Hoosiers prepare for cold weather

After playing all its games in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, the IU baseball team will play its first game up north when it takes on Miami (Ohio) in Oxford, Ohio, today.

IU Coach Tracy Smith said he doesn’t know exactly what to expect playing in cold weather.

“As I’m sitting here in 75-degree sunshine right now, that’s a good question,” Smith said with a chuckle. “But you just have to be mentally tough. It’s not ideal conditions, but both teams are playing in it.”

The high is an expected 41 degrees with windy conditions when No. 24 IU (13-3) plays Miami of Ohio (7-8). The start time was moved to 4 p.m. from a 6 p.m. start due to the cold weather.

The blustery conditions won’t bother the Hoosiers though, junior pitcher Ryan Halstead said.

“We practice in the cold weather all the time,” Halstead said. “I think it’s somewhat of an advantage. I think we’ll have to rely on pitching once again, but our hitters will be there as well. We’ll be fine.”

This is a coming-home party for Smith, whose alma mater is Miami. Smith coached there for several years, leading the Redhawks to 317 wins and eight straight 30-win seasons under his tenure.

“I love going back, because Oxford was a big part of my life,” Smith said. “I love seeing old friends, so it’s always a fun trip.”

The butterflies have worn off, though, because he has been separated from the Miami community for eight years now.

“I wouldn’t even say nerves, but the excitement has gone away,” Smith said. “I’ve been gone almost as long as I coached at Miami.”

The Redhawks are coming off a successful 5-2 spring break trip, outscoring their opponents 61-29.

Wednesday, IU will play the Redhawks in the home season opener in brand new Kaufman Field.

Despite all the festivities the following day, junior infielder Dustin DeMuth said his team will not overlook the first game of the series in Oxford.

“We’re a pretty mature group,” DeMuth said. “We have a good foundation, and Miami of Ohio is always a big game. We always want to beat them, so I don’t think we’ll overlook them.”

Miami and IU have two common opponents so far this season: Army and Navy. The Hoosiers beat both of the military academies by a combined score of 8-2, while Miami beat Navy and lost to Army 13-7.

Since the Redhawks always play tough, overlooking them is not an option for Halstead.

“I don’t think we’ll overlook them at all,” Halstead said. “Miami has always played us really hard and always give us a good game, so we’ll be ready to go.”