Fighting for a shot to make the Big Ten Tournament, IU will have a chance to move up in the conference standings this weekend when Iowa visits Bloomington.
The Hawkeyes (16-15, 5-4) enter the series with an offensive identity that is almost identical to the Hoosiers’, while the Hoosiers have the slight advantage in the pitching matchup.
Iowa has struggled on the road this season with an away record of 2-10, and IU (18-13, 4-2) hopes to take advantage of its home field.
“We love playing at home,” junior first baseman Austin Cangelosi said. “It’s just an awesome fan base andelectric here. I didn’t realize home advantage helps coming from high school to college, but it definitely does, and I think the record shows it.”
IU extended its winning streak to a season-high six games and sits in fourth place in the Big Ten standings just six games into the conference season.
Both IU and Iowa have a collective batting average above .265 while barely eclipsing 20 home runs and 160 RBIs on the year. Seniors Joel Booker and Nick Roscetti have been major contributors for the Hawkeyes at the top of the order.
Both are hitting well over .300. The senior duo has accounted for a quarter of the Iowa RBIs this year.
Although IU Coach Chris Lemonis said freshman catcher Ryan Fineman had every other day off at the beginning of the season, Fineman has become the everyday starter for the Hoosiers. Fineman has been a pleasant surprise.
The Hoosiers did not know exactly what to expect out of the freshman backstop, but he has served as a perennial cleanup hitter for the Hoosiers lately.
“His hitting has just been solid as a middle guy in our order,” junior relief pitcher Thomas Belcher said. “He puts the ball in play, hits doubles and sprays the field. That’s all you can really ask for from a guy like him.”
A 12-game hit streak has given Fineman confidence at the plate, especially when junior outfielder Craig Dedelow and sophomore outfielder Logan Sowers can reach base in front of him.
Cangelosi is another Hoosier headed in the right direction at the plate. He sports a modest three-game hit streak. He picked up three hits, a home run and two RBIs in Wednesday’s win against Ball State.
Lemonis and the rest of the team have spoken highly of the pitching staff all season long. The relievers have impressed the most during the win streak by allowing just seven runs in the past six games.
Belcher, appearing in all six games during the win streak, has been the most efficient reliever for IU and hasn’t allowed a run in his past 10 outings.
The starting pitchers will seek to get back on track after allowing 11 earned runs in the sweep against Purdue. Senior Kyle Hart watched his ERA eclipse 3.00 for the first time this season, while senior Evan Bell still searches for his first win of the year.
“After that big sweep against Purdue, I think that kind of sparked us up a little bit,” Cangelosi said. “Coach has been emphasizing ‘sweep the week,’ because right now, it’s do or die for us making the tournament, and we want to win the Big Ten.”
