Big Ten not powerhouse in baseball

With two No. 1 seeds in the NCAA men's basketball tournament and numerous football teams representing the conference in bowls across the country, the Big Ten is considered a national powerhouse in the two major revenue sports. The same can't be said for the conference's standing when it comes to America's pastime. \nBecause the Big Ten schools are located above the Mason-Dixon line, poor weather is to be expected when baseball season begins, hurting teams when it comes to national prominence. Top recruits tend to head toward the warmer climates of the SEC, PAC-10 and ACC. The poor weather also forces teams indoors for early games and practices. \nThis season, the Big Ten placed four schools in Street and Smith's Top 25 rankings, but coach Bob Morgan said once those teams begin playing the schools that perform in a warmer climate, they fall out of the national rankings.\n"Baseball isn't an equal playing field," Morgan said. "Until the season gets moved back and (teams) have a common starting date, say April 1, and you only have to play April, May, June and July and move the World Series back to August, you're always going to have this dilemma. That's the hand we've been dealt; we got to play it that way and do the best with what we have."\nPurdue did the best with what it had when it beat then-No. 1 Rice University and No. 24 Wake Forest, but has fallen since then, winning only twice since the upsets. \nBut coach Doug Schreiber said the team still has a chance for a good season.\n"We have a really good nucleus coming back with some newcomers that can produce right away," Schreiber said. "Our defense is better than average, and our starting pitching is really good, but we're not as fast on the bases as we had been in years past, and we need some bullpen help."\nLast season Minnesota, Penn State and Illinois were the best the Big Ten had to offer. Minnesota went 20-8 and captured the regular season title. Penn State was second at 18-9 and went to the post season, coming one series away from a trip to Omaha and the College World Series. Illinois tied for third with a 17-11 record and won the Big Ten tournament. \nThis season, the Hoosiers will face all three teams, starting with Penn State at Sembower Field this weekend in the opening series, Minnesota at home the following weekend and Illinois in Champaign May 11-13. \nMorgan and Schreiber chose Minnesota as the favorite to repeat in the Big Ten this season, but Morgan said with the parity in the conference, each team will be tough.\n"You got to play seven weekends as well and as hard as you possibly can, and they all go from inning to inning, pitch to pitch and bat to bat," Morgan said. "That's the essence of the game, but that's just the way the league is. You can be two outs from a victory and lose."\nIllinois coach Itch Jones was realistic about his team's chances to repeat as tournament champions, considering last season's performance.\n"We're a young ball club, and we hope to get better as time goes on," Jones said. "We have some players coming back from last season that know that success. By the end of the season we just hope that we're a team that plays for the tournament."\nMorgan said the Big Ten champion will be the team that can produce in every aspect of the field. Jones agreed, saying this season will be tough for everyone.\n"It's going to take excellent pitching and timely hitting," Jones said. "The best-balanced team will be the one that is the most competitive"