Hi all,
After a close loss that was decided in the 10th inning on a Jacksonville State run, IU preps for the third contest of its spring break.
They will take on Northern Iowa at 4 p.m. in Winter Haven, Fla., at Chain O'Lakes Stadium. The game will present yet another shot for IU to gain a win before embarking on a tough stretch in Big Ten conference play.
UNI doesn't stack up well against the Hoosiers. They were defeated 3-0 by a Bowling Green team the Hoosiers played to a 15-7 finish. UNI also enters the game with a 7-9 record, fresh from a 3-0 shutout loss to Army (4-10).
Beyond its three solidified starters in Bashore, Arnett and Monar, IU has thrown in other pitchers as IU coach Tracy Smith said he has to try out other arms to see what they have. Junior pitcher Chris Squires gained his first win of the season in his last start, going six innings and allowing only five hits.
Since he hasn't pitched since March 11, Junior Matt Bashore (0-3), who pitched well against Kentucky and kept the Hoosiers in contention for the majority of his last start, will get the start today. He hasn't posted a win this season, but should be able to come out with one today.
I'll be following the game via computer like many of you out there. After the game I'll be back with some stats and info from my gametracker extravaganza.
Here's another Phegley honor to hold you over until the end of the game.
Phegley named Big Ten Player of the week PLAYER OF THE WEEK Josh Phegley, Indiana Jr., C, Terre Haute, Ind./Terre Haute North Phegley earns his second career Player of the Week honor after batting .667 with a 1.467 slugging percentage in four games last week. Against Morehead State on Tuesday, the catcher became the fourth player in school history to belt three home runs in a game, also tying the Indiana school record with five hits while driving in six runs and scoring four in an 18-3 Hoosier win. At No. 29 Kentucky on Wednesday, the junior knocked three hits with an RBI and a run scored in a one-run loss. In a 12-7 victory against Bowling Green on Saturday, Phegley went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks, two runs scored and an RBI. The Terre Haute, Ind., native closed out the week with a triple in two at-bats against Jacksonville State, driving in three runs and scoring one. For the week, Phegley went 8-for-15 with a double, a triple, three home runs, 11 RBI and eight runs scored, reaching base at a .750 clip. He leads the Big Ten in on-base percentage (.543) and ranks in the conference's top 10 in batting (.412) and slugging (.725).
Last Indiana Player of the Week: Andrew Means (May 19, 2008)
