Four weeks ago, the IU baseball team was in a rut. It returned battered and beaten after losing four straight to Penn State and 10 of their last 12 overall in the Big Ten. Then, to hear it from IU coach Tracy Smith, Tyler Rogers moved from third base to his natural position at second, and everything changed. \nSince Rogers made the switch, the Hoosiers are 11-5 in conference play – including 5-3 against Michigan and Purdue, the top two teams in the conference – and 12-6 overall. \nSmith said a big part of that turnaround came from the play of Rogers and shortstop Tyler Cox, whose play in the middle infield helped shore up a defense that’s spent 2008 in last place in the Big Ten. \n“That to me is the whole key to what has happened,” Smith said. “It was no secret that our struggles as a team were related to our struggles defensively.”\nCox and Rogers have made a combined seven errors in the last 29 games. In that stretch, they have aided in turning 21 and 15 double plays apiece, respectively. \nBall State transfer Rogers said the chemistry he developed with Cox came quickly and without any real effort.\n“Me and him were both just comfortable with one another,” Rogers said.\nThe duo seems to have sparked a defensive resurgence. The Hoosiers, though currently ranked a humble ninth out of 10 teams in Big Ten defense, only recently moved up that one position after firmly entrenching themselves in last place for much of the season. \nCox also pointed out that a strong middle infield does more than just give pitchers confidence in their defense. \n“When you have a strong middle infield, you put more trust in your pitching staff,” Cox said. “Instead of trying to strike people out, they’re trying to throw pitches that they hit on the ground.”\nSmith said it’s helped to have a regular lineup every day, where a month ago he was “changing short, second, third all the time.”\n“It makes us a better baseball team,” Smith said.
Carr gives Hoosiers go-to bullpen option\nThe IU bullpen – a concern akin to its defense most of the year – has finally found some relief, in the form of freshman Matt Carr, a redshirt from Indianapolis. Carr, a right-hander who didn’t play much at the season’s outset, has come on strong toward the end, solidifying himself as the Hoosiers’ first bullpen option. \n“He’s earned it,” Smith said of Carr. “I told Matt early in the season, ‘When you get your opportunity, take advantage of it.’”\nCarr has done just that. Most recently he posted five innings of shutout relief in a 7-3 win over Michigan State. So far this season, Carr is 2-1 in only nine appearances, and his 4.42 ERA and .286 batting average against are second on the team only to first-team All-Big Ten lefty Matt Bashore. Not bad for someone whose fourth appearance of the season came against Michigan. \nFive of Carr’s nine trips to the mound have come since the Hoosiers spun their fortunes on a heel against Michigan, perhaps none more important than his shutout work at Michigan State. Smith said he recognized Carr’s hard work and the added element he now gives the Hoosier pitching staff.\n“All the credit to the player,” he said. “I wouldn’t hesitate at all giving him the baseball.”
Seniors ending careers on high note\nWhen baseball season finally does come to a close, it will likely mean the end of the line for Cox, David Trager, Doug Fleenor and Chris McCombs, the Hoosiers’ four seniors. All four arrived at IU under then-head coach Bob Morgan, and their experiences and contributions have been varied over their careers. \nBut making the Big Ten Tournament has been the stated goal of all four throughout the season. \nTrager called making the tournament “pretty exciting,” and Cox said it felt like realizing their collective goal has made the seniors’ time at IU ever more worthwhile. \nHowever, Smith has said since Saturday night leaving East Lansing he feels like his team isn’t satisfied with simply making the tournament, and Cox agreed. \n“I’ve made it, and I wanna see how far we can go now,” Cox said.
