Baseball schedule released for 2013

IU Coach Tracy Smith called his team’s 2013 schedule a “beast.”

To improve the Hoosiers’ chances of making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009, the Hoosiers’ skipper beefed up his team’s nonconference schedule.

“Our thought was, we scheduled strong hoping that we get some wins early in the season, have another good season in the Big Ten and not have to win the Big Ten Tournament to pursue an at-large bid if we trip up in the tournament,” Smith said.
The schedule is highlighted by a three-game set in Gainesville, Fla., against the Florida Gators on March 8-10, 2013.

Last season, the Gators began the season as the No. 1 team in the country. They spent seven weeks in that slot, before dropping to No. 7 on April 9. They recaptured the top spot on May 28.

Indiana won 10 of its final 12 Big Ten games to earn the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament.

Purdue defeated the Hoosiers in the championship game.

“I don’t think there were 25, 30 teams in the country better than us at the end of the season, and we didn’t get an at-large bid,” Smith said. “We didn’t do what we needed to do early in the season.”

To begin the 2012 season against Connecticut, Smith started three freshmen position players. By season’s end, five freshmen had played in at least 43 games, and three freshmen started at least 50 games.

Sophomore starting pitcher Kyle Hart established himself in the second slot of the Hoosiers’ rotation.

The Hoosiers struggled with errors early in non-conference play, and their 18-21 nonconference record was ultimately why they did not reach the tournament.

March 20, the Hoosiers are scheduled to play in Bart Kaufman Field against the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks, Smith’s alma mater.

Smith, in his seventh season in Bloomington, said it was unintentional.
Penn State, Illinois, Michigan and Northwestern will be the first conference foes to play at Kaufman Field.

The Hoosiers will play Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska and Ohio State on the road.
It will be the Hoosiers’ first trip to Lincoln to play the Huskers as a Big Ten foe.

For the second-consecutive season, the Hoosiers will not play the Boilermakers or Minnesota in the regular season.

In 2012, Louisville outscored the Hoosiers 34-8 in a home-and-home series. Indiana will have three chances against the Cardinals in 2013: Feb. 17 in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge, March 26 at home and May 8 in Louisville, Ky.

The Hoosiers will make a trip to Lexington, Ky., six days later. The Wildcats came to Sembower Field this past season as the No. 7 team in the country and escaped, scoring the game-winning run on a 12th-inning balk.

Indiana will travel to Statesboro. Ga., on the second weekend of the season to complete a home-and-home series against Georgia Southern. Smith praised the Eagles’ program after the Hoosiers won game one of their April series in Bloomington.

“That’s a good opponent,” he said. “I don’t think our regular fans realize what a big win that is. That’s a very, very established, good baseball program.”

The Hoosiers will participate in the Coastal Carolina Tourney in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on the third weekend of the season.

Indiana will play its first midweek game of the season on March 6 in Terre Haute,  against Indiana State. Two days later, they’ll play the Gators.

The rest of the Hoosiers’ spring break schedule has yet to be announced.