Hoosiers clinch first-ever College World Series berth
The IU baseball team's storybook season is still being written, and the final chapter is on tap.
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The IU baseball team's storybook season is still being written, and the final chapter is on tap.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The tying run sat 90 feet away. The winning run stood 180 feet away. And the clean-up hitter Marcus Davis stepped in for Florida State against IU freshman pitcher Will Coursen-Carr.After already surrendering one run in the inning and the crowd in Tallahassee, Fla., on its feet begging for another, Coursen-Carr stood calmly and delivered, and induced a pop out to right field and IU took Game 1 of the super regional, defeating Florida State 10-9 Saturday afternoon.It was Coursen-Carr's first save of the season, as he has primarily been used as the weekday starter this season.With the win, IU can clinch a trip to the College World Series with a win Sunday at 1:05 p.m. against Florida State in the best-of-three super regional.In a game in which 19 runs were scored, it was two defensive errors in the seventh inning that helped IU to victory at Dick Howser Stadium.After a leadoff hit to start the seventh by sophomore second baseman Chad Clark, senior center fielder Justin Cureton reached on an error. Sophomore outfielder Chris Sujka then drew a walk to load the bases for sophomore catcher Kyle Schwarber, who had homered earlier in the day.This time, Schwarber didn't homer, but he got a knock through the left side of the infield to score Clark and Cureton and put IU on top 7-6. IU would not trail after that.Sophomore first baseman Sam Travis ripped a shot through the left side to plate Sujka, putting the Hoosiers up 8-6.But it was a mistake by Florida State catcher Stephen McGee that scored Schwarber from third, adding the extra run that would come back to bite the Seminoles.McGee fired a strike down to third base in an attempt to pick off Schwarber, but the ball leaked into left field, allowing Schwarber to score and giving the Hoosiers a 9-6 lead.The error in the next inning ended up costing the Seminoles a chance at extra innings.Tim O'Conner came on to run for junior outfielder Casey Smith who was hit by a pitch to start the eighth. He stole second, then advanced to third on a fielder's choice.Then he scored on Florida State's third error of the game.Sujka hit a grounder to third baseman Jose Brizuela, but throw to first got away from him, allowing O'Conner to score, and giving the Hoosiers the one run that ended up being the difference in the game.Coursen-Carr did have a threat in the ninth. Coming in with runners on first and second in the ninth for IU's career saves leader Ryan Halstead, who had taken the ball with two outs in the seventh, he walked a batter and then allowed a hit to DJ Stewart that brought Florida State within one.A wild pitch allowed two runners to move into scoring position.But Coursen-Carr, who pitched a complete game to give the Hoosiers the Big Ten Tournament Championship and also started in IU's regional championship, shut the door on Davis, leaving those runners stranded.IU started the flurry of scoring in the fourth when Schwarber launched a two-run moon shot to right field. It would tack on two more runs in the inning, accumulating five hits.Florida State answered with four runs of its own in the fourth.The Seminoles would take the lead back at 5-4 in the fifth, but IU would tie it back up in the top of the sixth, only to see FSU reclaim a 6-5 lead in the bottom of that inning.Then IU's seventh inning busted the game open for the time being.IU starter Joey DeNato lasted just 3+ innings, as he failed to find the strike zone in the fourth inning after cruising to start the game. It caused IU to burn through five subsequent pitchers following DeNato's departure.Schwarber led the way offensively for IU, with two hits and four RBI. Leadoff hitter Will Nolden also reached base in all three of his plate appearances with a hit and two walks.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU pitching coach and top assistant Ty Neal was named the 27th head baseball coach at the University of Cincinnati Friday afternoon.The hiring comes less than 24 hours before IU's first appearance in the NCAA Super Regional in Tallahassee, Fla.Neal, a native of West Elkton, Ohio, served as an assistant for the Bearcats in 2004 before joining now IU Coach Tracy Smith at Miami (Ohio) in 2005 as the RedHawks' pitching coach. He then followed Smith to IU where he has been with the Hoosiers for eight seasons.At IU, Neal has served as pitching coach, top assistant, infield/third base coach, position player development and recruiting coordinator."Ty is a proven winner and is a perfect fit as the head baseball coach at the University of Cincinnati," Cincinnati Athletic Director Whit Babcock said in a release. "When we first started this search, we looked for candidates that met three criteria: a great recruiter, a track record of proven success in building a program and the right match for our institution and community. "We are confident that Coach Neal is the right coach to lead our program to national prominence."
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Minnesota Twins drafted IU starting pitcher Aaron Slegers in the fifth round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft Friday, selecting him with pick No. 140.Three rounds later, they took junior third baseman Dustin DeMuth with pick No. 230. And in the 26th round, the Twins took the third Hoosier who was expected to be drafted, junior closer Ryan Halstead, using pick No. 770 on IU’s all-time saves leader.“Congrats to my roommate, teammate and future teammate @_doubled16 for being selected in the 8th round by the twins!” Slegers tweeted after DeMuth’s selection.All three players are roommates in Bloomington.It is the sixth consecutive season IU has had multiple players taken in the MLB Draft.Slegers, this year’s Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, will be eligible to go to the Twins after the season if he chooses, as he is a third-year sophomore.Slegers led the Big Ten with a 1.94 ERA and tied with junior teammate Joey DeNato for the most wins in the conference with nine.In 101 innings pitched during Slegers’ time at IU, he has allowed one home run and 101 hits, striking out 58 and walking 17, as of Saturday evening.This was Slegers’ first year as a starter for IU. In 2011, he pitched one inning before being sidelined with a forearm injury. He made five relief appearances last season. This year, he has started all 16 games he has appeared in, earning a 9-1 record.The Twins took pitchers in four of the five first rounds. Two of those are high school seniors, including the No. 4 overall pick, Kohl Stewart, who is also a Texas A&M quarterback prospect.DeMuth was the third position player to be drafted by the Twins in the first eight rounds.After earning Freshman All-American honors his freshman season in 2011 with a .360 average, DeMuth was named a Third Team All-American this year with a .396 average, second best in the Big Ten.The LaPorte, Ind., native also leads the conference in doubles, is second in hits and stands third in slugging percentage, on-base percentage and total bases.Halstead saved 11 games for the Hoosiers this season, a new IU record, and eclipsed the mark for most career saves, earning 22. The California native carries a 3.64 ERA in 70 career appearances for the Hoosiers as of Saturday evening. This year has been his most productive, as he tallied a 2.43 ERA and struck out 45 batters. In his first two years, he struck out a combined 46 hitters.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>To college baseball traditionalists, the action this weekend in northern Florida features a David vs. Goliath matchup.For the IU baseball team, that means being an underdog for one of only a few times this season, and for the first time this postseason. Not that it bothers Indiana, who will take on host Florida State in a best-of-three super regional series starting noon Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla. “It’s gonna be fun,” sophomore catcher Kyle Schwarber said. “It’s gonna be a good atmosphere for us, and I feel like not many people are gonna expect what we have. If we just do what we need to do, I feel like we can raise some eyebrows down there.”It’s easy to see why Florida State, the No. 7 national seed, is considered a college baseball powerhouse. The Seminoles have been to six straight super regionals and 13 of the 15 all-time since the format changed. This is the 10th time they will host a super regional.The Seminoles (47-15) plowed through the competition in the Tallahassee Regional, outscoring Savannah State and Troy a combined 32-4 during the three-game sweep.The Hoosiers, meanwhile, are making their first-ever super regional appearance. “Finally, we get to be an underdog,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said. “I’ve been reading the stuff. I’ve been hearing the quotes out of Tallahassee. Nobody’s giving us a chance, so that’s okay. We’ll go down there and put our best foot forward and see what happens.”The Hoosiers (46-14) will be challenged by the Seminoles’ pitching staff, which ranks 10th in the nation with a 2.73 ERA. Two Florida State starters have a sub-2 ERA: senior right-hander Scott Sitz (10-1, 1.59 ERA) and sophomore righty Luke Weaver (7-2, 1.95). “They’re gonna be good arms,” Schwarber said. “We haven’t got to see them much. We’ll probably take a look at them today, maybe, and see how they approach kids. I kind of think it’s gonna be like a Florida matchup, power arms. “We’re gonna have to stick to our game plan and I feel like we’ll have success.”IU will counter with a strong pitching staff of its own. The Hoosiers’ 2.56 team ERA is sixth lowest in the country. IU will go with junior left-hander Joey DeNato (9-2, 2.65) in Game 1 followed by sophomore righty Aaron Slegers (9-1, 1.94) in Game 2. If the series goes to a decisive Game 3, Smith said either freshman Will Coursen-Carr or sophomore lefty Kyle Hart will start, depending on if either is used in long-relief in the first two games and which pitcher Smith believes will match up better against the Seminoles’ hitters.Slegers will take the bump in Game 2 in a position to either secure IU’s position in the College World Series or keep the season alive. He said pitching in front of a capacity crowd of 3,000-plus fans in Game 1 of the Bloomington Regional — in which he lasted just four innings — has prepared him to not get caught up in the moment and pitch in high-pressure situations. The situation will be even more pressure-packed at hostile Dick Howser Stadium, which seats 6,700 fans. “Always in those packed away venues, it’s always fun going against that away crowd,” Slegers said. “It gives you a little motivation to compete out there.”If Slegers’ sentiment is any indication, the team won’t be fazed by the atmosphere or stakes. Smith said his team’s series at Ohio State — when the team clinched the Big Ten regular season title — as well as the fact that five of IU’s players played in the Cape Cod championship game last summer, has the Hoosiers prepared for a series of such a high magnitude. “I think all of the stuff helps prepare you to get to the moment we’re in right now,” he said. “This team, I do not, for one bit, worry about them getting too riled up on that.” Besides the Seminoles, the Hoosiers will have to contend with another unfamiliar foe: extreme heat. Forecasts predict highs in the low 90s for each of the three days. Smith said the team practices in the early afternoon to prepare for such heat, and will get to Tallahassee early so it can practice in the heat. “Baseball guys in the Midwest, you just get yourself ready for all kinds of temperatures,” he said. “I bet you if you took a poll of the locker room, said ‘You can play at 92-95 or play in 30 and 19 degree wind chill,’ we’ll take the 95 any day of the week.” A final potential distraction are the several draft-eligible players on IU’s team that have been thoroughly scouted. Smith said that this is the latest his team has been playing in his tenure as coach, and that it coincides with the MLB First-Year Player Draft, which runs Thursday through Saturday. He mentioned Slegers, a redshirt sophomore, junior third baseman Dustin DeMuth and junior closer Ryan Halstead as the players he expects to be drafted. Nonetheless, the focus remains on beating the Seminoles.“I’d say in years past, definitely, definitely a distraction,” Smith said. “This group of draft-eligible guys has handled this whole scenario better than any group I’ve ever coached. “I can tell you their whole focus is Indiana University baseball and trying to advance beyond this weekend.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Three Hoosiers were named to Collegiate Baseball’s Louisville Slugger All-American teams Thursday. Sophomore catcher Kyle Schwarber was named a Second Team All-American. Junior third baseman Dustin DeMuth and sophomore pitcher Aaron Slegers were named Third Team All-Americans.IU baseball has now had 11 All-Americans, five of which were coached by IU Coach Tracy Smith. The other two from the Smith era were Alex Dickerson and Josh Phegley, who each won the award twice.It is the first time IU has had three players named All-Americans in one year. In 2009, IU had two players named All-Americans, the only other time multiple players have garnered the honor.Slegers is the second IU pitcher to receive the distinction, the other being Eric Arnett in 2009. Arnett and Slegers also each won Big Ten Pitcher of the Year.DeMuth is the second Hoosier third baseman to get the nod, and Schwarber is the third catcher.— Robby Howard
The IU baseball team celebrates a victory over Austin Peay during the NCAA Regional Championship game on Sunday night at Kaufman Field.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU baseball team’s attempt to advance further in a historic season came down to the right arm of a closer having a record-setting season.Ryan Halstead came in a little earlier than usual, but got the job done Sunday at Bart Kaufman Field.Halstead struck out Matt Wollenzin with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth inning to preserve the Hoosiers’ three-run lead in a 6-1 win over Austin Peay to capture the Bloomington regional championship and advance to a NCAA Super Regional against Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla.The team swept the Bloomington regional, 3-0. IU had won one game in the NCAA Tournament coming into the season.The Hoosiers (46-14) will take on the Seminoles in a best-of-three series next weekend for a spot in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.This is IU’s first-ever regional championship in a season full of accomplishments, having won both the Big Ten regular season and tournament championships while setting a single-season record for wins. It is also the first time a Big Ten team has won a regional since Michigan did so in 2007.“It seems like every step we take we’re making history for Indiana baseball,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said. “It’s fun, that was certainly a memorable evening for us.”Halstead worked the final 3.1 innings, striking out two batters in the ninth before Dylan Riner ended the game with a foul-out down the left-field line that Dustin DeMuth tracked down and caught basket-style near the left field clubhouse.Halstead, typically reserved for the ninth inning, entered the game with the Hoosiers in a tight jam in the top of the sixth.The Governors (47-15) loaded the bases with one out on singles by Jordan Hankins and Harper and a walk by Cody Hudson, ending freshman starter Will Coursen-Carr’s outing.In came righty Luke Harrison, who forced in a run by walking Michael Davis, cutting IU’s lead to 4-1. Harrison then struck outTorress before Halstead came in to shut the door and leave the bases loaded.It was a huge play on defense in the top of the second that kept the Governors’ offense at bay and prevented them from tying the game.With one out and runners on first and second, P.J. Torres hit a ball to deep center field that senior center fielder Justin Cureton made a sensational catch on to rob Torres of a three-run homer. Cureton scaled the wall and brought the ball back from beyond the fence, and then got it back quickly into the infield.“I’ve already referred to it as ‘the catch,’” Smith said. “I don’t think people appreciate how tough of a defensive play that is.”The relay throw went to second, but Reed Harper, who walked with one out, got back in time. Second baseman Chad Clark then saw Cody Hudson straying too far off first and fired over to Sam Travis to complete the 8-4-3 double play and end the inning.“I had a bead on the ball,” Cureton said. “I just made the play. I let my athleticism take over.”IU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first on a solo shot to right by Kyle Schwarber and RBI singles by Michael Basil and Casey Smith.The Hoosiers added a run in the fifth on an RBI-double by DeMuth and two in the sixth on a two-run error by Harper at shortstop.Coursen-Carr fired 5.1 innings, giving up one earned run on five hits with three strikeouts and four walks to earn the win. He gave up no extra base hits.IU’s Sam Travis was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Bloomington regional. The first baseman had two hits including a double and a run scored in Sunday’s game.Five other Hoosiers were named to the Regional All-Tournament team in addition to Travis: Clark, Schwarber, Cureton, Smith and sophomore designated hitter Scott Donley.IU is now scheduled to play Florida State in the NCAA Super Regionals next weekend.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU baseball team’s attempt to advance further in a historic season came down to the right arm of a closer having a record-setting season.Ryan Halstead came in a little earlier than usual, but got the job done Sunday at Bart Kaufman Field.Halstead struck out Matt Wollenzin with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth to preserve the Hoosiers’ three-run lead in a 6-1 win over Austin Peay to capture the Bloomington regional championship and advance to a NCAA Super Regional against Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla.The team swept the Bloomington Regional, 3-0. Coming into this season, IU had won one game in the NCAA Tournament.The Hoosiers (46-14) will take on the Seminoles in a best-of-three series next weekend for a spot in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.This is IU's first-ever regional championship in a season full of lofty accomplishments, having won both the Big Ten regular season and tournament championships while setting a single-season record for wins. It is also the first time a Big Ten team has won a regional since Michigan in 2007. Halstead worked the final 3.1 innings, striking out two in the ninth before Dylan Riner ended it with a foul-out down the left-field line that Dustin DeMuth tracked down and caught basket-style near the left-field clubhouse.Normally reserved for the ninth inning, Halstead entered the game with the Hoosiers in a tight jam in the top of the sixth. The Governors (47-15) loaded the bases with one out on singles by Jordan Hankins and Harper, and a walk by Cody Hudson, ending freshman starter Will Coursen-Carr's outing. In came righty Luke Harrison, who forced in a run by walking Michael Davis, cutting IU's lead to 4-1. Harrison then struck out Torress before Halstead came in to shut the door and leave the bases loaded.It was a huge play on defense in the top of the second that kept the Governors' offense at bay and prevented them from tying the game. With one out at runners on first and second, P.J. Torres hit a ball to deep center field that senior center fielder Justin Cureton made a sensational catch on to rob Torres of a 3-run homer. Cureton scaled the wall and brought the ball back from beyond the fence, and then got it back quickly into the infield."I've already referred to it as 'the catch,'" IU Coach Tracy Smith said. "I don't think people appreciate how tough of a defensive play that is." The relay throw went to second but Reed Harper, who walked with one out, got back in time. Second baseman Chad Clark then saw Cody Hudson straying too far off first and fired over to Sam Travis to complete the 8-4-3 double play and end the inning.IU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first on a solo shot to right by Kyle Schwarber, and RBI singles by Michael Basil and Casey Smith.The Hoosiers added a run in the fifth on an RBI-double by DeMuth and two in the sixth on a two-run error by Harper at short. Coursen-Carr fired 5.1 innings, giving up one earned run on five hits with three strikeouts and four walks to earn the win. He gave up no extra base hits.IU's Sam Travis was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Bloomington Regional. The first baseman had two hits, including a double, and a run scored in Sunday's game. Five other Hoosiers were also named to the Regional All-Tournament team: Clark, Schwarber, Cureton, Smith and sophomore designated hitter Scott Donley.
The IU baseball team's attempt to advance further in a historic season came down to the right arm of a closer having a record-setting season.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After falling behind early for the second straight game, the IU baseball team was determined to respond quickly this time around. The Hoosiers scored five runs in the second and four runs in both the fifth and sixth to demolish Austin Peay 15-6 Friday at Bart Kaufman Field, sending IU to the championship game of the Bloomington regional.IU will play the winner of Sunday’s elimination game between Austin Peay and Valparaiso at 7:05 p.m. and can capture the regional championship with a win. The team that fights off elimination in the afternoon game would have to beat the Hoosiers twice to win the regional championship. IU pounded out 14 hits against Austin Peay, but the Governors quieted the home crowd early on. Reed Harper rocked a 1-1 pitch from junior lefty Joey DeNato into the left-field bullpen for a quick 3-0 Governors lead. It was nearly 5-0 Austin Peay when P.J. Torress drove a DeNato fastball deep to left, but junior Casey Smith made the catch while leaning against the wall. Unlike its dramatic 5-4 walk-off win Friday night against Valparaiso, the Hoosiers got the bats working quickly to put the game out of reach by the sixth inning. Dustin DeMuth led off with a double to right-center and later scored on a passed ball that also advanced Chad Clark to second with Justin Cureton at the plate. After a Will Nolden flyout that advanced the runners to second and third, Kyle Schwarber laced a two-run single up the middle that tied the game at 3-3. Sam Travis then rocked a two-runner homer off the scoreboard in left-center on the first pitch he saw, scoring Schwarber and giving IU a 5-3 lead. The Governors got a run back in bottom half on an RBI-double by Jordan Hankins that scored Dylan Riner, who singled and reached second on a passed ball.That's when the fireworks really started for the Hoosiers (45-14).IU extended the lead to 7-4 in the fourth on a two-run single by Basil that drove in Nolden and Travis, who finished 2-for-3 with four runs, three RBI and three walks. In the fifth, the rout was officially on. The Hoosiers strung together four hits and a walk to score four times, the highlight a bases-clearing double to right-center by Donley that extended the Hoosiers' lead to 11-4. IU made it back-to-back four-run innings in the sixth, needing just two hits. The Hoosiers drew three straight walks off righty Dan Whitson, the latter two RBI-walks by Travis and Donley with the bases loaded. Basil added a two run single to left to extend the lead to 15-6. DeNato (9-2) was shaky through the first two innings, allowing four runs on six hits and Torres' near-home run, but settled down after that, not allowing hits over his final four innings of work. In total, he allowed four earned runs through six innings with nine strikeouts and two walks. Austin Peay starter Casey Delgado (9-3) did not make it out of the second inning, allowing five earned runs in 1.2 innings pitched for the Governors (46-14).
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Chad Clark committed a costly two-run error in the top of the 9th, and things looked bleak for the IU baseball team in the first round of the NCAA Bloomington regional.He more than atoned for his mistake in the bottom half of the inning.Clark ripped an 0-1 slider from Karch Kowalczyk into the left-field bullpen for a two-run, walk-off homer that propelled the Hoosiers to a 5-4 win against Valparaiso and completed a miraculous four-run ninth inning comeback Friday at Bart Kaufman Field. “I knew I was gonna smoke the ball right when it came out of his hand because he hung the slider, and I was sitting on the slider, too,” Clark said. “I knew it was coming. And then right when I hit it, I knew it too.”Perhaps most remarkable is that the walk-off was Clark’s first home run of his career, and it came off Kowalkczyk (1-1), who had allowed one run in 25 innings coming into the game. Clark’s clutch hitting gave the Hoosiers their first NCAA Tournament win since 1996, and only their second all-time. “I think we got a new life,” junior outfielder Casey Smith said. “I think that home run helped us just push that one aside, all the mistakes, forget about ‘em, keep moving on tomorrow.”Down 4-1, Michael Basil started the rally with a one-out infield single and scored on a Dustin DeMuth double. Smith followed with an RBI double down the left field line, setting up Clark’s heroics.Up 2-1, the Crusaders added two runs in the ninth on two defensive miscues by the Hoosiers.With one out and runners on first and second, Tanner Vavra hit a slow grounder to short off junior right-hander Ryan Halstead. Clark was playing a few feet into the outfield grass in right, and had a long run to the second base bag. Basil fired it to Clark anyway, who was unable to reach the bag in time, loading the bases. IU Coach Tracy Smith said Basil should have taken the out at first.On the next play, John Loeffler hit a slower roller to second with Clark once again playing deep in the hole.Clark charged on the play but let it slip under his mitt, allowing two runs to score before he redeemed himself at the plate.“That’s never happened to me in my life. I’ve never had a walk-off hit,” Clark said. “It feels good to help the team out again, kind of make up for my mistakes in the field.”Halstead (4-4) then got the final out, striking out Chris Manning with runners on the corners. On the mound, Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Aaron Slegers was out of sync, allowing eight base runners through the first two innings. In the first, singles by Andrew Bain, Tanner Vavra and John Loeffler loaded the bases with one out before Chris Manning grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Bain. After Billy Cribbs reached on fielder’s choice and moved to second on a passed ball, Bain singled to center to drive him in two batters later, extending Valparaiso’s lead to 2-0. Between an error by Basil to start the second, the passed ball and Slegers’ ineffectiveness, the Hoosiers (44-14) looked jittery in the early going in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 3,045. “I felt like we were more worried about playing well for our hometown people rather than just going out and playing baseball,” Tracy Smith said. “And that’s all I said to them after the game: ‘OK, are we ready now?’”Until the ninth, though, IU’s hitters looked lost at the plate against Valpo starter Cole Webb. The Hoosiers did not get a runner to third base until the third when Scott Donley sacrificed Kyle Schwarber and Sam Travis to scoring position. Both were left on base. IU managed just three hits — all of them singles — the first six innings against Webb before cutting the Crusaders’ lead in half in the seventh. Tracy Smith said IU’s left-handed hitters had a hard time picking up Webb’s cutter, which moved in on their hands.A switch hitter, Casey Smith would normally hit from the left side against Webb, but decided to switch to the right side with one out in the seventh to get a better look at Webb’s release. The move paid off, as Smith rocked a double that one-hopped the wall in right center and scored on a Clark single to left that made it 2-1 Valparaiso.Slegers made it through just four innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits. Scott Effross came in and tossed 4.1 innings, allowing two unearned runs on Clark’s ninth-inning error.
Chad Clark committed a costly error in the top of the 9th, and things looked bleak for the IU baseball team.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the back room of Yogi’s Grill and Bar, the first round of roars finally poured out through the restaurant Monday afternoon.Then, just seconds later, an audibly louder roar came from the gathered members of the IU baseball team.With their eyes glued on TVs to watch the ESPNU NCAA Tournament selection show, the Hoosiers knew their name would eventually be called, and they would host a four-team regional, the first in school history. What was up in the air was who would join them this weekend at Bart Kaufman Field.That’s what drew the second roar.When the No. 3 seeded Florida Gators popped onto the screen in the Bloomington bracket, it sounded more like the Hoosiers were a bubble team that had just made the tournament.“I thought it was funny because we played them already,” sophomore designated hitter Scott Donley said. “I just can’t wait to see what happens.”IU, the No. 1 seed, will welcome Florida, Austin Peay and Valparaiso to Bloomington this weekend for a double-elimination NCAA Regional. IU will start by playing Valparaiso Friday night at 7 p.m.In early March, the Hoosiers (43-14) traveled to Gainesville, Fla., to play the Gators on their home turf. Then-unranked IU took two of three games from Florida, who had just fallen out of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association top-30 poll the previous week, and were still receiving votes. IU outscored the Gators 15-11 in the series.“Florida is a good ball club,” sophomore catcher Kyle Schwarber said. “We went down there with high expectations and beat them two out of three. Once we saw that again, it kind of brought back good old memories.”IU Coach Tracy Smith couldn’t explain why his team reacted the way it did. He said he thought it would be cool to play a new team, but he’s happy that Florida will get to see IU’s facility after the Hoosiers made the trip down south earlier in the year.In order for IU and Florida to play again, both would have to either win or lose their first round games. That was too far away for Smith to think about on Monday.“I think they played a lot better baseball down the stretch than when we saw them early,” Smith said of Florida. “Whether we’re fortunate enough to play them, a lot of things have to happen before that. We’ve got to take care of business. Our focus is on Valparaiso.”Valparaiso (31-26) enters the tournament for the second consecutive year after winning the Horizon League Tournament. Schwarber said he thought the Hoosiers would see the in-state foe in the Bloomington bracket.“We were looking at all the national baseball writers, seeing what they were thinking. Pretty much none of it came true, except for one, which is Valpo,” he said. “I never expected Florida to be in our (regional) or Austin Peay. We were pretty excited to see what we got.”Sophomore starter Aaron Slegers (9-1, 1.98 earned run average), recently named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, is projected to start Friday night against Valparaiso’s Cole Webb (5-7, 3.59).“Any time you’re talking about the top teams in this tournament, you’re going to play good competition,” Smith said. “I don’t think you look past anybody, you don’t anticipate anybody, you just take care of one game at a time. We’ve been focused on that all year.”Valparaiso lost to Purdue in its first NCAA Tournament game in 44 years last year. The Crusaders exited the tournament the next day with an 8-1 loss to Kentucky.The Hoosiers last made it to the tournament in 2009, losing both of their first two games also.IU comes into the tournament after winning the Big Ten Tournament and regular season championships, the first time it has accomplished that feat in school history. The team’s 43 wins are also a school record.IU won the Big Ten Tournament May 26 with a 4-3 victory against Nebraska at Target Field in Minneapolis.Smith said he remained encouraged by his team’s play in the Big Ten Tournament leading into the regional. Six Hoosiers were named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team, and sophomore first baseman Sam Travis was named Most Outstanding Player.“We’ve been pretty consistent all year,” Smith said. “Our guys are playing well. We got Travis swinging the bat again in the tournament. I don’t want our guys to be overconfident. I just want us to keep doing what we’re doing and not feel like we have to do any superhuman effort out there. Just play the baseball that we’ve been playing, and I think if we do that, we take care of the ball, we throw strikes, we’re a pretty tough team to beat.”After seeing IU’s name back in the tournament Monday, Schwarber described the feeling as “awesome.” Now, he said he’s hoping to keep the good feeling going this weekend.“With all the good things that’s been happening to us this year, I feel like it’s going to keep compiling and hopefully we get to the College World Series,” he said.Scouting the regionalIn advance of IU’s third NCAA Tournament appearance and first time hosting an NCAA Regional, here’s a look at foes Austin Peay, Florida and Valparaiso.No. 2 Austin Peay Governors (45-13)The Governors are riding a 15-game winning streak, the nation’s longest current active streak, entering the tournament. They won the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament to receive an automatic bid. The No. 2 seed is the highest in school history and the first time in the current format an Ohio Valley team has ever received a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Regional. The team registered a school record six players on the All-Ohio Valley Conference First Team. First baseman Craig Massoni was named OVC Player of the Year and closer Tyler Rogers was named OVC Pitcher of the Year. Massoni leads the team with a .388 average and 16 home runs. Rogers owns a 1.83 ERA and has recorded 21 saves.IU all-time record against Austin Peay 6-0No. 3 Florida Gators (29-28)The Gators are one of nine SEC schools to make the tournament. It is the team’s 29th NCAA Tournament appearance and the sixth consecutive appearance under coach Kevin O’Sullivan, tying a school record. The Gators played one of the toughest schedules in the nation as its opponents tallied a .604 winning percentage. Outfielder Harrison Bader was named to the All-SEC Freshmen Team, the only Gator to be recognized with conference honors. Bader leads the team with a .304 average. Taylor Gushue has a team-high .433 slugging percentage, and is tied for the team lead in home runs with five.IU all-time record against Florida 2-3No. 4 Valparaiso Crusaders (31-26)Valparaiso enters its second consecutive NCAA Tournament, and its second consecutive in Indiana, as it played in Gary in the Purdue regional last year. The Crusaders had 10 players named to a Horizon League All-Conference Team, with three players on the First Team. The 10 all-conference players tied for tops in the league with Milwaukee, who won the regular season title. Karch Kowalczyk was named the Horizon League Relief Pitcher of the Year. He had a conference best 0.42 ERA and nine saves. He allowed just one run in over 21 innings pitched. Infielder Tanner Vavra paced the team with a .333 batting average. The Crusaders won their last five games.IU all-time record against Valparaiso 33-12
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU will welcome Florida, Austin Peay and Valparaiso to Bart Kaufman Field this weekend for the first NCAA baseball regional in Bloomington.The No. 1 seed Hoosiers (43-14) will open the double-elimination regional with the No. 4 seed Crusaders (31-26), winners of the Horizon League Tournament.Florida and Austin Peay are expected to play Friday afternoon, with IU and Valparaiso squaring off later that evening.Of the three other teams, IU only played Florida during the regular season, taking two of three from the Gators in early March in Gainesville, Fla.The Hoosiers gathered for a watch party Monday afternoon at Yogi's Grill and Bar. The biggest ovation came after it was announced that Florida will also be in the team's regional as the 2-seed.IU missed earning a national seed, something IU Coach Tracy Smith said the team had looked at, but was not disappointed that it didn't get. He said the team is focusing all of its energy on Valparaiso now.It is just the third time IU has advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and the first time since 2009. IU won the Big Ten regular season and tournament championship, the latter giving it an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.If IU wins the regional, it would advance to the super regional, with the winner advancing to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The NCAA announced late Sunday evening that IU's Bart Kaufman Field will be one of 16 regional hosts for the NCAA baseball tournament, the first time IU has hosted that event.It is just the Hoosiers third trip to the tournament, last going in 2009.The only other regional sites in the Midwest are Louisville (University of Louisville) and Nashville, Tenn. (Vanderbilt University).Dates: Friday May 31-Monday June 3Teams: IU, Florida, Austin Peay, ValparaisoTicket prices: All session: Reserved: $77 General: $63 Student/young: $35 Single session: Reserved: $15 General: $12 Student/young: $8Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. Tuesday.Schedule: Florida vs. Austin Peay, 1 p.m. FridayIU vs. Valparaiso, 7 p.m. Friday
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>MINNEAPOLIS — Kyle Schwarber veered off the basepath and was called out, but it didn’t matter. There was just too much to celebrate. Scott Donley hit a walk-off single to left-center with the bases loaded to beat Nebraska 4-3 Sunday afternoon at Target Field, giving IU its first Big Ten Tournament championship since 2009.Schwarber was at second when Donley hit the gapper that scored Will Nolden from third and instantly sprinted toward Donley. By rule, Schwarber was out for leaving the basepath, causing some momentary confusion. Thankfully for IU, the run counted, and the rest of the Hoosier dugout ran out to join Schwarber and Donley near second base in elation. “It was awesome,” said sophomore first baseman Sam Travis, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. “As soon as Donley hit the ball, I knew right away that we won the game and there’s not a better feeling than winning a championship.”Already in position to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, the IU baseball team (43-14) found a way to lock up a bid on its own one night after experiencing walk-off heartbreak at the expense of the Cornhuskers. The title comes eight days after the Hoosiers captured their first outright Big Ten regular season title since 1932. It is the first time in program history IU has won both conference championships in the same season. “That did hurt last night,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said. “But you just regroup, and then it was like, ‘OK, they broke our hearts last night, lets break theirs tonight,’ so that was fun.” Hours after the game, it was announced that IU will be one of 16 regional hosts for the NCAA tournament.NCAA Tournament officials came away with a positive impression of brand new Bart Kaufman field after visiting the Hoosiers’ home field in mid-April. Smith said his players are not simply happy to have made the NCAA Tournament. They are instead focused on advancing to Omaha, something they have been talking about all year. “We think that we are (a) College World Series-caliber team,” senior shortstop Michael Basil said. “If we play our best baseball, we know we have all the talent to get there.”Nolden led off the bottom of the ninth with a double to the gap in right-center off Nebraska right-hander Jeff Chestnut, who then issued an intentional walk to Schwarber. Travis then twice failed to get down the bunt but drew a walk to load the bases and draw the Cornhuskers’ infield in, setting up Donley’s heroics.A day after erasing a three-run deficit over the final four innings, the Cornhuskers (29-30) staged yet another late rally.With IU up 3-1, Tanner Lubach doubled to to lead off the seventh but was caught off third two batters later when Bryan Peters hit a chopper back to the mound.Pat Kelly cut the lead to 3-2 on an RBI single to center, a blooper that glanced of shortstop Michael Basil’s mitt as he dove backwards.The Huskers tied the game in the 8th on a Lubach sac fly that scored Kash Kalkowski.The Hoosiers had a strong effort on the mound from freshman left-hander Will Coursen-Carr (2-1), who went a career high nine innings and thew a career-high 127 pitches. His complete game gave the Hoosier bullpen a much-needed breather. IU used four relievers in Saturday’s loss, and Smith said he wanted to save his bullpen arms for the postseason. “I knew there was nobody warming up or anything, so I was excited to get that chance to finish the game,” said Coursen-Carr, who allowed three earned runs on eight hits. “I was just exhausted, but it was fun.”IU got on the board first in the third inning when Travis doubled off the wall in right to score senior center field Justin Cureton. Travis hit .563 (9-16) with two home runs, three doubles and a tournament-high 8 RBI in four tournament games. He was joined on the all-tournament team by Coursen-Carr, sophomore right-hander Aaron Slegers, Schwarber, Travis, junior third baseman Dustin DeMuth and junior outfielder Casey Smith. Nebraska tied the game at 1-1 in the fifth on an RBI single by Kelly that scored Peters, who led off the inning with a triple. The Hoosiers scored two runs in the sixth on a DeMuth RBI ground ball and a sac fly to left by pinch-hitter Ricky Alfonso.
A day after suffering a walk-off loss in the 11th inning, the IU baseball team returned the favor Sunday at Target Field. It just so-happened this walk-off would give IU its second Big Ten title in a week. Scott Donley hit a walk-off single to left-center with the bases loaded to beat Nebraska 4-3, giving IU its first Big Ten Tournament championship since 2009. The title comes eight days after the Hoosiers (43-14) captured their first outright Big Ten regular season title since 1932. Will Nolden led off the bottom of the ninth with a double to the gap in right-center off Nebraska righty Jeff Chestnut, who then issued an intentional walk to sophomore catcher Kyle Schwarber. IU Coach Tracy Smith then asked sophomore first baseman Sam Travis, who was 2-for-4 in the game with a pair of doubles and finished with a tournament-high eight RBI, to sacrifice the runners to second and third. Travis twice failed to get down the bunt but drew a walk to load the bases and draw the Cornhuserks' infield in, setting up Donley's heroics. The Cornhuskers (29-30) staged yet another late rally, this time scoring a run each in the seventh and eighth innings. With IU up 3-1, Tanner Lubach doubled to left-center to lead off the seventh but was caught off third two batters later when Bryan Peters hit a chopper back to the mound.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>MINNEAPOLIS --- The IU baseball team looked poised to capture a Big Ten Tournament championship before a slip-up by its bullpen spoiled the celebration. Nebraska catcher Tanner Lubach ended a wild back-and-forth affair with an 11th inning walk-off homer that propelled Nebraska to a 7-6 win against the Hoosiers Saturday at Target Field.Lubach rocked a fastball from Hoosier closer Ryan Halstead four rows deep into the left-field bleachers for his first hit of the tournament, keeping the one-loss Cornhuskers alive for the conference tournament crown.No. 1-seeded IU and No. 3-seeded Nebraska will play in a winner-take-all game at 1:05 p.m. ET Sunday with the Big Ten Tournament championship on the line.“It’s one loss, we’re not out of it all, and we still have our goal right in front of us,” senior shortstop Michael Basil said. “That was a hard fought game, ball bounced their way today but we still have a chance to do exactly what we want to.”The Hoosiers had a 5-2 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth before the Cornhuskers put together back-to-back two-run innings in the sixth and seventh. In all, Nebraska scored five runs off four IU relievers, a rarity considering the Hoosiers came into the tournament with nation’s 5th-best ERA. “That was probably the one thing I was a little upset with today is if we got a lead in the seventh inning, the game should be over,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said. “We did a good job of getting to two strikes and then we’d leave stuff out over the plate.”At 29-29, Nebraska has little-to-no shot at earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, and would need to beat the Hoosiers Sunday to get the Big Ten’s automatic bid and make the postseason. IU (42-14), on the other hand, is well-positioned to earn an at-large bid and is projected to host a regional regardless of the outcome Sunday because of its No. 14 RPI. With that said, Smith said he plans to use his pitchers carefully on Sunday to preserve them for the NCAA Tournament. “Mark my words, we want to win this championship,” he said. “In fairness to being a competitor, in fairness to Hoosier fans all over, we didn’t come up here to lose, we came up here to win. “But I think at the same time, we need to be smart about our pitching. I believe we’re in. We feel like we’ve got a lot of season left to play and I think that we have to manage that right.” Nebraska Coach Darin Erstad said he plans to start left-handed sophomore Kyle Kubat on three-days’ rest. Kubat tossed seven inning of one-hit ball in Nebraska’s first tournament game, an 11-2 win against Michigan on Wednesday. Erstad said only three pitchers would be off limits tomorrow: Dylan Vogt, who allowed five runs in seven innings against IU tonight, Christian DeLeon, who started Nebraska’s win over Ohio State earlier Saturday, and senior righty Ryan Hander. With two outs in the 9th and IU down a run, Pinch hitter Ricky Alfonso delivered a clutch RBI-double that landed just fair down the right field line, scoring Dustin DeMuth from second to tie the game at 6-6.“We hoped that we’d carry that momentum through, but seeing Ricky do that is not surprising to us,” Basil said. “Ricky’s been clutch in pinch-hit situations all year.”IU took a 5-2 lead in the top of the fifth on a three-run homer to left by Sam Travis, a mammoth shot that made it to the second deck.Nebraska then started its two-inning rally. Michael Pritchard led off the bottom of the sixth with a single and advanced to second on a throwing error by Nick Ramos. Two batters later, Kash Kalkowski doubled home Pritchard and Blake Headley followed with an RBI single to center to cut the lead to 5-4.One inning later, another error cost the Hoosiers.Bryan Peters and Pat Kelly led off the bottom of the 7th with back-to-back singles off freshman right-hander Scott Effross. Michael Pritchard then flew out to shallow center, keeping the runners at first and third. Chad Christensen followed with a chopper to third that scored Kelly, but DeMuth booted it, allowing Christensen to reach first safely.Kash Kalkowski took advantage of the extra out, serving a single to center that gave the Huskers a 6-5 lead.Halstead (3-4) worked the final two innings, allowing the game-winning run on three hits.Luke Bublitz (4-1) pitched the top of the 11th for the Cornhuskers, pitching through an error to lead off the inning to strand Michael Basil at second.Nebraska got on the board first on a two-run homer to left-center by Kalkowski in the bottom of the first. Sophomore catcher Kyle Schwarber tied the game at 2-2 in the third with his Big Ten-leading 16th homer of the year, a ball that barely cleared the fence in left and stayed fair.
MINNEAPOLIS --- Tanner Lubach ended a back-and-forth affair with a walk-off homer to left field in the bottom of the 11th that gave Nebraska a 7-6 win over IU Saturday at Target Field.