The junior will not pitch after experiencing soreness. IU Coach Chris Lemonis said it is a precautionary move and the injury is nothing serious.
IU (4-4) will have its first doubleheader of the season when it faces Villanova at 2 p.m. and Dartmouth at 6 p.m. Friday. The Hoosiers will play Saint Joseph’s at 2 p.m. Saturday and Ball State at 10 a.m. Sunday.
Junior Evan Bell (0-1) will start in place of Effross against Villanova. Typically a bullpen arm, Bell will get his first start of the year and the third of his career.
“Some guys fit better in the pen, so we need to keep multiple options at the end of the game in a four-game weekend,” Lemonis said. “We want to keep a nice, well-rounded approach. Bell has the body to go a little bit longer.”
Villanova (4-7) will be coming off of a 21-4 win against Mount St. Mary’s on Wednesday.
Dartmouth (0-3) was swept by No. 22 Texas A&M in its first series of the year.
Junior Christian Morris will start against Dartmouth. Morris (1-0) will make his fourth start of the season and said he feels no extra pressure with Effross being out.
Lemonis said that Morris had his best start of the season last week.
“For me it’s most important that we win and that I put together a quality start to keep my team in it,” Morris said. “I feel pretty ?locked in.”
Saint Joseph’s (1-5) is on a five-game losing streak after winning the season opener. Junior Caleb Baragar will get the first start of his IU career after transferring from Jackson Community College in Michigan.
It appears that he’s also the favorite to get the midweek starting job.
“He’s kind of been that fourth guy all along since spring training,” Lemonis said. “He is a very ?talented guy.”
Barager pitched two scoreless innings of relief last Friday against the College of Charleston. He hasn’t allowed a run all season in three innings pitched and has struck out three batters.
Ball State (6-5) is a familiar foe for IU. The two teams played each other last season, with the Hoosiers winning 10-1. Sophomore Jake Kelzer (0-0) will make his third start of the season against the Cardinals.
Lemonis said he hopes the ?offense can stay hot, and the key is staying relaxed. Despite going south for the past two weekends, the weather has still been cold, something he thinks has put a slight damper on the bats.
“Besides our first weekend at Stanford, I think our average temperature is probably around 30 degrees,” Lemonis said. “So even though we’ve gone to South ?Carolina, it’s just been frigid.”
Outfielder and Big Ten Freshman of the Week Logan Sowers is one of the players he expects to stay hot at the plate. He has a .303 batting average and four ?extra-base hits.
“I feel good at the plate, and I’m seeing the ball really well,” Sowers said. “Our main focus is to go out there and win games.”
