Leading Off
• Indiana opens its 123rd season of baseball with four games in Surprise, Ariz. The Hoosiers open on Friday against Gonzaga, followed by Duke on Saturday, Gonzaga on Sunday and Oregon State on Monday.
• The Hoosiers have won their last four season openers (14-4 over Middle Tennessee in 2016; 4-2 over Stanford in 2015; 1-0 over Texas Tech in 2014; 2-0 over Louisville in 2013).
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in wins (310) and conference wins (135). The Hoosiers have made four NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
• Indiana posted a school record fielding percentage of .975 in 2016. Through head coach Chris Lemonis ' first two seasons at Indiana, the Hoosiers own two of the top three fielding percentages in program history.
• With a lot of experience in the lineup coming back for the 2017 season, Indiana returns from 2016, 68 doubles (83.9 percent), 406 hits (83.8), 225 runs (83.3), 574 total bases (82.8), 1,542 at bats (81.8), eight triples (80.0), 152 walks (79.1), 195 RBI (78.6), 28 home runs (77.8) and 34 stolen bases (72.3).
Head Coach Chris Lemonis
• Chris Lemonis is in his third season as Indiana's head coach, posting an overall record of 67-48 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.
Top Heavy Slate
• Indiana's 2017 schedule features a total of 19 games against 2016 NCAA Tournament teams.
• A total of 17 of IU's games come against teams that finished in the 2016 Top 50 RPI.
• The Hoosiers will play 28 games against teams that finished in the 2016 Top 75 RPI.
• Indiana's first seven games this season will come against teams that finished in the Top 50 RPI in 2016 (Gonzaga - 32, Oregon State - 46, Duke - 30 and Florida Atlantic - 34).
Championship Experience
• Indiana's 2017 roster features six players and or coaches that have either been part of a national championship or College World Series squad.
• Infielder Tony Butler , 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.
• Senior RHP Luke Stephenson is another transfer who joined the Hoosiers in 2016. Stephenson spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons with Vanderbilt. He was a member of the 2014 Commodore club that went on to with the College World Series.
• Senior OF Alex Krupa spent 2014 and 2015 at Iowa Western Community College, where his squad went on to win the 2014 JuCo World Series. Krupa was named MVP of the World Series.
• Junior INF Matt Lloyd also attended Iowa Western C.C. He was a member of the 2015 and 2016 squads, both of which advanced to the JuCo World Series.
• 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 an assistant coach (2013 and 2014 at Louisville).
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).
• 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 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 .303 hitter with 162 hits, 31 doubles, 12 home runs, and 81 RBI. In each of the last 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 has played in 56 career Division I games at Indiana and Virginia (2014), and has yet to make an error.
Miller Tabbed 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.
A Fine One Behind the Plate
• An All-Big Ten Freshman selection, a Johnny Bench Award Watch Lister, and Indiana's primary catcher in 2016, Ryan Fineman appeared in 54 games, making 50 starts.
• The California native finished tied for third on the team with 51 hits, while also adding eight doubles (T-3rd), three home runs (T-5th) and 25 RBI (T-3rd).
• Fineman was second in the Big Ten catching 15 runners trying to steal and was third in fewest stolen bases allowed amongst starting catchers.
All in the Family
• Indiana's baseball roster features some deep family ties in the sports world.
• John Cangelosi, the father of senior infielder Austin Cangelosi , spent 13 years playing in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh, Texas, the New York Mets, Houston, Florida and Colorado.
• Freshman catcher Jake Matheny's father is Mike Matheny. Mike played in the MLB for 13 years with Milwaukee, Toronto, St. Louis and San Francisco. He won four Gold Glove Awards as a catcher and has been the manager for the Cardinals since 2012.
• Scotty Bradley is the son of Scott Bradley, an MLB catcher from 1984 to 1992 with the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox, Seattle and Cincinnati. Bradley was the catcher for Randy Johnson's no-hitter on June 2, 1990. Scott has been the head coach at Princeton since 1998, where he has led the Tigers to seven NCAA Regional appearances.
• Bradley's uncle is Bob Bradley, the former USA Soccer National Team head coach from 2006-11. Bob's son and Scotty's cousin, Michael, has been a midfielder for the USA since 2006.
• Grant Sloan is the grandson of Jerry Sloan, the former head coach of the Chicago Bulls (1979-82) and Utah Jazz (1988-2011). Grant's father, Brian, played basketball at Indiana from 1986 to 1989 and was part of the 1987 national championship team.
Indiana vs. Gonzaga
Friday - 7 p.m. ET Listen | Live Stats IU - RHP Jonathan Stiever (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
GU - RHP Eli Morgan (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Indiana vs. Duke
Saturday - 8 p.m. ET Listen | Live Stats IU - LHP Tim Herrin (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
DU - LHP Mitch Stallings (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Indiana vs. Gonzaga
Sunday - 3:30 p.m. ET Listen | Live Stats IU - LHP Andrew Saalfrank (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
GU - RHP Daniel Bies (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Indiana vs. #7 Oregon State
Monday - 1 p.m. ET Listen | Live Stats IU - RHP Brian Hobbie (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
OSU - TBA (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
iuhoosiers.com/news/2017/2/15/indiana-baseball-opens-123rd-season-on-friday.aspx
Go Hoosiers!
• Indiana opens its 123rd season of baseball with four games in Surprise, Ariz. The Hoosiers open on Friday against Gonzaga, followed by Duke on Saturday, Gonzaga on Sunday and Oregon State on Monday.
• The Hoosiers have won their last four season openers (14-4 over Middle Tennessee in 2016; 4-2 over Stanford in 2015; 1-0 over Texas Tech in 2014; 2-0 over Louisville in 2013).
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in wins (310) and conference wins (135). The Hoosiers have made four NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
• Indiana posted a school record fielding percentage of .975 in 2016. Through head coach Chris Lemonis ' first two seasons at Indiana, the Hoosiers own two of the top three fielding percentages in program history.
• With a lot of experience in the lineup coming back for the 2017 season, Indiana returns from 2016, 68 doubles (83.9 percent), 406 hits (83.8), 225 runs (83.3), 574 total bases (82.8), 1,542 at bats (81.8), eight triples (80.0), 152 walks (79.1), 195 RBI (78.6), 28 home runs (77.8) and 34 stolen bases (72.3).
Head Coach Chris Lemonis
• Chris Lemonis is in his third season as Indiana's head coach, posting an overall record of 67-48 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.
Top Heavy Slate
• Indiana's 2017 schedule features a total of 19 games against 2016 NCAA Tournament teams.
• A total of 17 of IU's games come against teams that finished in the 2016 Top 50 RPI.
• The Hoosiers will play 28 games against teams that finished in the 2016 Top 75 RPI.
• Indiana's first seven games this season will come against teams that finished in the Top 50 RPI in 2016 (Gonzaga - 32, Oregon State - 46, Duke - 30 and Florida Atlantic - 34).
Championship Experience
• Indiana's 2017 roster features six players and or coaches that have either been part of a national championship or College World Series squad.
• Infielder Tony Butler , 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.
• Senior RHP Luke Stephenson is another transfer who joined the Hoosiers in 2016. Stephenson spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons with Vanderbilt. He was a member of the 2014 Commodore club that went on to with the College World Series.
• Senior OF Alex Krupa spent 2014 and 2015 at Iowa Western Community College, where his squad went on to win the 2014 JuCo World Series. Krupa was named MVP of the World Series.
• Junior INF Matt Lloyd also attended Iowa Western C.C. He was a member of the 2015 and 2016 squads, both of which advanced to the JuCo World Series.
• 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 an assistant coach (2013 and 2014 at Louisville).
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).
• 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 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 .303 hitter with 162 hits, 31 doubles, 12 home runs, and 81 RBI. In each of the last 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 has played in 56 career Division I games at Indiana and Virginia (2014), and has yet to make an error.
Miller Tabbed 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.
A Fine One Behind the Plate
• An All-Big Ten Freshman selection, a Johnny Bench Award Watch Lister, and Indiana's primary catcher in 2016, Ryan Fineman appeared in 54 games, making 50 starts.
• The California native finished tied for third on the team with 51 hits, while also adding eight doubles (T-3rd), three home runs (T-5th) and 25 RBI (T-3rd).
• Fineman was second in the Big Ten catching 15 runners trying to steal and was third in fewest stolen bases allowed amongst starting catchers.
All in the Family
• Indiana's baseball roster features some deep family ties in the sports world.
• John Cangelosi, the father of senior infielder Austin Cangelosi , spent 13 years playing in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh, Texas, the New York Mets, Houston, Florida and Colorado.
• Freshman catcher Jake Matheny's father is Mike Matheny. Mike played in the MLB for 13 years with Milwaukee, Toronto, St. Louis and San Francisco. He won four Gold Glove Awards as a catcher and has been the manager for the Cardinals since 2012.
• Scotty Bradley is the son of Scott Bradley, an MLB catcher from 1984 to 1992 with the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox, Seattle and Cincinnati. Bradley was the catcher for Randy Johnson's no-hitter on June 2, 1990. Scott has been the head coach at Princeton since 1998, where he has led the Tigers to seven NCAA Regional appearances.
• Bradley's uncle is Bob Bradley, the former USA Soccer National Team head coach from 2006-11. Bob's son and Scotty's cousin, Michael, has been a midfielder for the USA since 2006.
• Grant Sloan is the grandson of Jerry Sloan, the former head coach of the Chicago Bulls (1979-82) and Utah Jazz (1988-2011). Grant's father, Brian, played basketball at Indiana from 1986 to 1989 and was part of the 1987 national championship team.
Indiana vs. Gonzaga
Friday - 7 p.m. ET Listen | Live Stats IU - RHP Jonathan Stiever (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
GU - RHP Eli Morgan (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Indiana vs. Duke
Saturday - 8 p.m. ET Listen | Live Stats IU - LHP Tim Herrin (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
DU - LHP Mitch Stallings (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Indiana vs. Gonzaga
Sunday - 3:30 p.m. ET Listen | Live Stats IU - LHP Andrew Saalfrank (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
GU - RHP Daniel Bies (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Indiana vs. #7 Oregon State
Monday - 1 p.m. ET Listen | Live Stats IU - RHP Brian Hobbie (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
OSU - TBA (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
iuhoosiers.com/news/2017/2/15/indiana-baseball-opens-123rd-season-on-friday.aspx
Go Hoosiers!
