Setting the Scene
• Indiana opens up a five-game road trip at Xavier on Wednesday, April 20. First pitch from Hayden Field is slated at 3:00 p.m. This will be the first of two games between the Hoosiers and Musketeers, as the squads will face off again in Bloomington on April 27.
• The Hoosiers are coming off a series victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes and have now won eight of their last nine games. An eight-game winning streak for Indiana was snapped on Sunday afternoon in a 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Hawkeyes.
The Coaches
• Chris Lemonis is in his second season as Indiana's head coach, posting an overall record of 55-38 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.
• 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.
• Scott Googins is his 11th season as the head coach for Xavier. Googins, the 2009 ABCA Mideast Region Coach of the Year and 2008 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, continues to produce winning Musketeer squads and is just two years removed from a BIG EAST Tournament championship and an appearance in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The skipper of the Musketeers holds a 288-324 (.471) career record at Xavier.
Notables
• Indiana pitching ranks tied for first in the Big Ten in fewest walks allowed (81), second in team ERA (2.78), second in fewest earned runs allowed (97), third in fewest runs allowed (130), third in opponent batting average (.233), fourth in batters struck out (268), and fourth in fewest hits allowed (271).
• Indiana's pitching staff enters this week ranked second nationally in walks allowed per nine innings (2.34), sixth in strikeout to walk ratio (3.31), ninth in WHIP (1.13), 11th in team ERA (2.78), and 28th in hits allowed per nine innings (7.8).
• Hoosier pitchers have given up one earned run or less 10 times this season, all of which have happened in a 23-game span.
• Indiana pitching has posted double-figure strikeouts in 10 games this season.
• The Hoosiers have given up two walks or less in 21 games this season, including 13 of the last 18 games.
• Entering this week, IU is ranked third in the Big Ten in home runs (29), fifth in RBI (179), tied for fifth in triples (8).
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 22 games, as he missed 12 games due to injury. Sowers is averaging one home run per 10.9 at-bats.
• In conference games only, Sowers is tied for first in the Big Ten in home runs (3), second in slugging percentage (.727), third in runs scored (11), seventh in on base percentage (.476), tied for seventh in total bases (24), tied for eighth in walks (8) and 10th in RBI (8).
• Sowers, entering the week is hitting .316, has 24 hits on the season with 10 of them coming for extra-bases. He currently has posted a 1.098 OPS.
• Junior Craig Dedelow stands tied for sixth in the Big Ten in RBI (27).
• Dedelow has driven in at least one run in six of his last 11 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 (27) and tied for 12th in home runs (5).
• 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.
• Junior second baseman Tony Butler has yet to make an error this season or in his entire career. Butler has started 31 games at his position this seasonand has appeared in all 34 games. Butler has a total of 144 chances this season, including 94 assists and 50 putouts. He has turned 25 double plays this year as well. In total, Butler has played in 43 career games at Indiana and Virginia (2014) and has yet to make an error.
• Butlers's 94 assists rank ninth in the Big Ten and is tied for second in fielding double plays with 25.
• 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 leads Indiana hitters with a .318 batting average in 32 games and 28 starts.
• Fineman enthers the week having reached base in 20-straight and recently carried a 14-game hitting streak, which was snapped on Sunday.
• Junior relief RHP Jake Kelzer has struck out 28 batters in 24 innings while allowing just 19 hits, as opposing batters are hitting just .216 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 Sunday 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 106.0 career innings in a Hoosier uniform, currently ranks 10th all-time at Indiana with a 2.38 ERA (50 inning minimum).
Go Hoosiers!
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• Indiana opens up a five-game road trip at Xavier on Wednesday, April 20. First pitch from Hayden Field is slated at 3:00 p.m. This will be the first of two games between the Hoosiers and Musketeers, as the squads will face off again in Bloomington on April 27.
• The Hoosiers are coming off a series victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes and have now won eight of their last nine games. An eight-game winning streak for Indiana was snapped on Sunday afternoon in a 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Hawkeyes.
The Coaches
• Chris Lemonis is in his second season as Indiana's head coach, posting an overall record of 55-38 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.
• 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.
• Scott Googins is his 11th season as the head coach for Xavier. Googins, the 2009 ABCA Mideast Region Coach of the Year and 2008 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, continues to produce winning Musketeer squads and is just two years removed from a BIG EAST Tournament championship and an appearance in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The skipper of the Musketeers holds a 288-324 (.471) career record at Xavier.
Notables
• Indiana pitching ranks tied for first in the Big Ten in fewest walks allowed (81), second in team ERA (2.78), second in fewest earned runs allowed (97), third in fewest runs allowed (130), third in opponent batting average (.233), fourth in batters struck out (268), and fourth in fewest hits allowed (271).
• Indiana's pitching staff enters this week ranked second nationally in walks allowed per nine innings (2.34), sixth in strikeout to walk ratio (3.31), ninth in WHIP (1.13), 11th in team ERA (2.78), and 28th in hits allowed per nine innings (7.8).
• Hoosier pitchers have given up one earned run or less 10 times this season, all of which have happened in a 23-game span.
• Indiana pitching has posted double-figure strikeouts in 10 games this season.
• The Hoosiers have given up two walks or less in 21 games this season, including 13 of the last 18 games.
• Entering this week, IU is ranked third in the Big Ten in home runs (29), fifth in RBI (179), tied for fifth in triples (8).
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 22 games, as he missed 12 games due to injury. Sowers is averaging one home run per 10.9 at-bats.
• In conference games only, Sowers is tied for first in the Big Ten in home runs (3), second in slugging percentage (.727), third in runs scored (11), seventh in on base percentage (.476), tied for seventh in total bases (24), tied for eighth in walks (8) and 10th in RBI (8).
• Sowers, entering the week is hitting .316, has 24 hits on the season with 10 of them coming for extra-bases. He currently has posted a 1.098 OPS.
• Junior Craig Dedelow stands tied for sixth in the Big Ten in RBI (27).
• Dedelow has driven in at least one run in six of his last 11 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 (27) and tied for 12th in home runs (5).
• 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.
• Junior second baseman Tony Butler has yet to make an error this season or in his entire career. Butler has started 31 games at his position this seasonand has appeared in all 34 games. Butler has a total of 144 chances this season, including 94 assists and 50 putouts. He has turned 25 double plays this year as well. In total, Butler has played in 43 career games at Indiana and Virginia (2014) and has yet to make an error.
• Butlers's 94 assists rank ninth in the Big Ten and is tied for second in fielding double plays with 25.
• 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 leads Indiana hitters with a .318 batting average in 32 games and 28 starts.
• Fineman enthers the week having reached base in 20-straight and recently carried a 14-game hitting streak, which was snapped on Sunday.
• Junior relief RHP Jake Kelzer has struck out 28 batters in 24 innings while allowing just 19 hits, as opposing batters are hitting just .216 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 Sunday 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 106.0 career innings in a Hoosier uniform, currently ranks 10th all-time at Indiana with a 2.38 ERA (50 inning minimum).
Go Hoosiers!
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