Following another midweek win over Xavier University in which Indiana baseball held control for the majority of the game, the Hoosiers now head south for a four-game weekend set against Western Kentucky University. After a demanding start to the season, this series presents an opportunity for Indiana to settle in and build momentum.
Through the first two weekends, Indiana has been tested early and often. Matchups against No. 2 Louisiana State University, then-No. 11 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and in-state foe University of Notre Dame gave the Hoosiers little room to ease into the year. Now, Indiana enters a four-game stretch against 5-4 Western Kentucky looking to sharpen its consistency and stack wins that have been difficult to come by early.
Indiana and Western Kentucky will open the four-game series at 4 p.m. Friday. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 2 p.m., with the second game scheduled to start at approximately 5 p.m. The finale is set for 2 p.m. Sunday.
Indiana’s offensive production has started to take shape through its underclassman middle infield, where the Hoosiers are seeing more consistent at-bats after a challenging opening stretch.
Sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian is starting to find his rhythm at the plate after a quiet opening weekend. After beginning the season 2 for 10 during the North Carolina series, Malamazian responded with a five-game tear, going 9 for 19 with four multi-hit performances over that span. The surge has provided stability at the top of Indiana’s lineup and helped spark more consistent offensive production for the Hoosiers.
Freshman second baseman Landen Fry has also made an immediate impact in his first collegiate season. Fry is hitting .400 through his first six games, giving the Hoosiers another productive bat as the lineup continues to settle in.
Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley led the charge offensively in Indiana’s 10-4 win over Xavier on Wednesday, recording three hits, three RBIs and a double. As Indiana’s lone preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list, Hanley will look to carry his momentum into the weekend.
While Indiana’s offense is trending upward, Western Kentucky presents its own challenges at the plate.
Junior outfielder Hayden Nazarenus has been one of the Hilltoppers’ most productive bats early in the season, hitting .417 with a 1.233 OPS. Through seven games, Nazarenus has totaled five hits and posted a .650 on-base percentage.
As Indiana looks to build on its recent offensive progress, containing Nazarenus and the top of Western Kentucky’s lineup will be a priority throughout the four-game set.
Indiana and Western Kentucky have met just once before. The Hoosiers claimed a 1-0 victory at Bart Kaufman Field on April 16, 2014. Pitching was the story that day, highlighted by current Detroit Tigers reliever Scott Effross, who earned the win for Indiana after retiring all three batters he faced to close out the game.
The starter on the mound for Indiana on Friday is graduate student left-hand pitcher Tony Neubeck. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday.
Follow reporters Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) and Will Kwiatkowski (@WKwiatkowski_15 and wdkwiatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana baseball season.
