Hoosiers to begin road series

After completing a 12-game homestand, the baseball team packs its bags for a weekend trip to Ann Arbor to face the University of Michigan Wolverines in a four-game series. \nThe Hoosiers will face a Michigan squad that is 1-3 in conference play and was swept by Penn State in its last conference series. The Wolverines are riding a two-game winning streak after defeating non-conference foes Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan by a combined score of 20-4. \nMichigan is led by sophomore outfielders Jordan Cantalamessa and Gino Lollio. Cantalamessa is batting .373 with eight doubles and 11 RBIs, while Lollio is hitting .447 with three home runs and 11 batted in. Junior right hander Bobby Korecky leads the Wolverine pitching staff with a 3-2 record, 2.36 ERA and four complete games in six starts. Michigan leads the all-time series against the Hoosiers with a 96-51 record. \nIU is coming off a 10-1 victory against in-state rival Indiana State last Wednesday at Sembower Field. The Hoosiers went 1-3 in their last Big Ten series against Minnesota, but coach Bob Morgan said he feels his team is playing well going into the weekend.\n"I think our team's starting to form a little more identity," Morgan said. "We've inserted a couple kids in the line-up and some guys have stepped up." \nMorgan said that by getting outside, taking batting practice and the improvement of the weather has helped bring his team where he thinks it needs to be.\n"It hasn't been so darn cold," Morgan said. "I think playing at home, getting out and on the field, putting in some (batting practice) and stuff has helped. We're just starting to get better."\nWhile this is the Hoosiers' first road series of the season, the players said they aren't worried about leaving the familiar surroundings of Sembower Field. Some of the players said they thought it can be a positive experience. \n"When you go on the road, you really got to pull together as a team because you're in such a tough environment, especially going to Michigan with the big crowd," senior outfielder Blake St. Clair said. "We just need to take the same approach as we would any other and just get more out of each individual on the team."\nMorgan said the change of pace from a home series can provide needed rest for the Hoosiers.\n"From a positive standpoint, we don't have to work on the field, our kids aren't in class Friday, we have good meals on the road, our kids are eating well and things like that," Morgan said. "The camaraderie of being together with the 25 guys you're traveling with and things like that."\nStarting the first game for the second consecutive weekend is senior right hander Nick Otte. Otte leads the team with five wins and only one loss. Junior left hander Brad Edwards will start the first game of saturday's double header and sophomore right-hander Jacob Cary will get his first career start in the second game of the day. Red-shirt junior left-hander Matt Rice will close out the series Sunday.\nPitching coach Jeff Calcaterra said key for the team's success this weekend is to keep run production low and allow for the offense to score before its opponents, so the team won't have to come back from an early deficit.\n"We always seem to be pitching from behind and seem to get run production from behind, so I think that our starters are going to be key with the number of arms that we have and with the conference games going two seven inning games, to get on top early or be down early might be the difference in the ball game," Calcaterra said. "That's where the stress is going to go on the starting pitchers is to keep us in the ball game early and once we get a lead, hopefully we can have our relief come in and close the games. " \nMorgan said he wants his team to come out with at least two wins this weekend so it can move up in the Big Ten standings.\n"Some weekends in the Big Ten you have to go out and battle for your life and play hard and hopefully play well," Morgan said. "You hope to win a couple of three out of fours from somebody and that's what we're looking for and hoping for this weekend"