Setting the Scene
• Indiana hits the road for the first time in 10 days as it travels across state to Indiana State to take on the Sycamores on Friday at 6:00 p.m.
• The Hoosiers and ISU will meet in Terre Haute on Friday before returning to Bloomington on Saturday and Sunday to wrap up the three-game series.
• Entering Friday, the Hoosiers have won six of seven games and eight of their last 10. IU is back over .500 for the first time since Feb.19 at Middle Tennesse.
• Indiana is 6-2 in home games this season at Bart Kaufman Field.
• IU is coming off a 27-run outburst against Butler, the most runs for them since 2004.
The Coaches
• Chris Lemonis is in his second season as Indiana's head coach, posting an overall record of 45-33 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.
• Mitch Hannahs returned to his alma mater in the summer of 2013 to become the 29th head coach in the 117-year history of the Indiana State Sycamore baseball program. An All-American second baseman for Indiana State from 1986 to 1989, Hannahs also served as an assistant coach under Bob Warn from 1995 to 2001.
Notables
• Entering the weekend, Indiana pitching ranks first in the Big Ten in fewest walks allowed (43), third in team ERA (2.40), third in opponent batting average (.229), third in batters struck out (160), third in fewest runs allowed (68), third in fewest earned runs allowed (47) and fourth in fewest hits allowed (151).
• Indiana's pitching staff entered this week ranked fourth nationally in walks allowed per nine innings, eighth in strikeout to walk ratio (3.5), 13th in team ERA (2.42), 15th in WHIP (1.12) and 46th in hits allowed per nine innings (7.8).
• Over the last five games, Indiana's pitching staff has allowed 11 runs (five earned), while surrendering just 25 hits in 45 innings.
• Indiana's starting pitching has been strong through the first five weekends of action. In 15 combined starts from LHP Kyle Hart, RHP Evan Bell and LHP Caleb Baragar, the trio has posted a 1.78 ERA, allowing just 71 hits over 96.1 innings of work, striking out 76 batters while walking only 18. Teams are hitting a combined .205 off Hart, Bell and Baragar so far.
• Coming into the weekend, IU ranks fourth in the Big Ten in runs scored (118), fifth in hits (184), fourth in RBI (109), fourth in home runs (14) and first in hit by pitch (34).
•Senior Brian Wilhite enters this weekend ranking tied for second in the Big Ten in RBI (20) and tied for eighth in home runs (4).
•Junior Craig Dedelow stands tied for second in the conference in doubles (8), tied for 10th in hits (27), tied for seventh in RBI (17) and tied for 13th in total bases (40).
• The Hoosiers strung together 27 runs on 23 hits and five home runs to earn a 27-1 victory over the Butler Bulldogs on March 23 at Bart Kaufman Field. The 27 runs for the Hoosiers are a Bart Kaufman Field record and the most since March 24, 2004 when IU scored 29 against Chicago State.
• The 26-run margin of victory is the largest in NCAA Division I Baseball this season, while the 27 runs scored are currently the fourth most in the nation this year.
• Indiana is in a stretch of playing nine of 10 games in the friendly confines of Bart Kaufman Field, which enters its fourth season of baseball since opening during the 2013 campaign. Indiana has a 62-18 (.772) record at "The Bart".
• Since opening Bart Kaufman Field in 2013, the Hoosiers are a combined 23-3 in March home games in the new ballpark. Indiana's loss to Western Carolina on March 12 was its first loss in its home ballpark in the month of March since the 23rd day in 2014, a 4-3 loss to Michigan.
"HART"BEAT OF THE ROTATION
• Indiana's Friday night starter, LHP Kyle Hart will be making his 50th career start on the mound in his Hoosier career on Friday.
• Hart enters this week 11th nationally in victories (4), 52nd in WHIP (0.86) and 57th in ERA (1.34).
• Coming into the weekend, Hart is sixth in the Big Ten in ERA (1.34), sixth in opponent batting average (1.93), second in innings pitched (33.2), tied for eighth in batters struck out (28) and first in wins (4),
• Hart's 49 career starts rank second on the nation's active career leaders list, trailing Florida State's Mike Compton by two. In addition, Hart ranks sixth nationally on the active career list in wins (25), eighth in innings pitched (274.0) and 25th in strikeouts (186).
• Dating back to last season, in his last eight starts, Hart has thrown 52.2 innings, allowing 40 hits, five earned runs and striking out 40 batters while walking just six.
• Entering the weekend, the Ohio native has 25 career wins, which ranks alone for fourth all-time in school history. Hart trails Craig Williams (1987-90) by one win for third all-time in the IU record books.\
• In addition, his 274.0 career innings currently rank seventh all-time at Indiana while the 186 career strikeouts put him just nine away from cracking the school's top 10 list.
• Hart ranks tied for third in IU history with 12 career wins in Big Ten games, while his 3.11 ERA in conference action ranks eighth and his 83 strikeouts rank 10th.
• 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.
RINGING THE BELL
• Indiana's Saturday starter is senior RHP Evan Bell. Bell has made 11 career starts, indluding five this season.
• 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.
• Bell, who set career-highs with 21 appearances and 49.2 innings pitched in 2015, had an impressive outing vs. Notre Dame at Victory Field on April 21, retiring 12-straight batters with five strikeouts.
• He threw a then career-high 6.1 innings vs. Michigan on April 4, also notching a career-best eight strikeouts while limiting U-M to one run on four hits.
BEARING DOWN ON SUNDAYS
• Senior LHP Caleb Baragar has served as IU's Sunday starter through the first four weekends of the season. He has made 17 career starts in a Hoosier uniform, while his 12 starts in 2015 tied for the team lead.
• Baragar entered this week 15th in the country in WHIP (0.72), 20th in hits allowed per nine innings (4.5) and 35th in ERA (1.13).
• Coming into the weekend, Baragar is third in the Big Ten in ERA (1.13), second in opposing batting average (.143), tied for fourth in innings pitched (32.0) and tied for first in batters struck out (34).
• In his last three combined starts, Baragar has allowed eight hits in 21 innings, striking out 23 and walking four while holding his opponents scoreless to dip his ERA down from 3.27 to 1.13 in those three outings.
• During his last 24.2 innings of work, Baragar has not surrendered an earned run.
• 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 striekouts were a career-high.
• Baragar put together a strong starting performance against Butler on March 6, going seven innings where he allowed just three hits and matched his career-high in strikeouts with 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.
Go Hoosiers!
http://iuhoosiers.com/news/2016/3/2...indiana-faces-in-state-foe-indiana-state.aspx
• Indiana hits the road for the first time in 10 days as it travels across state to Indiana State to take on the Sycamores on Friday at 6:00 p.m.
• The Hoosiers and ISU will meet in Terre Haute on Friday before returning to Bloomington on Saturday and Sunday to wrap up the three-game series.
• Entering Friday, the Hoosiers have won six of seven games and eight of their last 10. IU is back over .500 for the first time since Feb.19 at Middle Tennesse.
• Indiana is 6-2 in home games this season at Bart Kaufman Field.
• IU is coming off a 27-run outburst against Butler, the most runs for them since 2004.
The Coaches
• Chris Lemonis is in his second season as Indiana's head coach, posting an overall record of 45-33 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.
• Mitch Hannahs returned to his alma mater in the summer of 2013 to become the 29th head coach in the 117-year history of the Indiana State Sycamore baseball program. An All-American second baseman for Indiana State from 1986 to 1989, Hannahs also served as an assistant coach under Bob Warn from 1995 to 2001.
Notables
• Entering the weekend, Indiana pitching ranks first in the Big Ten in fewest walks allowed (43), third in team ERA (2.40), third in opponent batting average (.229), third in batters struck out (160), third in fewest runs allowed (68), third in fewest earned runs allowed (47) and fourth in fewest hits allowed (151).
• Indiana's pitching staff entered this week ranked fourth nationally in walks allowed per nine innings, eighth in strikeout to walk ratio (3.5), 13th in team ERA (2.42), 15th in WHIP (1.12) and 46th in hits allowed per nine innings (7.8).
• Over the last five games, Indiana's pitching staff has allowed 11 runs (five earned), while surrendering just 25 hits in 45 innings.
• Indiana's starting pitching has been strong through the first five weekends of action. In 15 combined starts from LHP Kyle Hart, RHP Evan Bell and LHP Caleb Baragar, the trio has posted a 1.78 ERA, allowing just 71 hits over 96.1 innings of work, striking out 76 batters while walking only 18. Teams are hitting a combined .205 off Hart, Bell and Baragar so far.
• Coming into the weekend, IU ranks fourth in the Big Ten in runs scored (118), fifth in hits (184), fourth in RBI (109), fourth in home runs (14) and first in hit by pitch (34).
•Senior Brian Wilhite enters this weekend ranking tied for second in the Big Ten in RBI (20) and tied for eighth in home runs (4).
•Junior Craig Dedelow stands tied for second in the conference in doubles (8), tied for 10th in hits (27), tied for seventh in RBI (17) and tied for 13th in total bases (40).
• The Hoosiers strung together 27 runs on 23 hits and five home runs to earn a 27-1 victory over the Butler Bulldogs on March 23 at Bart Kaufman Field. The 27 runs for the Hoosiers are a Bart Kaufman Field record and the most since March 24, 2004 when IU scored 29 against Chicago State.
• The 26-run margin of victory is the largest in NCAA Division I Baseball this season, while the 27 runs scored are currently the fourth most in the nation this year.
• Indiana is in a stretch of playing nine of 10 games in the friendly confines of Bart Kaufman Field, which enters its fourth season of baseball since opening during the 2013 campaign. Indiana has a 62-18 (.772) record at "The Bart".
• Since opening Bart Kaufman Field in 2013, the Hoosiers are a combined 23-3 in March home games in the new ballpark. Indiana's loss to Western Carolina on March 12 was its first loss in its home ballpark in the month of March since the 23rd day in 2014, a 4-3 loss to Michigan.
"HART"BEAT OF THE ROTATION
• Indiana's Friday night starter, LHP Kyle Hart will be making his 50th career start on the mound in his Hoosier career on Friday.
• Hart enters this week 11th nationally in victories (4), 52nd in WHIP (0.86) and 57th in ERA (1.34).
• Coming into the weekend, Hart is sixth in the Big Ten in ERA (1.34), sixth in opponent batting average (1.93), second in innings pitched (33.2), tied for eighth in batters struck out (28) and first in wins (4),
• Hart's 49 career starts rank second on the nation's active career leaders list, trailing Florida State's Mike Compton by two. In addition, Hart ranks sixth nationally on the active career list in wins (25), eighth in innings pitched (274.0) and 25th in strikeouts (186).
• Dating back to last season, in his last eight starts, Hart has thrown 52.2 innings, allowing 40 hits, five earned runs and striking out 40 batters while walking just six.
• Entering the weekend, the Ohio native has 25 career wins, which ranks alone for fourth all-time in school history. Hart trails Craig Williams (1987-90) by one win for third all-time in the IU record books.\
• In addition, his 274.0 career innings currently rank seventh all-time at Indiana while the 186 career strikeouts put him just nine away from cracking the school's top 10 list.
• Hart ranks tied for third in IU history with 12 career wins in Big Ten games, while his 3.11 ERA in conference action ranks eighth and his 83 strikeouts rank 10th.
• 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.
RINGING THE BELL
• Indiana's Saturday starter is senior RHP Evan Bell. Bell has made 11 career starts, indluding five this season.
• 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.
• Bell, who set career-highs with 21 appearances and 49.2 innings pitched in 2015, had an impressive outing vs. Notre Dame at Victory Field on April 21, retiring 12-straight batters with five strikeouts.
• He threw a then career-high 6.1 innings vs. Michigan on April 4, also notching a career-best eight strikeouts while limiting U-M to one run on four hits.
BEARING DOWN ON SUNDAYS
• Senior LHP Caleb Baragar has served as IU's Sunday starter through the first four weekends of the season. He has made 17 career starts in a Hoosier uniform, while his 12 starts in 2015 tied for the team lead.
• Baragar entered this week 15th in the country in WHIP (0.72), 20th in hits allowed per nine innings (4.5) and 35th in ERA (1.13).
• Coming into the weekend, Baragar is third in the Big Ten in ERA (1.13), second in opposing batting average (.143), tied for fourth in innings pitched (32.0) and tied for first in batters struck out (34).
• In his last three combined starts, Baragar has allowed eight hits in 21 innings, striking out 23 and walking four while holding his opponents scoreless to dip his ERA down from 3.27 to 1.13 in those three outings.
• During his last 24.2 innings of work, Baragar has not surrendered an earned run.
• 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 striekouts were a career-high.
• Baragar put together a strong starting performance against Butler on March 6, going seven innings where he allowed just three hits and matched his career-high in strikeouts with 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.
Go Hoosiers!
http://iuhoosiers.com/news/2016/3/2...indiana-faces-in-state-foe-indiana-state.aspx
