Hoosiers take momentum into game at Miami (OH)

The IU baseball team now can settle into a normal weekly routine.

Fresh off winning two of three games in its conference-opening series last weekend in Michigan, the Hoosiers (18-9, 2-1 Big Ten) will face a weekend Big Ten series, as well as one or two midweek non-conference contests during each remaining week on its
schedule.

That routine kicks in at 6 p.m. today when IU battles Miami (Ohio) in Oxford, Ohio. The RedHawks (13-14, 4-2 MAC) will visit Bloomington on April 26 to round out the home-and-home series.

Miami has gone 2-2 in midweek games heading into today, while the Hoosiers have won all five such contests outside their spring break swing in Florida.

Despite dropping game 1 in Saturday’s double-header 3-2, the Hoosiers had a productive weekend offensively against the Wolverines, scoring a combined 25 runs on 34 hits in three games Friday and Saturday.

Whether IU hits that efficiently today could depend on the kind of pitching performance its opponent is able to give.    

IU batters can expect to face Miami junior pitcher Shawn Marquardt, the RedHawks’ normal midweek starter. Marquardt has struggled thus far in 2011, going 1-4 in decisions with a 5.56 ERA. Opposing batters have hit a collective .337 average against the Carmel, Ind., native.

While Marquardt hasn’t fared particularly well, Miami’s pitching staff as a whole, thanks in large part to weekend starter Tyler Melling (5-0, 2.85 ERA) and the team’s bullpen, has vaulted to second in the MAC with a collective 3.23 ERA.

The Hoosiers plan to switch things up on the mound today with a planned staff.

Freshman Brian Korte, who started IU’s second game against Evansville and whom IU coach Tracy Smith envisioned as a fixture in the third weekend slot, will get the nod against the RedHawks. Junior Drew Leininger, the Hoosiers’ usual midweek starter, will relieve him.

Just as with its pitching, Miami’s batting could go either way against IU’s
defense.

The RedHawks have hit a collective .271, which pegs them in the middle of the MAC. However, the team has managed to tally a .358 on-base percentage, and senior infielder Kyle Weldon’s 24 RBI rank third in the MAC and trail only junior outfielder Alex Dickerson’s total of 25 when compared to IU hitters.

The Hoosiers’ midweek date with Miami precedes the team’s first home Big Ten series this weekend against another Ohio foe — Ohio State.

DeMuth named Big Ten Freshman of the Week Again

Freshman shortstop Dustin DeMuth was awarded Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second-consecutive time after batting .500 with two runs and three RBI in IU’s weekend series at Michigan.

On the year, DeMuth is batting a team-best .385 and has the most hits in the Big Ten with 45.

In the field, he holds a .962 fielding percentage.