Hoosiers to Play Four Beginning on Thursday at the Snowbird Classic

[snowling]

SETTING THE SCENE
• Indiana closes out its 10-game away from home trip with four games against three opponents in Port Charlotte, Fla. beginning on Thursday with a 1 p.m. match-up vs. the Seton Hall Pirates.
• Following the contest with Seton Hall on Thursday, IU will take on Illinois State on Friday (2:30 p.m.), the Pirates again on Saturday (11 a.m.) and Butler on Sunday (10 a.m.).
• Indiana is coming off a 3-0 series loss to the Cal State Fullerton Titans last week-end on the West Coast. Following an 8-3 loss on Friday night, the Hoosiers and Ti-tans went 14 innings deep on Saturday, resulting in a 3-2 CSF victory before drop-ping the final game on Sunday,

HEAD COACH CHRIS LEMONIS
• Chris Lemonis is in his second season as Indiana's head coach, posting an overall record of 36-29 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.
• In 2013, he was named the ABCA/Baseball America Assistant Coach of the Year.

NOTEABLES
• Entering Thursday against Seton Hall, Indiana pitching is tied for first in the conference in fewest walks allowed (15), third in batters struck out (55), tied for third in fewest doubles allowed (7), fourth in runs allowed (29), fourth in ERA (3.24), fourth in opposing batting average (.235) and tied for fifth in earned runs allowed (21).
• On the offensive side, Indiana ranks first in the Big Ten in reaching base via the hit by pitch (14), fourth in home runs (5), and tied for sixth in stolen bases (6).
• Indiana's starting pitching has been strong through the first two weekends of action. In six combined starts from LHP Kyle Hart, RHP Evan Bell and LHP Caleb Baragar, the trio has posted a 2.45 ERA, allowing just 21 hits over 33 innings of work, striking out 28 batters while walKing only six. Teams are hitting a combined .175 off Hart, Bell and Baragar so far.
• Indiana was selected by the Big Ten coaches to finish third in 2016. Conference coaches voted on the top six teams.
• Senior LHP Kyle Hart, junior RHP Jake Kelzer and junior OF Craig Dedelow have been selected as Big Ten Preseason "Players to Watch."
• Junior RHP Jake Kelzer has been named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award Watch List. The award recognizes the nation's top relief pitcher. A total of 70 players are on the preseason watch list.
• The 2016 roster features a total of 19 returnees and 14 newcomers. Of the 14 newcomers, four are transfers and 10 are freshmen.
• The Hoosiers' 2016 schedule includes 27 home games, five NCAA Tournament teams from 2015, and a 2015 College World Series participant.
• Senior left-handed pitcher Kyle Hart, junior right-handed pitcher Jake Kelzer and senior infielder Brian Wilhite have been named team captains for the upcoming 2016 season.
• Indiana's 2016 opening day roster features 10 players that have either been part of a national championship or College World Series squad.
• A total of seven players that were part of the 2013 Hoosier squad that made the College World Series are part of the 2016 roster. RHP Evan Bell, INF Brian Wilhite, LHP Kyle Hart, LHP Sully Stadler, LHP Will Coursen-Carr, RHP Kent Williams, and RHP Thomas Belcher all were on the 2013 roster.
• Infielder Tony Butler, a transfer from Madison College, spent his freshman season in 2014 as a member of the Virginia Cavaliers baseball program.
• During his 2014 stint in Charlottesville, Butler and the Cavaliers earned a berth into the College World Series, reaching the National Championship series, eventually falling to Vanderbilt.
• Junior RHP Luke Stephenson is another transfer who joins the Hoosiers in 2016. Stephenson spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons with Vanderbilt.
• Stephenson was a member of the 2014 Commodore club that went on to with the College World Series.
• Junior OF Alex Krupa comes from Iowa Western Community College, where his squad went on to win the 2014 JuCo World Series. Krupa was named MVP of the World Series.
• Following his sophomore year at Iowa Western, Krupa was drafted in the 35th round by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2015 MLB Draft.
• In addition, head coach Chris Lemonis has been a part of three College World Series teams when he was an assistant coach at Louisville (2007, 2013 and 2014).
• Assistant coach Kyle Cheesebrough has made two College World Series appearances as well as an assistant coach (2013 and 2014 at Louisville).

STEPHENSON MAKING FIRST CAREER START IN HOOSIER UNIFORM
• Junior RHP Luke Stephenson will make his first career start on the mound in an Indiana uniform on Thursday against Seton Hall.
• Stephenson spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons with Vanderbilt, where he was a member of the 2014 Commodore club that went on to with the College World Series.
•In 2.1 innings of action this season, Stephenson has struck out three batters while allowing two runs.

"HART"BEAT OF THE ROTATION
• Senior LHP Kyle Hart will start Friday's contest against Illinois State, making his 47th career start on the mound in his Indiana career.
• In his last outing, Hart went 5.2 innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs while striking out two.
• 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.
• Dating back to last season, in his last five starts, Hart has thrown 29.2 innings, allowing 24 hits, two earned runs while striking out 21 batters and walking just two. He has allowed just four extra-base hits in those starts, three of them doubles and one triple.
• Hart had a streak of 30.0 innings without allowing an earned run snapped last week at Cal State Fullerton (2/26). 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.
• Entering his senior season, the Ohio native has 22 career wins, which ranks tied for seventh all-time at Indiana. Hart needs just one victory to move into a tie for fourth in school history with Steve Schaefer (1990-93), Eric Jaques (1986-89) and Mike Humphrey (1982-85) with 23 career wins.
• 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.

RINGING THE BELL
• Making the start on the hill on Saturday will be senior RHP Evan Bell. Bell will be making his eighth career start on Saturday, including his third start in 2016.
• Bell is coming off a strong start at Cal State Fullerton, as he went 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 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 will get the ball on Sunday against Butler, making his 15th career start in a Hoosier uniform. His 12 starts in 2015 tied for the team lead.
• Baragar 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.
• One of five IU pitchers with 50 strikeouts during the 2015 campaign, Baragar fanned four or more batters on seven occasions, including three of his last six performances.
• Baragar spent his first two seasons at Jackson Community College.

DOING THE GOOD DEED
• Through the first six games of the young 2016 season, Craig Dedelow is hitting at a .346 clip with one home run and six RBI. The six RBI rank tied for ninth in the Big Ten.
• Dating back to last season, Dedelow has reached base safely in 11-straight games.
• The junior outfielder went 4-for-5 with three RBI and four runs scored, while also stealing a base in the season opener at Middle Tennessee. His four hits and four runs scored are both career-highs.
• Dedelow, for the second-straight year, was the overall individual champion of IU's annual Omaha Challenge, logging 253 total points.

NOT SO SOUR
• Through his first five games, Logan Sowers enters Thursday tied for fourth in the Big Ten in home runs (2).
• The sophomore had two multi-hit games against Middle Tennessee, garnering three hits in both of those contests. He now has 16 career multi-hit games, including six, three-hit games.
• An All-Big Ten Freshman Team selection in 2015, Sowers was a four-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week (3/2, 3/9, 4/14, 5/18) honoree,
• Prior to IU, Sowers was selected in the 31st round by the San Diego Padres in the MLB Draft.

SIX-EIGHT JAKE
• Indiana's depth in the bullpen is anchored by its closer, 6-8 right hander Jake Kelzer. In two appearances out of the bullpen this year, Kelzer has allowed five hits in 7.2 innings of work, striking out nine and walking one while posting an ERA of 0.00.
• In the 14-inning contest with Cal State Fullerton, Kelzer allowed three hits to the Titans in five innings of relief, striking out five, walking one and not allowing and earned run.

Go Hoosiers!

http://iuhoosiers.com/news/2016/3/2...ning-on-thursday-at-the-snowbird-classic.aspx

 

[snowling]

Wilhite, Upper Classmen Looking to Lead in Getting IU Back on Track

Tori Ziege | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – In the incipient stages of the 2016 season, Brian Wilhite must lead Indiana in a situation he's never been in before.

The senior infielder has enjoyed strong starts in each of his three years previous as a Hoosier on teams that have all gone on to play in the postseason.

Wins accumulated in February can have a significant impact come tournament selection in May.

But with his team now 1-5 coming off an 0-3 weekend at No. 23 Cal State Fullerton, Wilhite has to find a way to keep the energy high and the play loose as the Hoosiers hope to get things rolling in their third weekend at the plate in Port Charlotte, Florida.

"I try to think back to the senior leaders that I've had when I was younger, guys like Will Nolden, Ryan Halstead, guys that set our program to where it is right now," he said. "I'm just trying to keep a positive morale, always talking, always communicating with the guys… They feed off my actions."

On an underclassmen-heavy team, head coach Chris Lemonis spoke at length before the season about the Hoosiers needing time to find their identity, especially offensively.

In game two of the Cal State Fullerton series, Lemonis shook the lineup to try to stir up offense, moving Wilhite from third base to short stop. The senior drove in the only two runs for Indiana that game on a double to centerfield, temporarily giving the Hoosiers the lead.

They lost the game on a walk-off hit by the Titans with the bases loaded in the 14th inning.

With three of its five losses coming in the same walk-off extra-inning fashion, Indiana has been right there. Lemonis said it's just a matter of getting one big hit or one big pitch to move a notch in the loss column to the win column.

"It's still a loss, so that's the hard thing as a coach," he said. "Big or small, it's a loss. That's the hard part for us right now. You make one play, one pitch, and you win a ballgame."

Last season, the Hoosiers traveled to Port Charlotte and returned with a doubled win total after sweeping its four-game series at the Snowbird Classic. This time around, Indiana will have the opportunity to quadruple its win total with a sweep as it plays Seton Hall twice on Thursday and Saturday, Illinois State on Friday and Butler on Sunday.

Due to the extra game, Indiana will pitch junior right-hander Luke Stephenson in his first career start on Thursday. The Hoosiers will stick to their regular rotation in Friday starter senior Kyle Hart, Saturday starter senior Evan Bell and Sunday starter seniorCaleb Baragar.

"We got down to Florida last year and played really well," Lemonis said. "It got us going. I'm hoping we have the same effect and get on a roll a little bit."

After stranding 54 runners on base and striking out in 67 at-bats, the Hoosiers will have their work cut out for them offensively against a talented crop of pitchers, including Seton Hall starting right-hander and preseason All-Big East Team member Shane McCarthy and Illinois State starting left-hander and Louisville Slugger All-American Jacob Hedren.

A bright spot at the plate has been junior outfielder Craig Dedelow, who has continued a breakout sophomore year with a team-leading .346 average and six RBIs.

"He's the leader of the offense right now," Lemonis said. "He'll be even better when some guys get on in front of him."

Lemonis admitted he's already looking ahead at the weather for next weekend in Bloomington, where IU will host opening weekend March 11-13 at Bart Kaufman Field.
The forecast shows highs in the 60s.

Now, all that's left is for the Hoosiers to get hot during their final road trip and come back with some momentum before playing in front of their home fans.

"After being on this losing streak for a little bit, the hardest win is going to be that first one," junior infielder Tony Butler said. "We started off hot, get on the streak, and if we can get that one win and get going again, I think we're going to be alright."

Go Hoosiers!

http://iuhoosiers.com/news/2016/3/2...king-to-lead-in-getting-iu-back-on-track.aspx

 

[snowling]

IU Looking To Think Less, Hit More

By Sam Beishuizen, IUHoosiers.com | Twitter

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - If former Yankee great Yogi Berra was correct and baseball really is 90 percent mental and "the other half physical," Indiana baseball is right to think it will snap out of its hitting slump with time.

That is, if the Hoosiers can stop worrying about it.

"I think there's a lot of thinking going on in the box, which is never a good thing," senior infielder Brian Wilhite said. "Going against a 90 mph fastball, there's really only so much thinking you can really do to be ready."

Wilhite isn't alone in his rational. After scoring just six runs over a three-game series last weekend against Cal State Fullerton, the Hoosiers (1-5) have come to a consensus that they need to relax at the plate if they want the offense to wake up this weekend in Port Charlotte, Florida, where Indiana will play four games in as many days.

Head coach Chris Lemonis said before the season began that hitting would be a process. Of Indiana's five batting average leaders from a season ago, only now-sophomore outfielder Craig Dedelow is back in the clubhouse.

Lemonis holds firm in saying a lack of experience, not a lack of talent, is Indiana's major point of concern.

"We're a coach, and then we're a little bit physiologist in this game of baseball because there's so much in there," Lemonis said. "There is a side that we overthink it and overanalyze it and over everything. It's such a game of relaxed aggression, just being able to go out there and play. Hopefully, some of those guys can learn from that side and relax and play a little bit."

The physical side of practice hasn't changed much. The Hoosiers are still practicing the same situational drills they are used to using, and Wilhite said a few players have been spending more time with coaches one-on-one to fine tune their swings.

At the same time, Indiana doesn't want to overwork at the risk of frustration mounting, particularly after dropping back-to-back series to start the season. That part, junior infielder Tony Butler admits, is more difficult considering three of IU's five losses have come in extra innings.

"Being on a losing streak is a little tough on hitters, especially when we're not putting up runs as we think we can," Butler said. "Everybody's pressing a little bit which is normal, but I think we've all just got to take a step back, relax and let the game come to us."

Indiana will get its chance beginning Thursday against Seton Hall. The Hoosiers will then take on Illinois State, Seton Hall a second time and then Butler to close out the weekend before returning to Bloomington for the home-opening series against Western Carolina at Bart Kaufman Field.

Between now and then, Indiana will have hoped to have gotten closer to establishing a hitting identity.

Whether that be through small ball, power hitting or however the Hoosiers can manufacture runs, Indiana will take what it can get. Butler said that by the time the floodgates open, it's only a matter of time before any batting problems take care of themselves.

"Hitting is contagious," Butler said. "Hopefully we can start out hot on our game Thursday and keep it rolling from there."

Go Hoosiers!

http://iuhoosiers.com/news/2016/3/2/baseball-iu-looking-to-think-less-hit-more.aspx