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Game Notes: Hoosiers Host Northwestern with Friday Doubleheader

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Hall of Famer
Setting the Scene
• Indiana returns to the friendly confines of Bart Kaufman Field on Friday, April 29 as it hosts the Northwestern Wildcats at 3:05 p.m. in the first game of a doubleheader.
• Prior to their loss to Notre Dame on Wednesday evening at Victory Field, the Hoosiers are coming off a series victory over the No. 23 Michigan State Spartans last weekend in East Lansing. Indiana has now won 11 of its last 14 games, which included an eight-game winning streak that was snapped on April 17 against Iowa.
• Indiana, 8-4 in B1G play, sits tied for third place in the conference, 1.5 games back of first.

2016 Baseball Single Game Ticket Information
Ticket Prices (GENERAL ADMISSION ONLY) •Adult - $5
•Youth - $3 (ages 3-18)
•Group - $2 (25+ tickets)
•Ages 2 and Under - FREE
•IU student w/ valid student ID - FREE
•IU faculty/staff w/ valid faculty/staff ID - FREE(+1)

Notables
• Indiana pitching ranks first in the Big Ten in fewest walks allowed (94), second in team ERA (2.90), second in fewest earned runs allowed (115), third in fewest runs allowed (150), third in opponent batting average (.232), fourth in strikeouts (295), and fourth in fewest hits allowed (308).
• Indiana's pitching staff enters this week ranked third nationally in walks allowed per nine innings (2.40), seventh in strikeout to walk ratio (3.12), seventh in WHIP (1.13), 11th in team ERA (2.84), and 23rd in hits allowed per nine innings (7.8).
• Indiana's starting pitching has been strong through the first seven weekends of action. In 30 combined starts from LHP Kyle Hart, RHP Evan Bell and LHP Caleb Baragar, the trio has posted a 2.74 ERA, allowing just 151 hits over 184.0 innings of work, striking out 132 batters while walking only 41. Teams are hitting a combined .224 off Hart, Bell and Baragar so far.
• Hoosier pitchers have given up one earned run or less 13 times this season, all of which have happened in a 29-game span.
• Indiana pitching has posted double-figure strikeouts in 11 games this season.
• The Hoosiers have given up two walks or less in 24 games this season, including 15 of the last 24 games.
• Entering this weekend, IU is ranked fourth in the Big Ten in home runs (30), tied for fifth in triples (9) and seventh in slugging percentage (.392).
• In conference games only, the Hoosiers are first in home runs (10), tied for second in triples (3), third in stolen bases (12), fifth in slugging percentage (.393), fifth in on base percentage (.358), sixth in RBI (58),
• Heading into the week, Indiana is 64th in the country in home runs per game (0.79), and 65th in home runs (30).
• As a team, IU has recorded at least one home run in six of the last 10 games, including three against Iowa on April 15. In its first 18 games of the season, Indiana tallied nine home runs (0.5 average), but in the last 21 contests, the Hoosiers have slugged 21 home runs (1.0 average).

Player Notes
• Sophomore outfielder Logan Sowers ranks tied for seventh in the Big Ten in home runs with seven. Sowers' seven long balls have come in just 27 games, as he missed 12 games due to injury. Sowers is averaging one home run per 13.7 at-bats.
• Sowers, entering the weekend is hitting .323, has 31 hits on the season with 12 of them coming for extra-bases. He currently has posted a 1.053 OPS.
• Since returning to the Indiana lineup on March 23, Sowers is hitting at a .333 clip with five home runs and 14 RBI, posting an OPS of 1.075. The Hoosiers are 14-7 since Sowers came back to the lineup.
• In conference games only, Sowers is second in the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.682), tied for third in home runs (3), tied for third in total bases (30), tied for third in walks (10), tied for fourth in runs scored (12), tied for fourth in on base percentage (.482), tied for seventh in RBI (11).
• Junior Craig Dedelow stands tied for 13th in the Big Ten in RBI (28).
• Dedelow has driven in at least one run in seven of his last 16 games.
• Dedelow's three doubles against Butler on March 23 are tied for a Big Ten season-high. His five RBI against the Bulldogs were a career high.
• Dedelow reached base safely in his first 17 games this season, and dating back to last year, his last 22 games. That streak came to a halt on March 20 against Toledo.
• Dedelow, for the second-straight year, was the overall individual champion of IU's annual Omaha
Challenge, logging 253 total points.
• Senior Brian Wilhite is tied for sixth in the Big Ten in RBI (32) and tied for 11th in home runs (6).
• Of Wilhite's six home runs this year, three have been grand slams.
• On March 23 against Butler, Wilhite had a career-high six RBI and two home runs, which included a grand slam. He followed that performance up with another grand slam in a second consecutive game on March 25 at Indiana State.
• For his efforts against Butler and Indiana State, Wilhite earned Big Ten Player of the Week for the week of March 28, marking his first career conference honor. Wilhite hit .562 on the week with three home runs, while driving in 10 and scoring seven runs on nine hits.
• Defensively, Wilhite ranks first in the Big Ten with 134 assists at the shortstop position. His 50 assists in Big Ten action rank second.
• Junior second baseman Tony Butler has yet to make an error this season or in his entire career. Butler has started 36 games at his position this season and has appeared in all 39 games. Butler has a total of 165 chances this season, including 107 assists and 58 putouts. He has turned 28 double plays this year as well. In total, Butler has played in 48 career games at Indiana and Virginia (2014) and has yet to make an error.
• Butlers's 107 assists rank tied for seventh in the Big Ten and is third in fielding double plays with 28.
• Butler hit a walk-off home run on March 27 at Bart Kaufman Field, giving the Hoosiers a 5-3 victory over the Indiana State Sycamores.
• Before Butler's walk-off homer, the last extra-inning walk off home run for the Hoosiers dates back to the 2013 NCAA Regional when Chad Clark hit one against Valparaiso in NCAA Regionals.
• Freshman catcher Ryan Fineman is third among Indiana hitters with a .300 batting average in 37 games and 33 starts.
• In Big Ten games only, Fineman is tied for eighth in runs scored (11) and 15th in slugging percentage (.512).
• Fineman recently had a reached base streak of 22-straight games snapped at Michigan State and a 14-game hitting streak, which was snapped on April 17 against Iowa.
• Junior relief RHP Jake Kelzer has struck out 34 batters in 28 innings while allowing just 22 hits, as opposing batters are hitting just .214 off him.
• Kelzer had a streak of seven appearances where he didn't allow an earned run snapped against Purdue on April 8. The last earned run Kelzer surrendered prior to Purdue was March 5 against Seton Hall.
• Along with Kelzer in the back end of the Indiana bullpen, junior Thomas Belcher had not allowed a run in his last 10 appearances until April 17 against Iowa. Over those 10 appearances, Belcher had tossed 16.2 innings, surrendering just five hits, walking three and striking out 13.
• Belcher, who has thrown 110.0 career innings in a Hoosier uniform, currently ranks 10th all-time at Indiana with a 2.37 ERA (50 inning minimum).

SENIOR RHP KYLE HART
• Indiana's Friday night starter, LHP Kyle Hart will be making his 55th career start on the mound in his Hoosier career on Friday.
• Hart currently is first in the Big Ten and tied for first nationally in victories (8).
• Coming into the weekend, Hart is first in the Big Ten in wins (8), fourth in innings pitched (66.2), seventh in ERA (2.57), ninth in opposing batting average (.230), ninth in strikeouts looking (16) and tied for 11th in strikeouts (48),
• Hart's 54 career starts rank second on the nation's active career leaders list, trailing Florida State's Mike Compton by two. In addition, Hart ranks tied for third nationally on the active career list in wins (29), tied for sixth in innings pitched (307.0) and tied for 30th in strikeouts (206).
• Dating back to last season, in his last 12 starts, Hart has thrown 85.2 innings, allowing 73 hits, 19 earned runs and striking out 60 batters while walking just 12.
• Entering the weekend, the Ohio native has 29 career wins, which ranks third all-time in school history. Hart trails Brian Partenheimer (1994-97) by one win for second all-time in the IU record books.
• In addition, his 307 career innings is currently third all-time at Indiana while the 206 career strikeouts puts him sixth in the school annals.
• Hart ranks second in IU history with 15 career wins in Big Ten games, With four Big Ten series left, Hart trails Joey DeNato (2011-14) by three wins for the No. 1 spot in school history. Hart's 3.19 career ERA in conference action ranks ninth and his 100 strikeouts ranks fifth.
• In his outing at No. 23 Michigan State on April 22, Hart struck out two and allowed just two earned runs and six hits in seven innings of work to pick up his eighth victory of the season.
• In a 7-1 victory over Iowa on April 15, the southpaw tossed his second complete game of the year and third of his career as he struck out five batters while walking none, allowing four hits and an unearned run. Hart earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors for his effort.
• Hart put together another strong starting performance on the mound against Toledo on March 18, going eight innings allowing one earned run while surrendering four hits, improving to 4-1 on the season.
• The senior captain tossed a complete game, six-strikeout effort in a 3-2 victory over Western Carolina on March 11, marking his second career complete game.
• Hart was named the Big Ten's Co-Pitcher of the Week for his outing against Illinois State on March 4. He allowed three hits and no runs over six innings in a 14-1 victory over the Redbirds to improve to 2-1 on the year. The senior captain struck out a career-high 10 batters while walking none.
• In the season opener at Middle Tennessee, Hart put together a five-inning start where he struck out seven, walked one, and allowed just one hit in the early stages. Hart retired the final 15 batters he faced.
• Hart had a streak of 30.0 innings without allowing an earned run snapped on February 26 at Cal State Fullerton. Entering that start, the last time Hart had surrendered an earned run was May 9, 2015 in the first inning against Long Beach State in Bloomington.

SENIOR LHP CALEB BARAGAR
• Senior LHP Caleb Baragar served as IU's Sunday starter through the first six weekends of the season and will be starting in the Saturday slot for the fourth time this season. He has made 22 career starts in a Hoosier uniform, while his 12 starts in 2015 tied for the team lead.
• Baragar entered this week 23rd nationally in WHIP (0.90), 24th in hits allowed/nine innings (5.85) and 54th in ERA (1.95).
• Coming into the weekend, Baragar is second in the Big Ten in ERA (1.95), second in opposing batting average (.180), eighth in strikeouts (56) and tied for 11th in innings pitched (60.0).
• In his last six combined starts, Baragar has allowed 28 hits in 42 innings, striking out 37 and walking 10 while allowing just nine earned runs, with three of them coming against Indiana State on March 26 and four at Michigan State on April 23.
• Baragar had a streak of 27.2 innings without surrendering an earned run snapped against Indiana State on March 26.
• In an 8-2 victory over Iowa on April 16, Baragar picked up his third with of the season striking out four and allowing six hits in seven innings of work.
• In an 8-0 victory over Toledo on March 18, Baragar allowed just one hit in eight innings and struck out 11 in an 8-0 victory. He took a perfect game into the seventh inning and the 11 strikeouts were a career-high. He earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors for his effort.
• Baragar had a strong start against Butler on March 6, going seven innings where he allowed just three hits and matched his career-high in strikeouts with eight while walking two.
• The senior allowed five hits and two earned runs in 5.2 innings of work at Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 28. The southpaw struck out a career-high eight batters while allowing two walks.

SENIOR RHP EVAN BELL
• Indiana's Saturday starter is senior RHP Evan Bell. Bell has made 15 career starts, including 10 this season.
• At Michigan State on April 24, Bell allowed just three hits in six innings of work. In the no decision, Bell retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced.
• In his outing against Seton Hall on March 5, Bell went six innings, allowing seven hits, one earned run and struck out two in the no-decision.
• Bell had a strong start at Cal State Fullerton, as he went a career-high seven innings in his start, striking out six while allowing just two hits. Bell closed his final 4.1 innings of work allowing no hits and just two baserunners.

Go Hoosiers!

http://iuhoosiers.com/news/2016/4/28/baseball-game-notes-hoosiers-host-northwestern-with-friday-doubleheader.aspx
 
Last edited:
IU baseball hopes to feed off Northwestern pitching

by Zain Pyarali

It will be a tale of two teams on the pitching mound this weekend when IU (23-16, 8-4) welcomes last-place Northwestern (10-30, 2-13) for a three-game conference series.

The struggling Wildcats enter the series as losers of their last six consecutive conference games, with just one win in the last 13. A sweep for the Hoosiers would be very beneficial because IU is only two games back from first place Minnesota.

Due to inclement weather in the forecast for Saturday, a double header has been scheduled for Friday starting at 3 p.m., with the series final Sunday. IU Coach Chris Lemonis said he hopes to get the offense going again after leaving nine runners on base last game against Notre Dame.

“We’re not getting an average at-bat. We’re getting a really bad at-bat in those situations,” Lemonis said after the Notre Dame game. “Getting a better pitch and our swings going a little bit, we’ve got good hitters they just didn’t have a good night.”

After getting rained out Wednesday, IU will return home for the first time since April 17, when they fell to Iowa in extra innings. That snapped a six-game home win-streak for the Hoosiers, but they still remain eight games above .500 in Bloomington this season. Returning home after playing five consecutive games away will be a major advantage for the club.

Northwestern’s main struggle this season has been on the mound. As a group, the Wildcats own a 6.22 ERA on the year and are even worse in conference games with a 6.90 ERA.

The Hoosiers, on the other hand, own the second-best ERA in the league, have allowed 130 less runs than Northwestern in the season and have racked up about 80 more strikeouts.

While these two teams are fairly comparable at the plate, the Hoosiers are still outgaining the Wildcats by more than 20 runs scored while also relying on the long ball more often.

Although the IU lineup hasn’t produced eye-popping numbers, the pitching staff has been the backbone of this club. Unlike Northwestern’s pitching staff, IU’s pitchers have kept the Hoosiers in position to compete with the rest of the conference.

“This is Indiana, and we’re a pitching school,” junior relief pitcher Thomas Belcher said. “Ever since the Omaha year, we’ve had guys step up and pitch well every single year. You always think it’s going to be tough losing guys, but the next guy steps up and he’s just as good.”

IU has been fortunate to have the type of production they’ve gotten from every arm this season. Six Hoosiers have tossed at least 25 innings this season and own better ERAs than Northwestern’s top pitcher Danny Katz, who owns a 3.08 ERA.

With Katz doing all of his work out of the bullpen, the Wildcats have resorted to 10 different players to start games for them. Struggling to find stability in their rotation, the three Wildcats with the most starts have a combined 5.23 ERA.

The low-quality arms for Northwestern give IU reason to break out offensively this weekend and sweep the Wildcats to boost its postseason résumé as much as possible.

“I’m a little biased,” junior outfielder Craig Dedelow said. “I think we have a good resume as of right now. Obviously we’re going to have to keep building on it, but if we keep taking care of business like we’re supposed to we’ll be good at the end of the year.”

Go Hoosiers!

http://www.idsnews.com/article/2016/04/iu-baseball-hopes-to-feed-off-northwestern-pitching
 
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