Baseball team looks to rebound from sweep at Penn State last weekend

Spring hasn’t been too kind to the IU baseball team, losers of nine straight games and 13 of its last 15. But at 4 p.m.today, the Hoosiers (15-22) will host Indiana State (11-23) in the first of 11 straight games at Sembower Field, including eight conference games. \nThe Hoosiers are looking for a quick turnaround after getting swept at Penn State over the weekend, a series that saw the Hoosiers fall into sole possession of last place in the Big Ten. \nIU coach Tracy Smith said his team is looking forward to the quick turnaround, hoping to forget what Smith termed a “dismal” weekend.\n“We’re looking forward to it, because we want to get this thing on track,” Smith said. \nIt’s been a real night-and-day season for the Hoosiers, who have struggled mightily on the mound yet still lead the Big Ten in overall team batting. But, the factor upon which the season has likely turned is IU’s fumbling in the field – the Hoosiers are dead last in the Big Ten in defense. \nSo far this year, IU pitchers have surrendered 255 runs. Fifty of those runs have been unearned, the largest such number in the Big Ten. \nIndiana State comes to Bloomington on the heels of a 6-5 loss to Southern Illinois on Sunday. The Sycamores currently rank fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference in offense and eighth – second to last – in pitching. \nHeaded to the hill for the Hoosiers today will be sophomore right-hander Eric Arnett, currently 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA in 12 appearances. In his last outing, Arnett worked two scoreless innings of relief work in an 11-9 loss to Penn State on Sunday. \nArnett said as a pitcher, he’d like to help stop the Hoosiers’ current losing streak. But he said he’s mostly just focused on not giving Indiana State too many chances by limiting walks, something the Hoosiers have struggled with as a staff. \n“I’m just gonna go out there and try and throw strikes,” Arnett said. “Make them put the ball in play.”\nThe Hoosiers will look to the strong top half of their lineup against the Sycamores, as the team’s first six hitters are all currently batting .321 or better. Sophomore catcher Josh Phegley, the Big Ten’s second-best hitter, leads the group, currently batting .431 with five home runs and 42 runs batted in, all team highs. \nSmith credited his hitters’ hard-working mentality for their success this season. \n“They get after it,” Smith said with the sound of aluminum meeting leather behind him in the batting cages. “Practice ended about 30 minutes ago, and there are still 7-8 guys banging around the cage.”\nFreshman first baseman Jarrud Sabourin said the Hoosiers have striven for consistent production in the batter’s box \nall year. \n“We do the same things over and over in practice, and offensively, we have a lot of focus there,” Sabourin said. The Arizona native added that he and the rest of the lineup know keeping run production up while the pitching staff works out its problems will be key to further success this year. \nFirst pitch is set for 4 p.m. after being pushed back an hour due to scheduling problems faced by Indiana State. This will be the first and only time the Hoosiers and Sycamores meet this season, after having their March 6, game in Terre Haute canceled due to poor weather.