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(04/30/04 5:26am)
The Hoosiers (23-17, 7-9) face off against Ohio State (19-17, 9-7) in a four-game weekend series at home this weekend. The Buckeyes arrive in Bloomington tied for third place in the Big Ten conference, along with Purdue and Penn State. \nIU is coming off a four-game series split at Illinois that put the Hoosiers one game out of sixth place in the conference behind Michigan State. \nThe Hoosiers have been hot at the plate lately, leading the Big Ten in team batting average, hitting .326 in conference play and .314 overall. Leading the way for IU are seniors Ryan Donley and Seth Bynum. Bynum was recently named to the midseason All-American team, with an overall batting average of .416, ranking him first in the Big Ten. \nDonley leads all hitters in the conference, hitting a robust .434 in 16 conference games. The senior slugger says this is a big series since the end of the Big Ten regular season is coming to an end. \n"This is a big series at home, and we have to win three out of four against them (Ohio State)," Donley said. "We need to put ourselves back in the hunt in conference play. This is the time when we need to step it up."\nThough Donley leads the league in hitting, he is not concerned about his personal stats. He says he just wants to contribute in any way possible. \n"I just want to do whatever I can to help the team win, whether it is a game-winning hit or a bunt to move a guy over," Donley said.\nAs the offense continues to produce, the Hoosiers will also need solid pitching performances to win the series against the Buckeyes. \nOn the mound in the first game will be senior Nick Vitielliss, who is 4-2 on the year with a 4.72 ERA. In the second game, sophomore Josh Lewis will take the mound. Lewis is 3-5 on the year with a 5.19 ERA. \nThough the 6-foot-1 player has been struggling a little this year, he remains confident he can come out and give his team a chance to win this weekend. \n"I have struggled a bit so far, but I just need to throw my first pitch for strikes more. I have been throwing a lot of fastballs and guys at this level can hit those," Lewis said. "This is a big series though, and hopefully, I can provide a jump start for us."\nIU coach Bob Morgan agrees with his players that this series is pivotal for their standings in the Big Ten. After this weekend the Hoosiers have only three weekend series left with conference opponents. \n"This is definitely a big series, playing at home and against a Big Ten powerhouse we will have our hands full," Morgan said. "But I like our chances, and I am looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity to beat a good team."\nThe Hoosiers and Buckeyes met for the first time in 1902. Since then, Ohio State has compiled a season series lead of 137-97 over IU. \nThe first game is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at Sembower Field. \n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(04/23/04 5:55am)
The Hoosiers (21-15, 5-7) will travel to Champaign, Ill., this weekend to take on the Fighting Illini. IU will return to conference play coming off a tough 10-5 loss to Miami University. \nThis will be the third of eight four-game series against Big Ten opponents. The Hoosiers split their series with Northwestern, dropped three games to Minnesota and split their series with Iowa. \nIn the last game with Iowa, IU exploded offensively for 25 runs. The players said this is what they need to repeat against Illinois. \n"Hitting-wise, we need to get back to the Iowa game and have everybody hitting like that," junior Ryan Parker said. "We just need to stay focused the whole weekend and stay in the race for the Big Ten."\nThe Illini are also 5-7 in the Big Ten and are looking to win their first Big Ten series of the year. According to IU coach Bob Morgan, better pitching will be the key for IU to win the series.\n"This is a big series where we would like to win three out of four games and even-up our record in the Big Ten," Morgan said. "We have to pitch better overall than we have been in all facets, including starting and relief."\nStarting for the Hoosiers will be fifth-year senior Nick Vitielliss. Vitielliss is 3-2 on the season with a 4.84 ERA. Like his coach, the Waldorf, Md., native emphasized the importance of better pitching. \n"From a pitching standpoint, we need to take control of the game; we have been giving up too many hits in the past couple series," Vitielliss said. "I am real excited to go out there and give the team an opportunity to win."\nThe last two games, the IU pitching staff has given up combined19 runs. Although they scored 25 runs in one of those games to get the win, the players believe they must put together a good overall game. \n"We have not put a complete game together recently," junior Jay Brant said. "It has either been really good pitching or good hitting, and to beat Illinois, we have to put this all together."\nBrant also said he is excited to play on the road. \n"We have struggled a little bit at home recently, and I am looking forward to going on the road and taking it to somebody else's backyard," Brant said. \nSo far this year, the Hoosiers are 8-9 on the road and 13-6 at home. After taking on the Fighting Illini, the team will be back in action with its fifth conference weekend at home against Ohio State. \nThe first game this weekend is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday night at Illinois Field. \n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(04/21/04 5:44am)
The Hoosiers (21-14, 5-7 Big Ten) will take a rare break from conference play today to play host to the University of Miami-Ohio. \nThough IU is playing a non-conference foe, this doesn't mean the game will be easy. The Redhawks are 22-11 this season and were 36-24 last season as one the best teams in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). \nLast year, the Hoosiers traveled to Miami to play a game during conference play and lost 8-5. \nThis year, IU hopes it will be different but team members are aware of the quality team they are facing in the Redhawks. \n"They are the best team in the MAC and a very good overall team," IU coach Bob Morgan said. "We will have our hands full with them."\nWith the Hoosiers stuck between conference series with Iowa last weekend and Illinois this weekend, Morgan knows he has to save his best pitchers for Big Ten games. \nThis doesn't mean he doesn't want to win the game, but certain guys will not throw, and some will be used in limited roles, Morgan said.\n"With the pitching matchups it will be a tough game for us because a lot of guys pitched this weekend, and we will need them against Illinois," Morgan said. "But it is a home game, and we always want to win our home games."\nIU hopes it can continue the hot-hitting from its last game Sunday. In the finale of the Iowa series, the Hoosier bats exploded for 22 hits and 25 runs. \nJunior Jay Brant started the hitting barrage Sunday and hopes the team can continue swinging the bats the same way Wednesday. \n"The major thing about the Miami game is to carry over the hitting that we had on Sunday," Brant said. "We have to have that same mentality hitting-wise that we had today and bring it to the Miami game."\nIn the finale of the Miami series, junior Joe Kemp had two home runs to add to the Hoosiers' offensive outburst. Yet, like his coach, Kemp knows the team can not get cocky and take the Redhawks lightly. \n"They are a tough team, and we need to come out and play hard," Kemp said. "A win would definitely get us in the right direction heading to Illinois."\nAfter the Miami game, the Hoosiers will prepare to travel to Champaign, Ill., where they will resume conference play against the Fighting Illini. \nGame time is 3 p.m., today at Sembower Field. \n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(04/19/04 5:55am)
After dropping two of three games to Iowa Friday and Saturday, the Hoosiers came out with the bats swinging as they evened up the conference series at two wins a piece Sunday. \nIU collected 22 hits en route to a 25-9 beating of the Hawkeyes. The 25 runs mark the second time the Hoosiers have scored more than 20 runs in a single game this year. \nOn a day when the wind was blowing heavily, the IU hitters took advantage and went on an offensive explosion. \nIU coach Bob Morgan jokingly referred to Sembower Field as "Windblower Field," yet Morgan was still very pleased with the way his team hit the ball. \n"We swung the bats well all weekend, with the exception of Friday, but it was contagious today," Morgan said. "They got a couple of base hits early, and we started off fairly slow. But once the hitting got going, it just caught on."\nThe Hawkeyes jumped out to a 3-0 lead off Hoosier starter junior Brian Lortz. But Lortz settled in and pitched well enough to get the victory to go to 3-1 on the year. \nThe offensive explosion was ignited in the third inning when junior Jay Brant hit a two-run home run to left field. The Hoosiers proceeded to put nine more runs on the board, giving them 11 for the inning and a 13-4 lead. \n"The difference today was we had guys in scoring position, and we moved them in" Brant said. \nSophomore Reggie Watson led IU with four hits on the day. Junior Joe Kemp also chipped in with two hits on the day, both of them home runs, giving him five on the season. \nKemp emphasized the importance of this game for the team.\n"We swung the bats a lot better. This was a must-win game and was very important to come back and even the series," Kemp said. \nThe Hoosiers split a double header Saturday with the Hawkeyes, winning the first game 5-4 and losing the second 12-7. In the first game of the series Friday, IU lost 7-3. \nMorgan was pleased with the big win Sunday but stressed the importance of pitching better. \n"Don't let scoring 25 runs take away from the fact that we need to pitch better," Morgan said. "But a conference win is a conference win, whether it is 2-1 or 25-9."\nThe Hoosiers are now 21-14 for the season and 5-7 in the Big Ten. Their next game is scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday against Miami of Ohio at Sembower Field. \n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(04/12/04 1:50pm)
The Hoosiers will take on Big Ten conference rival Minnesota this weekend in a four-game series starting Friday. \nThe Golden Gophers are the defending conference champions and were picked to win again this year. Yet, so far, the Hoosiers lead all Big Ten teams with 18 overall wins. \nIU comes into the series 18-9 with a .306 team batting average, good for second in the Big Ten. Senior shortstop Seth Bynum leads the conference in hitting with a .424 average. \nThe team plays eight four-game series in conference play, weekends IU coach Bob Morgan described as battles. Last weekend, the Hoosiers split their opening series against Northwestern 2-2. \nAlthough the Golden Gophers are the defending champions, the IU players are looking at the games as just another series in which they need to pick up some victories. \n"Of course it is important to beat them, but it really isn't more important than beating any other Big Ten team," senior outfielder Reggie Watson said. "We just have to come out and play hard the whole weekend. We have been hitting well, and we need to keep swinging the bats."\nSenior David Hughes agreed with Watson, saying this weekend is just another set of conference games and they are going to keep playing the way they have been\n"They were champs last year, but we are not going to change anything that we have been doing," Hughes said. "We are just going to concentrate on solid team hitting and good pitching, nothing really special."\nIn winning the conference title last year, the Golden Gophers went 40-22 overall and 24-6 in Big Ten play. They had four pitchers with an ERA under four, including 10-game winner Glen Perkins, with a 2.91 ERA. On the offensive end, the team graduated its top hitter, Luke Appert, who led the team with a .373 average. \nAlthough the team did lose some players to graduation, Morgan knows the Gophers are still a dominant team in all aspects of the game. \n"They are perennially at the top of the conference; they have a good pitching staff; they are good defensively and aggressive offensively," Morgan said. "It is another big series. It doesn't matter who you beat in the Big Ten, just as long as you get the victory, so we will have to play well in every facet of the game."\nTraveling to Chicago to participate in their first Big Ten game, the Hoosiers started their top two pitchers in the first two games. Sophomore Josh Lewis pitched well, giving up only two runs, but was out-dueled by Northwestern's J.A. Happ. In the second game, senior Nick Vitielliss took the mound for IU and picked up the victory. \nFriday, the Hoosiers will stick with this same rotation, with Lewis going the first game, and Vitielliss the second. In the third game, junior Brian Lortz is the projected starter, and the game four hurler has yet to be announced. \nThe first pitch of the series is set for 3 p.m. Friday at Sembower Field and ends with the fourth game at noon Sunday. \n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(04/02/04 6:22am)
The Hoosiers (16-7) will take their eight-game winning streak to Chicago this weekend to take on Northwestern in the opening game of Big Ten conference play. \nIU dominated Northwestern in the season series last year, taking three of four games from the Wildcats, including an 8-1 win in the Big Ten Tournament. \n"Pitching is their forte," IU coach Bob Morgan said. "I believe three of their starters made the All-Big Ten team last year."\nThe Wildcats are 9-10 on the season.\nDuring the collegiate baseball campaign, teams from the Big Ten play eight weekends of conference play with four games played in each of those weekends. \nMorgan calls these "eight battles," and he emphasized the need to start off by winning the opening battle. He also added it might be a little tougher than normal since the IU pitching staff is somewhat depleted. \nRecently, it was learned sophomore pitcher Dan Pezley has mononucleosis and fellow sophomore pitcher Troy Ragle has been placed on the disabled list with a sore shoulder. \nThough the Hoosier hurlers are without some of their key components, they are starting two of their aces in the first two games. \nSophomore Josh Lewis, who is tied for the team lead in innings pitched (30) and is 3-1 on the season, will start the first game Friday. \nSenior Nick Vitielliss, who is tied with Lewis in innings pitched, will start the second game Sunday. \n"I need to be ready to go -- this is the beginning of Big Ten play," Vitielliss said. \nIn the Hoosiers' previous games, there have not been too many pitching duels. IU has not scored less than six runs in the last seven games, but Morgan knows this will be different Friday. \n"With Lewis and Vitielliss going, this will be a pitcher's battle," Morgan said. "But, hopefully, we can hold their guys down, and they won't be able to hold us down as much."\nOn the season, IU is hitting .308 as a team, which ranks second in the Big Ten. The team has six players who hit above .300, with senior Seth Bynum leading the way with a .432 average. \nJunior Joe Kemp, the cleanup hitter, was named Big Ten Player of the Week at the end of March. Kemp, who is hitting .379 on the season, said the offense needs to keep playing well.\n"We just need to do the basics of hitting and pitching and put everything together," Kemp said. \nThe first game scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at Rocky Miller Park. \n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at .
(04/01/04 6:05am)
On a gloomy, rainy day, the Hoosiers found a three-hour period where the spring showers held off just long enough to play nine innings of baseball. \nIU survived a ninth-inning rally from Valparaiso to pick up the victory 6-4, and improve its record to 16-7 on the season. \nThe Hoosiers survived three errors and a couple of mental mistakes. \n"We made more mental mistakes than we usually do today," IU coach Bob Morgan said. "Our mental approach to the game was not as well disciplined as it usually is, but we were able to hang on and get the win."\nMorgan gave a lot of credit to the University grounds crew and the coaching staff for getting the field ready to play in the unfavorable conditions. Before the game, the players didn't know if the game was still going to be playing, perhaps causing the mental lapses. \n"Maybe it was because we didn't know if we were going to play, but still, when the game starts, you have to be ready to go," Morgan said. \nIn the game, IU had nine hits, led by senior Seth Bynum's three. Freshman Matt Saba picked up the victory, giving up no earned runs, to improve his record to 5-0 on the season. \nBynum was happy to get the victory, but agreed with his coach the team needs to improve on their mental mistakes. \n"Like coach always says, we played like mental midgets today," Bynum said. "But we got the win and that is all that really matters as long as we don't make those mistakes any more."\nJunior Joe Kemp, who had two hits on the day, also emphasized the importance of the victory heading into the Big Ten season this weekend, and also the need to cut down on errors. \n"It always means a lot to get a win, we needed this heading into the start of the Big Ten season," Kemp said. "But we did make some stupid mistakes today with base running and throwing the ball away that we need to cut down on."\nThe Hoosiers start Big Ten play Friday with the opening game of a four game series at Northwestern. \nMorgan was happy the team was able to get this game in to get the team ready for conference play. \n"I felt it was very important to get this game in today," Morgan said. "For reasons that were shown today, we needed to play before playing a good Northwestern team."\n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(03/30/04 4:20am)
Tommy John. \nThis name evokes memories of a great baseball player, a dominating major league pitcher who played for 26 years and ended his career with 288 wins. \nBut for today's amateur and professional ballplayers, this name has become synonymous with months of rehab and a highly-feared surgery. \nFor IU pitcher Nick Vitielliss, this is exactly what Tommy John meant. The senior suffered a torn ulner collateral ligament in his elbow after his junior season. He noticed pain in his elbow and subsequently went to the doctor to have it checked out. It turned out he was going to need Tommy John surgery, invented by Dr. Frank Jobe 30 years ago. \nIn 1974, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John tore the same ligament Vitielliss recently tore. John instructed the doctor to "make up something," according to an www.espn.com article. Jobe took a tendon out of John's right arm and surgically placed the tendon in the torn elbow. Since then, Jobe has operated on over 200 baseball players, performing the same surgery. \nAlthough Jobe did not work on Vitielliss, the surgery he invented is what gave the senior one more season for the Hoosiers.\nDuring his junior year at IU, Vitielliss was one of the team's top pitchers, going 8-1 during the season and earning second team All-Big Ten honors. After suffering the injury, he was forced to redshirt and sit out last season. But after a long offseason full of rehab, Vitielliss believes he is ready to come back and be the dominant pitcher he was before.\n"Rehab was pretty rigorous, it was a lot of work in the weight room, with shoulder, forearm and elbow strengthening," Vitielliss said. "But after all that work, I think I should be able to come back stronger than I was."\nAfter a tough offseason, Vitielliss is ready to get back to his old form this season. \n"To get back into the groove of things, I just have to continue to work hard and stick to my rehab program," Vitielliss said, "and then come back with confidence on the mound to get back to where I was my junior season."\nSo far this year the 6-foot-5 righty has started six games for the Hoosiers, going 2-1 with a 4.80 ERA. \nVitielliss said his arm feels good physically so far this year, and the hard part is getting back in the game mentally. \n"Throwing some in early games this season my arm feels great, it is just a matter of getting out the kinks," Vitielliss said. "I was really excited and my adrenaline was pumping, but I just need to relax and throw my game."\nVitielliss said he is excited to come back and play his last season at IU, and his teammates and coach are almost as pleased to have him back to help the team. \n"Nick is a vital clog in our pitching rotation," IU coach Bob Morgan said. "He is the leader of our staff, and every time we go out there, we look for him to give us a chance to win."\nMorgan also said the injury is becoming more and more common in baseball players today. Not only pitchers, but position players can suffer from the injury as well just by the natural way they throw the ball. Senior pitcher Adam Pegg knows this is true and said he tries to work on the proper mechanics in practice so he won't get injured.\n"Those two words (Tommy John) -- they are a pitcher's nightmare," Pegg said. "We try to prevent it by working on throwing mechanics, but sometimes guys' arms are so trained to throw a certain way that they get hurt."\nAs the season wears on, Vitielliss should get back to full strength, and this makes his teammates confident as they near the Big Ten season.\n"Having Nick back is unbelievable. He is a warrior out on the mound," Pegg said. "It is awesome to have him again."\n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(03/26/04 5:35am)
After a dominating performance this week, which included two victories by a combined total of 42 runs, the Hoosiers (13-7) will take on Wright State in a three-game series this weekend. \nIU beat Indiana Wesleyan 13-5 Tuesday and easily took care of Chicago State Wednesday, 29-5. Those two wins extended the Hoosiers' winning streak to five games, dating back to their spring break trip.\nDuring this streak, the bats have been hot, as IU has not scored less than 10 runs in any of these games. \nThe Hoosiers look to continue their winning ways against the Raiders but know they cannot get overly confident.\n"We just have to take the game for what it's worth and not get too overconfident," freshman Matt Saba said. "We have to expect more from Wright State and not take things for granted."\nAlthough the offense has been rolling, IU coach Bob Morgan knows the Chicago State game was not a true indicator of great competition, and said the team will have a tougher match this weekend.\nThe Raiders are 8-11 on the season.\n"There is no question we are going to have to come out and play this weekend. Wright State will be a stronger opponent," Morgan said. "The Chicago State game gave us confidence, and we are starting to swing the bats, but we still need to strike out a little less and improve the pitching."\nThe Hoosiers look to produce runs against the Raiders the same way they did against Chicago State, with everyone in the lineup hitting the ball. Senior David Hughes, who had two home runs Wednesday, believes this is the key to getting the offense rolling.\n"Everybody in the lineup was hitting. I thought we did a great job of hitting all the way through the order," Hughes said. \nAfter the Wright State series, the Hoosiers have only one game left before they open up Big Ten conference play against Northwestern. Hughes is pleased with the way the team is playing lately as the most important part of the season nears. \n"With conference play coming up, we are really playing well at the right time, and the team is coming together well," Hughes said. "But there is always room for improvement."\nThe series with the Raiders will be at home, as the first pitch is set for 3 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday at Sembower Field. \n-- Contact Staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(03/25/04 4:48am)
The Hoosiers demolished the Chicago State Cougars 29-5 Wednesday to improve to 13-7 on the season. \nIU put together an offensive display resulting in 29 runs off of 24 hits. On a day when the wind was blowing heavily out to all sides of the field, the Hoosier hitters took advantage. They combined for six home runs on the day, the highest output this season. \nSenior David Hughes led the way for IU with a three-run dinger in the third and another two-run shot in the fourth to give him five RBIs on the day. \nSenior Kevin Mahar hit a grand slam to mark a seven-run fourth inning, as well. \nThe Hoosiers started relatively slow offensively with five runs in the first two innings, but then exploded. \nHughes and senior Seth Bynum each had a pair of home runs to help start an eight-run third inning. \nHughes said he of course loved hitting the pair of homers, but he wasn't concentrating on getting the ball out of the park. \n"It always feels good to hit a home run, but with the wind today, if you just drive the ball the wind should carry it," Hughes said. "I really wasn't even trying to hit home runs today. I was mainly focusing on driving the ball, and the home runs came."\nIU coach Bob Morgan was pleased with his team's offensive output, but said it was relative due to the nature of the competition. The Cougars fell to 1-17 on the season. \n"They didn't show us a lot pitching today, we hit the ball good at times but they also walked a lot of guys which helped us out," Morgan said. "It was a hitter's day and we hit the ball well -- it just got contagious."\nMorgan also emphasized a needed improvement for the Hoosiers pitchers.\n"We could have pitched better today. Guys need to do a better job of hitting their spots," Morgan said.\nSophomore Troy Ragle started the game, but came out after just one inning's work. Sophomore Dan Pezley relieved Ragle and went three innings, giving up four earned runs on four hits. \nIn the fifth, freshman Matt Saba came in and picked up the victory to improve his record to 4-0 on the season. Saba said it was a lot easier to pitch with such a big lead.\n"It was a lot more relaxing pitching today," Saba said. "With such a big lead, I was just concentrating on throwing strikes and letting them put the ball in play so the defense could work."\nThe 29 runs for the Hoosiers are easily the most scored this year, surpassing the 18 runs scored against Cleveland State. \nTwelve different players collected hits for IU, including three hits from sophomore Reggie Watson, sophomore Ryan Parker, and reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, junior Joe Kemp. \nThe Hoosiers return to action this weekend when they take on Wright State at home Friday and Saturday. \n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(03/10/04 4:20am)
Sports are an integral part of the IU campus. The love of competition and the sweet taste of victory attracts thousands of students to all different types of sports. While the majority of students do not compete in Division I programs, the next best thing is becoming the next biggest craze on campus.\nSports video games give students the chance to showcase their talents against the best competition at IU in all the latest games. Sponsored by EA Sports, students can participate in tournaments on campus featuring games from one of the leaders in video game production.\nEA Sports Campus Representative and senior Brent Coyle said he is always trying to find more people to take part in the tournaments.\n"I am just trying to get more people involved around campus and let people put their hands on some products," Coyle said. "People can engage in some high competition that they normally might not be used to by just playing their friends. These tournaments bring out the best of the best."\nIn addition to the satisfaction of winning, players are given various prizes as well. \n"It's not just for bragging rights. Players can win T-shirts, video games, all kinds of stuff -- it just varies with the game," Coyle said. \nThe tournaments are held at different places all around campus, but the majority are held in dorms. Freshman Ajay Antony, who lives in Teter, said he likes playing in the tournaments for multiple reasons. \n"It gives students an opportunity to play the games and play against the best competition on campus," Antony said. "Plus, they have cool prizes if you win."\nWith the video game craze around campus rapidly spreading, Coyle said he expects more and more people to start coming to the tournaments, but he is always looking for different groups and organizations to hold the tournaments and participate. \n"I am currently trying to get more of the Greek life on campus involved," Coyle said. "Fraternities and sororities could host the events, or they could be pitted against each other."\nEA Sports and Coyle are quick to point out they are not trying to sell or market these games to students, they are simply trying to give students the opportunity to play them. They also emphasize the social atmosphere the tournaments create.\n"Love of sports and competition are at the core of campus life," said Gaylene Nagel, director of lifestyle marketing at EA Sports. "Tournaments bring these aspects together and create social experiences for people. Most of the attendees are core gamers, but although we may be introducing new games to people, it is in a passive non-intrusive way. The tournaments just support what is going on in dorms and frat houses all across the country."\nNagel also emphasized Coyle and all the EA employees are not sales people, they are simply giving fuel to a fire that has already been lit. \nThe next big game the company is going to promote on campus is titled "Fight Night." Coyle said the game comes out in April and is supposed to be the best boxing game yet. It has champion boxer Roy Jones Jr. as the cover man. \nThe company is also holding a tournament sponsored by the Union Board for the game "James Bond -- Everything or Nothing" March 30 at the Whittenburg Auditorium. \nTo get in contact with the EA Sports campus representative or to learn more about tournaments, e-mail Coyle at becoyle@indiana.edu.\n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(03/09/04 4:47am)
The Hoosiers will take their six-game winning streak to Cincinnati Tuesday to face the Xavier Musketeers. \nIU is coming off a three-game home sweep against Cleveland State. The offense for the Hoosiers got rolling as the team combined for 41 runs in the three games. Seniors Kevin Mahar and Seth Bynum, along with junior Corby Heckman led the way for IU, each knocking in three runs. \n"We are starting to swing the bats," IU coach Bob Morgan said. "Corby (Heckman), Seth (Bynum), and Kevin (Mahar), have all been hot for us at the plate. They are getting key hits, and that's what we need from the middle of our line up."\nJust as important to the offensive production is the leadoff position. Sophomore center fielder and leadoff man Reggie Watson is also starting to get the wheels of the offense in motion. \nIn Sunday's series finale, Watson had two hits, scored twice and also drove in a pair of runs. \n"This past weekend, we all came together and started hitting the ball really well, and we ended up getting the wins," Watson said. "Tomorrow we just need to keep the offense rolling, combine it with some good pitching and we should keep our streak going."\nThe Hoosiers gave up only 12 runs, while outscoring their opponent by 29 in the weekend series. \nOn the mound Tuesday for the Hoosiers, will be senior pitcher Adam Pegg. Pegg has mainly been a reliever for most of his career, but made his first start Wednesday against Butler University. The Yorktown, Ind., native went seven strong innings, giving up zero runs and six hits while picking up the win in the Hoosiers' 4-0 victory. \n"For me, pitching is pitching," Pegg said. "Sometimes I like the pressure more of being in relief, but I just have to throw strikes, and not try to do too much -- just let them put the ball in play and let the defense do its job."\nAs far as Xavier goes, Pegg is not too worried about a specific team this early in the season. \n"I have not checked the scouting report on this team or anything, so I don't know much about them," Pegg said. "This early in the season, we just need to get out there and play and get ready for the Big Ten season."\nThe Musketeers are 3-9 so far this season. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Hayden Field. \n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(03/03/04 5:19am)
The Hoosiers defeated their in-state opponent the Marion Knights 9-4 Tuesday to improve to 3-5 on the season. The team had been struggling early on, but they got the bats swinging in the victory and picked up some key hits. \nExcept for the 11 runs scored against Southeastern Louisiana, the nine runs for the Hoosiers was the highest-scoring output of the season. \nSenior outfielder Kevin Mahar led IU with three RBIs. Mahar, the Hoosiers' leading hitter this year with a .375 average, was the designated hitter throughout the day for the team, hitting in the pitcher's spot. \nWith the game tied at one in the third inning, the Midland, Mich., native came up to the plate with two on and one out. Mahar proceeded to take the pitch and drill it over the left field fence, giving the Hoosiers a 4-1 lead. In the seventh, the right handed slugger just barely missed another dinger when he took a pitch opposite field that the Marion right fielder caught on the warning track, just inches from the fence. \nMahar said it of course felt good to hit a home run but the important thing was that the team was starting to put some runs on the board.\n"It felt great to finally score some runs. We got guys in scoring position, and we knocked them in," Mahar said. "We just have to keep going and try to improve every day."\nIU coach Bob Morgan was happy with the victory, saying it was good to get the win but the offense still needs to improve.\n"We still should have scored more -- guys need to hit in certain situations," Morgan said. "Some guys are still struggling, but there are definitely signs that we are getting better, and we will keep making progress."\nWith the offense doing its job, it makes it much easier for the pitching staff to perform well, especially with young pitchers on the mound, Morgan emphasized.\n"There is no question that getting runs on the board helps. You can afford to make a mistake or two," Morgan said.\nFreshman Byron Banks made the start for the Hoosiers, going three strong innings and giving up only one earned run and one hit. \nFreshman Matt Saba came in relief for Banks and went five innings, giving up three runs to pick up the win and improve his record to 2-0 on the season. \nSaba also said the team jumping out to an early lead helped him relax on the mound.\n"Mostly, it just gives the pitcher confidence. With even just one run, it is a lot easier than when you are tied or down," Saba said. "Fortunately, in my two starts, I have had good hitting to back me up."\nOn the other side of the ball, the Hoosiers played nearly flawless baseball. The team made only one error on the day. \nMorgan, as well as the players, says they need to keep improving on the offensive end, which will come with more games and experience. \nThe Hoosiers travel to Indianapolis today to play Butler University then travel to Cincinnati, Ohio, to play Xavier tomorrow. The team returns home Friday to play a three-game series with Cleveland State. \n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(03/02/04 4:19am)
The IU baseball team did not play it's scheduled game yesterday against Taylor University due to the weather. The cancellation was due to the wet field, which was ruled incapable of hosting play. \nThe team will resume play today with their second home game of the season against Marion College. Originally, the Hoosiers were scheduled to play the Knights on April 27. With the weather not permitting the team to play, IU coach Bob Morgan believes it is necessary for the team to get as much experience as possible in the still young season. \n"We are just trying to get out there and play some more games," Morgan said. "It is supposed to be a nice day tomorrow, so hopefully we will be able to play."\nThe team has been struggling a bit as of late, losing two of three games this weekend at the Service Academy Classic in Tennessee. The Hoosiers did win their last game against Navy, picking up their second victory of the season.\nThe Hoosiers' players emphasized the need to get the bats going and the offense rolling.\n"I think the biggest thing we need to do is keep trying to improve offensively," senior infielder David Hughes said. "We need to work on getting more key hits in the right times and not making mental mistakes."\nMorgan said the team needs to get back to the basic fundamentals of baseball. \n"We need to improve our overall game. We are just not playing well and are struggling in a lot of areas," Morgan said. \nMorgan also expressed optimism, saying that with more games and experience under its belts the team can only improve and get better, starting with Marion. \nJunior catcher Kurt Weigle is particularly excited to play the Knights because he played on the same team as some of their players in high school. \n"I am always excited to play against guys from high school," Weigle said. "It is fun to play against them and see how they are doing."\nThe Knights are coming off a 24-19 season competing in the Mid-Central Conference. Morgan emphasized that the name of the team is not important for the Hoosiers but, rather, how his team plays. \n"It really does not matter who we play because we can only control how we play," Morgan said. "We are just looking to get back in the rhythm and start playing well again."\nFreshman Doug Fleenor was going to start the game, but it was just learned that he has mononucleosis. Freshman Matt Saba will replace him on the mound. \n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(02/27/04 5:39am)
The IU baseball team will travel to Millington, Tenn., this weekend to compete in the Service Academy Classic tournament at USA Stadium. \nThe Hoosiers will play Murray State Friday, Kentucky Saturday and end the road trip with Navy Sunday. The players emphasized that every game is important but whenever Kentucky is the opponent there is extra incentive.\n"I am excited to play Kentucky, with them being a border rival," freshman pitcher Doug Fleenor said. "We are also excited to play a team from such a good baseball conference like the SEC."\nThe Wildcats have already played six games and have compiled a 4-2 record in the still young season. \nIn the first game against Murray State, the Hoosiers will start sophomore Josh Lewis.\nLewis started the first game of the season for IU against Southeastern Louisiana. The Mt. Airy, Md., native went four strong innings, giving up only two earned runs but ended up getting the loss as the Hoosiers fell 4-2. \nLewis had a strong freshman season a year ago, in which he went 5-2 and was selected to the Big Ten All-Tournament team. He will be looked upon this year to be a consistent No. 1 or No. 2 starter.\nIn the second game against Kentucky, fifth year senior Nick Vitielliss will most likely take the mound for the Hoosiers. Vitiellis sat out the 2003 season after having arm surgery. The Waldorf, Md., native started the third game of last weekend's road trip and gave up two earned runs in two innings, but he picked up the loss in IU's 9-1 defeat. \nAlthough two of the Hoosiers' top pitchers are taking the mound to start the tournament, the relief staff knows they still have to be ready at all times.\n"Being a relief pitcher, you never know when you are going to come in," senior reliever Adam Pegg said. "Being a reliever, I have to be on the bench and always be ready to go, knowing that I could come in at any time."\nIn the first four games of the season, the Hoosier starters have not gone very deep into games. Lewis has gone the furthest, pitching four innings. \nSenior catcher Cody Wargo said some of the guys are on pitch counts and it being so early in the season, they didn't want to overdo it and hurt anyone's arm. \nBut Pegg also emphasized the need for the starters to go deep into games for the team to be successful. In addition to wanting to help the team, he also has an extra incentive to win the last game against Navy.\nPegg's older brother is in the Army and is stationed over in Iraq.\n"I really want to beat Navy so I can give my brother some bragging rights," Pegg said. \nThe Hoosiers will look to use their first victory of the season Wednesday against Depauw to give them confidence heading into the weekend. After a winning performance against the Tigers, the IU players are still not satisfied and know they have to improve on some things to come out of Tennessee with three wins. \n"It's always good to get the first win of the season, but we still didn't play the way we were capable of," Wargo said. "We didn't hit when we needed to in some situations, but we'll get better."\nThe first pitch against Murray State is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday as the Hoosiers look to go over .500 this weekend in Tennessee. \n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(02/24/04 5:07am)
Coming off a tough three-game road trip where the Hoosiers dropped three games to Southeastern Louisiana, the IU baseball team will make its home debut Tuesday against the DePauw Tigers.\nWith the weather not cooperating lately, the team has had to practice inside during the entire preseason. \n"It will be great to get back outside and play again," IU coach Bob Morgan said. "We just need to get back out there and play some more after having been inside for so long."\nThe outside diamond will be a welcoming site for the Hoosiers, as will be the home crowd.\n"We are very anxious to play at home, after a tough couple of road games it will be good to play at home," Morgan said.\nThe players are also eager to get back on the diamond after a winter which did not permit them to play outside at all.\n"We just kind of got cabin fever practicing inside the whole time," senior outfielder Ryan Donley said. "But hopefully we will be outside from now on."\nDonley also stressed the importance of being at home.\n"The first home game is always a big one, we just want to go out there and get back on the right track after a couple of tough road games."\nThe Hoosiers' first home test will be against a team that is returning 19 of 24 lettermen from a squad that finished 25-19 and third in the Southeastern Collegiate Conference last season.\nMorgan is not necessarily worried about the opposition but rather about his team getting more experience. \n"You play against the game, not against the name of the team," Morgan said. "Baseball is a game you have to play a lot, and the big thing is to just get back out there and play some more."\nMorgan also emphasized the importance of the pitcher, saying the man on the mound can make the difference against any team.\nAfter two high scoring games against Southeastern Louisiana, the Hoosiers' pitching staff came home somewhat depleted. Morgan said he is probably going to pitch a number of guys in tomorrow's game, and isn't sure who the starter is going to be.\nOn the other side of the ball, the Hoosier players emphasized the importance of getting the bats going.\n"Hopefully against DePauw we can get our offense going a little more," senior outfielder Kevin Mahar said. "If we can get the bats going, hopefully that will carry over into the weekend games."\nWeather permitting, game time is set for 3 p.m. at Sembower Field. \n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(12/02/03 5:54am)
Heading into the NCAA Cross Country Championships Nov. 24, the most important thing for senior Chris Powers and sophomore Sean Jefferson was the team's success. Although the team fell just short of a top-10 finish and the highest place in school history, it was a good day individually for Powers and Jefferson.\nThe two Hoosier runners earned All-American honors with Jefferson coming in 19th and Powers in 33rd overall. The top 35 finishers are All-Americans.\nPowers said he was excited about the honors in his last cross country race as a Hoosier.\n"It was great to finish my cross country career like that and do something I have been focusing on for such a long time," Powers said. "As a senior, being an All-American has been my goal since I got to IU, and it feels great to have finally achieved my goal."\nPowers ran a very consistent race and when it came to the end, he knew what it was going to take to be an All-American. He was running strong through the whole race and in about 50th place through nine kilometers of the 10K race. \nWith 1,000 meters to go, IU coach Robert Chapman told him that he needed to pass several runners to be an All-American.\n"At about the 9K mark, Chapman yelled at me that I had to pass some guys heading into the finish," Powers said. "So I passed about 10 or 15 guys and had one of the best finishes to any race I have ever had."\nChapman recognized that Powers had the right mindset and the desire to become an All-American from the very beginning of the season.\n"From day one, Powers knew he wanted the team to do well, and he wanted to be an All-American," Chapman said. "He had a clear vision of what he wanted to accomplish and the daily focus and persistence to make it a reality."\nAlthough Powers had a great performance, Jefferson stole the show. The sophomore placed the highest for a Hoosier at the National meet since Bob Kennedy won the individual title in 1992. \nJefferson ran a personal best time of 29:57 for the 10K, improving his time from the Regional by 43 seconds.\nThis was the first All-American honor for Jefferson in his short career. His brother, sophomore John Jefferson, has already been an All-American twice. \n"It feels really great to be an All-American and have an honor like this," Jefferson said. "I am really excited about this and joining my brother with All-American honors."\nChapman has noticed the gradual progression and the steady improvement in Sean's running. He said that by believing in the Hoosiers system, Sean was able to achieve such a high honor.\n"For Sean, he believed in our game plan, both training and racing, even though it was a lot different from what he would typically do in high school," Chapman said. "He approached this whole season very professionally and the maturity he has shown has been tremendous."\nWith the cross country season over, the two runners now are looking ahead to the track and field season. Powers says that the All-American honors in cross country are only going to help him heading into the track season.\n"Being an All-American in cross country gives me confidence for track season," Powers said. "Now I am focusing on becoming an All-American in indoor and outdoor track."\n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(11/19/03 6:16am)
No. 11. \nNot since 1987 have the Hoosiers been ranked this high. Heading into the Regional Championships last weekend, IU was able to say they were one of the top 15 teams in the nation. \nThe No. 11 ranking is the highest the Hoosier cross country program has been since they placed 10th in the National Championships 16 years ago. \nAlthough today's Mondo/Apple Raceberry Jam polls dropped the Hoosiers down to No. 19 after their fifth place Regional finish, it makes no difference to the team.\n"For me and the team it is really not that big of a deal, it is just what other people think," sophomore Sean Jefferson said. "I'd rather have us think about what we are going to place at Nationals than worry about the polls."\nThe NCAA does not make a poll for cross country, but the weekly polls are voted on by members from the United States Cross Country Coaches Association. \nIn his sixth year, IU coach Robert Chapman first saw his guys break into the rankings in 2000 and Chapman believes that meant a lot to the team. But now that the Hoosiers have consistently been in the top 25, it is not as important anymore.\n"We finally had something tangible that told the team that they were among the nation's best, besides just having me tell them every day," Chapman said. "Now since we've been pretty consistent in the polls for the last four years, it's not that big of a deal. Our team knows they are one of the nation's best, without having some piece of paper telling them that."\nThe rankings are somewhat of an indicator to what teams the Hoosiers want to beat. But Jefferson said he knows that, just like his coach said, these polls are just a piece of paper.\n"We know the southern teams are not as good as we are, but they had a weaker regional," Jefferson said. "We know we can beat them even though they (are) ranked ahead of us."\nThe Hoosiers say they know which ones they can beat.\n"The polls don't really play a factor heading into nationals and looking at certain teams," senior Chris Powers said. "We know the teams we need to beat and the ones we need to key on."\nCoach Chapman issued the same sentiments, saying the polls may play somewhat of a psychological effect. \nAlthough the Hoosiers finished fifth in their regional, causing them to drop from No. 11 to No. 19, they know all of the team members did not run their best race, and this has not happened yet all year. \n"We all haven't even run our best race yet as a team," Jefferson said. "If we all do that at nationals then we can definitely be in the top 10."\n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(11/17/03 8:41pm)
The No. 11 men's cross country team ran well enough at the Great Lakes Regionals to likely secure a bid to the National Championships.\nThe Hoosiers came in fifth behind Central Michigan and three Big Ten teams: Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State.\nThe probable bid to the NCAA Championships would be the Hoosiers' third in the last four years. IU beat a couple of ranked teams, No. 18 Notre Dame and No. 28 Eastern Michigan.\nSophomore Sean Jefferson led the way for the Hoosiers with a third place finish, running his personal best time in the 10 kilometer of 30:41. IU coach Robert Chapman called Jefferson's performance his best race since Big Tens last year.\nBehind Jefferson were two fifth-year seniors, Chris Powers in 20th and Chad Andrews in 29th. Rounding out the Hoosiers' scoring were sophomores Eric Redman and Stephen Haas.\nChapman was pleased with his team's effort, but he knows that the most important meet is still to come.\n"For the Regional, the focus is less on getting certain individuals to step up, and more on having the whole group run a solid effort to get the team into the Nationals," Chapman said in a statement. "We view this more as a qualifying heat rather than a 'final' race. We tend to do a conservative first 5K, and then make our move on the second five. That (second 5K) always determines how well we do."\nRedman also believe that the Regional meet was important but was just another stepping stone to Nationals.\n "We got through it well," Redman said. "We knew it was going to be a tough race, but we want to have our best race at Nationals. We did what we needed to do to get into Nationals. But this year we are in a better position going into Nationals, because we are ready to have our last race be our best."\nHaas had similar comments about the meet.\n"Regionals was a pretty good race for us, but all year we have had one or two guys run especially good races, and we just can't get everyone to run great at one race," Haas said. "I really think Nationals can be that race."\nWith the Regionals behind them, the Hoosiers have only one race remaining in their 2003 season. \nThe National Championships will be next Monday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.\n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.
(11/12/03 6:05am)
The NCAA regional and national meets are the only two left for the No. 11 men's cross country team this year. Heading into these meets, the Hoosiers believe they have a distinct advantage over the other competitors, an advantage they have not had yet this year.\nAll of the races this year have been at the 8K distance, but the last two have been bumped up to 10K. Because of the type of training that the team does, they believe the increase in distance can only help them.\n"I feel it is an advantage for us over other teams, since our training is more mileage and aerobic oriented and strength oriented versus speed or anaerobic oriented," IU coach Robert Chapman said. "I think that training also gives us a psychological edge. Some teams are worried about hanging on for another 2K, while we embrace the extra distance."\nThroughout the year the team members have focused their training so they can excel in the longer distance. Other teams train differently, and may not be as well oriented to the longer style of the 10K race. The aerobic workouts the team does makes them believe they will be able to beat these teams who train for more speed.\n"We train for strength, and build aerobic strength in the fall," junior Tom Burns said. "This makes everyone on the team believe that we will do better at the 10K distance than the 8K."\nAlthough the distance of two kilometers is not physically longer, for the team the main difference between the two races will be mental.\n"There is not too much of a difference, but I think the biggest thing is just keeping your head in the race longer," sophomore Stephen Haas said. "We usually go through the 8K at the same time as normal, and then it is just about hanging on and staying focused for the last 2K."\nAnother advantage for the Hoosiers is the pace the race begins. In 8K races, the runners can start off fast and it might not hurt them as much. In the 10K, Chapman believes this slower pace at the start benefits his team and allows them to really close in on other teams at the end of the race.\n"I think the biggest difference is in the early race tempo," Chapman said. "In an 8K, a lot of times you can get away with going out a little over your head -- a little too fast, then hang on to finish. You can't fake it that way in a 10K."\nHaas believes that this slower tempo at the beginning will definitely help the team, but also help him individually as well. Haas said that with the slower pace at the start he can get in more of a rhythm while he is running.\nChapman agreed saying that Haas as well as senior Chad Andrews are two guys who will especially benefit from the longer distance.\n"I think there are some members of our team, like Chad Andrews and Stephen Haas, who benefit from the longer distance," Chapman said. "And maybe more importantly the conservative opening pace that tends to happen in 10Ks."\nAlthough the longer distance will help Andrews and Haas, Chapman is quick to point out that the strong aerobic training the team does is the key. Because of their strong training the longer distance will not hurt anybody, even runners who are "miler-oriented guys" like sophomores Eric Redman and Sean Jefferson.\nThe Hoosiers will soon get a chance to put this training into action as the two most important meets of the year are soon approaching.\nThe regionals meet is this weekend at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, with nationals the following weekend in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.\n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.