This means that as of now IU is in the projected Big Ten Tournament field, but if it falls to ninth place or lower that will not be the case.
IU (21-13, 5-6) travels to play Illinois (30-6-1, 8-1), which is currently tied for first in the Big Ten, this ?weekend.
This weekend offers IU an opportunity to not only improve its Big Ten standing, but also improve its national ranking.
Illinois is ranked No. 27 in the RPI so far this season, compared to ?No. 77 for IU. By virtue of how the RPI rankings work, simply traveling to play Illinois will give IU a boost in the rankings.
And after losing to No. 176 Cincinnati at home, at No. 177 Indiana State and at home against No. 67 Evansville, IU needs the boost.
IU has five weekend series remaining this season, four against Big Ten opponents. Of the five weekend opponents, four are currently ranked in the top 30 of the RPI.
IU also plays one game against Notre Dame, currently ranked No. 26, at a neutral field in Indianapolis.
All of these games offer IU opportunities to improve its RPI ranking and as a result improve its chances to qualify for the 64-team field of the NCAA Tournament. The conference series also offers IU a chance to solidify its place in the Big Ten Tournament.
“At the end of the day, the Big Ten is strong this year,” senior outfielder Will Nolden said. “That’s good for us. We’ve got a couple weeks here where if we start to play well then we can do some things and help ourselves out. We’ve just got to get in to the two tournaments and see where it goes from there.”
But while these highly-ranked teams offer IU a chance to improve its national and conference ranking, if IU doesn’t turn its level of play around, it could mark the end of IU’s season.
The Hoosiers have lost eight of their last 13 games, with three wins coming in a home sweep of Rutgers.
Something that may aid the Hoosiers is the recovery of junior shortstop Nick Ramos, but IU Coach Chris Lemonis is unsure of when that may be. Ramos last played in IU’s 9-1 win against Eastern Michigan on March 11 but then hurt his left hand in practice.
After IU’s sweep of Rutgers last weekend, Lemonis said Ramos would be returning soon. He had the pins taken out of his hand and was recovering nicely. He was on the field warming up prior to IU’s game at Indiana State on Tuesday, but didn’t play.
After the game, Lemonis said he was unsure of when Ramos might return, but it would not be until after the Illinois series. The recovery process had become too unpredictable, he said.
After being scratched 15 minutes before IU’s game last Sunday against Rutgers, Scott Effross, IU junior starting pitcher, appears to be healthy once again. Lemonis said ?Effross had a small mishap Sunday, but it was nothing ?serious.
“I think they said he had a little bit of swelling, so it isn’t anything major medically,” Lemonis said.
The first pitch of Friday’s game at Illinois is scheduled for 7 p.m., Saturday’s first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. and Sunday’s finale is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
