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(05/15/14 2:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Several players said it was the longest home run they’ve ever seen.“We were all speechless,” relief pitcher Luke Harrison said. “I’ve never seen a ball hit that far. Ever.”Junior preseason All-American catcher Kyle Schwarber drilled a home run over the center field wall against Louisville in the top of the ninth inning Tuesday.The three-run shot sealed No. 9 IU’s 7-2 victory against the No. 10 Louisville Cardinals and left his teammates in awe.“It’s just like any other home run,” Schwarber said. “This time it just went really far.”With the Hoosiers leading 4-2 in the top of the ninth, Schwarber stepped up to bat with runners on first and second. On a 2-1 count, Schwarber drilled the pitch to deep center field.“I knew it was gone,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said.The ball not only carried the wall in center field, which is 402 feet from home plate, but it also cleared the approximately 50-foot tall batter’s eye.As Schwarber rounded third, Smith, who is also the third base coach, told him, “Hell yes, Kyle.” The blast put IU up 7-2, which would be the final score.Schwarber said this was either the farthest or second farthest ball he’s ever hit. He said when the ball came off his bat, he knew it was gone.“I’ve watched a lot of baseball in my life,” Smith said. “And you won’t see too many like that. It’s fun when you see one of the best power hitters in the country show why he’s one of the best power hitters in the country.”With the victory, IU swept the season series from the Cardinals three games to none. In the three games, the Hoosiers beat the Cardinals by a combined score of 22-7.Both IU and Louisville are ranked in the top 15 in most of the national polls, so the game was of great importance for the Hoosiers in trying to secure a national seed come postseason time, the players said.IU and Louisville are two of the best teams from the North, and Smith credits Cardinals Coach Dan McDonnell for making college baseball in the north relevant.Most of the country’s powerhouse programs come from the South where the weather is more conducive to playing year round.The announced crowd was 2,433 people in Jim Patterson Stadium, with a good portion of the crowd donning cream and crimson.Several of the players said Louisville was one of their biggest rivals, and they always enjoy playing the Cardinals.“They’ve set the standard for baseball in the Midwest,” Smith said. “So I’m proud we caught up to them a little bit. I’m sure going forward these are always going to be good games, and they’re always well attended.”After the win, IU moved up one spot in the projected RPI rankings to No. 3 in the nation. Finishing the season is important for the Hoosiers because they are trying to become one of eight teams to be awarded a national seed.If they’re named a national seed, IU will get to be the location of not only the regionals in Bloomington, but also the super regionals. If the Hoosiers get through those two weekends and win at home, they’ll go back to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.IU will have its final regular season series this weekend against Minnesota. The three game series will be a Thursday-Friday-Saturday format with Thursday and Friday starting at 8 p.m. and the series finale scheduled for a 3 p.m. first pitch Saturday.IU has played well as of late. In their past 26 games, the Hoosiers are 24-2. With just one win against Minnesota (26-20, 12-9), IU (36-12, 19-2) will clinch the outright Big Ten regular season title.It’ll be the seniors final time playing in Bart Kaufman before postseason play. Senior ace Joey DeNato, who is 11-1 on the year with a 1.91 ERA, will throw the opening game on Thursday to try and clinch the conference title.“It’ll be just like any other game,” DeNato said. “I’m going to have the same mentality coming out, and hopefully we can get the ‘W’ that day.”
(05/15/14 1:59am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It might be a rebuilding year and it might be a young team, but IU Coach Ron Helmer doesn’t want to use that as an excuse for his team.The Big Ten outdoor track and field championships are this weekend at the Rankin Track and Field Complex in West Lafayette.The facility is Purdue’s home track, but will welcome all the other conference teams this weekend.IU, traditionally a strong track and field school, has suffered a down year after losing some key seniors from a year ago. Now, Helmer said he hopes for his team to finish in the top six or so of the Big Ten.“I would hope that we would have team that in a mediocre year, we’d still be in the top half of the conference,” Helmer said.This season IU is replacing stars Andy Bayer and Derek Drouin – who won a bronze medal in the 2012 summer Olympics in London. Helmer said they still have the premiere talent they need to win some events, but the biggest obstacle this year has been the depth.During the Big Ten outdoor championships this weekend, Helmer is looking for some people to step up and secure some top-10 finishes to help the team grind out points.“I hope that we have enough depth to get those fifth and sixth and seventh place finishes to get enough points at the end,” Helmer said. Compared to teams Helmer has coached in the past, this one is younger than usual. In a transition year between competing at a higher level, Helmer has to balance looking forward to the future while still giving the attention and effort this team deserves.“I don’t want to sit here and say ‘You know, next year we’re going to be pretty good,’” Helmer said. “But we will be really good, because all these kids will be a year older ... But that doesn’t get you through this year,” he said. “But I’m not going to accept that quite yet.”Helmer said he wanted the depth to develop throughout the season and hasn’t seen as much of it as he would have liked.But with the Big Ten outdoor championships this weekend, NCAA regionals from May 29 to 31 and potentially the NCAA Championships from June 11 to 14, there are still more opportunities for the younger teammates to shine on the brightest stages.“It’s lurking on the surface. It’s right there,” Helmer said of the potential of young athletes. “The challenge we have is to get people to step up when the pressure is on.”In track and field, one of the biggest obstacles for tackling the mental aspect of the game is not allowing the other competitors to get in your head, Helmer said. A person in front of you might do something incredible or an All-American might just be better than you, but as a competitor you must be able to block that out and just do the best you can do without worrying about other people.“Some people have learned how to do that,” Helmer said, “And other people are still learning how to do that.”
(05/12/14 1:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A few years ago, Cody Latimer bought an orange shirt and shoes for prom.That wardrobe came in handy Friday, as Latimer was drafted in the second round — 56th overall — in the NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. The Broncos main colors are navy blue, and the orange Latimer donned with his outfit.“If there was ever a guy that was meant to be a Bronco, it was Cody,” quarterback legend and current Broncos general manager John Elway said in a release. “Because he had those shoes and this shirt in his bag in New York and came straight here.”Several teams showed interest in Latimer before the draft, but he said the Broncos weren’t one of them. He had heard nothing from the Broncos camp. When he was called up on stage and hugged NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, he said he was surprised to be wearing a Broncos hat.“I never heard anything about the Broncos, so it was a little bit of a shock to me,” Latimer said in a release. “But it was a great shock.”Even though he wasn’t anticipating being drafted by the Broncos, he was still ready with the orange apparel.“There was just something that really told me to bring it, and I took it to New York with me,” he said. “And then it just happened to work out perfectly.”Latimer will join the orange and blue after being one of the best receivers the cream and crimson has ever seen. The former Hoosier wideout finished his career with 135 career catches for 2,152 yards — both rank seventh all-time in Hoosier history. His 17 career touchdowns rank tied for fifth all-time.Latimer ranks in the top 10 in several receiver records — and he still had a year of eligibility left. The Dayton, Ohio native left IU after his junior year. The allure of professional football was too much to pass up, he said.Now, Latimer is ready to join a record setting offense led by quarterback legend Peyton Manning.“I plan on coming here and living under him,” Latimer said of Manning. “I’m going to spend every day — I want to make sure I know what he knows.”Another former Hoosier offensive weapon was drafted this weekend. Tight end Ted Bolser was taken with the second pick in the seventh round — 217th overall — by the Washington Redskins.Statistically, Bolser is the best tight end in IU history. He is the all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns for Hoosier tight ends.Safety Greg Heban will also get his shot at playing in the NFL, according to his Twitter account. He tweeted he’s been invited to participate in the Chicago Bears minicamp this weekend.Receiver Kofi Hughes tweeted on Saturday, “Grateful for the opportunity at hand! Proud to be a Redskin !! Joining My Former Teammate @TedBolser in Washington !! #GoSkins.”Whether Hughes was signed as a free agent or was invited to a minicamp workout like Heban is unclear. The Redskins will release the official list of undrafted free agents later this week.
(05/12/14 1:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There was no excessive cheering, no team photo, no dogpile, no dramatic celebration when IU clinched a share of the conference title, giving them consecutive Big Ten titles for the first time in school history.“Coach walked in and said the locker room felt like we had just gotten swept,” first baseman Sam Travis said.The No. 9 Hoosiers (35-12, 19-2) completed the sweep of Penn State (17-29, 5-15) Sunday, outscoring the Nittany Lions by a combined score of 27-3 in three games.Even though the Hoosiers’ win clinched at least a share of the conference title, IU Coach Tracy Smith said the mood was not overly celebratory, and Travis called the event a “stepping stone.”“It’s nice to get it,” Smith said. “But we were pretty low key about it.”Both Smith and Travis said the team has bigger goals in mind, such as the school’s first-ever national championship.IU is projected to be a national seed for the playoffs, which means they’ll be able to play host to the first two weekends of NCAA tournament play.If they advance past the first two weekends — the regionals and the super regionals — the Hoosiers will play in the College Baseball World Series in Omaha, Neb.“We know we have more things we want to accomplish,” Travis said of the Big Ten title.IU leads both Nebraska and Illinois by three games, putting the Hoosiers in the driving seat for the conference title.With just one win against Minnesota next weekend, IU will clinch the outright Big Ten crown.Both the Hoosiers’ offense and pitching were dominant in the three-game sweep of the Nittany Lions. The offense averaged nine runs a game while the pitching staff averaged just one run given up per game.Coming into the series, no home runs had been hit in Medlar Field, home of Penn State, all year.Travis hit three this weekend.“Yeah, I was seeing the ball well this weekend,” he said.Travis went 5-for-14 with six RBI and recorded a home run in each of the three games. He now leads the Big Ten with 10 long balls on the year.Several of his other teammates also had prolific performances at the plate.Brad Hartong went 7-for-12 with five RBI, Kyle Schwarber went 5-for-11 with seven runs and Dustin DeMuth went 8-for-11, batting .727 on the series.As for pitching, Joey DeNato recorded his ninth win in his past nine starts.DeNato went six innings without giving up a run in his start Friday.He improved to 11-1 on the year with a 1.91 ERA. No other Big Ten pitcher has more than eight wins.DeNato is now just one win shy of tying the single season record for wins in a season in IU history.Both Eric Arnett and Brian Partenheimer in 2009 and 1997, respectively, recorded 12 wins in a single year.The Hoosiers got off to a cold start at 12-10 after playing a tough nonconference schedule.They are 23-2 in their past 25 games and are currently riding an eight-game winning streak in which they’ve beaten their opponents by an average of 7.1 runs a game.Smith and Travis said they thought scheduling a tough nonconference has helped the Hoosiers in Big Ten play, where their 19 conference wins is a school record.“But even with the rough start we had,” Travis said, “we knew what we had here as a team.”
(05/09/14 3:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the previous three weekend series, IU had something to prove.Michigan State swept the Hoosiers in the 2013 season, and IU was out for revenge. Illinois was second in the Big Ten and IU was first — it was a battle for conference supremacy. And the last time the Hoosiers played arch rival Purdue, a brawl ensued.The Hoosiers got the best of the three teams, winning all of the series and going a combined 8-1 against the Spartans, Illini and Boilermakers.Now, IU will have to keep that same energy for one of the Big Ten’s lesser teams.“Every single game I pitch in I try to have the same mentality,” senior starter Joey DeNato said.No. 9 IU (32-12, 16-2) travels to State College, Pa., to play Penn State (17-26, 5-12) in a three-game weekend stint starting tonight. By record, the Nittany Lions are one of the weaker teams in the Big Ten. They are tied with Purdue and Northwestern for the least amount of conference wins: five. After a hot start winning their first two Big Ten series of the season — Purdue and Northwestern — Penn State has struggled as of late.In their past four Big Ten series, Penn State is 1-11 and hasn’t won a Big Ten game since April 11. In their past three series they have been swept by Illinois, Minnesota and Nebraska and been outscored by an average of 5.2 runs per game.While Penn State has been struggling, IU has found its stride.After a 12-10 start and falling out of the top 25 in most polls, the Hoosiers have gone 20-2 and vaulted back in the top ten in the latest Baseball America poll to No. 9. Both the losses IU suffered in the past 22 contests came by just one run.One big reason for the recent success is the pitching staff. After losing No. 2 starter Kyle Hart to Tommy John surgery and closer Ryan Halstead to a torn ACL for the remainder of their seasons, the Hoosiers haven’t missed a beat.“I think we’re very close as a staff,” senior starter Brian Korte said. “We hold each other accountable for whatever we do and never take shortcuts.”Starters Christian Morris and Brian Korte have filled in for Hart and struggling starter Will Coursen-Carr, who was pulled from the weekend rotation, and they have successfully led one of the best staffs in the nation.Morris and Korte have a combined ERA of 2.19 in 90.1 innings pitched this season. Their performances, coupled with that of ace Joey DeNato — who is 10-1 with a 2.06 ERA — have helped the Hoosiers become the best pitching staff in the Big Ten.“It’s awesome playing behind them,” shortstop Nick Ramos said. “You know they’re going to throw strikes.”IU has the best team ERA and has kept opponents to the lowest batting average in the Big Ten. The Hoosier offense has provided support as well, scoring the third most runs of any Big Ten team.Penn State ranks in the bottom third of the league in both team batting average and ERA, but IU said it must retain focus. During finals week, IU had no midweek game. This gave the team time to go to the facilities and get some extra work in between studying. It also gave the team more time to take a step back and relax before the end of the season rolls around, the players said.“You have a lot more off time,” Ramos said. “I love it. A lot more time to take naps.”
(05/03/14 3:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Before the IU offense recorded an out, the Hoosiers had given enough run support for senior starter Joey DeNato.“Guys enjoy playing behind Joey,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said. “Because they have confidence in him.”For the first time since 2010, IU defeated Purdue. Behind 14 hits and another strong performance from DeNato, the No. 15 Hoosiers (30-12, 14-2) defeated Purdue (12-30, 5-11) in the game one of the three game stint 6-0.“It’s really nice to get those early runs for our pitching staff,” DeNato said.The Hoosiers offense got started early. Second basemen Casey Rodrigue led things off with a double to left, and Kyle Schwarber singled through the middle to score Rodrigue.Without an out recorded, IU had taken a 1-0 lead, which was more than enough for DeNato. His final line: 7 innings pitched, 5 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts, 0 runs on 100 pitches.The last eight games DeNato has started, he’s won them all. The senior stands at 10-1 on the year with a 1.89 ERA. No other Big Ten pitcher has more than six wins on the year.“The kid’s a winner,” Smith said of DeNato. “I’d give him the ball any day of the week.”DeNato holds the all-time IU record career wins, strikeouts and innings pitched. He’s also been lights out at home this season. In four starts at Bart Kaufman Field, DeNato is 4-0 with a 1.42 ERA.His catcher for three years, Schwarber, said he always loves catching DeNato. He always knows what he’s getting from his consistent starter.“It’s always something special when you go out and catch him,” Schwarber said. “You know it’s gonna be around the zone.”Schwarber, named a first-team All-American last year, had a proficient day at the plate. He went 4-for-5 and raised his batting average to .355 on the year.He joined three other Hoosiers who had multiple hits. The Purdue starter, Connor Podkul, was knocked around by the IU bats and lasted only three innings while giving up 8 hits and 5 runs – all of them earned.“He was throwing his curve ball a lot, and he was just leaving it up,” left fielder Brad Hartong said. “That was what our hitters were hitting – the curveball.”Game two of the series will start at 2:00 tomorrow. Christian Morris will get the start for IU.
(05/02/14 4:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>To be a successful college water polo program in any state besides California is an oddity.Most of the high school players come from the Golden State, giving the area schools an edge when attracting talent.But IU Coach Barry King has overcome the geographical challenges to build one of the nation’s best programs.“There are more high schools in California that play water polo than the rest of the country put together,” IU Coach Barry King said.The IU water polo team (22-5) is one of 10 teams to quality for the NCAA tournament. The Hoosiers, the tournament’s No. 8 seed, will play No. 9 seed Wagner (25-11) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The match will be held at Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center.Of the 10 teams in the NCAA tournament, seven teams are from California. IU and Wagner, located in Staten Island, N.Y., are the only schools located east of the Mississippi River who are in the NCAA tournament.For the water polo NCAA tournament, six teams receive byes to the championships taking place in Los Angeles. The next two teams are determined through play-in games.IU and Wagner are playing in one of the play-in games. No. 7 seed University of California San Diego plays No. 10 seed Pomona-Pitzer in the other play-in game. Both of the winners go to Los Angeles for the water polo championships.Most college water polo players come from California. That’s where the dominant high school programs are, King said. Eleven of the 23 players on IU are from California, as well as Coach Barry King.“It’s just their culture,” sophomore goalkeeper Jessica Gaudreault said. “I’m from Canada and hockey is a big thing. It’s the same thing for California with water polo.”If IU beats Wagner, the Hoosiers move onto the water polo championships in Los Angeles to play No. 1 seed Stanford (22-1).IU played another California water polo juggernaut earlier this season — USC — and hung tough at the end of the first quarter, trailing just 4-3. But the depth of USC was too much for the Hoosiers to handle as IU fell to the then-No. 1 Trojans 15-5.This is the kind of depth the Hoosiers will face in Los Angeles for the championships if they defeat Wagner.“We’re probably not as deep as a Stanford, USC or a UCLA,” King said. “(USC’s) depth versus our depth showed itself in the second half.”The team is realistic about their chances of winning a national title. Both Gaudreault and junior utility player Shelby Taylor said the team would be satisfied with a fifth place finish.Their coach, King, doesn’t view winning a national title vital to defining their season as successful or not.“Our goal has never been ‘We want to win this title or that title,’” King said. “Our goal all season has always been: be the best team we could be, all the time.”
(04/28/14 3:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Coming into the weekend series, IU and Illinois were first and second in the Big Ten, respectively.After taking 2-of-3 from Illinois (23-17, 10-5) IU (28-12, 13-2) left Champaign, Ill. with a three-game lead over both Illinois and Nebraska — who are tied for second in the Big Ten.“That’s what we had to do at a minimum to stay where we’re at in the Big Ten,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said.Though the Hoosiers have hopes of going back to Omaha, Neb., to play in its second straight College World Series, the team hasn’t lost focus on winning the Big Ten.“It is important to us,” junior outfielder and catcher Brad Hartong said. “We represent the Big Ten. So we want to make sure we win it.”Last season, IU won the outright Big Ten regular season crown for the first time in 81 years. This year, the Hoosiers are trying to win consecutive Big Ten regular season titles for the first time in school history.The Illini and Huskers are both 10-5 in the Big Ten. IU, Nebraska and Illinois, who are the top three teams in the Big Ten, each have nine conference games remaining.“Obviously we’d love to win the conference,” Smith said. “It’s something they can never take away from you. But our eyes are set on bigger things.”IU won games one and three of the series 9-3 and 11-3, respectively. The two IU wins sandwiched a 2-1 Illinois victory, which halted IU’s 10-game conference winning streak.IU senior starting pitcher Joey DeNato threw eight innings and gave up three runs, leading the Hoosiers to the win Friday. Despite giving up 11 hits, DeNato said he thought he pitched well.“I think they were getting some hits on some pretty good pitches,” DeNato said.With the win, DeNato stands at 9-1 on the year. No Big Ten pitcher has more than six wins.Another standout was left fielder Brad Hartong, who made his best case for Big Ten Player of the Week. Hartong — usually the team’s six-hole hitter — hit .529 and recorded 10 RBI in the four games the Hoosiers had this week. Hartong accounted for almost a third of the runs IU scored during the four-game stretch.“It always seems like some people come up big with the bases empty,” Smith said. “But (Hartong) always puts together good at-bats with guys on base. He’s a competitive kid.”Hartong, a 6-foot-5 junior college transfer, has been valuable in spelling junior preseason All-American Kyle Schwarber at catcher this year, to give Schwarber some rest. But this week, the offense finally came through for the Long Beach, Calif. native.“It’s nice to have a week like this,” he said. “Definitely was. Feeling good about myself and we got another big week coming up, hopefully it continues.”
(04/22/14 1:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Casey Rodrigue stands on first base. His goal is simple — steal second.The junior is the team’s leadoff hitter. He gets things going for the offense and has two preseason All-Americans — Kyle Schwarber and Sam Travis — hitting behind him. He leads the team this year with 10 stolen bases, which also ranks tied for seventh in the Big Ten.Rodrigue, a junior college transfer, stole 68 bases last year at LSU-Eunice. IU Coach Tracy Smith said Rodrigue doesn’t have great straight line speed. What attracted Smith was Rodrigue’s quickness and his initial burst off the base paths when trying to steal a bag. “It was kinda a manhunt,” Smith said. “ ... We just literally cold-called a lot of junior college programs in the country.”After time in various slots in the lineup in the beginning of the season, Rodrigue has cemented himself as the team’s leadoff hitter. When he’s on first base after a single or a walk, he said, he studies the pitcher’s tendencies to know the optimal time to steal a bag.Rodrigue will count how long the pitcher stands motionless on the mound. If the pitcher has a “tell,” or he does something different than what he normally does, Rodrigue knows the pitcher will probably try to throw to first and pick him off.“I’ll count, ‘one Mississippi, two Mississippi,’” Rodrigue said. “The better pitchers will vary their tendencies between holds and picks.”When a right-handed pitcher is on the mound, sometimes he moves his front foot forward before the back foot comes off the rubber, Rodrigue said. The move is technically a balk and should be penalized, but pitchers get away with the move most of the time, and they try to pick off the runner at first by confusing them with their footwork.“It’s kind of undetectable to an umpire that’s standing behind a runner,” Rodrigue said of the illegal move.When studying an opposing pitcher, Rodrigue said he is looking for variance in head motion, how long the pitcher takes in between pitches and whether he’s right- or lefthanded.He’ll also look for whether the pitcher will throw a fastball or an off-speed pitch. Rodrigue knows what counts are typically fastball counts and what counts pitchers throw curveballs or changeups. That difference in the speed of the ball getting to the catcher gives him more time to break for second base, even if it’s just a few mph difference.And that’s just for stealing second. Rodrigue said stealing third is more challenging. Instead of a catcher throwing 127 feet and 3.375 inches from home to second base, he only has to throw 90 feet.“On first and second, you’re more willing to take that gamble,” Rodrigue said. “You can’t live and die with being out at third. But you can take that chance at second. So you have to be 100-percent sure when taking third.”Rodrigue hasn’t been able to run as much as he did last season in junior college, because he has two all-American and MLB prospects hitting behind him — Schwarber and Travis. The risk of making an out when two big bats are behind him isn’t worth it.The speedster used to have more freedom in junior college when deciding whether to steal. Here at IU, Smith has taken that responsibility out of his hands. Rodrigue looks to Smith, who is also the third-base coach, when deciding whether to steal or not.“One of the things he did early was try to make too many plays,” Smith said. “So I’ve kind of taken some of that out of his repertoire there.”Rodrigue said he has never stolen home in his career. But he wants to.“A buddy of mine did it in junior college, did it in the World Series one time. Won us the game,” Rodrigue said. “That’d be pretty cool.”
(04/21/14 4:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Michigan State elected to intentionally walk preseason All-American Kyle Schwarber, which brought preseason All-American Sam Travis up to bat.The finale of the three-game series was tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth. Runners stood on first and second with one out for Travis. With a win, IU would complete the sweep of Michigan State.“It’s always a sign of disrespect when they walk someone to get to you,” Travis said after the game.He smoked a first pitch curve ball to deep left-center field. Rodrigue scored easily from second and Schwarber hustled around the base path to score from first. Another eighth inning RBI by designated hitter Scott Donley gave IU a three-run cushion going into the ninth.Junior reliever Luke Harrison closed out for a win for IU (25-11, 11-1) to beat Michigan State (20-17, 5-7) Sunday 4-1. The win gave the Hoosiers their third sweep of a conference foe this year.In their last 14 games, the Hoosiers are 13-1. And this latest sweep meant something extra for IU — last season Michigan State swept IU in three one-run games.“It’s a great rivalry,” said second baseman Casey Rodrigue, who scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. “Dating back to last year, all the games have been close.”For the past week, the IU offense has cooled down and had trouble manufacturing runs. Coming into the weekend, IU was averaging 5.6 runs a game. But during the three games against Michigan State, the Hoosiers averaged just 4.3 runs a game.That was in part due to the Spartan pitching staff. Michigan State’s three starters were the best trio of pitchers the Hoosiers have faced all year, Travis said. That meant the pitching had to step up.And it did.In the last 41 innings, dating back to the last inning against Morehead State April 13, IU pitchers have given up just two runs, giving Hoosier pitchers an ERA of 0.44 in that span.“Michigan State’s pitching staff I thought was outstanding,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said. “Ours was equally good ... I thought that was two quality pitching staffs going at it.”The latest in the recent trend of great Hoosier pitching came in the form of Brian Korte. The senior got the start on just three days rest, after a throwing against Western Kentucky last Wednesday.The role of third starter has been in flux for IU ever due to the injury of Kyle Hart and the struggles of sophomore Will Coursen-Carr. Korte learned the day before he would get the nod, and he delivered.His final line — 6.1 innings pitched, five hits, one earned run, four walks and four strikeouts.“To start two games in one week is ridiculous,” junior reliever Luke Harrison said. “It’s a crazy week, but (Korte’s) a great pitcher.”Harrison was also key in thwarting any potential Hoosier rally. When Korte came out of the game in the seventh inning, he struggled and left the bases loaded.Smith decided to put in the righty, Harrison, to try and kill the Spartan rally. The game was still in jeopardy, tied at 1-1.Harrison induced a soft ground ball that came right back to him. He threw home, getting the lead runner out. The catcher, Schwarber, then rifled a throw to first base to complete the inning ending double play.Harrison pumped his fist and the crowd at Bart Kaufman Field erupted. The play proved vital as Michigan State would not get another good scoring opportunity. Harrison allowed just one hit in his 2.2 innings of work. But when he came into the bases loaded situation, he said, he wasn’t thinking about getting a double play ball.“I was just thinking, ‘Get a fly ball, keep it low,’” Harrison said. “I was thinking about a strikeout also, but I got lucky. Well, not lucky. I got the pitch I wanted to and it came right to me.”Follow reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(04/21/14 3:42am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Tracy Smith is always surprised how much people curse when playing video games.Smith, the IU baseball coach, plays video games to escape reality. After a tough loss, or if he’s just bored during the day, he’ll fire up his Xbox 360. He doesn’t have to think about if he should have pulled his starting pitcher earlier, or if he should have sent the runner home or not. He can just lose himself. But he’s selective in what he loses himself in.“I only play one game,” Smith said. “I play ‘Call of Duty Black Ops II,’ hardcore team deathmatch. That’s it.”He prefers to remain anonymous when he plays with other people online. He’s free to just be another random player and crack jokes with his famous sense of humor.“I definitely don’t tell them who I am,” Smith said about his online anonymity. “Because I crush ‘em.”But Smith is anything but anonymous in the world of college baseball. Smith has spent nine years building IU into what is now a legitimate national title contender. Last season, he won National Coach of the Year after taking IU to the College World Series. Smith has built several programs in his coaching career, only to leave for greener pastures each time. The question of whether Smith will stay in Bloomington has been brought up in the past. But as he proved last year, he can win a national championship in Bloomington.First, he’s going to take out his aggression on these damn kids playing “Call of Duty” with him. If they curse at him, sometimes he indulges and fires shots back.“If I’m feeling rowdy and I want to let go, I’ll let ‘em have it,” Smith said, wearing his “Call of Duty” T-shirt. “They’ll say, ‘Dude you sound like you’re 40. Get a job.’”***When Smith arrived at Miami University Middletown, there was no baseball program.Smith arrived in Middletown after he played with the Chicago Cubs organization for a few years. He enjoyed playing, but ultimately decided playing professional ball wasn’t for him. Instead, he had applied for a generic administrative job. He and Jaime — his wife since they were both 19 years old — would lead a normal life.The only problem is, he didn’t get the job. Smith had never lacked confidence before, Jaime said. He was used to getting what he wanted.That’s when Jaime’s father, the athletic director at Miami University Middletown, came to Tracy and asked if he wanted to coach basketball. Tracy had never thought of coaching as a profession. But he was from a small town in Indiana — Kenton, Ind., with a population of 1,748 — so basketball was in his blood.“God’s country,” Smith said. “Home of Alexander J. Kent. Whoever the hell that is.”He accepted the basketball coaching job, but wanted to coach baseball. The university didn’t have a baseball program at the time. So he started one from the ground up.After a few years in Middleton, Tracy came back to his and Jaime’s alma mater, Miami University, to be an assistant coach. He moved on to become an assistant coach at IU until he got the call to come back to Miami and become the head coach of the program.“The call came from the athletic director,” Smith said. “And he says, ‘Do you want to be our ne-’ and before he could even finish the sentence I said, ‘Yes!’ So there went my negotiations for salary right out the window.”But Smith wasn’t concerned about the money side of things. He had the opportunity he always wanted — to lead a program. The man who didn’t even fancy himself a coach had become the head of a program by age 30.***Smith said the baseball diamond was nothing more than a “glorified high school field” when he arrived at Miami University.Miami was historically a good mid-major team but had struggled. The Redhawks suffered four straight losing seasons for the first time in 29 years and finished 12-40 the year before he arrived.While Miami University was bigger than the first college he coached at, it still didn’t have all the resources Smith needed. His family was pulling weeds on the diamond, and Jaime’s father drove his tractor to the complex to tend to the dirt field. Smith would walk into the stadium and push the trashcans to the right places.“That was him,” Jaime said. “There wasn’t a detail that was overlooked.”He was able to turn the program around. During his nine seasons, Smith averaged 35 wins a season — the highest average by a coach in Miami baseball history. He eclipsed the 40-win mark twice, something that happened just once in the previous 81 years in Miami baseball, and appeared in two NCAA tournaments.Smith was instrumental in the building of a new stadium. He transformed the field into a legitimate complex.But it wasn’t enough.The only guaranteed bid for smaller schools to get into the NCAA Tournament is to win their conference. In smaller conferences like the MAC — Miami’s conference — usually only one team got into the NCAA Tournament.Miami was in the MAC championship one time, but lost in the bottom of the ninth inning. The cold reality set in for the Smiths.“That loss hurt. I cried,” Jaime said. “It felt like we had a ceiling. I felt like he couldn’t achieve something because it wasn’t possible.”During Smith’s last season at Miami, the program had one of their best seasons ever. The Redhawks went 45-18 — the most wins in school history. They beat Central Michigan 10-6 in the MAC championship game and were headed to the NCAA Tournament.Jaime remembers standing in the field after the game with her husband. One thought kept creeping into her mind.“I remember thinking — it will never get better than this,” Jaime said. “We can repeat this 10 times, but it won’t be better than this. This is what this can be. He did everything he could do at Miami.”***IU second baseman Casey Rodrigue was talking to the media, answering questions about the upcoming series against Michigan State.He started to laugh when Smith came up behind the reporters, making faces and trying to distract Rodrigue. When the reporters turned around, Smith rubbed his chin and looked at the ceiling. He tried to act nonchalant.The reporters turned to face Rodrigue, and Smith went at it again, making Rodrigue chuckle through the interview. “Sorry,” Rodrigue said at one point. “Skip’s over there making faces.” Smith tries not to take himself too seriously. His Twitter account is a mix of baseball comments, reviews of various TV shows, interactions with fans and selfies of his beard.“I don’t have a gazillion followers. I’m getting closer to 10,000 though,” he paused. “9,100, but who’s counting?”He’s still learning the nuances of social media. On Twitter, he used to respond to people in all capital letters, giving off the impression he was yelling. After being made fun of by everybody in his family, Smith finally stopped using all caps.“See, I didn’t know that was yelling,” he said. “It was my Twitter ignorance. I was a Twitter virgin. Or a tweet virgin.”Smith is always trying to come up with different ways to promote his program. Kyle Kuhlman, Smith’s media relations staff member for three-and-a-half years, said he thinks Smith is one of the best imaginative thinkers he’s met.Kuhlman and Smith used to do a weekly video called “Skip’s Scoop.” Kuhlman would shoot the video of Smith talking about the team’s upcoming opponent or whatever Smith felt like talking about at the time. One time, when the team was on a spring break trip in Florida, Kuhlman suggested jokingly they should do the video with Smith in the hot tub.Smith didn’t take it as a joke. They shot the video with Smith sitting in a hotel hot tub.“I won’t forget that,” Kuhlman said. “I don’t know another coach who would be willing to do something fun and out-of-the-box like that.”***“Breaking Bad” is the greatest TV show of all time, Smith said. “House of Cards” is number two. He also put “Lost,” “Dexter” and “Sons on Anarchy” in his top five.“Oh, but ‘Games of Thrones’ is good, too,” Smith said, questioning his own list. “Oh, and ‘Homeland.’” Sometimes after a hard loss, Smith will come home and watch Netflix for four or five hours. It helps keep his mind off replaying bad things repeatedly.When he was watching “Lost,” he found himself consumed by the show. He would catch himself thinking about the latest plot on “Lost” while coaching third base during games.“I was so into that series,” he said. “I have found myself actually wanting to be stranded on an island. I was like, ‘Wouldn’t that be cool?’”When Smith first arrived in Bloomington, he needed every escape from reality he could get. In his first two years, he went a combined 41-69.During his last year at Miami, he won 45 games and went to the NCAA Tournament. But he left that situation because of the resources IU had. He was promised a new stadium would be built.He wasn’t taking over a powerhouse, either. In the two years before Smith arrived at IU, the Hoosiers finished last in the Big Ten both seasons, going a combined 18-45 in the conference. “And what really clicked in my head was, ‘OK, Tracy Smith, you’re really that good? Let’s see you do it again,’” Smith said.All of Smith’s hard work culminated last year. He got the stadium he was promised — 2013 was the inaugural season of Bart Kaufman Field. He went from having one of the worst stadiums in the Big Ten to one of the best college venues in the Midwest.The team’s performance on the field also took off. For the first time in the program’s then 118-year history, they were ranked in the national polls. IU made the 2013 College World Series, another program first.Smith remembers being in shock for most of the time in Omaha, Neb. This was what he had envisioned for the IU program, and he was trying his best to take it all in.IU ultimately was defeated by Oregon State, ending the best season in IU history. But IU had climbed the mountain nobody thought they could. Not even Smith, when he came to IU in 2006, was positive he could ever make it to the College World Series.“I’ll be honest with you,” Smith said. “It always seemed like this distant thing. It always seemed like I was talking about something else. It always seemed like it was somewhere over there. Did I think we could do it? I mean, I gave us a chance. But realistically, the way college baseball is structured, I thought it would be tough.” ***IU opened up the season No. 3 in the preseason Baseball America poll, the highest-ever ranking for the program. In less than a decade, Smith built the worst program in the Big Ten into a national title contender. But since IU isn’t historically a baseball program, the question arises — will he stay in Bloomington?He has had the chance to leave. He interviewed for the head-coaching job at Ohio State in 2010 but turned it down. He said at the time that IU’s atmosphere and the “24 sports, one team” mantra was true. In Columbus, Ohio, he wouldn’t have that same feeling.And now he has a state-of-the-art stadium, facilities and one of the more talented teams in the country. But he also has his wife and three sons, his rural house, his four dogs, his two cats and a program he’s poured his soul into for nine years.“We’ll retire in Bloomington whether I’m coaching here or not,” Smith said. “Plus, we got a state-of-the-art facility and we’re winning. I see it as, ‘Is there anything better?’” Follow reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.This story has been updated. An earlier version of this story referred to Jaime Smith as Jamie Smith.
(04/19/14 10:59pm)
Second basemen Casey Rodrigue was the hero, as his walk off single in the bottom of the 12th inning gave IU (24-11, 10-1) the 2-1 victory over Michigan State (20-16,
5-6).
(04/19/14 2:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior starter Joey DeNato now owns three of the most significant pitching records in IU baseball history.IU (23-11, 9-1) beat Michigan State (20-15, 5-5) in game one of their three-game stint Friday night 7-0. The Hoosiers combined timely hitting with another masterful DeNato – 8 innings pitched, 5 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts, 0 runs on 113 pitches.Already this season, DeNato broke a couple of IU records. His 32 wins and 261 strikeouts are most for any pitcher in IU’s 119-year history. Against Michigan State on Friday night, DeNato’s career innings count went to 324 – setting another IU record.“Actually I didn’t know about the innings pitched (record),” DeNato said.DeNato had a rocky start to the game. The Spartans had the bases loaded in the top of the first with just one out, but DeNato got a key strikeout to make it two outs.Then a Spartan batter tried to execute a suicide squeeze, but he whiffed on the bunt attempt. The runner on third, charging home, was caught in a precarious situation. Junior catcher Kyle Schwarber threw to third and senior third baseman Dustin DeMuth tagged out the runner, ending the Michigan State threat.In the first inning it took DeNato 25 pitches to ultimately get through the frame unscathed. Through the rest of the game, DeNato settled down and stymied all potential Spartan rallies.As for the difference between the first inning and the rest of the game, IU Coach Tracy Smith had a simple explanation as to why that happened.“That’s just baseball,” Smith said. “I don’t think there was anything major that I would attribute that to. The good part of it is: he doesn’t let that stuff bother him.”Only two Hoosiers gave DeNato run support, and it was two unlikely suspects.Junior outfielder Will Nolden went 2-for-3 with four RBI and sophomore shortstop Nick Ramos went 1-for-4 with a two-run homerun and a sac fly to total three RBI on the day.The bottom of the order came up big for the Hoosiers and picked up the slack of the top of the order. Hitters 1-through-5 went a combined 4-for-17 on the day.“I thought Will Nolden had one of the better games from him that I’ve seen,” Smith said. “Just in terms of focus at the plate … that was nice to see from him sitting down here in the seven-hole.”In Nolden’s first at-bat, he roped a line drive to right-center field – in between two Spartan outfielders. Nolden hustled around the base paths, and recorded a stand-up triple to score two Hoosiers.Nolden knew pretty soon he was going to round second and continue to third.“Right off the bat,” Nolden said. “I kinda knew I was going three because I saw both the outfielders with their backs turned, and that’s the biggest part of the ballpark.”The series continues tomorrow from Bart Kaufman Field. IU’s Christian Morris – 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA – will go against Spartan starter Justin Alleman – 4-1 with a 2.90 ERA.First pitch is scheduled for 2:05.
(04/18/14 2:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When IU traveled to East Lansing, Mich., for a three-game stint with Michigan State last season, the Hoosiers were hot.IU had just had its 18-game winning streak snapped by Illinois five days prior, but had still won 22 of its last 24 games and had vaulted to No. 12 in the national rankings.The Spartans swept the Hoosiers in three losses for IU. Two of the games went to extra innings, and all three losses were one-run affairs that featured a Spartan walk-off hit to beat the Hoosiers. The team expressed anger, but said this time around it will be more composed if adversity comes its way.“It definitely made us all a little bit angry,” senior ace Joey DeNato said. “Baseball’s a sport where you have to channel your anger. In football if you’re hyped up you can go hit someone. In baseball you can’t do that, you have to maintain your composure.”IU (22-11, 8-1) will get its chance at revenge when Michigan State (20-14, 5-4) comes to Bloomington for a three-game series starting at 7:05 p.m. today.DeNato will get the start for the Hoosiers today. The lefty became the winningest pitcher in IU history with his last start against Morehead State. DeNato now owns the record for most career strikeouts — 257 — and wins — 31 — in IU baseball’s 119-year history.Whenever DeNato plays the Spartans, it holds a little extra motivation for him. His father attended Michigan State and Joey — a San Diego native — grew up attending Michigan State football games.“It’s always good beating them,” DeNato said. “For bragging rights.”In the last two seasons against the Spartans, the Hoosiers are just 1-5. This year, the Spartans have had an up-and-down year. Back in February, the Spartans knocked off then-No. 1 Oregon State. But in their last six games, they are just 3-3 against weak competition.In their recent six-game stretch, the Spartans lost two games to Central Michigan and took two of three from Purdue, where they had an average run differential of just +1 per game. The Boilermakers are 8-24 this year.Michigan State leads the Big Ten in steals and steal attempts. IU has a speedster of its own — junior second baseman Casey Rodrigue — who leads the team with 10 stolen bags, which also ranks fifth in the Big Ten.Rodrigue is playing his first year for IU after transferring from LSU-Eunice and has cemented himself as the team’s leadoff hitter. He said he’s heard from his teammates how frustrating last year’s sweep was.“It kinda left a salty taste in their mouths,” Rodrigue said. “And they know there’s a little bit more of an importance on this series.”
(04/17/14 2:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The entire IU team was ready to vault over the side of the dugout and swarm its teammate.In a game tied 0-0, junior centerfielder Tim O’Conner came to bat with two outs in the 10th inning. Junior right fielder Will Nolden was on second base after a stolen bag, ready to score the winning run.To put the luck on O’Conner’s side, a majority of the team turned its caps inside out in a fashion known as a “rally cap.”After fouling off two pitches with two strikes, O’Conner delivered.He hit a ball over the first baseman’s head, landing just fair, which allowed Nolden to score. The team ran out of the dugout and jumped on O’Conner, creating a massive Hoosier dog pile.“It was awesome,” O’Conner said. “I just kinda got mauled by all the guys. It was a good feeling.”In a pitcher’s duel, IU (22-11, 8-1) was the first to draw blood in its matchup with Western Kentucky (19-18, 7-8 in the Sun Belt conference). O’Conner’s RBI was the only run of the day in the 1-0 victory, the first of the walk-off variety this season for IU.O’Conner came into the game hitting just .172 in 64 at-bats. Even though the defensive specialist’s bat hasn’t been clicking this season, IU Coach Tracy Smith said he didn’t think of pinch-hitting for O’Conner. If he didn’t come through and the game went to the 11th inning, Smith would need O’Conner’s glove in center field.“Timmy is our best center fielder,” Smith said. “That was his game to win regardless. If we didn’t score, we were going to have to go out there and play defense.”The IU pitching staff picked up the struggling offense, which only registered three hits on the day. Brian Korte, Thomas Belcher, Jake Kelzer and Scott Effross combined for the 10-inning shutout of the Hilltoppers.Korte got the start and went five innings, giving up only six base runners. After Belcher threw 1.1 innings, 6-foot-7 freshman Jake Kelzer threw 2.2 innings of no-hit baseball. Kelzer — who began his IU athletic career on the swim team — struck out four batters in what he said was the best he has pitched all year.“I was particularly pleased with Jake,” Smith said. “If he can be in the zone like that, that’s going to help us tremendously.”Though the Hoosiers needed three pitchers to throw eight innings, the Hilltoppers needed just one.Western Kentucky starter Ryan Thurston came into the game with a 4.50 ERA and allowed opponents to hit .258 off him. He was originally supposed to throw four or five innings, he said. That plan was vacated when the Madison, Ind., native took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against one of the nation’s most prolific offenses.The performance — which Thurston said was the best he’s pitched in his career — held extra weight for the freshman.He and his father would make the 82-mile journey to Bloomington. He watched the Hoosiers have their best season in program history last year on the same field where he dominated the usually active IU bats Wednesday night.“We showed velocity doesn’t have to get people out,” Thurston said. “I just kept it down.”In the bottom of the ninth, preseason All-American catcher Kyle Schwarber broke up the no-hitter with a deep fly ball to right-center. The hit got the crowd at Bart Kaufman Field out of their seats, thinking it would be a walk-off homerun.“Off the bat, I thought it was gone,” Thurston said.The Hoosiers were unable to capitalize on Schwarber’s leadoff double in the ninth, forcing extra innings where O’Conner came through in the clutch.As did the rally caps.“We’re superstitious man,” Kelzer said with a smile.
(04/16/14 2:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Last year, IU’s midweek starter was a constant staple for the team. That hasn’t been the case this year.Will Coursen-Carr, a freshman last year, excelled as the midweek starter in 2013. He was 5-0 with a 1.93 ERA. This year, Coursen-Carr was moved into the weekend rotation but has struggled. Several pitchers have thrown the midweek game, with none securing the job for himself.Brian Korte, Sullivan Stadler and Kyle Hart have all thrown midweek games. Hart excelled and was promoted to the weekend rotation.Korte will get his start when Western Kentucky (19-17, 7-8) comes to Bloomington to face IU (21-11, 8-1). IU had its nine-game winning streak snapped last Sunday against Morehead State. Despite a grand slam by designated hitter Scott Donley in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Hoosiers fell 8-7 to the Eagles.Senior Brian Korte will start tonight against the Hilltoppers. Korte earned the start in the Hoosiers’ last midweek game against Indiana State. The senior went three innings and gave up no earned runs. Freshman Thomas Belcher came in and threw four innings of relief, giving up two earned runs.The issue of starting pitching depth has become a real issue for IU since the injury of junior starter Kyle Hart. Hart — who underwent Tommy John surgery yesterday and is out for the season — has been out since March 30. The injury has bumped pitching up in the rotation, and IU Coach Tracy Smith wants one of his pitchers to step up. With Korte, he specifically wants him to be more aggressive in the strike zone.“With multiple pitches,” Smith added. “I think as a starter, you have to do that. You can’t go hard, hard, hard all the time. You have to drop some off-speed stuff in there.”Smith doesn’t have a specific number of innings he wants Korte to throw. It will be a fluid situation, and Smith will make a decision during the game how long he wants to keep Korte in the game.“If we can jump out and get a few runs, yeah it’d be nice to save him for the weekend,” Smith said.The run support for IU starting pitchers has been prolific as of late. The Hoosiers have scored five or more runs in their last 11 games and haven’t scored less than 3 runs in more than a month.Junior Casey Rodrigue has cemented himself as the leadoff hitter on the team. Rodrigue, hitting .311 this year, said he knows his role is to get on base for Kyle Schwarber and Sam Travis, who hit immediately behind him.“The big bats showed this weekend and during the win streak,” Rodrigue said. “A lot of people are doing great.”
(04/14/14 6:11pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The not-so-simple challenge that was presented to me: three pancakes and Paxson’s Potatoes from Village Deli for brunch, the ‘‘Big Ugly’’ Challenge from Bub’s for dinner, and a banana split from Hartzell’s for dessert.One day. Three challenges. Probably five billion calories. I can only imagine what went through the head of my friend and one of the editors of Inside when she thought of who to ask to take on these challenges.“Hmmm… Who do I know who eats a lot? … Oh Evan! Evan eats food all the time! Usually a lot of it!”Challenge accepted.I put in some preparation for the day of gluttony. The day before my body would never forgive me, I Googled, “How to eat a lot of food.” The results were mixed with a lot of personal testimonies from “experts” basically telling me this endeavor was not natural to the body and extreme caution should be exercised. Great.I showed up at Village Deli with an empty stomach. I wouldn’t say I was arrogant, but I mean, its just pancakes, right?“Three pancakes and Paxson’s Potatoes please,” I said to the waiter.The waiter, who I later learned was named Pierce, looked at me and said, “You know they’re pretty big right?”“Yeah, yeah I know.”“OK, if you’re sure.”Oh, I was sure. I’m not a huge fan of pancakes, admittedly. I’m definitely more of a waffle guy — born and raised on those delicious frozen Eggo waffles that should be the staple of every little kid’s childhood. But pancakes can’t be that filling, or so I thought.Then, Pierce brought out the pancakes. They. Were. Large.The size of each pancake overwhelmed me. The pancakes hung over the side of the plate. And the thickness — wow. I was staring at three pancakes the size of my head and the width of a dime. Oh yeah, and a bowl of Paxson’s Potatoes.“I put them each on different plates,” Pierce said. “They looked more daunting that way.”Thanks, Pierce.I applied the butter and draped syrup over the behemoths. I took my first bite and was feeling like a champ. The thought, “Hey, these taste pretty good, I can do this,” went through my head.Fast-forward to the end of pancake one. I had cleared one plate but still had two pancakes and Paxton’s Potatoes left. I had to get creative if I was going to trick my stomach into eating more food.I chopped up one of the pancakes into bite sized pieces. The people I was with were interested/disgusted in my strategy.“What are you going to do?”“You’ll see,” I replied.I put the Paxson’s Potatoes — laden with potatoes, gravy, onions and cheese — onto the pancake. Was I crazy? Insane? A mad man?No — it was delicious.Topping it off with a good amount of hot sauce, I was pleasantly surprised I enjoyed this concoction.“Interesting strategy,” Pierce said as he walked by. Thanks, Pierce.But I got halfway through the pile and had to surrender. It was too much.Village Deli – 1, Evan – 0.I knew this would be my weakest point of the day. Like I said, I’m not a huge pancake connoisseur. But I was still disappointed in myself. I had let the challenge down. I had let Pierce down.I had six hours to regroup. Bub’s Burgers & Ice Cream would be calling at 6 p.m. When dinnertime came around, I wasn’t that hungry, but I couldn’t let down the good people of Bloomington again. I ordered the “Big Ugly.”What my waiter, Justin, brought out was a one-pound burger that once again was the size of my head. Justin also brought out a “just in case” bucket. My reward if I eat the whole thing — my picture on the wall with hundreds of other people who like food.Game on. This was more in my wheelhouse. Dinner food has always been my specialty. But could I finish this gigantic chunk of meat with Village Deli pancakes still in my belly?Half an hour later, I was still going strong. I don’t know what came over me. I had eaten three-fourths of this burger and was still feeling good. I wouldn’t say I’m the Michael Jordan of eating the Bub’s Big Ugly, but I’m at least the Robert Horry of eating the Bub’s Big Ugly. (For those of you who have lives and don’t follow sports to the alarming degree I do, Robert Horry is a former decent NBA player who made ridiculously clutch plays when it mattered most.)As I took my final bite of the patty, I had defeated the Big Ugly. I was stuffed to my brim full of meat but couldn’t be happier.“I’ll go grab the camera,” Justin said. “I’m impressed.”Damn right, Justin.Evan – 1, Bub’s – 0.I had three hours to recover for my banana split at Hartzell’s, but I wasn’t worried. I have been eating Edy’s Rocky Road out of the tub for years. The banana split was a beautiful creature. It was an aesthetically pleasing piece of ice cream artwork. Like I said, I wasn’t too worried — this was ice cream.As I was downing the last couple bites of my banana split, I had time to reflect on my day of eating. Bloomington is home to many little places only local to this great city. Take a walk down Fourth Street and observe all the ethnic restaurants. Or right by College Mall there’s this little place called “Wendy’s” I think you’ll really enjoy.I had bested the banana split. Two out of three food challenges had been defeated by yours truly. It was a great experience, even though I won’t be hungry until May.Evan – 1, Hartzell’s – 0.
(04/14/14 6:11pm)
The not-so-simple challenge that was presented to me: three pancakes and Paxson’s Potatoes from Village Deli for brunch, the ‘‘Big Ugly’’ Challenge from Bub’s for dinner, and a banana split from Hartzell’s for dessert.
(04/14/14 3:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>To say wide receiver Shane Wynn — known for being one of the more vocal players of the IU football team — was excited about his team’s win would be an understatement.Wynn was asked if the spring game win would give him bragging rights. He said he was already celebrating his victory before the clock hit zero.“I was talking on the field,” Wynn said with a laugh. “Before the game was even over, I was making them mad.”Wynn captained the Cream team in the annual spring football game. His 141 receiving yards led the Cream team to a 24-14 victory against the Crimson team in front of a crowd of 9,231 people Saturday in Memorial Stadium.Both quarterbacks, who will be juniors next fall, played on opposite teams. Nate Sudfeld led the Crimson team while Tre Roberson led a quick-strike Cream attack in windy conditions.“The wind was a factor, but this is the Midwest,” Roberson said. “You gotta be able to play in the wind.”Roberson said his favorite target was Wynn, who — thanks to Kofi Hughes and Ted Bolser graduating and Cody Latimer forgoing his senior season to enter the NFL draft — will be the only returning starting receiver this fall.Wynn, a 5-foot-7 speedster, was exclusively used in the slot receiver last season. During the offseason, the coaches challenged Wynn to play more on the outside of the formation. He said he’s still learning the nuances of being split out wide.“I wouldn’t say I’m comfortable,” Wynn said of playing outside. “They (the coaches) help me with a lot of plays. I know most of them, but I would say I’m about 85-percent comfortable outside. But I still know everything inside.”Roberson had 176 passing yards, meaning Wynn accounted for all but 35 of his quarterback’s yardage through the air. Roberson also added 66 rushing yards, including a read-option keeper that fooled everybody in the stadium.Roberson faked a handoff to tailback Tevin Coleman — who finished the day with 61 rushing yards on just three carries in limited action — and took off sprinting past the left side of the offensive line. Everybody on the Crimson defense was fooled, and Roberson ran 59 yards untouched for the touchdown.The play even fooled Roberson’s own offense.“Yeah, he tricked me,” Wynn said. “I was looking at the tailback and he had stopped. So I’m like, ‘Man, what is he doing?’ Then everybody started cheering and I’m like, ‘Man, Tre’s got the ball.’”Roberson and his counterpart Sudfeld — who went 29-40 for 273 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions — split time for the majority of the 2013 season. A starter is not likely to be announced any time in the 138 days before the team’s home opener against Indiana State Aug. 30.In the season opener last year against Indiana State, the starter was announced just two hours and 54 minutes before kickoff via the team’s official Twitter account.Wilson said he likes having two quarterbacks that play at a high level. The lack of having a solidified starter isn’t a problem in Wilson’s eyes.“I don’t know how you can get two quarterbacks on the field at the same time,” he said. “But they might be two of our best 11 guys on our team.”Follow reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(04/08/14 4:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the second straight weekend, IU baseball swept a Big Ten foe on the road.Following up the dismantling of Ohio State last weekend, where the Hoosiers outhit the Buckeyes 42-19, the Hoosier bats picked up right where they left off against the Hawkeyes. IU (18-10, 8-1) beat Iowa (16-12, 3-6) in the final game of the series 5-3 thanks to a late game rally.“When we got our pitches to hit,” junior catcher Kyle Schwarber said, “we didn’t miss them.”In the first two games against Iowa, IU hit a total of eight home runs and never trailed. The Hoosiers outscored the Hawkeyes 20-6 in the first two games.The series was moved to a Saturday-Sunday-Monday format because of rain showers on Friday, giving IU the chance to sweep the Hawkeyes on Monday.In game three, IU’s offense was stagnant. Despite a solid combined outing from sophomores Will Coursen-Carr and Evan Bell, who threw a combined seven innings while giving up one run, the Hoosiers trailed Iowa 1-0 heading to the top of the eighth.But the dormant Hoosier bats came alive in the eighth.Junior preseason all-American Sam Travis recorded an RBI single to score one run, making it a 1-1 affair. After Scott Donley’s sacrifice bunt, Dustin DeMuth stepped up to bat. Iowa elected to intentionally walk DeMuth, and in the process snapped his 16-game hitting streak as the senior went 0-2 on the day with two walks.That left a pivotal opportunity for junior Brad Hartong — bases loaded, one out, tie game in the eighth inning. Hartong, a junior college transfer playing in his first year for the Hoosiers, said he was ready to make a play for this team. In the sixth inning the Hawkeyes had also intentionally walked DeMuth. Hartong grounded out when the Hawkeyes intentionally walked DeMuth, squandering the potential scoring opportunity.“I knew I just had to get a pitch elevated,” Hartong said. “Hopefully deep enough to get a sac fly or something.”Hartong sharply hit a curveball between the third baseman and the foul line. The stand up double for the Long Beach, Calif., native plated two runs, giving IU the 3-1 lead. IU would score twice more in the frame, pushing the lead to 5-1.IU Coach Tracy Smith said he “toyed around” with the idea of pinch-hitting for Hartong but ultimately left him in the game.“We let him in there to get the job done,” Smith said. “And he got it done.”In the bottom of the ninth, sophomore closer Scott Effross was having trouble putting the game away. He opened up the inning by giving up three straight singles to load the bases with no outs. Effross then struck out the next batter looking for the key out. Iowa ended up scoring two in the frame, but it was not enough to prevent the Hoosier sweep.IU is currently riding a six-game winning streak, all on the road, and boast a plus 30 run differential in that span, but Smith said he isn’t content.“We still have better baseball left to play,” he said.