IU looks to continue winning streak

No. 17 IU will go for its 16th straight victory as the team travels to Cincinnati to play Xavier University at 3 p.m. today.

For the Hoosiers (22-3, 6-0 Big Ten), playing midweek games on the road is not as big of a challenge as going on the road for a series, sophomore pitcher Aaron Slegers said.

“Well in a midweek game at Xavier, it’s not as big as a deal,” Slegers said. “We’re just bussing there, are bussing back and get to sleep in our own beds.”

Traveling is always a part of the game for college baseball. After IU’s series against Iowa this past weekend, where the Hoosiers swept another Big Ten opponent, the team did not arrive back in Bloomington until 4:34 a.m. Monday, according to the team’s official Twitter account.

As IU Coach Tracy Smith was being asked about some of the disadvantages of playing on the road, his biological response summed up what he was thinking.

“Right as I’m yawning while you’re asking, I’ll say fatigue,” Smith said. “But the field dimensions are the same when you go on the road. If you excel in pitching and defense, you’re going to get a chance to win.”

With their recent success, the coach said he is proud of how his team has remained level-headed, and most importantly, kept playing IU baseball.

“What I like about this team is they have a very even demeanor about them,” Smith said. “They just play baseball.”

This upcoming weekend IU plays Illinois, who owns the second-best winning percentage in the Big Ten, behind the Hoosiers. Overlooking Xavier (10-13, 4-2 Atlantic 10) will not bode well for the Hoosiers, Smith said, because he is quite familiar with Xavier Coach Scott Googins.

“Coach Googins is an IU guy,” Smith said. “He’ll be ready to play, and he’ll have his team ready to play, so you know you’re going over there and playing a good baseball team.”

Googins was an assistant at IU for eight years before going to Miami (Ohio). Now the former Indiana man is in his seventh year at the helm of Xavier.

IU will have to deal with Xavier’s offense, which is one of the more potent in its conference.

The Musketeers lead the Atlantic 10 in batting average with a .301 team batting average, making them the only team in the conference hitting in the .300s.

Xavier’s offense is spearheaded by senior outfielder Mark Elwell, who is batting .398 on the season and leads the team with 35 hits.

Despite going on the road, sophomore designated hitter Scott Donley thinks his team has the capability to win both playing at home in Bart Kaufman Field and on the road.

“I guess you could say it’s a disadvantage,” Donley said. “But our team has come out and played real well on the road. So I think we’re going to come out and be full throttle and be excited to play against them.”