Around Sports

MEN'S TENNIS
IU takes on Harvard after extended break

When the IU men’s tennis team returns to the court this weekend against Harvard, it will be under somewhat unusual circumstances.

The Hoosiers (3-1) haven’t played in two weeks after they were forced to cancel last weekend’s matches, and will be limited to four courts Sunday morning due to a women’s match taking place at the same time.

Nevertheless, the No. 62 Crimson will provide some outside competition, and for that, IU coach Randy Bloemendaal is grateful.

“A two-week break is really tough,” he said. “So it will be very difficult during that first hour to hour-and-a-half because we haven’t been out there. I fully expect Harvard to make a run at us because they have a tradition of having good players. But with the way that we train, we should be able to turn it in our favor at that point.”

Bloemendaal is uncertain what his lineup will look like against Harvard because of illnesses to several of his players and the injury to senior Lachlan Ferguson.

One player that will be in the lineup is junior Santiago Gruter, who has played at No. 1 singles in each of the Hoosiers’ four matches.

Gruter has slowly grown into one of the team’s leaders, and he said he appreciates the opportunity to play at the top of the lineup.

“So far, it has been great. Playing a ‘1’ is a great privilege,” said the Lima, Peru native. “I’m loving it so far, especially playing at home. It has been a great experience.”

— Justin Albers

WRESTLING

Spartans stand in way of Hoosiers’ winning season

The IU wrestling team will look to keep their Big Ten win streak alive Sunday when they travel north to take on Michigan State (8-7-1, 2-5).

The Hoosiers (15-3, 4-3) come into Sunday’s match after taking down Michigan and Purdue last weekend. The Big Ten finale gives the Hoosiers their first chance to finish above .500 in the Big Ten since 1996.

IU coach Duane Goldman said he refuses to overlook Michigan State, despite the recent success his No. 13 Hoosiers have had. While there is no matchup featuring two ranked wrestlers, the battle at 165 pounds between junior Paul Young and MSU’s Kyle Bounds.

While both have put up 25-plus wins this season, Young has done it aggressively with 13 pins on the year. Bounds has recorded just two pins but won 19 by decision. 
He has also yet to allow a pin this year, which he would not like to break on his senior night.

Having a letdown has not been on Young’s mind, either. The Bloomington native has yet to lose to an opponent ranked below him, with all five of his losses coming to top-11 guys.

Taking care of a pesky Spartan team heading into the Big Ten Championships would further prove the Hoosiers’ standing in the conference’s upper echelon.

“It’s really important for us to get a win going into Big Tens,” Young said. “It would definitely be a confidence booster and would let people know that we are for real.”

— Connor O’Gara

CLUB BASEBALL

Hoosiers set for top opponent

As they prepare to open up at No. 4 Clemson this weekend, the No. 19 IU club baseball team emphatically set their sights on one goal.

“We want to go to the World Series, for sure,” sophomore pitcher Phil Silverman said.
Determined to get revenge on an Illinois team that edged them out for the Great Lakes South Conference title last season, the team looks to make their first World Series appearance.

Jump starting an offense that hit for a .364 batting average, junior shortstop Britt Myers returns looking to improve on his .417 mark and help lead their versatile attack.
“We’re a speed, running the bases, get on base type of team with obviously [sophomore first basemen] C.J. [Esposito] and a couple guys sprinkled in there,” Myers said.

While Esposito led the team with 4 homeruns and 23 runs batted in last year, Rose Hulman transfer and sophomore Andrew Fisher could be primed for an equally impressive season.

“Fisher’s a surprising guy,” senior outfielder Danny Horwitz said, “you meet him and he’s not the biggest guy but he’s got a bat – it’s unbelievable.”

With gutsy performances as freshmen down the stretch last year at Illinois, sophomores Kevin Cornelius and Silverman are the key to the pitching staff’s success.  Horwitz has been impressed with their improvement this early in the season.

“They’ve come back and you can already see the improvements they’ve made,” he said, “just velocity, they’ve thrown a lot better already.”

Silverman said that he has been working with head coach Bob Morgan on his mechanics in order for results to come naturally.

“He [Morgan] knows the velocity will come if the technique is there.  He knows better than anyone the technique,” he said.  “He just knows pitching.  Velocity will come if the motion is there.”

– Patrick Manaher

WOMEN'S TENNIS

IU prepares for weekend doubleheader

The IU women’s tennis team will look to rebound from last weekend’s loss to DePaul against a pair of SEC opponents this weekend when Tennessee and Kentucky come to Bloomington.

IU played both teams last season on the road, losing 7-0 to the Volunteers and 6-1 to the Wildcats.

“We’re just looking for improvement over last year,” IU coach Lin Loring said. “We did not play well against either one of these teams on the road last year. Our big thing is that we just want to be much more competitive this year. They’re both very strong programs.”

In the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, the Hoosiers climbed to No. 37. Tennessee is ranked No. 10, while Kentucky is No. 54.

“Kentucky has had some injuries,” Loring said. “If they have everybody back in the lineup, they’re going to be very good.”

The Kentucky match begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, while the Tennessee match starts at 10:30 a.m.

“Tennessee is having a really good year this year even though they have some people out,” Loring said. “We expect that to be the tougher of the two matches.”

The Hoosiers are still dealing with the injuries to sophomore Megan Matter and junior Charlotte Martin, though Loring said they are both continuing to make improvement.

“We’re still not there,” Loring said. “Charlotte’s been playing part of every practice this week. Megan’s been at two practices this week. We’re in probably as good shape as we’ve been in this semester although we’re not there yet.”

— Max McCombs

SOFTBALL
Hoosiers aim for top finish at Las Vegas tournament

IU shouldn’t have a problem with weather this weekend with the average temperature in the mid-60s. But compared to last weekend in Georgia, where they had to literally shovel their way out of the cold conditions, the Hoosiers will take anything.

With two inches of snow on the ground by Saturday morning in Kennesaw, Ga., it was unlikely IU would play two of its games. The only way to play on Sunday was to clean it up.

“The bottom line is we wanted to play, and if that outfield didn’t get clean, we wouldn’t play,” IU coach Michelle Gardner said.

Gardner told the team to pick up a shovel and lend a hand so the nine-hour drive didn’t go to waste.

“I feel like we all kind of wanted to do it, ’cause none of us girls from California never get to experience the snow,” California native freshman infielder Breanna Saucedo said. “So I think we all took it upon ourselves to get it done.”

The Kennesaw State softball team already cleaned up the infield, but the entire outfield was covered and needed to be cleaned to play for Sunday.

“I know we have teamwork on the field, but it was cool to see how we work together to get something else done,” Saucedo said.

From 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Saturday, most of the softball team and staff cleaned up most of the outfield; the remaining amount was moved by Wright State out of the stadium.
This weekend, the Hoosiers get to play in Las Vegas, Nev., at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic.

The Hoosiers will start off with Boise State at 9:00 a.m. PT, which went 22-30 last year.

Senior outfielder Laeha Hill leads the team with a .429 batting average in the first four games.

At 1:30 p.m., IU will face Illinois-Chicago, which is led by first-year coach Michelle Venturella.

On Saturday, the Hoosiers will play a doubleheader against Oregon (1:30 p.m.) and Utah (3:45 p.m.).

Oregon freshman pitcher Jessica Moore’s ERA is at 2.17 in the three appearances she’s made this season. 

Lastly, IU will face the home team, UNLV, on Sunday at 11:15 a.m., which is 4-1 to start its season.

— Aaron Siegal Eisman

MEN'S TENNIS

IU takes on Harvard after extended break

When the IU men’s tennis team returns to the court this weekend against Harvard, it will be under somewhat unusual circumstances.

The Hoosiers (3-1) haven’t played in two weeks after they were forced to cancel last weekend’s matches, and will be limited to four courts Saturday morning due to a women’s match taking place at the same time.

Nevertheless, the No. 62 Crimson will provide some outside competition, and for that, IU coach Randy Bloemendaal is grateful.

“A two-week break is really tough,” he said. “So it will be very difficult during that first hour to hour-and-a-half because we haven’t been out there. I fully expect Harvard to make a run at us because they have a tradition of having good players. But with the way that we train, we should be able to turn it in our favor at that point.”

Bloemendaal is uncertain what his lineup will look like against Harvard because of illnesses to several of his players and the injury to senior Lachlan Ferguson.
One player that will be in the lineup is junior Santiago Gruter, who has played at No. 1 singles in each of the Hoosiers’ four matches.

Gruter has slowly grown into one of the team’s leaders, and he said he appreciates the opportunity to play at the top of the lineup.

“So far, it has been great. Playing a ‘1’ is a great privilege,” said the Lima, Peru native. “I’m loving it so far, especially playing at home. It has been a great experience.”
— Justin Albers

WRESTLING

Spartans stand in way of Hoosiers’ winning season

The IU wrestling team will look to keep their Big Ten win streak alive Sunday when they travel north to take on Michigan State (8-7-1, 2-5).

The Hoosiers (15-3, 4-3) come into Sunday’s match after taking down Michigan and Purdue last weekend. The Big Ten finale gives the Hoosiers their first chance to finish above .500 in the Big Ten since 1996.

IU coach Duane Goldman said he refuses to overlook Michigan State, despite the recent success his No. 13 Hoosiers have had. While there is no matchup featuring two ranked wrestlers, the battle at 165 pounds between junior Paul Young and MSU’s Kyle Bounds.

While both have put up 25-plus wins this season, Young has done it aggressively with 13 pins on the year. Bounds has recorded just two pins but won 19 by decision. 
He has also yet to allow a pin this year, which he would not like to break on his senior night.

Having a letdown has not been on Young’s mind, either. The Bloomington native has yet to lose to an opponent ranked below him, with all five of his losses coming to top-11 guys.

Taking care of a pesky Spartan team heading into the Big Ten Championships would further prove the Hoosiers’ standing in the conference’s upper echelon.

“It’s really important for us to get a win going into Big Tens,” Young said. “It would definitely be a confidence booster and would let people know that we are for real.”

— Connor O’Gara