Hoosiers dominate Minnesota for Big Ten title

Jerrud Sabourin squeezed the ball into his glove as he had more than 500 times this season, his back foot gripping first base.

But this time, the sophomore from San Diego left the ball inside its new leather home, tossing his mitt to the sky and joining his teammates in the traditional celebratory pile in which only champions may partake.

With aggressive bats, dominant arms and a remarkably relaxed demeanor, coach Tracy Smith’s IU baseball team rose to the top of the Big Ten on Saturday night, defeating Minnesota 13-2.

The win gives the Hoosiers their first Big Ten Tournament title since 1996 and the school’s second-ever College World Series bid.

Chris Hervey, one of the team’s two outfielders, could remember a time when the Hoosiers were the “laughingstock” of the Big Ten. No one could laugh at them Saturday night.

“We won a conference tournament today,” Hervey said like a man just trying to convince himself it was true. “I haven’t seen a team play this well. … It was unbelievable.”

What was perhaps most impressive about IU’s trophy-lifting feat was the ease with which the Hoosiers dominated their second Big Ten Tournament in as many years.

The Hoosiers’ closest margin of victory was eight runs in a 9-1 win against Purdue to open the week. They beat Minnesota twice, 12-3 and 13-2, and Ohio State once, 13-3.

So clean was the Hoosiers’ four-game sweep through the conference crown that the worst mark on the entire affair was probably the shaving cream smeared across Josh Phegley’s face in the postgame celebration.

IU struck first in the Saturday contest, taking advantage of an error by Minnesota third baseman Kyle Geason to load the bases and score two runs as the inning progressed.

The Hoosiers added another an inning later, before Minnesota slugger Derek McCallum brought one back with a solo home run to center.

But IU answered with four runs in the top half of the fourth, and the rout was on.

Four more in the seventh and two in the eighth sealed the deal, but none of it was needed thanks to another solid start from a freshman left-hander.

One day after Blake Monar gave IU 6 2/3 solid innings in a 13-3 against Big Ten regular-season champion Ohio State, Matt Igel pitched five innings, allowing just two runs in his first-ever start.

“Igel today was unbelievable,” Hervey said. “His first start of the year, and then he comes out and pitches like that in the conference championship game.”

Closer Chris Squires, who hadn’t been needed all week, pitched four shutout innings to finish the game and the tournament in the fashion in which they played it.

Such was the Hoosiers’ dominance this week that they trailed for just 3 ½ innings out of 36 played. Their pitching staff posted a tournament ERA of 2.25, while they outscored opponents 47-9.

IU’s four-day team batting average of .414 is not only the best in tournament history, but also marks the first time a Big Ten team has broken .400 for an entire tournament.

Six Hoosiers were named to the 12-man All-Tournament team, including their lauded top two starters, Eric Arnett and Matt Bashore. The latter was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.

“If we play like that, I don’t think there is a team in the country that can compete with us or even beat us,” Hervey said, referring to the upcoming NCAA Regionals. Selection and seeding for next weekend’s regionals will take place 12:30 p.m. Monday.

But on Saturday night, Smith was full of praise for a club he brought from a 19-win season two years ago to the highest pedestal in the Big Ten.

“There wasn’t a lot of managing to do this weekend,” Smith said. ”I just made the lineup and sat down.”

After the game, a composed Smith talked about enjoying the accomplishment – his second, counting the conference title he won as IU’s pitching coach in 1996 – but also viewing it as a step.

“I think it’s a notch in the ladder of accomplishment, but it’s not where we want to end up,” Smith said. “There is a sense of accomplishment, but in my mind, it’s just the beginning.”