely beat, and I think they will do just that. I look for Stadler to give the Hoosiers several good innings on the mound, and I think IU's hitters will do some damage offensively on Helisek.

Game 3 - Connecticut
This game was the hardest one for me to predict given that IU's starter is still to be determined and UConn is expected to be one of the better teams in the Big East, but I ultimately gave the Hoosiers the edge because I feel like IU's offense will be able to out-slug UConn's.

I would think the Hoosiers would be very happy to return to Bloomington with a pair of victories for the weekend. I definitely don't think it is out of the question that IU could win all three games this weekend, but at the same time I could also see them losing more than one game as well. I will be very disappointed if they drop the Villanova game, though. Bottom-line, I've been wrong before, but I think 2 of 3 is a safe bet for the weekend. Go Hoosiers!

For additional reading pleasure on all things IU Hoosier baseball, check out this release from IU's Matt Brady. There is a ton of good info and coverage of the team in there, and this will definitely be a quality resource to check out throughout the season.

Preview: Connecticut

2010-02-25T14:18:00.004-05:00

Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010 • 10 a.m. - Connecticut
St. Petersburg, Fla. - Naimoli Complex Field #3
IU - TBA | UCONN - RHP Bob Van Woert
GameTracker | Live Audio

Entering his 7th season at the helm of the University of Connecticut baseball team, Coach Jim Penders leads a squad picked to finish 3rd in the Big East by the conference coaches after going 36-24 overall and 14-13 in conference play and advancing to the Big East tournament title game last season. The Big Ten/Big East Challenge will be the first action for the Huskies this season, and as was the case for the Hoosiers last weekend at San Diego, this will very likely be the first time they have been outside since the fall.

Bob Van Woert is slated to start in the Sunday finale for the Huskies, and although he is a RS junior, he hasn't seen substantial time on the mound due to Tommy John surgery since his freshman campaign in 2007, when he started 10 games and pitched 73.1 innings while registering 45 strikeouts and a 3.93 ERA. Last season Van Woert started just one game and only made 10 appearances overall. In 10.1 innings of work, the right-hander posted an ERA of 7.84, struck out 10 and walked 6. Given where UConn was picked to finish in conference play, I've got to think they are expecting a fully recovered Van Woert to return to his freshman form as the team's #3 starter to open the season. The bullpen is a big question mark for UConn heading into 2010 as the team lost its top four relievers from a season ago.

At the plate, there is no question that the most dangerous and important returnee for the Huskies is outfielder George Springer, who is a preseason All-American and was one of just four unanimous selections to the Big East preseason all-conference team. The sophomore hit .358 with 14 2B, 16 HR, 57 RBI and 12 SB as a freshman a season ago. While Springer is undoubtedly a huge power threat for UConn, it is worth nothing that he struck out 53 times in 212 at-bats last season. Outside of Springer, the Huskies also have their entire starting infield back again this season. This group includes Mike Nemeth (.346, 22 2B, 6 HR, 47 RBI in 231 at-bats last season) and Pierre LePage (.340, 16 2B, 38 RBI), both of whom are guys the Hoosier hurlers should be especially careful with on Sunday.

While Connecticut certainly has a lot of talent on its squad and expectations are at a relatively high level for 2010, I think this game is a very winnable one for the Hoosiers as well. While a starter for this game has yet to be announced, I would think that Matt Igel might get a chance to show that last weekend's performance at San Diego was a fluke since Blake Monar will be unable to make the trip due to injury.

Preview: Villanova

2010-02-25T14:17:00.004-05:00

Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010 • 10 a.m. - Villanova
St. Petersburg, Fla. - Progress Energy Park
IU - RHP Walker Stadler (1-0, 4.50) | VU - LHP Kyle Helisek (0-0, 0.00)
GameTracker | Live Audio | Live Video Webcast

Freshman Walker Stadler will take the mound and make his second career start in IU's second game of the Big Ten/Big East Challenge on Saturday. After a very strong debut in which he picked up his first career collegiate victory and propelled the Hoosiers to their first win on the young season, Stadler will be pitching to further solidify his status as a weekend starter for this team in 2010. He threw 6 strong innings last weekend at San Diego, and IU will need more of the same from the freshman right-hander this time around against a young Villanova squad.

Looking to improve upon a 2009 campaign that saw the Wildcats go 22-28 overall and finish last in Big East play with a 6-20 conference record, Villanova enters this weekend's Big Ten/Big East Challenge with a 3-0 record after taking three games at Norfolk State to open the season last weekend. The Wildcats are led by Coach Joe Godri, who is in his ninth season at the school and sports an overall record of 211-204-3 during that time. With 25 of 33 players on the roster in either their freshman or sophomore years of eligibility, Villanova was picked to finish 11th out of 12 teams in the preseason Big East coaches' poll.

The Wildcats are projected to throw left-hander Kyle Helisek against the Hoosiers on Saturday. The sophomore was 4-1 with a 5.55 ERA, 31 K, 17 BB and a .309 OBA in 58.1 innings pitched (including 8 starts) as a freshman last season. In a 7-3 win over Norfolk State last Saturday, Helisek threw 5 innings and yielded 1 unearned run on 3 hits while striking out 2 and walking none. Based on what little I know about him, it appears that Helisek is certainly not going to overpower anyone, but he seems to be a guy that will keep the ball in the zone and pitch to contact with the hope that he can put his defense in position to make plays behind him.

Offensively, the key returnees for Villanova include last year's leading hitter Matt Szczur (.346, 10 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 24 RBI, 18 SB in 188 at-bats last season) and David Koczirka (.340, 13 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 39 RBI in 162 at-bats), but Koczirka did not play last weekend at Norfolk State. Szczur was elected to the preseason all-Big East team as the DH by the conference coaches following a stellar freshman campaign. While it does not seem that Norfolk State was exactly a formidable opponent for the Wildcats (they outscored Norfolk State 30-6 over three games), based on last weekend's performances, the Hoosiers should watch out for Adam Nelson, who had 5 hits (4 of which were doubles) and 4 RBI in 11 at-bats for the series, and Justin Bencsko, who had 4 hits and 6 RBI in 9 at-bats last weekend.

Much like the Hoosiers (and maybe even more so), Villanova is a very young and inexperienced team that is expected to hang at the bottom of the pack in the Big East. This is definitely a very winnable game for the good guys.

Preview: West Virginia

2010-02-25T11:16:00.006-05:00

Friday, Feb. 26, 2010 • 1 p.m. - West Virginia
Clearwater, Fla. - Jack Russell Stadium
IU - LHP Drew Leininger (0-0, 0.00) | WVU - RHP Jarryd Summers (0-0, 2.45)
GameTracker | Live Audio

With staff ace Blake Monar nursing a sore shoulder and Leininger coming off what was arguably the best outing of his young career, the sophomore left-hander will get the ball on Friday against West Virginia and make his first start of the season. Leininger threw 5.2 innings of scoreless relief last weekend at San Diego, and he will be looking to build on that performance against a Mountaineers squad that is 0-3 and in search of their first win in 2010.

West Virginia opened the season last weekend by taking part in the Caravelle Resort Tournament in Conway, SC, which featured games against quality competition in the likes of #12 Coastal Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia Tech. While the Mountaineers dropped all three contests, they played nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina to a score of 4-2 behind 3.2 innings of one-run baseball from Jarryd Summers, who will start Friday against the Hoosiers.

Led by Coach Greg Van Zant, who is in his 16th season at West Virginia and has compiled 450 career victories, the Mountaineers enter 2010 coming off a 2009 campaign in which they went 37-18 overall and 17-10 in the Big East, good for a third place finish in the conference standings. West Virgina returns 13 lettermen from last year's squad, including 9 pitchers and 4 position players. They were picked to finish 6th in the Big East in the annual conference preseason coaches' poll.

Key returnees for West Virginia include Dan DiBartolomeo (who started all 55 games last season and hit a robust .439 with 8 HR, 18 2B, 59 RBI and just 14 strikeouts), Colin Durborow (.351 with 10 doubles in 74 at-bats last season), Grant Buckner (.325 with 5 HR, 21 2B and 45 RBI a year ago) and preseason All-American and Big East Player of the Year Jedd Gyorko (.421, 8 HR, 28 2B and 58 RBI last season). On the mound, senior relief pitcher Chris Enourato returns as the school's all-time leader in saves and was named to the preseason watch list for the National Collegiate
Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award.

Summers is a 6'5" 220-pound junior right-hander who went 7-3 with a 3.06 ERA, a .239 OBA and 99 strikeouts against 34 walks in 14 starts and 94 innings pitched last season. Those are certainly impressive numbers and they garnered Summers all-Big East first team honors, but it is worth noting that Summers did yield 11 longs balls a season ago as well. Another thing that may work in IU's favor is the fact that the Hoosiers have seen Summers before, albeit in a losing fashion. In last season's Big East/Big Ten Challenge Summers defeated the Hoosiers by allowing just one earned run on 6 hits in 5 innings of work.

This will be a tough match-up for the Hoosiers, but by no means do I not think this is a winnable game for IU. Let's hope they get a better start to the weekend this time around. Go Hoosiers!

Click here for a Big Ten/Big East Challenge preview, West Virginia style. There's a lot of good info there on the Mountaineer baseball team if you are interested.

Coach Smith to be on Tom Crean Show

2010-02-24T23:17:00.002-05:00

Coach Tracy Smith will be the featured guest on this week's edition of the Tom Crean Show that will air this Friday at 4:30pm on the Big Ten Network. The show will also be available on BigTenNetwork.com after it airs.

Monar Will Not Pitch This Weekend

2010-02-24T23:08:00.002-05:00

According to an update from Coach Smith on the IU Baseball Twitter page, sophomore left-hander Blake Monar will not pitch in this weekend's Big Ten/Big East Challenge, nor will he be making the trip to Florida with the team due to what Smith called a "sore shoulder."

It now makes more sense why Monar was originally slated to pitch on Sunday this weekend instead of Friday. I of course have no idea when Monar's shoulder began bothering him, but you have to wonder if it impacted his uncharacteristic performance last weekend at San Diego. Given that Monar was undoubtedly the staff ace heading into the 2010 season, this will definitely be a big loss for the Hoosiers this weekend. Let's hope this doesn't turn into something serious and that he is back on the mound at full strength soon.

Go Hoosiers!

Interview with Coach Smith

2010-02-24T11:09:00.002-05:00

Click here to read a great interview by College Baseball Today's Eric Sorenson with Coach Smith. There's a lot of good, interesting stuff in there, so check it out.

Go Hoosiers!

On the Mound this Weekend

2010-02-23T18:55:00.002-05:00

Via Twitter, Coach Smith informed us that the starting rotation for this weekend's Big Ten/Big East Challenge will look like this:

FRI (2/26) @ 1pm ET v. West Virginia - Drew Leininger
SAT (2/27) @ 10am ET v. Villanova - Walker Stadler
SUN (2/28) @ 10am ET v. Connecticut - Blake Monar

It's no surprise to see Leininger and Stadler getting starts this weekend based on how they performed last weekend at San Diego. Hopefully they both turn in good efforts again this weekend and Monar can get back on track.

Go Hoosiers!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: San Diego

2010-02-22T20:14:00.005-05:00

I got this idea from the guys over at Inside the Hall (a fantastic blog on all things IU basketball), and I am going to try to do a "Good, Bad, and Ugly" after every weekend of baseball this season. With that, here's a recap of this past weekend's season opening series at the University of San Diego.

The Good:
- Drew Leininger: 5.2 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 4 K, 0 BB
When Leininger took the mound in the 2nd inning of Game 3, the Hoosier hurlers had given up a combined 32 runs in 17.1 innings of work, and it seemed as if nothing could stop USD at the plate. However, Leininger came on to hold the Toreros scoreless for 5.2 innings and kept the game from getting completely out of hand yet again. I would have to think that he pitched his way into consideration for a weekend starter spot moving forward with that effort.

- Walker Stadler: WIN, 6 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 5 K, 2 BB
The Hoosiers needed a win and a solid effort out of a starter on the mound in the worst kind of way on Sunday, and Stadler came through with a very strong effort in his first career start. He too will obviously be in the picture for a weekend starting spot, especially if he continues to put forth this type of outing on a regular basis.

- Sterling Mack: 4-8, 3 2B, 3 RBI
Offensively, Mack may have had the most surprisingly good performance of all IU hitters last weekend. Three doubles in 8 at-bats is certainly impressive. The RS Junior may have played his way into the lineup with his output in San Diego.

- Big 3 Lefties (Dickerson, Lyon, Sabourin): 18-47, .383 BA, 6 2B, 3 HR, 9 R, 11 RBI
As expected, the middle of the order produced in a big way this past weekend against some top-notch competition. Let's just hope they continue to hit at a high-level moving forward.

The Bad:
- 7 errors in 4 games
With the significant amount of youth and inexperience IU will have on the mound this season, the team can ill-afford to give the opposition extra opportunities at the plate.

- Strikeouts at the Plate: 42 (against just 15 BB) in 141 at-bats
This means that the Hoosiers are striking out in nearly 1/3 of their at-bats. And for those keeping score at home, that is nearly a 3:1 K:BB ratio. For comparison's sake, USD struck out only 23 times in 4 games last weekend. Not good. Plate discipline must improve moving forward.

The Ugly:
- Middle Infield Starter Production (besides Ethan Wilson who was 1 for 1): 1-22 (.045 BA)
Production up the middle must improve dramatically. Granted, the sample size is rather small and Coach Smith did shake up the lineup quite a bit each game, but the combination of Jerry Kleman, Michael Basil, Brian Ritz and Tyler Rogers struck out 13 times, walked just twice, and had a combined on-base percentage of .143. The team simply cannot afford for the guys at 2B and SS to be virtually non-existent at the plate.

- Games 1-3 Starting Pitchers (combined) - 6.2 IP, 15 hits, 9 BB, 6 HBP, 4 HR
I was most surprised and disappointed by these stats, and in particular those put forth by our starters in the first two games. IU simply cannot win many games this season with this lack of production from the starters.

I am sure the Hoosiers were disappointed to return to Bloomington with a 1-3 record to start the season, but when you consider how highly touted San Diego is and how many key players they returned from last year's team, there are definitely a number of positive things to take away from last weekend's series. Hopefully the team can build on the win in the finale and carry some momentum into this coming weekend's Big Ten/Big East Challenge.

Stay tuned for a preview of the upcoming weekend's games. Go Hoosiers!

Hoosiers Wrap Up Series with 7-5 Victory

2010-02-21T19:49:00.003-05:00

Behind 6 strong innings on the mound from freshman Walker Stadler and homeruns from Jerrud Sabourin and Alex Dickerson, the Hoosiers salvaged the trip to San Diego with a 7-5 victory in the series finale Sunday afternoon. Stadler gave up 3 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5 to pick up his first career win and lift IU to its first victory of the season. Chris Squires pitched the final two innings to pick up the save. At the plate, Sabourin, Dickerson and Sterling Mack each had a pair of hits, and that trio plus Josh Lyon and Jerry Kleman all drove in runs.

Here's the box score and the recap from IUHoosiers.com.

It was great to see the guys get a much needed win today. Hopefully they can build off the victory and make some noise in next weekend's Big Ten/Big East Challenge down in Florida. Go Hoosiers!

Game 3: Toreros - 9, Hoosiers - 4

2010-02-20T20:59:00.004-05:00

IU dropped is third game in two days with a 9-4 loss to San Diego in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. Alex Dickerson and Dylan Swift tallied 2 hits apiece, and Swift drove in 2 of IU's 4 runs for the game. On the mound, it was the third consecutive poor start for a Hoosier hurler as freshman Jonny Hoffman lasted 1.1 innings and yielded 7 runs on 6 hits. The bright spot in the loss was without a doubt the performance of Drew Leininger. The sophomore left-hander relieved Hoffman and threw 5.2 innings of scoreless baseball, striking out 4 and walking none in the process.

Here's the box score.

Let's hope for a better all-around effort by the Hoosiers tomorrow in the series finale. It would be great to see the guys pick up a victory and not return to Bloomington empty-handed. First pitch is slated for 1pm ET. Go Hoosiers!

IU Falls 9-2 in Game 2

2010-02-20T18:49:00.002-05:00

Brian Lambert and Jerrud Sabourin each had a pair of hits, and Alex Dickerson and Micah Johnson each drove in a run, but that was all the Hoosiers could muster in Game 2 of a 4-game tilt against San Diego. IU struggled on the mound again in the first game of today's doubleheader as starter Matt Igel lasted just 2 innings and gave up 5 runs on 3 hits and 7 walks. Casey Smith and Dylan Swift did each work a scoreless inning in relief to close out the game, but the Hoosiers aren't going to win many games giving up 9 runs and issuing 9 free passes. It's still very, very early, so I have faith the staff will get things turned around. Go Hoosiers!

Click here for the box score.

Hoosiers Drop Opener 16-10

2010-02-19T20:16:00.004-05:00

The team battled back to put up 6 runs in the top of the 9th, but the 12-run deficit entering the final inning ultimately proved too much to overcome as the Hoosiers dropped their season opener 16-10 Friday at the University of San Diego.

Here's the box score and a recap from IUHoosiers.com.

Hopefully IU will fare better in games 2 and 3 tomorrow. First pitch is slated for 1pm ET with the next game to follow after that at approximately 5pm ET. Go Hoosiers!

Follow the Action Live

2010-02-19T14:30:00.003-05:00

First pitch for today's season opener at the University of San Diego is slated for 5pm ET.

Click here to watch the game live.

Click here to listen live.

Click here to follow the action on GameTracker.

Go Hoosiers!

More Hoosier Coverage

2010-02-19T09:35:00.003-05:00

Follow the links below for coverage of the Indiana baseball Hoosiers in advance of today's season opener. Go Hoosiers!

A Happy Homecoming - Indiana Official Sports Report

Reloading, Not Rebuilding - Indiana Daily Student

IU Moving Past Magical Big Ten Championship '09 Season - Indiana Daily Student

We've Got Links

2010-02-18T18:03:00.002-05:00

I just added a number of links to the site so you can stay on top of the all the baseball goings-on in and around the Big Ten and the NCAA as a whole. There are links to every Big Ten team's official baseball site as well as links for a number of other Big Ten blogs. Enjoy!

Also, click here for the official release from IU on this weekend's match-up at San Diego.

Go Hoosiers!

University of San Diego Series Preview

2010-02-18T15:08:00.004-05:00

It's been well documented on this site thus far, but for those of you that may have missed it, the Indiana baseball Hoosiers will open up their 2010 campaign with a 4-game series against the Toreros of the University of San Diego. This will undoubtedly be a tough test for the young Hoosiers as the Toreros are ranked in six different national top-25 polls and sit as high as number 14 in the Ping Baseball poll. San Diego returns a preseason All-American in junior right-hander Kyle Blair in addition to five all-conference performers from a season ago, including reigning WCC Player of the Year James Meador (SR, OF). Coming off a season in which Toreros finished just fifth in the WCC and did not make the postseason, expect Coach Rich Hill's squad, who were tabbed as the WCC favorites heading into the season, to come out firing on all cylinders. Here is a breakdown of this weekend's match-up:

Game 1 (Friday, 5pm ET) - Blake Monar (SO, LHP) v. AJ Griffin (SR RHP)
Griffin (8-3, 3.33 ERA, 85 K, 32 BB in 81 IP last season) was an All-WCC performer a season ago and brings considerable experience to the table for the season opener. The right-hander entered the 2009 campaign as San Diego's all-time leader in saves, but injuries on the USD staff forced a move to starter, and he will continue in that role this season. Monar (5-3, 4.64 ERA, 59 K, 39 BB in 77.2 IP last season), who earned All-Big Ten Freshman recognition in 2009, returns as the staff ace in 2010. After a great summer pitching for the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod league, I think Monar is poised for a breakout campaign. With quality arms on the mound for both sides, Game 1 has the makings of a good old pitcher's duel.

Game 2 (Saturday, 1pm ET) - Matt Igel (SO, LHP) v. Sammy Solis (RS SO, LHP)
Coming off a medical redshirt in 2009, Solis (1-1, 4.50 ERA, 16 K, 0 BB in 12.0 IP last season) will be looking to reestablish himself in the Toreros rotation after a freshman campaign (3-1, 3.83 ERA) that resulted in All-WCC Freshman team honors in 2008. The fact that Solis, who was drafted in the 18th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of high school, struck out over a batter per inning on average and did not issue a single free pass a season ago is impressive, even if it was in limited action. This match-up will undoubtedly be a big challenge for Igel (2-1, 6.46 ERA, 18 K, 17 BB in 23.2 IP last season). The big left-hander came on strong late in 2009, and we can only hope he will continue to build upon that success in 2010. For the Hoosiers to have any hopes of being successful this season, it is imperative for Igel to turn in strong performances week in and week out. The Toreros sport several potent bats offensively, but hopefully Igel will pitch more like he did against Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament and less like he did early on last season. Surprisingly enough, this will only be Igel's second career start. Hopefully he brings his A-game because I certainly think he will need it against USD.

Game 3 (Saturday, 5pm ET) - Kyle Blair (JR, RHP) v. TBA
The fact that Blair (3-2, 3.13 ERA, 62 K, 18 BB in 54.2 IP last season) was named a preseason third team All-American by Baseball America yet will be USD's #3 starter this weekend is an indication of just how strong San Diego's pitching really is. I look for IU to go with a pitcher-by-committee approach in which several guys get an opportunity to throw in this one. Given the youth of the IU pitching staff overall, there will likely be a lot of inexperience on the mound in Game 3, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a rather lopsided final in this one, especially when you consider who will be on the mound for the opposition.

Game 4 (Sunday, 1pm ET) - TBA v. Walker Stadler (FR, RHP)
While it remains to be determined who exactly will get the nod for the Toreros in Game 4, you can bet it will be a quality arm. As a freshman, this will be Stadler's (1.90 ERA, 80 K in 50 IP as a high school senior) first career start, and unfortunately for him that start has to come against one of the most talented teams on IU's schedule this season. I don't like IU's chances in this one, but hopefully Stadler proves me wrong and shuts down the potent Torero bats.

BtP Prediction: IU wins Game 1 and drops Games 2-4.
Facing arguably the toughest team on IU's schedule (outside of maybe Louisville) this season, I think IU will fly back to Bloomington with a 1-3 record to open the season. I am predicting that Monar will silence USD's offensive attack and turn in a solid effort and pick up the victory to start the season off on the right foot in Game 1. Beyond Monar I am concerned by the staff's relative lack of experience heading into a match-up against a team that hit .319 collectively in 2009 (against a very strong schedule) and returns eight starting position players, including four who garnered all-conference honors last season. I look for Igel to at least keep things close in Game 2, but I am afraid that the Toreros might be too much to handle in Games 3 and 4. Offensively, the Hoosiers do sport several guys that are more than capable of striking fear in the hearts of the Toreros (Dickerson, Sabourin, Lyon, etc.), but at the end of the day I think San Diego will get the better of IU and take the series 3-1. I hope they prove me wrong, though.

Follow the Hoosiers Live:
Listen in live as the Hoosiers open the 2010 campaign against San Diego by clicking here. You can also follow them on GameTracker by clicking here.

Go Hoosiers!

Hoosier Baseball Coverage

2010-02-18T15:02:00.002-05:00

Click here for a good article from the Evansville Courier & Press on Blake Monar and Matt Igel.

As always, please continue to send me Hoosier baseball links from any local newpapers. Go Hoosiers!

Hoosiers on Big Ten Network 6 Times in 2010

2010-02-17T15:22:00.002-05:00

The following games will be televised live on the Big Ten Network this season:

4/23 @ 7pm - Minnesota
4/24 @ 7pm - Minnesota
4/25 @ 2pm - Minnesota

5/14 @ 2pm - Michigan State
5/15 @ 12pm - Michigan State
5/16 @ 1pm - Michigan State

The series against Ohio State (4/9 - 4/11) will also be televised live on BTN.com. All televised games are away games for the Hoosiers, so this will be a great opportunity for fans to follow the IU baseball squad even when they are not in town.

Click here for the official release from IU.

Go Hoosiers!

More on the Toreros

2010-02-16T15:37:00.002-05:00

Want to learn more about this weekend's season opening match-up against the University of San Diego? Click here for a great piece on all things Toreros baseball, including probable pitching match-ups, stats and in-depth analysis that will give you everything you need to know about the University of San Diego baseball team prior to this weekend's series. Go Hoosiers!

Twitter Update: This Weekend's Rotation

2010-02-15T17:55:00.004-05:00

This from Coach Smith earlier today via Twitter:

"Pro Scouts: Fri-Monar, Sat Game 1-Igel, Game 2 TBA, Sun-Stadler"

That may lend a little clarity to my previous post on IU's pitching rotation. It's no surprise that Blake Monar and Matt Igel are getting the nod in games 1 and 2, respectively. The fact that Walker Stadler will get the ball in the series finale on Sunday may be an indication that the freshman right-hander is the early leader in the competition for team's third weekend starter spot.

Go Hoosiers!

A Look at the Rotation

2010-02-14T09:27:00.008-05:00

Heading into the 2010 campaign, the pitching rotation outside of Blake Monar is very much a question mark for the Indiana baseball Hoosiers. Coming off a year in which he was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team and after being recently voted as one of the top three starting pitchers in the conference by the Big Ten coaches, there is no doubt that Monar will be the team's #1 starter this season. Beyond him, though, there are several questions that need to be addressed in regard to this year's pitching staff. Will Chris Squires close or start? Will Matt Igel build upon his stellar play at the end of last season? Who will be the #3 starter and pitch on Sundays in conference play (assuming the coaches do not want to go L/R/L as they did last year)? While I certainly don't have all the answers, the rotation heading into the season will most likely in part look something like this:

1) Blake Monar, SO, LHP
2) Matt Igel, SO, LHP
3) ???????
CL) Chris Squires, SR, RHP

I think Monar and Igel are safe bets to hold down the top two spots in the rotation, and assuming Squires doesn't start (I don't know that he won't, but let's just assume), he would be a virtual lock to close for the Hoosiers this season.

The #3 spot in the rotation may very well be the biggest question mark for the team heading into the opener. It would not be surprising to see Coach Smith give several guys opportunities to start early in the season before settling in on a more established #3 starter heading into conference play. We will obviously know more after a weekend in which four different guys will get to start and many others will see innings, but for now here are the guys I think are the most likely candidates to fill that #3 role this season:

- Walker Stadler, FR, RHP
At 6'4" and weighing in at 200 lbs, Stadler certainly has the build of a good pitcher. As a senior at Glenbrook South in Illinois, the right-hander posted a 1.90 ERA and struck out 80 in 50 innings, which is very impressive to say the least. He was also one of the most impressive newcomers in fall play.

- Drew Leininger, SO, LHP
The reason I throw Leininger into the picture is based on his collegiate experience compared to the others as well as this recent post by Coach Smith on Twitter:

So cool to see guys when they start to figure things out. Drew Leininger just might be one of those guys. Welcome to the party Drewby!

You obviously don't want to read too much into a simple "tweet," but at the same time there is no denying that Leininger could get a look at #3 this season. While he didn't live up to the expectations set for him as a freshman last season, maybe being a year older and a year wiser and having a year in Bloomington under his belt will translate into a better performance out of the lefty in 2010.

- Jonny Hoffman, FR, RHP
The right-hander from California comes to Bloomington after a high school senior campaign in which he struck out 56 and walked just 12 in 49 and 2/3 innings of work. In 2008, he became just the sixth player in greater San Diego history two no-hitters in the same season.

- Mike McKinley, FR, RHP
Out of Neuqua Valley in Naperville, Illinois, McKinley joins the Hoosier staff after going 7-3 with a 1.79 ERA and striking out 72 batters while walking just 14 in picking up all-conference honors for the third consecutive season as a high school senior. The right-hander also went 14-1 with an impressive 1.89 ERA as a junior in 2008. McKinley showed a very good curve during fall play that could certainly help the Hoosiers throughout the season.

- Matt Ernest, RS SO, RHP
Coming from the Hoosier football program, the 6'2", 188 lb righty has one of the top fastballs on the team. If he can develop his mechanics and secondary pitches, Ernest could also be a prime candidate for a weekend starter spot.

- Alex Herz, FR, RHP
At 6'7" and 210 lbs, the freshman from Boulder, Colorado will undoubtedly be an imposing presence on the mound at the very least. As a high school senior Herz went 2-1 with a 2.32 ERA, a .216 batting average against and over a strikeout per inning pitched in being named team MVP.

While the #3 starter spot is a relative unknown, one thing is for sure, unless Squires is tabbed to fill that role, there will be a lot of inexperience at the back of the weekend rotation. Of the six candidates listed above, only Leininger has any experience on the mound at the collegiate level. Let's hope one or more of these guys grows up fast. Go Hoosiers!

Getting to know the San Diego Toreros

2010-02-14T09:24:00.001-05:00

The Indiana University baseball Hoosiers will open their season next weekend with a 4-game tilt at the University of San Diego. The Toreros are in the West Coast Conference (WCC) and are coached by Rich Hill, who is in his 12th season at the school and has led the Toreros to four conference championships in the last eight seasons and to four NCAA Regionals in the last five years. Heading into the 2010 campaign, San Diego was tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the WCC championship, and they are ranked #14 in the Ping Baseball top-30 preseason poll and #24 in the Collegiate Baseball top-40 preseason poll.

The Toreros return eight starting position players and four pitchers who saw regular time on the mound a season ago for a team that finished fifth in the WCC. Among those they welcome back are 2009 WCC Player of the Year James Meador (SR, OF) and 2009 All-WCC first team members Zach Walters (JR, 3B) and AJ Griffin (SR, RHP). In addition, the Toreros also welcome back junior RHP Kyle Blair, who last week was named to Baseball America's third-team preseason All-America team.

Needless to say, the Hoosiers will have their hands full with the Toreros next weekend. They are a talented, experienced team, and when you couple that with the question marks the Hoosiers have on the mound heading into the season, it could be a tough opening weekend for the IU baseball squad. Hopefully I am wrong about that, though.

I hope to provide a more in-depth preview and analysis next week prior to the opener. Stay tuned and check back often. Go Hoosiers!

A Look at the Lineup

2010-02-12T10:14:00.001-05:00

With the season beginning exactly a week from today, I thought I would throw out my prediction for the lineup that will take the field for the Hoosiers when they open up next Friday against the Toreros of the University of San Diego. Obviously I am not at practice everyday nor am I anywhere close to an expert on IU baseball, but here's what I think the lineup could very well look like for the season opener:

1 - Brian Lambert, CF
2 - Jerrud Sabourin, 1B
3 - Alex Dickerson, DH
4 - Michael Earley, LF
5 - Josh Lyon, C
6 - Tyler Rogers, 2B
7 - Ethan Wilson, 3B
8 - Jerry Kleman/Michael Basil, SS
9 - Micah Johnson, RF
P - Blake Monar

I would say that Lambert, Sabourin, Dickerson, Earley, Lyon and Rogers with Monar on the mound are virtual locks to be in the lineup come opening day. Beyond that, though, I think the final three lineup spots are probably still very much up for grabs, and it could be a case where Coach Smith opts to give a number of guys opportunities to play early on before settling on a regular lineup as the season progresses.

The lineup I put together above is strong at the top, but the bottom third could be a concern given the inexperience of Wilson, Kleman/Basil and Johnson. With Monar on the mound the Hoosiers will be tough to beat, but he can only pitch once a week, so it would be great for the lineup to be one that can give the pitching staff solid run support on a regular basis.

Hopefully this will generate some discussion on the blog. If you see the lineup shaping up differently to begin the season, feel free to share in the comments. Go Hoosiers!

Following IU Baseball on Twitter

2010-02-11T10:15:00.004-05:00

In case you were unaware, IU Baseball is now on Twitter. Much like Hoosier coaching colleagues Tom Crean and Bill Lynch, Tracy Smith will be "tweeting" on all things Hoosier Baseball during the upcoming season. In addition to being a great recruiting tool, from a fan's perspective, the IU Baseball Twitter feed provides an inside look at Coach Smith and the baseball program both on and off the field.

For example, in recent posts Coach Smith has touched on:

- Alex Dickerson's power: "Dickerson hit ball today from west end of Mellencamp that hit 3/4 the way up the wall on east end. Still tryn to grasp physics of that one."

- The position battle at catcher: "I want our catchers to follow the path NSYNC, Destinys Child, Jackson 5, and The Commodores-someone n group needs to decide to go solo."

- The performance of a future Hoosier: "Our 6ft 7in RHP signee Chad Martin called me today and told me he struck out 7 n 3 innings n 1st outing this past wkend."

Most exciting for Hoosier fans, though, is that Coach Smith indicated in a post on Monday morning that he will be using Twitter to update pro scouts this season, which means fans will have access to real-time inside information on things like weekend pitching rotations and lineup changes. I for one am a big fan of the IU Baseball Twitter feed and will be checking it often, and I would recommend you doing so as well. Go Hoosiers!

Check out the Hoosiers on Twitter here.

Baseball Media Day

2010-02-11T09:03:00.002-05:00

The IU baseball team recently held its annual media day. If you have an account at CBSSports.com, you can check out the highlights here. If not, you can watch a 30-second clip from Coach Smith here. The season opener is just over a week away. This time next week the team will be on their way to San Diego. Go Hoosiers!

Dickerson, Monar Receive Preseason Honors

2010-02-11T08:42:00.002-05:00

I am a few days late with this, but on Monday sophomores Alex Dickerson and Blake Monar were recognized in the annual College Baseball Insider's Big Ten coaches poll. Dickerson, who was also named one of the Big Ten's best pure hitters and one of the hitters you don't want to face, was a unanimous choice by the coaches as one of the conference's biggest power threats. Monar, who along with Dickerson was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team a season ago, was tabbed by the Big Ten coaches as one of the conference's top three starting pitchers.

Here's to both Dickerson and Monar following through on this recognition with big years. Hopefully this is just the beginning in terms of honors and accolades for the pair this season. Go Hoosiers!

IDS: Ernest goes from gridiron to mound for Hoosiers

2010-02-06T18:12:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of the Indiana Daily Student
By Geoffrey Miller

Losing seven players from last year’s squad, the IU baseball team certainly needed to reload in a quick fashion if it wanted to improve on last year’s Big Ten Tournament championship.

Fortunately, it didn’t have to look too far to find a talented new pitcher for the 2010 campaign.

Matt Ernest, better known for his contributions as a wide receiver on the football team, joined the baseball team during the off-season – an addition that IU coach Tracy Smith says is already proving beneficial.

“Athletically, he brings some stuff we really don’t have,” Smith said. “Quite honestly, we’re short on arms, but he’s one of the legitimate power arms we have.”

Already, Smith says, Ernest is pitching upwards of 90 mph off the mound despite not playing baseball since his senior year of high school in Crown Point, Ind., some two and a half years ago.

Ernest says he’s throwing “about 4 or 5 mph” faster than he was during high school,
something he attributes to football weight training.

Sophomore pitcher Blake Monar said Ernest is progressing nicely and isn’t afraid to look for guidance.

“He’ll ask me a few things here and there just because he’s been out of (baseball) for a few years,” said Monar. “He’s got some questions as far as mechanics go, but he’s getting the hang of it quick.”

Adding baseball to his plate won’t be the only major change for Ernest in 2010. He’s expected to transition from wide receiver to cornerback this fall in football – a move precipitated by a glut of wide receivers on IU football coach Bill Lynch’s roster.

Even though Ernest picked up baseball, he hasn’t dropped his offseason football duties. On Thursday, Ernest had an early morning running session with the football team, a baseball practice in the afternoon and more football practice in the early evening.

Ernest is continuing a trend of IU athletes playing two sports, as former Hoosier outfielder Andrew Means also played wide receiver on the football team. Means is now playing baseball in the Cincinnati Reds’ minor league organization.

Smith said the experience last year provided the “Means Blueprint,” as communication between him and Lynch helped the athlete work for both programs.

“It goes back to the partnership with the other coach,” Smith said. “Bill was real comfortable in saying ‘You know, if he’s a contributor, we know it can work, we’ve done it before,’ and he was really willing to let it happen.”

That Time of Year

2010-02-04T10:45:00.002-05:00

Rejoice baseball fans, it's that time of year. With the words "pitchers and catchers" report, we know that MLB spring training is near. In Bloomington, the Indiana baseball Hoosiers got the 2010 campaign underway with the start of official practice on Monday. In a little more than two weeks the Hoosiers will open the season with a 4 game series at the University of San Diego February 19-21.

I've been somewhat irregular with my posts since the conclusion of the 2009 season, but with the new season fast approaching, I will be posting on a much more regular basis. I am also hoping to provide several different season previews/outlooks before things get underway on 2/19.

While the odds are certainly stacked against the Hoosiers heading into 2010 given all that was lost from last year's team, I am excited about this year's team and believe they can prove all the doubters wrong. Go Hoosiers!

Offense - Filling the Void

2010-01-31T11:42:00.016-05:00

Coming off a season in which the Indiana baseball Hoosiers hit .327 as a team and were considered considered by many to possess the most dangerous offensive attack in the Big Ten, Tracy Smith will look this season to fill six major voids at the plate from a season ago. Who's gone and who will replace them? Keep reading to find out who those replacements are likely to be.

C - Josh Phegley .344 avg, 17 HRs, 66 RBIs, .459 OB%
The Replacement? Josh Lyon
As arguably the most feared hitter in the Hoosier lineup a season ago, Phegley led the team and ranked among the league leaders in runs, homeruns, RBIs, slugging %, walks, and sacrifice flies. Needless to say, sophomore Josh Lyon will have some big shoes to fill. The big catcher hit .314 in limited action last season and certainly has the tools to be a force to be reckoned with offensively, but Lyon will need to cut back his strikeouts (he struck out 14 times in 35 at-bats a year ago) and demonstrate more discipline at the plate to have any hope of mirroring Phegley's production at the plate.

OF - Kipp Schutz .392 avg, 5 HRs, 34 RBIs, .449 OB%
The Replacement? Michael Earley
Another MLB draftee, Schutz came on strong down the back stretch of the 2009 campaign to lead the Hoosiers and rank among the Big Ten leaders in batting average. Schutz was a stable presence both on and off the field for IU, and he will certainly be missed. However, waiting in the wings is a guy I feel is poised for a breakout season in 2010. Although Michael Earley only hit .276 last year for the Hoosiers, the senior is coming off a solid summer with the Grand Lake Mariners in which he hit .309 with a .403 on-base percentage and 13 stolen bases and played in the Great Lakes summer league all-star game. His playing time and at-bats were relatively limited in 2009, but he did hit .318 as a sophomore, and I strongly believe Earley will take advantage of the opportunity in front of him and have a big senior season.

OF - Evan Crawford .323 avg, 27 SBs, 29 RBIs, .406 OB%
The Replacement? Brian Lambert
While it will be hard to replace the speed and athletic ability Crawford brought to the table, in Brian Lambert the Hoosiers have a more than capable replacement. Lambert started 22 games a season ago, and in 84 at-bats the red-shirt junior hit .345 with a .394 OB% and 5 steals in 6 attempts. Teaming up with Michael Earley this summer for the Grand Lake Mariners, Lambert was also an all-star and hit at a .325 clip with a .434 OB% and 15 stolen bases. The only knock on Lambert might be that he doesn't walk much (only 2 in 84 at-bats last year), but if he can be a little more patient at the plate I would think he would be a good candidate to hit lead-off for the Hoosiers in 2010.

OF - Chris Hervey .283 avg, 3 HRs, 17 RBIs, .419 OB%
The Replacement? Kyle Leiendecker
Although his numbers were down from his stellar junior campaign, there is no denying Chris Hervey's value and contribution to the success of the 2009 Indiana baseball Hoosiers. His leadership and stability will be difficult to replace, but from a purely statistical perspective, I would like to think that replacing his production will not be a monumental task. While it remains to be seen who will get most of Hervey's playing time, the most likely candidate at this point in time appears to be Kyle Leiendecker. The junior did not record so much as a single at-bat in 2009, but the former pitcher saw considerable action in the outfield during the fall. Playing for the San Diego Mavericks of the Western Baseball Association this summer, Leiendecker hit .356 with a .485 OB%, 21 RBIs and 25 runs scored in 101 at-bats. Leiendecker did look shaky at times playing the outfield during the fall, his athletic ability and summer stats are encouraging signs that he could be a more than capable presence for the Hoosiers in 2010. As a side note, while Leiendecker did not see much time on the mound last season, sources close to the team say that he has professional "stuff." This is a guy who beat both LSU and Fresno State as a freshman, and I hope that Coach Smith will give him an opportunity to figure out the control issues that plagued him in the past and at the very least give him some innings on the mound early on.

SS - Jake Dunning .308 avg, 5 HRs, 45 RBIs, .355 OB%
The Replacement? Ethan Wilson
While Dunning did end up hitting over .300 and finished third on the team with 45 RBIs, he was a very inconsistent, streaky hitter. His likely replacement spent nearly all of last season on the "DL" as he suffered a season-ending injury on March 1 and took a medical redshirt. Although he struggled mightily this summer playing for the Sanford Mariners in the New England League (.139 BA, .262 OB% in 72 at-bats), I for one think his performance was more attributable to injury recovery than anything else. Wilson started 29 games as a freshman in 2008 and hit a strong .292, and he was actually expected to be a big contributor for the Hoosiers last season before injury ended his year. People close to the team seem to think that Wilson is poised for a big season if he can stay healthy, so let's hope that's the case.

3B - Vince Gonzalez .303 avg, 17 RBIs, .374 OB%
The Replacement? Micah Johnson
Gonzalez surprised many people with his solid performance as a freshman last season, and after starting 37 games, I for one foresaw big things in a Hoosier uniform out of Gonzalez. It was not to be, though, as Gonzalez decided to transfer to a school closer to home and will not be back in 2010. Ready to replace him is another freshman - Micah Johnson. A graduate of Indianapolis' Park Tudor High School, Johnson hit .561 with a .963 slugging percentage as a junior and was named Indiana's best athlete in the 2009 class by MaxPreps Baseball. Johnson was tabbed as one of the state's top players heading into his senior season but missed the entire season due to injury. He is fully recovered now and looked like he could be a solid contributor in 2010 in the fall. Hopefully that will prove to be the case.

While these are undoubtedly some big shoes to fill for this year's squad, it is not unrealistic to think that the current Hoosiers highlighted above can have the same kind of impact as those that preceded them. Yes, truly replacing a MLB draft first round "sandwich" pick like Phegley will be next to impossible, especially when you consider the leadership and other intangibles he brought to the table, but I for one would not be surprised if IU's offense picks up where it left off last season.

Aaron Fitt of BA: "Big Ten will be a three-bid league"

2010-01-30T21:48:00.004-05:00

Aaron Fitt of Baseball America recently wrote: "I think the Big Ten will be a three-bid league again this year with OSU, Minnesota and Michigan."

Do you agree with his assessment of the conference? As last year's Big Ten tournament champions, what do you think the Hoosiers chances are of getting back to the NCAA tournament? Will we have to win the tournament, or do you think we could have a good enough record for a bid regardless of the tournament outcome? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

IDS Article - Hoosiers Ready to Defend Title

2010-01-30T20:47:00.001-05:00

Courtesy of the Indiana Daily Student (IDS) and writer Pat Hickey:

Coming off a 2009 season with arguably IU’s most talented baseball team in its century-old history, the Hoosiers are going to have to get creative.

IU coach Tracy Smith enters 2010 trying to fill a void left from losing three first-round picks and seven total players in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft.

As a result IU was not allowed to sign recruits until current players had signed professional contracts, leaving the market quite barren because most high school players had already signed with other colleges. In fact, the team had only seven healthy pitchers during fall workouts.

However, the team will be returning the 2009 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Alex Dickerson, who hit cleanup the majority of the year for the Big Ten champions.
Junior outfielder Brian Lambert and senior infielder Michael Earley – named team captains for 2010 on Monday – look to return to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year. Lambert hit .345 while appearing in 40 games in 2009 and serving as IU’s primary pinch-runner. Earley saw action in 30 games, hitting .276 with 1 HR and 11 RBI.

Sophomore left-handed pitcher Blake Monar will likely return as IU’s opening-night starter on Feb. 19 at the University of San Diego. He went 5-3 with a 4.64 ERA for the Hoosiers in 2009, earning Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors while striking out 59 and limiting opposing hitters to a .251 average.

IU will welcome a staggering 12 incoming freshman to its squad in 2010.

Among those are infielder Trace Knoblauch, nephew of former major leaguer Chuck Knoblauch. Also joining the team in 2010 is catcher Josh Collier, who hit 36 home runs in his career at Edgewood High School, and pitcher Greg Heban, who garnered First Team All-State honors last year at Delta High School in Muncie.

Official Sports Report - Baseball Season Just Around the Corner

2010-01-23T20:35:00.005-05:00

This post is courtesy of the Official Sports Report - January 19, 2010

Baseball Season Just Around the Corner
by Matt Brady
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - As I scraped the "frozen fog" off the windows of my car yesterday morning, I looked at my watch. Suddenly I realized that just one month from today I will be in San Diego, Calif., for Indiana Baseball's season-opening weekend series at the University of San Diego. (I know, you all feel so bad for me.)

It seems like such a long time ago that the Hoosiers took the 2009 Big Ten Tournament championship, so I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised that the season is right around the corner. But the fact that the countdown to the opener is now in the "days" category rather than the "months" category really hit me.

The Hoosier baseball squad was the talk of the town last year, as year four of the Trac! y Smith era brought a Big Ten title and a spot in the NCAA Louisville Regional. The team's accomplishments did not end with the season, though, as IU went on to become the only school in the nation with three players taken in the top 50 of the MLB Draft. And with seven underclassmen drafted overall, the Hoosiers are going to have several pairs of shoes to fill heading into the 2010 season.

So, with that in mind, Indiana will have a tough task ahead if it is able to repeat as Big Ten Champs. Here are answers to some focal questions heading into the 2010 campaign.

If the IU staff knew that a bunch of players were going to get drafted, why didn't they bring in a bunch of players for this year?

Before this fall, in the Big Ten, baseball coaches were not allowed to oversign at all. With a limit of 25 players on scholarship and 11.7 scholarships, the Hoosier staff could not use the scholarship money for any of the drafted underclassmen until that player signed a pro contract. So by the time that happened, most of the top talent was already signed. The incoming class for the fall of 2010 (IU has signed nine players, including seven pitchers) is where much of that scholarship money was spent.

So who will be this year's Eric Arnett?

Those close to the team always knew Arnett could break out at any time, but his sheer dominance and rising all the way to a National Pitcher of the Year Finalist was surprising to everyone. It's unlikely that the Hoosiers have anyone on the roster that will put up pitching numbers in the same stratosphere as Arnett this year, but in terms of breakout candidates, there are a couple.

Sophomore Josh Lyon only saw limited action being behind Josh Phegley at catcher and Alex Dickerson at DH, and he definitely has double-digit home run potential. Junior Brian Lambert could be one of the top hitters in the region playing every day in center field.

Who will pitch on the weekend for the Hoosiers?

Sophomore lefties Blake Monar and Matt Igel are both likely to start weekend series after strong freshman seasons, but no spot is guaranteed and the competition is really wide open for that third slot. Freshman Walker Stadler was probably the biggest breakout player during fall ball, and he will be given a big chance to earn a weekend spot. Joining the baseball squad after football season, redshirt sophomore Matt Ernest could make a run at a weekend starter position if he can show control and continue to develop secondary pitches to go along with his 90-plus fastball. There's also the possibility that Chris Squires could transition to a starting role and freshman Jonny Hoffman could emerge, but the competition is wide open.

So where will the Hoosiers finish this year?

That's a great question. Ohio State is the trendy pick to win the conference this year after returning most of its championship-winning squad last year, but after superstar Alex Wimmers, the Buckeyes are pretty thin on pitching. Minnesota lost some key players from last year, but has a solid bunch back for 2010. Illinois is still a team on the rise, but the Fighting Illini lost some key pitchers as well, leaving that as a huge question mark. Michigan should be back near the top of the league after a disappointing seventh-place finish last year.

With everything the Hoosiers lost, if Indiana finishes in the league's top four, it is a major accomplishment by the IU staff and players. But with other teams having a number of question marks as well, anything is possible. And the Hoosiers also have the player who many consider the conference's top hitter for power (Alex Dickerson) and hitter for average (Jerrud Sabourin) on the roster. So if IU can have a couple pitchers emerge on the weekend and avoid any major injuries, the Hoosiers should make another run at the conference title.

And it all starts one month from today.

Pitching Help is Coming Early

2009-12-25T00:20:00.003-05:00

After losing a lot of pitching talent from last year's squad, the Hoosiers are getting a little help early with the additions of an IU football player and an early high school graduate.

Matt Ernest, an IU receiver, will join the team after being pursued by the IU baseball coaching staff out of high school, showing interest in becoming a two-sport athlete this year, and throwing in the 90s in the fall. Ernest brings athleticism and a lot of potential to the mound.

Casey Smith, Coach Tracy Smith's son, will also add depth to the pitching staff after having a successful career at Bloomington North High School (3 sectional titles). Smith garnered interest from other Division I shools, but ultimately chose to play for the Hoosiers and graduate a semester early to provide an immediate help to the IU pitching staff.

Let's hope that both Matt and Casey can provide quality innings for the Hoosiers this year because we could surely use the arms.

Hoosiers Ink 9 for 2010 Class

2009-11-19T20:41:00.004-05:00

Coach Tracy Smith has signed 9 new Hoosiers including Blair Betts (Cary, N.C./Athens Drive), Matt Dearden (Newberry, Fla./Gainesville), Dustin DeMuth (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte), Joey DeNato (San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines), Ty Downing (Bowling Green, Ky./Greenwood), Eric Kartman (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead), Brian Korte (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder), Chad Martin (Lexington, Ky./Vincennes University) and Reed Reznicek (Vista, Calif./Rancho Buena Vista).

Spanning 6 different states, this 2010 class includes 4 left handed pitchers, 3 right handed pitchers, 1 infielder, and 1 catcher.

Check out the IU press release for more information on the class including some great quotes by Coach Smith on each player here.

Kyle Leiendecker: On the mound or in the field?

2009-11-03T10:18:00.011-05:00

Coming to IU as an Indiana All State selection, solid two-way player, and draftee of the Cleveland Indians, Kyle Leiendecker was a huge pickup for Tracy Smith and the Hoosiers. In his freshman year, he started out strong picking up a win against always dangerous LSU. He went on that year to finish 3-0 in a season ended short by injury. After a short freshman year, he left Hoosier fans wanting more. Many, including myself, thought he would step into a weekend starter spot last year. After having difficulty finding the plate in his limited appearances, Leiendecker had a disappointing sophomore season.

After going to California this summer and finishing with a .356 BA and .485 OB%, he had many of the Hoosier faithful behind him again. In the fan picks, he was voted to RF by a considerable margin. Despite his success at the plate, Indiana fans remain intrigued by his potential on the mound. With our lack of returning experience, Leiendecker remains a wildcard. There is no denying that he has one of the strongest arms on the team, but many question if he can live up to his potential. Over his first two years, his stats are as follows:

FR: 7.76 ERA, 3-0, 12 APP, 5 GS, 26.2 IP, 34 H, 23 R, 23 ER, 18 BB, 19 K, .330 B/AVG
SO: 18.00 ERA, 0-0, 5 APP, 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 9 BB, 3 K, .474 B/AVG

As fans, I think we all are holding out hope that Leiendecker can return to form to pick up some valuable innings for this Hoosier team that lost 3 pitchers to the MLB draft. The team is clearly in dire need of arms to eat up quality innings this spring, but will Coach Smith provide Leiendecker with an opportunity to step in and help fill that pitching void, and will Leiendecker take advantage of the opportunities he does get? What is your take? Do you feel he still has something left to offer on the mound, or should he concentrate on contributing in the outfield and at the plate?

My personal inclination is for Coach Smith to give him a shot, and I think he certaintly will. He possesses the tools and has some experience, and I think there is still some potential there. The Hoosiers rotation would certainly be bolstered by the addition of another quality arm, so to me, giving Leiendecker another opportunity on the mound early in the season makes perfect sense to me. The worst case scenario would be that he struggles as he has in the past and returns to competing for playing time in the outfield. On the flip side, he could take advantage of the opportunity and finally live up to the expectations set for him early in his career.

I know this has been a hot topic of debate among some readers of late, but I am still interested to hear everyone's thoughts on the matter. Go Hoosiers!

2009-2010 Schedule

2009-11-02T21:58:00.003-05:00

As you may have already seen, the Indiana Hoosiers have announced their 2009-2010 schedule. The season begins with the Hoosiers making a trip to California to play San Diego in a 3-game series followed by one game against Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn and his San Diego State Aztecs. Additional notable non-conference games include last year's regional foes Vanderbilt on 3/7/10 in the Music City Classic in Nashville, Tennessee and a home-and-away series against Louisville on 3/9/10 (away) and 3/30/10 (home).

In conference play, the Hoosiers will play home series against Michigan, Iowa, Purdue, and Illinois. Ohio State, Minnesota, Northwestern, and Michigan State will all be on the road. That leaves Penn State as the only Big Ten baseball opponent the Hoosiers will not face (Wisconsin does not have a baseball team).

The full schedule can be found here.

Wyatt Hoff No Longer on IU Roster

2009-10-13T12:07:00.005-04:00

Although this may be old news to some of you, Wyatt Hoff is no longer listed on IU's roster. Hoff logged the 6th most innings of any returner (behind Monar, Squires, Carr, Leininger, and Igel) last year sporting a 13.73 ERA and a .424 BA against.

While those numbers are not very good and it appears as not much of a loss, this does leave IU with only 12 pitchers on the roster (7 of which are Freshman). In alphabetical order, the IU pitchers include: Matt Carr, Tyler Feine, Greg Heban, Alex Herz, Jonny Hoffman, Matt Igel, Drew Leininger, Mike McKinley, Blake Monar, Derek Roof, Chris Squires, and Walker Stadler.

With only 5 returners (including Carr who is recovering from Tommy John surgery) and 7 new faces, how do you all see the pitching situation playing out? Will Monar be a good #1 starter? Can Squires move from a closing role to fill a weekend starter spot? Will Igel be the Igel will saw in the Big Ten Tournament last year and command a weekend starter spot as well? Will any of the freshman log a lot of innings? Assuming Squires is a starter, who will fill the closer spot? Do you want to see Leiendecker on the mound? Feel free to post your thoughts or any additional questions in the comments section with regard to the pitching situation.

Also, if anyone took any pictures of the new IU players who are not pictured on this blog at last weekend's fall games, I would love it you would send them to me at iubaseballfan@live.com, and I will put them up as soon as possible.

Hoosiers Fall to Norse 10-6 in Fall Game

2009-10-11T10:53:00.004-04:00

With several players seeing playing time, the Indiana Hoosier baseball team lost to Northern Kentucky 10-6. The Norse were a formidable foe for the Hoosiers as they had been the Great Lakes Valley Conference Champions (Division II) the last two years. Keep in mind that the game doesn't count for the Hoosiers season record, and it was clear that the IU coaching staff was more concerned with getting multiple players game experience than winning and understandably so. As many people speculated after draft day, the Hoosiers are going to be light on pitching and that was evident by allowing 9 runs combined in the 8th and 9th innings. The hitting was also average while the defense committed 3 errors. It is still only the fall, so I'm sure the pitching, hitting, and fielding will only get better moving forward.

Starting Lineup:
CF - Brian Lambert
1B - Jerrud Sabourin
LF - Alex Dickerson
C - Josh Lyon
DH - Michael Earley
2B - Tyler Rogers
RF - Kyle Leiendecker
SS - Michael Basil
3B - Micah Johnson
P - Blake Monar

Please feel free to leave your comments or any takeaways you saw from the game in the section below.

Fall Intercollegiate Games - Oct 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th

2009-10-06T15:01:00.013-04:00

Due to the unavailability of pitchers in the fall, IU will play four fall intercollegiate games during the following two weekends. This appears as a smart and creative move by the IU coaching staff as it will allow the Hoosier batters to face additional pitching while allowing some the veteran pitchers to rest during the fall.

October 10th, 2pm
Northern Kentucky
Division II (2008 and 2009 Conference Champions)
Last season: 41-22, .321 Team BA; 3.84 Team ERA

October 11th, 12pm
Lincoln Trail
Junior College DI

October 17th, 1pm
Olney Central
Junior College DI

October 18th, 2:30pm
Parkland
Junior College DII (2009 NJCAA Division II National Champions)

Read the full release here.

Yahoo! Sports/Rivals.com - Big Ten teams ready to take next step

2009-10-05T15:34:00.002-04:00

Kendall Rogers, college baseball editor for Yahoo! Sports and Rivals.com, previews the Big Ten's fall workouts and had the following to write about IU:

Indiana
Biggest loss. P Eric Arnett

What to watch. The Hoosiers took a huge step forward last season by tallying a 30-win season and reaching an NCAA regional by winning the Big Ten tournament. But coach Tracy Smith and his program don’t want to be a one-year wonder. They want to become a consistent player for the conference crown. That may be difficult to do in the spring. The Hoosiers have some huge holes to fill on the mound without ace pitcher Eric Arnett, Matt Bashore and Joey O’Gara. They also have some holes to fill at the plate with the departures of All-American catcher Josh Phegley, Evan Crawford and Kipp Schutz. The silver lining could be that the Hoosiers welcome back hitters such as Brian Lambert, Alex Dickerson, Jerrud Sabourin and Tyler Rogers. IU has some important arms to replace this fall.

If you would like to read the entire article including previews of the other Big Ten baseball teams, click here.

Villanova vs. Indiana Game To Be Streamed Online

2009-10-05T12:27:00.009-04:00

If you can not make it to Tampa/Clearwater Florida area for the Big Ten/Big East Challenge, Indiana baseball fans are in luck for at least one game. Collegebaseball360.com recently announce an agreement with API Sports to stream live college baseball action from the 2010 Big Ten/Big East Baseball Challenge. While IU will play 3 games throughout the challenge, only the Villanova contest (Saturday, February 27th at 10am ET) is slated to be streamed online. You can read the full release and tentative schedule here.

2009 Fall Roster Posted

2009-09-16T23:02:00.010-04:00

The 2009 fall roster for the Indiana University baseball team has been posted:

Infielders (10): Michael Basil, Jeff Caldwell, Michael Earley, Micah Johnson, Jerry Kleman, Trace Knoblauch (pictured on right), Brian Ritz, Tyler Rogers, Jerrud Sabourin, Ethan Wilson

Outfielders (9): Justin Cureton, Alex Dickerson, Daniel Iturrey, Micah Johnson (pictured on right), T.C. Knipp, Brian Lambert, Kyle Leiendecker, Sterling Mack, Matt Serfling

Catchers (4): Josh Collier, Josh Lyon, Dylan Swift, Wes Wilson

Pitchers (12): Matt Carr, Tyler Feine, Greg Heban, Alex Herz, Jonny Hoffman (pictured on right), Matt Igel, Drew Leininger, Mike McKinley, Blake Monar, Derek Roof, Chris Squires, Walker Stadler

To see the entire 2009 fall roster, click here.

Big Ten/Big East Challenge Schedule Announced

2009-09-16T22:00:00.008-04:00

February 26, 1 p.m. - vs. West Virginia (37-18)
February 27, 10 a.m. - vs. Villanova (22-28)
February 28, 10 a.m. - vs. Connecticut (36-24)

The entire press release can be read here.

Minor League Baseball Stats - As of 9/7

2009-09-07T11:01:00.004-04:00

Rookie
Eric Arnett - Helena Brewers (4.60 ERA, 29.1 IP, 29 hits, 30 Ks, 19 BBs)
Matt Bashore - Elizabethton Twins (0.00 ERA, 2 IP, 3 hits, 2 Ks, 0 BBs)
Evan Crawford - AZL Giants (18-66 for .273 BA, .324 OB%, 7 RBIs, 14 runs, 9-9 SBs) - now playing in Class A Short Season as shown below
Jake Dunning (pictured on right) - AZL Giants (20-88 for .227 BA, .244 OB%, 11 RBIs, 11 runs; 9.00 ERA, 1 IP, 2 hits, 2 Ks, 1 BB)
Chris Hervey - GCL Orioles (9.69 ERA, 13 IP, 15 hits, 8 Ks, 7 BBs)
Kipp Schutz - Bluefield Orioles (34-135 for .252 BA, .340 OB%, 15 RBIs, 26 runs, 2-5 SBs)

Class A Short Season
Joey O'Gara - Jamestown Jammers (6.46 ERA, 39 IP, 53 hits, 28 Ks, 14 BBs)
Evan Crawford (pictured on right) - Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (36-114 for .316 BA, .375 OB%, 23 RBIs, 23 runs, 5-7 SBs)

Class A
Josh Phegley - Kannapolis Intimidators (44-192 for .229 BA, .282 OB%, 9 HRs, 33 RBIs, 27 runs)

Minor League Baseball Stats - As of 8/20

2009-08-20T22:40:00.006-04:00

Rookie
Eric Arnett (pictured on right) - Helena Brewers (5.09 ERA, 17.2 IP, 14 hits, 19 Ks, 14 BBs)
Matt Bashore - Elizabethton Twins (0.00 ERA, 2 IP, 3 hits, 2 Ks, 0 BBs)
Evan Crawford - AZL Giants (18-66 for .273 BA, .324 OB%, 7 RBIs, 14 runs, 9-9 SBs) - now playing in Class A Short Season as shown below
Jake Dunning - AZL Giants (15-61 for .246 BA, .258 OB%, 7 RBIs, 8 runs; 9.00 ERA, 1 IP, 2 hits, 2 Ks, 1 BB)
Chris Hervey - GCL Orioles (12.60 ERA, 10 IP, 15 hits, 6 Ks, 7 BBs)
Kipp Schutz (pictured on right) - Bluefield Orioles (28-109 for .257 BA, .352 OB%, 14 RBIs, 19 runs, 2-5 SBs)

Class A Short Season
Joey O'Gara - Jamestown Jammers (5.74 ERA, 31.1 IP, 40 hits, 22 Ks, 10 BBs)
Evan Crawford - Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (15-52 for .288 BA, .377 OB%, 7 RBIs, 11 runs, 4-5 SBs)

Class A
Josh Phegley - Kannapolis Intimidators (31-135 for .230 BA, .286 OB%, 7 HRs, 22 RBIs, 22 runs)

New Hoosier Additions

2009-08-20T11:58:00.009-04:00

After losing 310.1 innings (60% of total innings) pitched from last year's roster to the draft, injuries, graduation, and transfers, the Hoosiers have added RHP Tyler Feine (6’6” from Amelia, OH) and RHP Derek Roof (6’4”) as late additions to the 2009 class in hopes of adding to the Hoosier pitching depth.

From Premier Prospects Baseball: "Derek Roof: Roof was unknown before the showcase, but everyone knew who he was after. The 6'5", very skinny pitcher has come into his own in the last year and topped out at 89 mph. Consistently clocked at 85-87mph. His curveball was equally impressive as it was a hard breaker and clocked at 72-75 mph. The changeup had late bite and was 73-75 mph. Both pitches were high end."

While I have never seen Roof pitch and know nothing about him other than what this brief scouting report provides, I really like the fact that he is already topping out at 89 and probably has a lot of room to add weight to that 6'5" "very skinny" frame. Seems to me like this is a guy who could be throwing consistently in the 90's after an offseason or two with the IU strength and conditioning guys.

That's the scoop on Roof. If I run across anything on Feine, I will add it to this post. Go Hoosiers!

Off Season Update (Injuries and Transfers)

2009-08-20T11:46:00.006-04:00

We've had a lot of comments and questions on the blog in regard to the status of several Hoosiers from this past year's squad. So, I decided to email Coach Tracy Smith, and the updates he provided are summarized below.

Matt Carr
Carr (who likely would have stepped in as a weekend starter this year as he had the third most innings pitched of all returning pitchers, the third best returning ERA, and the second best batting average against) had Tommy John surgery this summer and is likely out for entire year. He suffered the injury in the NCAA tournament.

Vince Gonzalez
After ultimately earning his way to a starting role as the Hoosiers third baseman last season, Gonzalez proved sure-handed at the hot corner in only committing 5 errors on the season while posting a .303 BA along the way. Unfortunately, as many of you already surmised, Gonzalez will be transferring to a JC.

Cody Webber
After generating some Hoosier excitement early in the year, the injury bug hit Webber hard last season. He is having his 3rd labrum surgery and will be transferring to a JC as well. I speak for all Hoosier fans as I say we wish Webber a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on the diamond at a JC soon.

Marshall Gorham
Lefthander Marshall Gorham will also be transferring to JC after posting a 10.12 ERA in his freshman season with the Hoosiers.

Ben Riggins
Bloomington native and redshirt freshman Ben Riggins has decided to “hang it up." Riggins did not appear in any games for the Hoosiers last season.

So, that's the word on the injury/transfer front. Thanks for all the comments and questions. Keep checking back at Behind the Plate for up-to-date news on all things Hoosier baseball this fall. Go Hoosiers!