Hey folks,
Sorry for not checking in the last few days, had a family emergency and things got a bit hectic. I'm sitting in the Charlotte airport waiting for a connector to Atlanta and home (Who has to connect to ATLANTA? I never thought I'd have to connect just to get home, the airline business must be cocked). Here's what I've failed to bring you in this space in the last few days:
-IU's win over Northwestern on Sunday, delayed by rain, that set things up for a final scenario to make the Big Ten Tournament. I'll outline in below in a second.
-Matt Bashore won his third Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honor after shutting down another conference opponent, this time Northwestern. Only Chris Fetter, the Michigan ace who went to Carmel High School north of Indianapolis, has won as many this season.
-The Hoosiers dispatched of Butler at Sembower yesterday, winning 13-5. Senior Doug Fleenor picked up the win in his last home appearance, and every senior but Chris McCombs - he's slated to start one of IU's four games this weekend in East Lansing - saw significant playing time.
OK, here's a breakdown of how it needs to go for IU. There are two possible scenarios that could result in the need of a tiebreaker, likely between IU and Northwestern, who plays Michigan. They are as follows:
1) IU wins 3 of 4 at Michigan State. Assuming Northwestern wins 1 of 4 against the Wolverines, forcing a tiebreaker, the Hoosiers hold a better combined record against the top six in the conference other than themselves (8-12) than the Wildcats (7-13). Keep in mind IU did not play Ohio State, likely to finish fourth in the conference, and Northwestern did not play Penn State, likely to finish fifth or sixth.
2) IU wins all 4 at Michigan State. Northwestern must then take 2 of 4 at Michigan, and though it would give IU and Northwestern identical records in the above tiebreaker scenario, then the next tiebreaker is record against common Big Ten opponents. All of the sudden, getting swept by Penn State doesn't hurt so bad, and not playing Ohio State helps.
So that's it. The Hoosiers need to win at least three games, and then they need help from powerhouse Michigan, who's already clinched the regular-season title. It will be interesting to see how Michigan plays Northwestern, because frankly, the Wolverines are too deep to lay down against anybody. But will they focus and strategy play more to the conference tournament? We'll find out.
Time to start the notes dump, and I'll start it with some Big Ten Tournament talk.
Pitching against MSU: Knowing what his team needs to accomplish (win at least 3 or go home against Michigan State), Tracy Smith was reluctant to give a set-in-stone rotation for this weekend. He said the four pitchers will be McCombs, Tufts, Bashore and Arnett, but he doesn't know how he's going to use them yet. One scenario he did talk about involved starting Bashore in game one (instead of his customary game two position) to try and get an early win, since his team needs three. Smith said the Hoosiers will be prepared to play every game like it's their last, a good plan considering they can't lose more than one, something they haven't done in-conference on the road all season.
On the weekend: Smith said he sees the IU-Michigan State series as one between "very evenly-matched teams." He acknowledge the Spartans are on a bit of a tear right now (winners of 10 of their last 13). But he said he thinks the Hoosiers and Spartans match up well, and he's glad the Hoosiers have control of their own destiny at this point.
"I think the kids are looking forward to it, I know I am," Smith said.
The College World Series: Yes, Smith brought up the CWS in just talking about the Big Ten Tournament, and he did so seriously. Not to blow smoke through the cracks in the sidewalk, but talking seriously about not just this season or next season but the future of IU baseball. The point he made was that he wants his played to understand that success comes just as much because of mindset as it does skill, and it's important for his team to understand what a winning mentality is. He didn't suggest the Hoosiers are a CWS-ready team now - though he did suggest the possibility that anything can happen in the Big Ten Tournament - but he said he wants his players not just to understand what it takes to win but also to see the reward that comes with that winning.
Stick with Inside Pitch, I swear I won't abandon you this weekend. First game is tomorrow at 3:05, and as always, live audio can be found at IUHoosiers.com. Until next time...
