Baseball Travels to Cincinnati for Midweek Contest

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LEADING OFF
• Indiana continues a 12-game road trip to open the 2017 season with a midweek contest at Cincinnati at Marge Schott Stadium.
• IU is coming off a three-game split this past weekend with the Florida Atlantic Owls (1-1-1). The 6-6, 11 inning tie with FAU was the program's first tie since February 25, 2001 at Winthrop.
• The Hoosiers hit six home runs at Florida Atlantic last weekend, including two from senior Craig Dedelow and sophomore Luke Miller. The last time IU had six home runs in a three game series was April 15-17, 2016 against Iowa.
• Indiana has hit nine home runs through its first seven games, good for first in the Big Ten. The last time the Hoosiers hit at least nine through the first seven contests was the 2002 season, when IU also hit nine through its first seven.
• Sophomore catcher Ryan Fineman leads the Hoosiers through seven games with a .333 batting average and eight hits. He is tied for the team lead with Laren Eustace and Jeremy Houston in multi-hit games with three.
• Junior Laren Eustace has posted a .423 on base percentage through the first two weekends, good for first on the team, while stealing four bases, which ranks tied for fifth in the Big Ten. He tied his career-high with two stolen bases in IU's season opener against No. 7 Oregon State.
• Freshman catcher and designated hitter Jake Matheny was named the Big Ten Baseball Freshman of the Week on opening. Matheny, who hit two home runs, doubled, and drove in five runs, was the first Freshman of the Week for Indiana since Logan Sowers on May 18, 2015. Matheny is third on the team with a .304 batting average.
• Also joining Matheny on the list of impact freshmen is shortstop Jeremy Houston , who is hitting .292 through IU's first seven games. The Chicago native has three extra-base hits (2 triples, double) and has driven in three runs.
• Through the first two weekends, Indiana's pitching staff posted a 3.05 team ERA (1st in B1G) and a .255 opponent batting average (3rd).
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in wins (313) and conference wins (135). The Hoosiers have made four NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.

HEAD COACH CHRIS LEMONIS
• Chris Lemonis is in his third season as Indiana's head coach, posting an overall record of 70-51-1 thus far. Lemonis took over an IU program in 2015 that had gone 93-31 the previous two seasons, including its first-ever College World Series appearance in 2013 and the No. 4 overall seed in the 2014 NCAA Baseball Championship. With a new look roster, his program immediately lived up to the expectations, posting a 35-24 overall record and earning a berth into a third-straight NCAA Regional in 2015.
• Lemonis' squad posted a school record fielding percentage of .975 in 2016 while finishing thrid in the Big Ten standings. Through his first two seasons as head coach at Indiana, the Hoosiers own two of the top three fielding percentages in program history.
• As an assistant coach, Lemonis' imprint in elevating the Louisville program to new heights was evident. The former Cardinals' recruiting coordinator aided Louisville to three College World Series appearances (2007, 2013, 2014) and a 359-159 (.693) record during the past eight seasons, including back-to-back 50-win seasons in 2013 and 2014.

HURLING HOOSIERS
• A big part of Indiana's success in recent years has been its pitching staff, with eight pitchers over the last two seasons going on to play professionally with MLB organizations.
• Under the tutelage of Associate Head Coach/Pitching Coach Kyle Bunn , the Hoosiers in 2016 ranked second in the country in walks allowed per nine innings (2.31), fifth in WHIP (1.15) and 11th in team ERA (3.09). Indiana led the Big Ten in walks per nine innings, WHIP, strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.17), was second in team ERA and second in hits allowed per nine innings (8.02).
• Through four games this season, Indiana is first in the Big Ten in ERA (3.05, 49th nationally), WHIP (1.34), third in opposing batting average (.255), fourth in fewest walks allowed (22), and sixth in fewest hits allowed (61).
• Bunn has been known nationally for developing his pitchers as 54 of them have gone on to play professional baseball. During his 15-year stint as an assistant at Ole Miss (2002-07), Clemson (2008-09), Alabama (2010), East Tennessee State (2012-14) and Indiana (2015-present), a total of nine of his pitchers have reached the Major Leagues. Bunn's staffs have poured out three first round draft picks and 22 top five round draft picks.

DEDELOW RETURNS TO HOOSIERS IN 2017
• 2016 Third Team All-Big Ten selection Craig Dedelow opted to return for his senior season in Bloomington. Named IU's offensive MVP, Dedelow was selected in the 34th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• The senior has hit three home runs through the first seven games (T-2nd in Big Ten, T-27th nationally). His 15 career home runs rank first on IU's active career home run list.
• In 2016, The Munster, Ind. native led IU in batting average (.302), hits (70), doubles (16, 11th in the Big Ten), and runs scored (33), and was second in RBI (36).
• For his career, Dedelow is a .297 hitter with 168 hits, 31 doubles, 15 home runs, and 87 RBI. In each of the previous two seasons, Dedelow has led the Hoosiers in hits (76 in 2015; 70 in 2016) and total bases (116 in 2015; 105 in 2016).
• Additionally, for the second-straight fall, Dedelow was the individual champion of Indiana's Omaha Challenge.

LOGAN PROVIDING THE LUMBER
• Named Indiana's 2016 Team MVP, outfielder Logan Sowers played and started in 44 games for the Hoosiers in 2016, leading IU in slugging percentage (.466), on base percentage (.377) and home runs (8).
• The Lafayette, Ind. native ranked ninth in the Big Ten in home runs and in conference games only, was tied for fifth in home runs (4), tied for ninth in walks (14) and 11th in RBI (16).
• Sowers was an All-Big Ten Freshman Team selection in 2015 and a four-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week (3/2, 3/9, 4/14, 5/18), the most honors by any Big Ten freshman and tied for the most weekly conference recognitions in the league.
• He was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 31st round of the 2014 MLB amateur draft.

GOLD GLOVE SECOND BASEMAN
• In 2016, second baseman Tony Butler earned a spot on the Rawlings Gold Glove Team. It marked the first time ever that Indiana Baseball has had a Gold Glove winner in the 10 years the teams have been recognized at the collegiate ranks.
• The lone representative from the Big Ten to be named to the 2016 Gold Glove Team, Butler is the first player from the conference to be named to the team since 2011 (Trevor Willis, Iowa).
• The Wisconsin native did not make an entire error during the 2016 season, recording 77 putouts and 126 assists (203 chances).
• In total, Butler played in 61 career Division I games at Indiana and Virginia (2014) without making an error to start his career. That streak was snapped on Feb. 25 at Florida Atlantic. Overall, the senior captain has just one error in 62 of 63 career games.

MILLER TABBED A FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN
• Indiana utility man Luke Miller returns for his second season in 2017 after being name a 2016 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American. Miller was Indiana's first Freshman All-American since RHP Scott Effross in 2013. Since the 2008 season, Indiana has had nine Freshman All-Americans.
• An All-Big Ten Freshman Team selection in 2016, Miller played in 53 games, making 51 starts, and finished second on IU in batting average (.284), hits (54), doubles (11), third in stolen bases (7) and sixth in RBI (23).
• The Muncie, Ind. native's .333 batting average in Big Ten games only in 2016 ranked 10th in the conference.

Live stats and radio within:
iuhoosiers.com/news/2017/2/28/baseball-travels-to-cincinnati-for-midweek-contest.aspx

Go Hoosiers!

 

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Lemonis challenges team before facing Cincinnati
by Spencer Davis

IU Coach Chris Lemonis challenged his team Sunday after the Hoosiers’ 11-inning 6-6 tie at Florida Atlantic.

The third-year manager told his squad that it needs to play at a high level more consistently and that each player must do his job. He said the weekend’s results weren’t quite satisfying.

“To go down there and go 1-1-1, that last game left a sour taste in our mouth a little bit,” Lemonis said. “But I think they know that they can play with just about anybody.”

IU, 3-3-1, will hit the road again Wednesday, this time in Ohio to face 2-4 Cincinnati. Lemonis’ squad will be eager to move on from Sunday’s odd tie.

After gaining the lead in the top of the eighth inning for the first time all game Sunday, IU allowed two runs in the final two frames to send it to extra innings.

The teams were able to play two innings of free baseball until the travel curfew went into effect and ended the game in a tie. Lemonis said IU set the travel curfew earlier in the weekend, but was still shocked it was reached Sunday.

“That’s why I was so frustrated that we gave up the runs late because we knew we were on a short clock,” Lemonis said of the game that resulted in his first career tie.

Despite facing what Lemonis called some of the best pitchers in the country thus far, the Hoosiers have hit the most home runs through the first seven games of an IU season since 2001. Their team batting average, however, is currently a meager .243.

Senior outfielder Craig Dedelow has hit three home runs in 2017 but admitted he and other Hoosiers in the strongest part of the lineup, including junior outfielder Logan Sowers, need to improve starting with Wednesday’s game.

“The middle of our order isn’t clicking right now and once that gets going it’s going to be pretty scary,” Dedelow said. “We’re making strides every single day and personally, I feel a little bit better in batting practice and I know Logan is feeling the same way. We’re going to do a lot better this weekend.”

Sophomore infielder Luke Miller got his first three starts of 2017 last weekend after recovering from an injury that limited him to the bench when the Hoosiers were in Arizona for their first games of the season.

Miller launched two home runs in Boca Raton, Florida, and IU will be counting on him to continue to contribute as he gets healthier.

“It feels a lot better, so I think it’s just staying where I am and getting better each day,” Miller said. “Just keeping the same approach, doing the same things I’ve been doing and just stay through the ball and hit the ball hard.”

IU used Miller’s versatility to its advantage last year, playing him at a number of different positions, but Lemonis will use the sophomore primarily at third base this season.

“It makes you feel more stable, knowing where you are going to play everyday, so you know what to expect, and I think that’s going to help me a little bit,” Miller said.

Lemonis announced that freshman Cal Krueger will start for the Hoosiers against the Bearcats on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

“We’re so young that we’re trying to see guys, we’re trying to get guys starts, we’re really trying to figure ourselves out a little bit,” Lemonis said. “I’m sure he’ll get some more starts as long as he pitches well, but we have some other guys that we’re trying to mix in there.”

http://www.idsnews.com/article/2017/02/lemonis-challenges-team-before-facing-cincinatti

Go Hoosiers!