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(10/12/09 3:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In June, freshman center Bawa Muniru had only one class to finish before he would be set to take the court for the IU men’s basketball team.Five months later, he has yet to be academically cleared to play, and there is no definitive explanation as to when he will receive confirmation from the NCAA clearinghouse.Despite Muniru’s involvement in what seems to be an endless process, IU men’s basketball coach Tom Crean said he is not worried about the impending date of Muniru’s clearance and has waited longer for players to become eligible in the past.“We’re just letting the eligibility center deal with what they gotta deal with,” Crean said. “We feel we’re on top of everything. We feel like he’s done everything he has to do. We don’t view it as any scare type of situation.”A native of Ghana, Muniru has shuffled across the country, attending and playing basketball for different high schools. Stays with Alabama’s Madison High School and Mt. Zion Academy in Durham, N.C., are highlighted as his two most successful years.Muniru has been on campus, attended class and participated in practices while also spending time with teammates outside of the required time constraints of IU basketball. The reason Crean said he has not fretted about Muniru’s lingering eligibility is because Muniru is not limited in any way that separates him from the team.“He’s able to do everything with us,” Crean said. “That’d be a whole different story. If he wasn’t able to practice with us, and be with his teammates and eat with them, then that’d be a whole different deal. We’d have a whole different attitude. But we don’t have that – he gets to do everything that they do.”Previous experiences with looming eligibility questions have allowed Crean to stay cool in dealing with Muniru. Crean said he had to wait longer for clearances while still coaching at Marquette.Among the most drawn-out were current Marquette senior Lazar Hayward and former player Trevor Mbakwe’s review within the NCAA clearinghouse. Dwayne Wade also sat out a year for academic reasons while with the Golden Eagles.Crean said he waited until regular practices for the players to be fully cleared for the season while still at Marquette. Hayward was cleared the day before Midnight Madness in Milwaukee, and Mbakwe’s eligibility questions lasted until Oct. 9, 2007, while the NCAA scrutinized a summer course he took at a St. Paul, Minn., high school.Mbakwe actually went on to play a season at Miami Dade College as a junior college transfer before resurfacing with Minnesota for the 2009-10 season.Crean remained positive throughout his talks regarding Muniru’s availability for the upcoming season.“I’m optimistic,” Crean said. “I never have not been.”
(10/08/09 3:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>INDIANAPOLIS – Tamika Catchings grabbed a steal and scored a stretching layup that brought the game to 68-74.The Fever forward crouched in a defensive stance, ready to shoot the passing gaps for another score. Instead, Catchings ended the possession with her fourth foul of the game.Without their best defender and chief playmaker, the Fever faltered in a 90-77 loss against the Mercury in game 4 of the WNBA finals. The series is now tied at 2-2 as the teams take flights back to Phoenix for a fifth and final game on Friday.Indiana’s second-leading scorer, forward Ebony Hoffman, also had foul trouble during the game. Their absence, however brief, saw the Fever unravel.“It’s another tangible of the game,” Hoffman said. “You have to realize how the refs are going to call it and adjust to that.”Indiana found it hard to do what Hoffman made sound so simple. After the game, Indiana coach Lin Dunn named off the shooting nights for key players who had underperformed.“It’s going to be hard for us to win when Katie Douglas is 2-for-14, Briann (January) is 1-9,” Dunn said.The Fever struggled with the exception of Catchings’ 24 points and the 17 buckets chipped in by forward Ebony Hoffman. They were 2-of-18 from the three-point line while Phoenix hit 10 threes in the game. One key three-pointer came from Phoenix center Tangela Smith near the 7:00 minute mark of the fourth quarter. It gave Phoenix an 11-point lead, the largest lead of the game to that point.From there on, Indiana struggled to find itself.It also lost the opportunity to win another championship banner while within Conseco Fieldhouse, a place where an Indiana team hasn’t won since 1973 while the Pacers were part of the American Basketball Association.The same gritty, loose-rebound-grabbing team that took the floor in the first half was absent. There were no more steals, tip-outs or loose-ball rebounds.The Fever also seemed disheveled on offense. Particularly, on a play where a Mercury defender blocked Douglas’ shot and bounced the ball off her and out of bounds before she could ever react.Three after three spun out as fans became impatient, mirroring the Fever offense that had ran so well in the first half.“If you’re a penetrator, you need to penetrate,” Catchings said. “We penetrate and kick, you need to shoot that shot.”While Indiana seemed to panic, Phoenix settled in.The calm of Phoenix could be seen before the second half’s opening whistle.With only a two-point lead going into the second half, Taurasi played a volleyball-style game with teammates before suiting up for the second half.She had a quiet first half after spending most of time in foul trouble. But she seemed unaffected as she slapped the backboard with the same enthusiasm she had before the start of the game.As the third quarter began, the Mercury started to pull away following a reverse move from Taurasi, as she swirled the ball up with her left hand, throwing her body in the opposite direction.Taurasi’s resurgence signaled the end of game 4. As the clock ran out, some fans stood and cheered, but most took for the concourse and parking lots. They knew that signs claiming “We’re not going back to Arizona” had been proven wrong.Catchings found resolve after the game and said she is sure her team will fare better in its next meeting with Phoenix.“We had a bad shooting night tonight,” Catchings said. “But I don’t expect a bad shooting night on Friday.”
(09/24/09 4:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Tom Crean doesn’t have any patience.The IU men’s basketball coach can’t wait to see a winning product in Assembly Hall lead to championship banners in the rafters above the building’s north entrance. That gives him something in common with IU fans. Although the Hoosiers are on the heels of a 6-25 season, fans’ expectations for the traditionally successful team haven’t swayed. Scores of students and Indiana residents have said they would like to see IU win half of its games in the 2009-10 season. Junior Jessica Clark pushed those expectations even further.“I’m hoping for a national championship my senior year,” she said. “That may be pushing it, though. It’s a bit of a stretch, but we have a top-10 recruiting class and many more players coming in.”Sophomore Cameron Daboll isn’t on his way out of IU and can exercise a bit more patience than Clark. He simply wants the Hoosiers to chart 15 wins in the upcoming season. IU lost 10 games where they were within 10 points, and Daboll said they should be capable of pulling those out this season. “I think a lot of the new recruits will help win the close games we lost last year,” he said. “I don’t expect to be a top-10 team next season, but I do think we’ll win a lot of the games we lost last year.” Crean was well aware of the expectations when he spoke Wednesday at the IU Auditorium. As the coach of a team that won only one Big Ten conference game a year ago, Crean tried his best to shrink forecasts just before he left the stage.“I want you to spread the word that we aren’t back,” he said. “But, I’m telling you, the process has been sped up by the support of the fans.” Whether that message will resonate with them come Nov. 28 when IU takes the court for its first home game of the regular season is debatable. Yet it was definite Wednesday that followers of IU men’s basketball appreciate the heart shown by IU’s 2008-09 team. “Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad,” Clark said. “When you see a team put in that much effort, it really didn’t upset me, because I thought they put in a lot more than they did two years ago.”But don’t anticipate that to mean they’re willing to settle for more of the same this season. IU alumnus Scott Wallace knew he was in for a tough season when he saw bundles of IU players electing to transfer in 2007 following former IU coach Kelvin Sampson’s final season at IU. “From right then, I knew it was going to be hard,” Wallace said. “When Kyle Taber is the most experienced player returning, that tells you something.” He said he understands the rebuilding process, and knew he was in for one, but Wallace would like to see some improvement on the stat sheet come next March. “I think, with this team, I could expect twice as many wins,” he said. “I’d like to see a dozen wins.”Rebuilding IU’s fan base was a goal of Crean’s on Wednesday. He bragged about IU’s student attendance in the past, and said those who remained in the 2008-09 season helped IU sustain its passion.“They helped us make that intensity what it was,” he said. “The only thing they could do was give you hope.”The suspense felt last season is still there. And fans are even more eager for wins this season. “I think we’ll win more games,” Clark said. “I don’t know how many, but I was thinking about .500. That would be nice.”
(09/23/09 4:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When former IU coach Bob Knight made his first preseason address to fans in 1971, he stood before 50 people in a cramped room of the Indiana Memorial Union.Last year, 37 years later, IU coach Tom Crean gave his first IU preseason speech to a crowd of 800 in the IU Auditorium.Crean will once again revive a yearly tradition that nearly died when Knight was fired from IU in 2000.The second-year coach is set to speak at 7 p.m. today at the auditorium for a talk sponsored by IU Athletics and the Union Board. After a season that left many issues unresolved, Crean will begin the year with a talk to the student body about his expectations for IU men’s basketball in the future before question-and-answer and autograph sessions.Crean said he and his team have learned a great deal since he last took the podium.“Last year was a lot of fun,” Crean said in an e-mail. “It is great to be able to share what Indiana has meant to me. We are a year wiser and smarter, and we have a better idea of what it is going to take to bring the program back.” The speech will be about Crean and men’s basketball, but the event is a way to bring people together, said Caitlin Van Kooten, Union Board lectures director.“IU sports is something everyone can get behind,” Van Kooten said. Athletics Director Fred Glass said he believes Crean’s speech will be a way to pull students and IU Athletics closer. “My effort is to better engage athletics with students and to be transparent,” he said. “This is a great opportunity to live up to that.”The fact that Crean has had a year in the public eye as IU’s coach might work in his favor and attract more people to the auditorium.“We’re expecting a large turnout this year because he’s more popular now,” Van Kooten said. Van Kooten is also counting on luring students to the auditorium by giving attendees the chance to register for free courtside tickets to one game.Whether the two tickets get students in the seats or not, Glass is counting on Crean’s enthusiasm to keep them there. Glass said Crean’s passion for the sport will come across in his address. “His enthusiasm is contagious,” he said. “When people go and get a load of him, hopefully they’ll go right out and get basketball tickets.”And with a team that won only six games last season, optimism is a must. Crean used unwavering enthusiasm to keep IU fans supportive of the losing 2008-09 IU men’s basketball team. Crean said IU fans have mirrored the excitement he has shown.“Since the moment we arrived,” he said in an e-mail, “I have said that our students create an unbelievable environment that makes Assembly Hall so tough for the visiting team.”
(09/09/09 4:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Athletics Director Fred Glass announced Tuesday that he made changes to a senior staff he has already cut by one-third since becoming active athletics director this January. Glass eliminated a position by merging the duties of senior staff members Kevin Clark and Tim Fitzpatrick, who recently took a job as athletics director at Texas A&M at Corpus Christi.Clark was promoted to senior associate athletics director for internal operations. Clark will keep the load he had as head of finances but will add Fitzpatrick’s former duties to his daily log. Included in his new responsibilities will be overseeing facilities, women’s basketball and internal administration. Glass said his decision to fill the position internally instead of seeking outside help will take close to $200,000 off IU’s current payroll.“One of the things I’ve been wanting to do is to try to prune back the senior management in the department,” he said. “It seemed funny to me that while we were an underfunded department, we were a top-heavy department as far as management.”The eliminated costs will give IU the opportunity to better serve athletes, Glass said. “We’ll be able to take these resources that had been absorbed into senior management and allocate them to other priorities within the department that will more directly touch our student-athletes,” he said.An academic adviser and a strength and conditioning coach were added when IU last eliminated two positions. “The idea is to have less money with people like me,” Glass said, “people that don’t coach anybody, that don’t recruit anybody. It’s a necessary evil to make sure the department’s run well.”Along with Clark’s new position within IU Athletics came the reshuffling of multiple job descriptions for other administrative employees. Including Glass, four members of the senior staff will receive some sort of promotion or added responsibility. Glass has constantly talked about the amount of money IU spends per sport, announcing their second-to-last seeding on multiple occasions. He has now placed himself in the perfect position to change that. The recent transitions landed him as the direct sport administrator in charge of IU football, while he will also serve lesser roles with three other sports. “Football is such a driver of everything we’re trying to do in the department,” he said. “I’ve been trying to do everything I can to be supportive in the program, with the gameday experience – but also now I’ll be closely involved with IU football and coach Bill Lynch.”Glass will not be the only IU staff member learning the ropes of a new sport or department. Senior Associate Director Scott Dolson has been promoted to the title of deputy director of athletics. Mary Anne Rohleder and Associate Athletics Director Grace Calhoun also will see a change in their day-to-day operations. Rohleder, a longtime fixture in the compliance office, now has received the title of senior associate athletics director, while Calhoun is to add sports administration back to her position.With compliance in mind, Glass decided not to add any extra workload for Rohleder. “I want her to be solely focused on compliance,” he said. “That’s my No. 1 priority, and I don’t want her attention diverted or diluted by having other time-demanding responsibilities.” Sports editor Sean Morrison contributed to this story.
(09/04/09 5:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Athletics Director Fred Glass peered over the East Section of Memorial Stadium at the fans standing in will call: “Hey, come on in,” he yelled. He had just walked up and down all the stairs of the IU football student section, shaking every hand in sight. IU scored its first touchdown on a run by junior running back Trea Burgess just as Glass left the stands. “Kicks for keeps, baby,” he said, referring to an IU initiative that encourages fans to keep footballs from field goal kicks – as long as it’s not from the opposing team.Moments later, Eastern Kentucky scored its first touchdown and field goal, and fans responded by throwing the football into the South End Zone.Glass’ football-heavy agenda was in full swing. During his first football game as IU athletics director, the beginning of IU’s 125th-anniversary season, Glass rode around Memorial Stadium in a smart car, dubbed “The Fred Mobile.” He greeted fans, walked out to the 50-yard line and pushed for more involvement from students.“I think having students to have this as their college experience isn’t only important for the football program,” he said. “It’s far more important than that. It’s very important for our athletic department because the money that we make from football is what we use to fund all of our other sports.”IU athletics ranks second to last in the Big Ten in money spent per sport, a number Glass has constantly said must change. He has come up with countless promotions to change the tradition and culture associated with the sport. From the North End Zone to the IU replica field in Knothole Park, he has created a line of campaigns to drive fans into the seats of Memorial Stadium.Many of Glass’ initiatives have been met with much fanfare. When he walked through Memorial Stadium, he fielded pats on the back and chants of “Fred” from crowd members, who were out in droves at the beginning of the game. John Laskowski, vice president of marketing and membership for the IU Alumni Association, said he set an appointment with Glass shortly after he was announced as the new athletics director last October.“He said if you hear something going on, you call me, because I want to know what the people are doing,” Laskowski said. “And that’s what it takes – is a guy who understands the fans and listens to what they say and gets things done.”Glass saw that the stadium was already half full when hundreds of freshmen ran out of the North End Zone. The students came out before IU football players filed onto the field. The group stayed afterward to watch the game and filled portions of the student section that are traditionally only full during games against Purdue.“That was kind of an added bonus,” Glass said of the lingering freshmen.But not everything that Glass helped introduce has gone as smoothly. Glass was part of a 25-person panel that looked into ways to improve the tailgating experience. During the course of several meetings, there was some momentum to shut the whole thing down, Glass said. “There’s a real concern that on University property that some of the things were getting out of control,” he said. “There was a group of people with the University who thought, ‘Maybe we should shut it down.’”Instead, they expanded the Hoosier Village tailgating fields, and called for the fields to close 10 minutes before kick-off. The “Fan Walk to the Rock,” was also created to funnel students into Memorial Stadium 20 minutes prior to the game. Tickets were sold for $5 to all people interested in attending the game. “I think the balance that the working group tried to strike was to have the fun because tailgating is part of fun and bringing back the students,” he said. “The group decided ‘Let’s not step on that, but when the game starts come on into the game or do something else.’”Glass said he supported the decision to add restriction to the tailgating fields, and won’t apologize if that benefits IU Athletics.“I plead guilty to wanting people to come to football games,” he said. “Frankly, I enjoy tailgates, but the whole concept is that you have this good time and then you come to the game. That’s what the phrase is about.” Thursday was the first day for the extended Hoosier Village. Whether students agreed or not, many promptly walked out of the tailgate and into Memorial Stadium. Tailgaters were still crossing 17th street for the stadium well into the first quarter.Glass had already visited the band and the student section before leaving for the press box. As he walked through the corridors of the new North End Zone, Glass said IU must extend Thursday’s turnout. “Now we got ‘em,” he said. “We just gotta keep them coming back.”
(08/27/09 1:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Big beats and barely discernible lyrics have long been Sean Paul’s signature.In 2002, he used the formulaic approach to go double platinum with “Dutty Rock” – headlining a hip-hop infused style of reggae known as dancehall – and his song “Temperature” was one of 2005’s most popular songs.Not much has changed.Sean Paul’s fourth album, “Imperial Blaze,” seems like a prepackaged attempt to recreate his second album’s success. Within that effort, he does nothing to lessen today’s current stream of music without substance.His laid-back style and slurred Jamaican accent is smooth and pleasurable on a first listen. But a more thoughtful ear can catch on to the real accomplishment of “Imperial Blaze.” In this diluted market, it offers another album for black-lighted partygoers who have no idea what words are blaring through thumping club speakers.With cliched tracks like “Private Party” and “Birthday Suit” on the 19-song set, Sean Paul’s “Imperial Blaze” is sure to fizzle quickly.
(06/03/09 11:43pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was a regular spring practice for the IU baseball team.John Mellencamp Pavilion crackled from the sound of hitters taking batting practice in the cages, scouts manned the sidelines and pitchers stood on inclined mounds, exchanging signs and 90-mph fastballs with catchers.IU coach Tracy Smith stood in the middle of the complex, throwing the ball around with a team manager who struggled to keep up with the advanced arm of the 40-something coach.Smith talked up anyone willing to listen. “This is a great day for baseball,” he said, finishing his throwing motion. His cavalier demeanor exuded a confidence few coaches would have had given the expectations placed upon his team for the 2009 season.Smith wasn’t intimidated by preseason polls that placed his team atop the Big Ten, citing his pride in building a program. After the Hoosiers’ 2009 Big Ten Championship and NCAA Louisville Regional appearance, two feats IU baseball had not accomplished since 1996, it’s safe to say Smith’s project has begun. “I wanted another challenge,” Smith said of his 2006 move to IU. “I had been here at Indiana, I knew you could win championships here and it was the southernmost school in the Big Ten. I just said, ‘I want to take the job that everyone’s telling me not to take.’”Outside cynics became convincing after IU began the year with another slow start. It redirected the season, though, by posting a 16-7 Big Ten record during conference play. Although it was barely above .500 on the year at 32-27, IU made a trip that few in its baseball history have.Only three Hoosier baseball teams have gone to the NCAAs, one coming in the 1949 playoff. None of those made it past the initial bracket, where the 2009 rendition of IU lost out in the NCAA Regional’s two-game elimination format. In fact, IU has only made it to the Big Ten tournament four times since it last won the conference crown in 1996.All-Louisville Regional performer Kipp Schutz said he hopes there are more to come.“This is the second time we have gotten to the regional in school history,” the sophomore left fielder said. “So I hope that we can look forward and make that next step in the future.”The ability to compete within the conference led IU to the postseason. Smith’s group produced wins every weekend while they faced their fair share of troubles out of conference on weekdays. The dynamic left them with a 16-20 non-conference mark and made a Big Ten championship the only window into a postseason stint.IU pulled together and played its best baseball of the season during the conference tournament. The club put up a string of blowouts. An opponent was never allowed to tally more than three while IU scored no less than nine runs itself. In its four consecutive wins, IU’s smallest margin was eight.A stampede of Hoosier players rushed the mound after their final win. Sophomore first baseman Jerrud Sabourin said he enjoyed his lone Big Ten Championship, even though it was less dramatic than he expected.“I was kidding with myself, thinking, ‘It would have been fun to have a close game,’” he said. “But that was a great experience – to get the championship and have the dog pile.”Louisville was the next stop. The regional’s two-game elimination tournament would be the last of IU’s season. Sustained losses of 8-2 to Louisville and 10-0 to Vanderbilt ended a season that began with promise and predictions.Hiccups on the mound and hard times in the batter’s box left IU wondering, what if? Though no one was pleased with the season’s end, Smith said he wanted his team to remember what it had accomplished.“As disappointed as we were, we were still Big Ten champions,” Smith said. “And I hope the guys feel the same way when they get away from it.”Junior pitcher Eric Arnett, a Louisville Slugger Second Team All-American, wanted a little more time on the field, but he said his team should be poised for a postseason return, with or without him. “I expected us to go a little bit farther, and I think we all expected to win it,” Arnett said. “This season showed what we were capable of. We came up short in the NCAA regional, but we’ll come back next year with a little more fire and make another run at it.”Arnett added that he will work out for and speak with major league teams in preparation for the June 9 MLB First-Year Player Draft. He may not be the only Hoosier testing the MLB waters, because juniors pitcher Matt Bashore and catcher Josh Phegley have been listed on Baseball America’s top 100 prospect list. Arnett was one in a group of consistent performers who led IU into the postseason from the mound and the batter’s box. Many of them have begun to receive recognition for their accomplishments this season.Freshman designated hitter Alex Dickerson was recently named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year, IU’s first ever, and a freshman All-American. Arnett was also a finalist for National Pitcher of the Year and earned Big Ten Co-pitcher of the Year. And Phegley received All-Big Ten First Team honors he shared with Schutz and Arnett, a unanimous selection.Five other players were either on the All-Big Ten or All-Freshman teams. Arnett, the most heralded of this year’s Hoosiers, said he hopes their postseason awards and performance on the diamond can benefit IU baseball.“It was a great experience with the fan support we had,” Arnett said. “Hopefully, this helps build the program and puts what IU is doing on the map.”
(06/01/09 12:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU’s season ended in the fifth inning.The three tying runs were represented on base for IU as Vanderbilt maintained a slight 3-0 lead. Hoosier base runners stood, awaiting a hit that would never come, despite the three outs at their disposal. The inept plate stint led to the conclusion of IU’s season, as they fell 10-0 to Vanderbilt.“You just kind of walk away with a hollow feeling,” IU coach Tracy Smith said after the game. “But the reality is, that is college baseball. Every season ends with a loss for all but one team.”Vanderbilt would go on to score five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, extending its lead beyond IU’s reach. The exchange led to a premature end to IU’s first trip to the NCAA Regional since 1996.Poor pitching performances and a lack of run support spelled the end for IU, which failed on both sides of the ball.Vanderbilt jumped on IU’s Matt Bashore right off the bat.The Hoosiers ace gave up a home run to the first batter he faced in shortstop Brian Harris. Center fielder Jonathan White followed Harris with a triple and was sent home later in the inning. The two provided the Commodores with a two-run lead they would continue to build upon.“We got some big hits early in the game to get momentum and give us some confidence right from the start,” Vanderbilt right fielder Steven Liddle said.Bashore was given the loss in allowing eight runs, seven earned. Despite the volume of offensive numbers, Bashore had seven strikeouts and walked only one batter. His day ended after 4 1/3 innings.Joey O’Gara stepped in after Bashore handed Smith the ball and took his trek to the dugout. He lasted 1 2/3 innings before allowing two hits and one run. Three other pitchers touched the mound Saturday, each of them allowing a hit and three of them giving up a run or more.Vanderbilt preserved an 8-0 lead after its five-score inning and increased that by adding two more runs for a 10-0 win.Few IU batters picked up hits, and those who did were stranded on base. The Hoosiers came up with a total of nine hits, although they failed to bring any of the base runners home. Eight batters went hitless, and only two others tallied more than one hit.Left fielder Kipp Schutz tried his best to keep his team in contention.He was 3 for 3 on the day with no other batter besides third baseman Vince Gonzalez tallying more than one hit. Schutz was stranded on many occasions, just like every other Hoosier, as they nabbed no runs on the day.Timely hitting had been a problem for IU in early season games and reared itself once more Saturday.Smith said he thought IU pressed under a pressure it has rarely faced.“It was an overwhelming sense,” Smith said. “For whatever reason, there was a little bit more of looseness to what they were doing. I thought we were a little tight and uninspired this week. I think we were trying a little too hard.”
(05/30/09 10:08pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU’s season ended in the fifth inning of the Louisville Regional.The Hoosiers lost 10-0 to Vanderbilt, eliminating them from the NCAA tournament. The Commodore team the Hoosiers faced had lost by one run against Middle Tennessee in its 5-4 opening game at Jim Patterson Stadium. The Hoosiers were 32-26 on the season and gained their first Big Ten tournament win and NCAA Regional since 1996.IU had the bases loaded in their 10-0 elimination game loss to Vanderbilt, no outs. Three batters then came up to bat; they were all immediately sent back to the dugout, ending the inning and stranding three base runners. The scenario would prove IU’s most threatening and it would never score in the contest.Tyler Rogers, Jake Dunning and Brain Lambert represented the three tying runs as Vanderbilt had a 3-0 lead. The inept stint at the plate squandered IU’s first and only offensive opportunity of the contest. IU would tally a total of nine hits without any runs.Vanderbilt found itself in a similar fifth-inning situation. However, they ended the session with five runs and added two insurance runs in the final three innings for a 10-0 victory. Vanderbilt posted 13 hits and 10 runs, leaving only three innings unblemished.Junior pitcher Matt Bashore had one of his worse days on the mound and only lasted four and a-third innings. He allowed eight runs, with seven of them earned and struck out seven. A home run he allowed to Brain Harris, the first batter he faced, sent Bashore reeling toward the hitter-friendly day.Four other pitchers would touch the mound and allow two more runs.
(05/30/09 1:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU rushed the mound in jubilation after its first Big Ten win since 1996. Now, it is facing the realities of postseason play.The Hoosiers’ first trip to the NCAA Regional in 13 years began with an 8-2 loss Friday against Louisville. The game was marred by mistakes and placed IU in its current elimination-game jam. The Hoosiers must defeat Vanderbilt at 3p.m. Saturday at Jim Patterson Stadium to extend its postseason.“We just didn’t play good defense tonight,” IU coach Tracy Smith said at post game press conference. “We didn’t deserve to win this game tonight, and Louisville did. We made mistakes tonight we just don’t normally make. Baseball is a game of controlled emotion and we didn’t have that tonight.” IU led 2-0 after scores by left fielder Kipp Schutz and third baseman Vince Gonzalez. As second team All-American Eric Arnett hurled from the mound, IU seemed poised for an early-game surge.The Hoosiers failed to contend despite their early showing before a Jim Patterson Stadium record crowd of 4,605, instead waning in the latter innings. The Cardinals went on to post eight unanswered runs while capitalizing on three IU errors.“By far, this is the worst game we have played in a long time,” Smith said.The most damning error came in the fifth inning on a routine fly ball that was set to get IU out of a bases-loaded jam. Louisville right fielder Ryan Wright sent a simple blooper to first base, but first baseman Jerrud Sabourin bobbled the ball and allowed third baseman Chris Dominguez and DH Phil Wunderlich to score.IU mistakes accounted for four runs and came in varied circumstances. Two batters made it on base by way of fielding errors and scored later in the second inning. Two others reached home on a fifth inning fielding error.The costly miscues provided the Cardinals a 5-2 lead it would never relinquish. The Hoosiers would never stop Louisville’s offensive onslaught, nor would it ever mount a score of its own.“Definitely a huge play,” Dominguez said of Sabourin’s dropped fly ball. “They didn’t capitalize and we did.” Dominguez’s statement wasn’t limited to defense.Louisville pitcher Justin Marks pitched seven innings of virtually untested baseball. He threw eight strikeouts and allowed only four hits and two earned runs. IU’s batting order, which is usually apt at the plate, only came up with six hits and two runs. It also stranded eight base runners.“We didn’t swing it as well as we like,” Schutz said. “Marks is a good pitcher. Hopefully we can pick it back up and get the bats going tomorrow.” Arnett was a victim of the offensive letdown and defensive mishaps. The 6-foot-5 athlete made countless plays on the ball for easy outs. He threw a total of seven innings in which he allowed five runs and limited Louisville to only five hits. He only allowed one earned run. The contest marked the third meeting for the two teams, each previously played game also ended in an IU loss.Louisville did not have must trouble disposing of IU during the regular season. With a 15-1 blasting in their first meeting and a 10-8 Bloomington win to their credit; the Hoosiers may have faced the one team capable of stopping their momentum.
(05/04/09 3:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Standing in a crouched position, his hands tickling the air, Evan Crawford’s eyes are fixed on the opposing pitcher.Crawford takes off after he sees the pitcher’s high-arching leg, a sign of an imminent thrust into his delivery. Within an instant, he safely slides into another stolen base.“I just look for that front foot to come up,” Crawford said. “When it comes up, I’m gone.”This scenario has played out in a Big Ten-leading 22 occasions this season. The junior center fielder has been tagged only four times, once when he tried to steal home. Crawford’s stealing ability was heightened by time spent with base-stealing expert Mike Roberts in Massachusetts’ Cape Cod league. He transferred summer lessons to IU’s season, coupling Roberts’ philosophy with speed and instinctual skill on the base path.The art of base stealing seems rather simple to most, but Roberts schooled Crawford on the subject when he played for the Cape Cod league’s Cotuit Kettleers. He used his son Brian, a second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, as a prototype from whom Crawford could draw tips. Brian Roberts is one of major league baseball’s most deadly on the bases, with 229 stolen bases in his nine-year career as a Baltimore second baseman.Mike Roberts, a former North Carolina baseball coach, taught Crawford and his teammates many of the principles he compiled with his son and turned into a book called “You Can’t Steal Second and Keep Your Foot on First.”“I take all position players and try to teach them how to be aggressive,” Roberts said in a phone interview. “My philosophy is: I always want you going right. We want to run in any situation.”Roberts said no one took to the phrase quite like Crawford.“He was extremely aggressive,” Roberts said. “He wanted the challenge of stealing bases, so my responsibility to him was teaching him technique.”Technique is invaluable and can turn any player into a base stealer, Roberts said. Some of the slower players can put pressure on defenses by being assertive yet smart on the bases. Any runner can make it to second if they get a lead off first base and properly judge the pitcher’s and catcher’s awareness.The work Crawford put in under the Massachusetts sun helped him force every pitcher to constantly peer over his left shoulder when the stealthy runner is on first base.“It’s his job to make it very difficult for the pitcher to settle in out there,” IU coach Tracy Smith said. “We expect him to get good reads and understand what the pitcher is trying to do and be aggressive to put himself in position to score for us.”As a former Hoosier lead-off hitter, Crawford never had trouble putting the ball in play and effectively running the bases. He has a .321 batting average and a .411 on-base percentage, despite an early-season slump at the plate. Crawford improved his performance in the Big Ten with increases to .328 batting and .437 on-base percentage.Crawford has been relentless once he reaches base.He embraced Roberts’ rule of thumb: “You’re always moving right.” Ricky Bobby-esque in its simplicity, Roberts said the ability to take a lead toward second base is the first step to base stealing.“You have to get rid of fear,” Roberts said. “You can’t worry about getting picked off. You have to believe that you are better than the pitcher and better than the catcher and better than the defense.”Crawford has never been one to shy away from second base.He leaps from the bag in every base appearance. Separation is critical when trying to get leverage on a catcher waiting to gun you down at second base, he said.“You gotta get a pretty good jump if you want to steal bases,” Crawford said. Unearned bases lead to easy runs, which could make all the difference in a close game. Smith said IU needs more players with the ability to advance on the bases.“What we’re trying to do as a team is hopefully go out and get some of those guys that can run, because that really does frustrate a defense,” he said.Because he is the lone base-stealer on the Hoosier roster, teams tend to key in on Crawford. Roberts said he thinks Crawford can improve, regardless of the attention he garners.“If Evan gets on base enough, he’s the type that could average one steal per game,” Roberts said.
(04/29/09 4:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Matt Carr made it into the fifth inning before the seams ripped off a makeshift midweek pitching lineup. The sophomore hurler had only allowed two runs through the fourth inning of IU’s 9-6 loss against Miami (Ohio). That was all for naught. In the next third of an inning, Carr pitched the bases loaded, walked home two runs and gave up a sac fly to Miami first baseman Tommy Nurre for an RBI and third run. The Hoosiers would never recover and neither would Carr. Nurre was the last batter Carr faced before handing the ball to IU coach Tracy Smith and walking at a slow, measured pace toward the dugout with his head tilted downward, hat facing the grass. “I was disappointed and just thought he was very timid today on the mound,” Smith said of Carr. “I am sick and tired of losing these midweek baseball games when I know we’re better than that.” Fed up with his team’s weekday outings – IU has lost its last three midweek games – Smith said he isn’t too excited about them becoming upperclassmen. “These opportunities are to get guys reps that don’t get them on the weekend to prepare them for next year,” Smith said. “And I don’t like what I’m seeing.”It was once again upon the Hoosiers offense to produce as the pitching staff chronically placed batters on base. Designated hitter Alex Dickerson dug into the strike zone from his high batting position and pummeled a two-run home run. The ball flew over the Sembower Field wall and drifted toward the IU Softball Field, where it fell just shy of the scoreboard. That home run brought the game to a 2-2 tie in the fourth inning. After another run scored in the fifth inning, outfielder Kipp Schutz made an awkward play on a foul ball that fought to evade his glove, mirroring the inning put together by the Miami lineup. The score had abruptly leaped from 2-2, with Miami picking up a four-run lead. Junior catcher Josh Phegley would not be outdone. He stood in a low stance, forcing the bat to dance around his helmet, before he jumped on a fast ball that sailed through the rain into left field. The three-RBI home run trimmed Miami’s lead to 7-6 in the bottom of the seventh inning. IU’s near-comeback was short-lived.Schutz hit a fly ball to left field and Miami’s Chris Nadeau fell on the wet grass. He still made the catch to end the seventh, displaying the ball to all of Sembower Field from his backside.Freshman pitcher Matt Igel did his best to give IU a chance to resurface. He threw two innings and only allowed three hits. After throwing two errant balls in the eighth inning, his day on the hill was cut short. Igel had faith in the offense when he trotted off the field. The entire team knew the Hoosier batters could bring a game within IU’s reach, no matter the score, Igel said. Tuesday was not one of those days. The RedHawks went on to score two runs in the ninth inning, building a lead the Hoosiers failed to overcome. IU popped up on consecutive at-bats to end the game. Constantly losing in midweek contests is draining, Phegley said.“It does take a little bit out of you,” Phegley said, “to come to the park and leave looking at the scoreboard when you’re on the tail end of it.” IU is still fighting for the postseason. The team is 10-4 in conference but 10-18 otherwise, a mark Phegley seemed baffled by. “It’s almost like a two-sided season,” Phegley said. “We go into the weekend differently. If we had the same approach in the midweek, we might come out a little better off.”
(04/28/09 3:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Visitors to the Indiana baseball locker room are greeted by a nearly bare casing – one in which only two teams are honored. The more prominently placed of the two displays is the Hoosiers’ 1949 Co-Big Ten Champions, providing a window into IU’s past in more ways than one. The sparsely accomplished IU baseball team is now in the middle of a Big Ten race, with only midweek games holding it back. The Hoosiers will face Miami (Ohio) at 4 p.m. today at Sembower Field in an attempt to become as consistent as they have been in conference play. Senior right fielder Chris Hervey said the team needs to take the games more seriously to end its longtime postseason struggles.“I don’t think we are as sharp or as focused as we are on the weekends,” Hervey said. “If we want to become a program that’s synonymous with winning, I think these are the games we need to start winning.”IU will compete with Miami on the heels of a series win against Michigan, its fourth consecutive Big Ten series victory. The 10-4 Hoosiers are in a tie for second place in conference, but have an overall record of 20-21. The disparity in conference and overall wins illuminates the heightened stake IU places in conference games.Each weekend, IU plays the most talent it faces all season. Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan are in the Big Ten’s top six teams – IU has defeated them all. Each team has been more successful than IU in its overall schedule, as none are below .500 on the year.Any team that assumes it will win is sure to lose, IU assistant coach Ben Greenspan said. “If you take the attitude that this game doesn’t mean as must as the next one, you’re doomed from the start,” he said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have an at-large bid right now, so we have to put all of our energy toward the Big Ten games.” Making the Big Ten its focal point might pay immediate dividends for IU as conference wins pile up. However, when scouring the Midwest for talent, IU sees its midweek foes on the recruiting path. IU competes with Louisville, Xavier and Indiana State for players. These three teams have defeated IU on five occasions, including a 15-1 loss to the Cardinals and 11-2 defeat at the hands of the Sycamores. “It’s not something we take lightly – losing to those teams,” Greenspan said. “We need to pick it up midweek and get better pitching.”At the root of IU’s troubles has been a depleted staff on the mound. IU sees an insurmountable drop-off from weekend to weekday games. But run support has not been a problem. The Hoosiers’ offense is one of the best in the Big Ten, with players consistently belting home runs and batting over .300. Two hitters in the middle of IU’s batting order, junior Josh Phegley and freshman Alex Dickerson, are in the Big Ten’s top-15 batting average and top-five home runs.Sophomore pitcher Matt Carr, who will start against Miami, has proven one of IU’s more reliable pitchers. While his 5.74 ERA and 1-4 record are less than impressive, Carr has pitched solid innings from the bullpen. With a team that tends to fall behind, Carr said he will temper his teammates from the mound. “Sometimes during the midweek we relax more than we should,” he said. “We have to come out tomorrow and put them away.”The mound will play just as big as it has all season, Greenspan said. “I think it’ll start on the hill,” he said. “I think we need more consistency out of our midweek pitching staff. Once they get going, the wins will start coming.”
(04/27/09 3:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Down 0-1 against Michigan, the IU baseball team seemed destined to relinquish a Big Ten series in Ann Arbor, Mich.Rather than sulk and drop two more games, it turned the series around with an inspired performance on both sides of the ball. The Hoosiers won the series, 2-1, placing themselves in a tie for second place in conference. Freshman Blake Monar played a well-pitched game, but was let down by his teammates. He threw for seven innings and allowed six runs, only one of which was earned.A one-run homer by junior catcher Josh Phegley and 14 hits as a team set IU up for an 8-7 Game Two win that junior pitcher Chris Squires secured in the last three innings. The game was anchored by junior pitcher Eric Arnett, who allowed seven runs and eight hits in a hitter-friendly game. Arnett (9-1) had his ERA lifted nearly a point by the effort, bringing him to 2.49. Although he tallied seven strikeouts, Arnett allowed eight hits in one of his higher-scoring games. Game Three saw fewer runs and mores strikes. Junior Matt Bashore continued his steady re-emergence in a strikeout performance that saw only one batter score. He gave up eight hits. The Hoosiers were also limited by Michigan pitcher Eric Katzman, who only allowed them to score three runs. Katzman struck out four batters and allowed three earned runs to touch home plate. The Hoosiers have continued to perform well in the contests that will eventually decide whether they play in the postseason. At 10-4 in the Big Ten, IU stands within two games of three teams vying for a conference title.
(04/22/09 4:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Louisville’s Chris Dominguez knew he was going to see a fastball sail over the middle of the plate in Louisville’s 10-8 win.His at-bat came after junior pitcher Chris Squires, one of IU’s most consistent closers, had walked a batter to start the ninth inning. The first pitch Dominguez saw was right at his knee and just over the plate – perfect for a game-changing home run.Dominguez belted a shot to right field, becoming the second Cardinal to send a ball over the wall in the game. Louisville took advantage of a struggling midweek stable of pitchers for the entire game. Five Hoosiers took the mound against the Cardinals, none but sophomore pitcher Joey O’Gara lasting more than one and two-thirds innings.“We gotta do this middle-of-the-week stuff,” IU coach Tracy Smith said. “We gotta be sharper than that in the middle of the week on the bump.”Louisville designated hitter Phil Wunderlich gave IU the most trouble. He accounted for most of his team’s runs with a six-RBI day. He began the game with a two-run shot of his own, which gave Louisville a 3-0 lead.He might have had extra incentive, O’Gara said.“He was the guy that got hit in the face last time we played them,” he said. “So maybe it was some sort of redemption thing.”The right-hander’s hooking hit to right field seemed to channel Louisville’s 15-1 April 7 blowout of IU. Instead, the Hoosiers charged for an early lead with a six-run second inning. IU continued its dominance into the top of the sixth inning, where it carried an 8-3 lead.O’Gara said he believed IU’s lead was safe.“Once we had an 8-3 lead, I felt pretty comfortable,” O’Gara said. “The coaches have confidence in all of us, and this was just one of those days where a team sees the ball well.”The one constant on the mound for IU was O’Gara, who settled in after allowing an early home run. He lasted six innings, allowing five earned runs and striking out one.Smith brought a substitute from the bullpen when O’Gara began to tire and gave up two more runs in the sixth inning. His successors allowed seven hits and five runs while facing only 17 batters.Sophomore first baseman Jerrud Sabourin said he expected Louisville to make a run but thought IU’s pitching core would deliver a bit more.“They’re a good team, so we knew they could come back because they have great offense,” he said. “But we were expected to see the same performance out of our pitchers as we have been seeing.”When the pitching faltered, so did the offense.IU hitters had played inspired baseball in the game’s first four innings, causing Louisville to cut starting pitcher Matt Lea’s day short. He only lasted one and one-third innings.The Hoosiers also forced Louisville pitcher Neil Holland into early retirement, posting six hits and three runs in his two and two-thirds innings. IU junior Josh Phegley and Sabourin accounted for two RBI and one run each. Junior Tyler Rogers also tallied two RBI.The Louisville mound steadied after the fifth inning by three pitchers who didn’t allow IU to score a single run. The Hoosiers have seven batters hitting better than .300, but none could tally a run as their lead slipped away.The runs placed the offense in a bind, Sabourin said.“It put a lot of pressure on the offense because I don’t think we had scored for a while,” Sabourin said.IU will play Indiana State at 4 p.m. today at Sembower Field.
(04/21/09 3:59am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU had finally begun to grasp the concept of winning – then Louisville came along.It didn’t matter that the Hoosiers had won five of six heading into Jim Patterson Stadium on April 7, when they suffered a 15-1 drubbing at the hands of the Cardinals. Now, two weeks later, IU has found consistency. It has tallied eight Big Ten wins and a second-place conference standing. The Hoosiers will get another shot at the Cardinals at 4 p.m. today on Sembower Field at their most stable point in the season. “They put a pretty good whooping on us,” junior shortstop Jake Dunning said. “We just have to keep the ball down. We kept leaving the ball up there, and they kept hitting it.” A collection of young pitchers gave up 16 hits and 15 runs against the Cardinals. The Hoosiers went through four pitchers in the game. The bulk of the runs came against freshman pitcher Drew Leininger, who lasted only three and one-third innings but gave up nine earned runs.Sophomore Kyle Leiendecker also accounted for five runs on four hits. At times, IU has been inconsistent in offense and defense. The Louisville game was its only showing where the pitchers, hitters and defense struggled. The team as a whole has improved since the Louisville contest. They have seen the resurgence of former ace and junior Matt Bashore and an improved batting average. Seven of the nine batters in the regular rotation are batting above .300, and the starting pitching has racked up wins every weekend. Other improvements have come in the infield. Juniors Dunning and Tyler Rogers made several impressive plays in leading IU to its third straight conference series win this weekend and caught the eye of their coach. IU coach Tracy Smith has consistently stressed the fundamentals of the game all season. While much goes into making a pitch or hitting a home run, Smith uses a simple philosophy when approaching wins. “It’s very important that they play well for us,” Smith said of Dunning and Rogers. “If you pitch it, and you play good defense, you give yourself a chance to win. And that’s really been the key to our season at this point.” Tomorrow’s game is proving ground for the young pitchers, Smith said. While IU has improved, the team’s young pitchers continue to struggle. The midweek pitchers maintain a collective ERA of 11.67, a number improved by junior pitcher Chris Squires’ 4.25 ERA. Freshmen Leininger, Matt Igel and Wyatt Hoff all have an ERA of 18.00, after making multiple appearances. A lack of run support didn’t help the inexperienced players on the incline. IU scored only one run, the last of which came in the eighth inning with the game well out of reach at 13-0. “The old term used is ‘midweek pitching,’” Smith said. “Some of the younger kids really need to step it up, and see this as a wonderful opportunity to go out and develop and help this team win.”
(04/20/09 3:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With team members’ fingers collectively waving a No. 1 in the air, the IU baseball team made its way down Fee Lane, halting traffic after a 2-1 series win against Penn State.The Hoosiers had just swept a Saturday doubleheader, giving them an 8-3 conference record and a then-share of the Big Ten standings lead. IU won game 2 in a landslide 15-1 victory and battled to keep its early lead in a 3-2 game 3 win.It wasn’t always evident that IU’s weekend would end in such a picturesque manner.In the Hoosiers’ 9-7 game 1 loss, junior shortstop Jake Dunning stepped into the batter’s box with the bases loaded, the tying and winning runs represented on second and first base. Penn State pitcher Ryan Ignas left Dunning swinging with a breaking ball that cut away from his bat.“I feel like I cost the team the game because it was right there in my hand,” Dunning said.He redeemed himself in the following games, providing stand-out defensive plays while smashing two home runs. He was also 3-of-4 from the plate in game 2.Junior pitcher Chris Squires provided more vindication when he struck out a Penn State batter to end game 3. He secured the series and his third save of the season with the pitch.Squires said he wanted Penn State to work for any game-changing play it made.“I was just thinking that I was going to go in there and throw strikes,” Squires said. “I was going to make them earn everything they got. If I was going to get beat, it was going to be with my best stuff.”Citing Penn State as a team against which IU struggled in the past, Dunning, a transfer in his first year with the team, said the win was a big step in his team’s progression.“They were (1-4) against them, the only game they beat them was in the Big Ten tournament,” Dunning said of last year’s team. “It’s huge to take the series because they swept them here last year.”Another performer who kept IU in contention throughout the weekend was junior outfielder Evan Crawford, who emerged from an early-season slump.He showed why he was considered one of the team’s top performers to begin the season with a game 2, five-RBI outing in which he was 3-of-5 with two stolen bases. Crawford now has 18 stolen bases and has only been gunned down twice, with one coming on a suicide squeeze as he tried to steal home.Junior second baseman Tyler Rogers and junior catcher Josh Phegley also performed well. Rogers was 3-of-5 with three runs, and Phegley was 1-of-3 with three runs and a walk.While the Hoosier bats consistently made contact in the two wins – tallying 27 hits and 18 runs – pitching helped IU finish the series with a win.Freshman pitcher Blake Monar had a tough showing on the mound in game 1, where he allowed nine hits and seven earned runs. But he was backed by two solid starts from juniors Eric Arnett and Matt Bashore. Squires then ended the series with a crowd-stirring save of game 3.Arnett struck out seven in six and two-thirds innings in game 2, but IU coach Tracy Smith said he was most impressed with Bashore. He said he made a successful transition away from a fixation with strikes and forced groundouts instead.“He was attacking with his fast ball and consequently his strike count was down,” Smith said. “A lot of times Matt (Bashore) gets in the strikeout mentality. And when you do that, you’re going to throw a lot of pitches.”Smith joked that he expected his team to come and win a doubleheader but became stonefaced when explaining the significance of the Penn State win.“We said we gotta take these two, you have to win the series,” Smith said. “You have to win Big Ten series in order to take the title.”
(04/13/09 4:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With his team struggling through the season’s early stages, IU coach Tracy Smith consistently pointed to pitching as one of its most glaring weaknesses.IU’s weekend series sweep against Iowa, however, saw a markedly different result from the incline.All three pitchers lasted more than eight innings, with freshmen Blake Monar (4-2) and Eric Arnett (7-1) pitching complete games. Junior Matt Bashore (2-3) went eight and one-third innings, posting 10 strikeouts in his most impressive start of the season.Usually a tough grader, Smith was won over by the performance of his three weekend starters.“They were great – to give the innings they did and give the quality they did,” he said. “You hope the rest of the staff will learn from that and feed off of that as we go.”The dominant showing marked the culmination of a mounting confidence from the mound. IU is now 9-3 since entering Big Ten play and is tied for first in conference.The performances of Arnett, Monar and Bashore weighed heavily on IU’s recent success. Each has contributed in a different way, but all have sent IU toward a degree of success it didn’t seem destined to reach early in the season.In the weeks preceding IU’s Big Ten stint, there was only one constant on the mound. While Monar and Bashore struggled to find the strike zone, Arnett kept IU afloat. He worked quickly, causing pop-ups and placing Ks on the stat sheet. Smith spoke to the significance of Arnett’s play in the season’s slow start.“When we were really struggling to get wins as a team, he had almost half of them,” Smith said. “Thank goodness he was on the top of his game. He carried us there for a second. Thank goodness he was solid all the way through, or we really would have struggled.”When failing to find wins, some IU players became dejected. By all accounts the 2009 season was supposed to be IU’s breakout year, and it was slowly slipping away. IU’s previously lauded hurlers seemed to succumb to the pressures of preseason expectations.Smith said that Bashore, the most visibly affected of the three starters, was somewhat influenced by IU’s preseason praise. “With a lot of expectations, you sometimes get distracted with things,” Smith said. “I just think it’s more about keying in on what he needs to do to help this ball club win and to be prepared to carry us into the rest of the season.”Bashore, this season’s Big Ten’s preseason Pitcher of the Year, said it feels good to finally find his way on the mound.“I had a little rough start there in the beginning,” Bashore said. “I’m just trying to get back to being myself. I’m just figuring it out.”Thanks largely to a rocky start to their season, the Hoosiers rank among the Big Ten’s worst in several pitching categories, the most damning of which being a team ERA of 5.95 ERA with 184 earned runs.When IU began the Big Ten season, its numbers didn’t seem to matter as a once formidable pitching staff reemerged. Its ascension made an immediate effect on the product Smith sent onto Sembower Field. IU rode a streak of notable pitching performances to a five-win streak and hasn’t reverted to its inconsistent ways since. Hoosiers manning the mound didn’t allow any team more than four runs in that streak. In the batter’s box, the Hoosiers scored 11, 16 and 14 during that streak in those games.The momentum has carried over.IU’s performance against Iowa, its best of the season, was triggered by Monar, who struck out a career-high nine batters in his start on Friday.“He’s an unusual freshman,” Smith said. “He’s very competitive and very mature. He’s a unique individual, and that’s the reason we liked him on Fridays. He’s going to compete and get after it – which is what he’s done in the past two weekends.”Monar proved his coach right in pitching two solid games following a shaky start to the Big Ten against Minnesota on March 27, a start that would have rattled most freshmen. Although he received much praise from his coach, Monar spoke of the pitchers’ effect on IU’s total game.“The hitters used to carry the team,” Monar said. “They knew they had to score a lot of runs. Now, the pitchers can get a win on any given night.”Confidence runs deep in IU’s pitching core. While Arnett speaks in a soft, modest tone, he is not so somber when it comes to IU’s throwers.“We all knew the pitching was going to be there,” Arnett said. “I think we have by far the best starting pitchers in the Big Ten.”
(04/10/09 4:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In a season full of uncertainty, IU has managed to be consistent in its toughest portion of the season.The Hoosiers started the season losing 15 of their first 21 games, but now IU (13-17, 3-2) is tied for second in the Big Ten.IU will face a team to which it bears many similarities in its weekend series against Iowa (11-17, 2-4). While IU and Iowa both have wins against top-tier teams – the Hoosiers beat Illinois, and Iowa beat Michigan – they also share puzzling losses to far more obscure competition.One major difference is present in how the teams have recently fared in their last eight games.The Hoosiers have won six of theirs heading into Iowa City, Iowa, while the Hawkeyes have gone 2-6.Although the numbers lean in his team’s favor, IU coach Tracy Smith said no trek in the Big Ten is an easy one.“They’re probably playing their best baseball right now,” Smith said. “We’re going out to their place, and anytime you go on the road in the Big Ten, it’s going to be tough.”Numbers suggest IU is playing its most inspired ball of the season, but a host of Hoosier players and coaches have dissenting opinions about their team’s recent play.“It’s a positive, but I think we still need to be a little more intense,” freshman designated hitter Alex Dickerson said after Wednesday’s 9-5 win against Valparaiso.“I feel our intensity grows for the Big Ten,” Dickerson said. “Last weekend we did great and everything went perfect, so we want to continue with that this weekend.”Smith and junior pitcher Chris Squires both pointed out problems in different components of IU’s game. Smith focused on pitching, while Squires stressed the need for offensive output.“We’ve got to get good starting pitching,” Smith said. “And whenever we get good starting pitching, we have the chance to win a baseball game.”Squires recounted IU’s 15-1 loss to Louisville on Tuesday, where the Hoosiers struggled to produce runs and allowed 16 hits. He said IU’s Wednesday performance, the win against Valparaiso, proved it was capable on the offensive side of the ball.“I really think (Wednesday) was good to show us that we can still hit the ball even though we haven’t been lately,” Squires said Wednesday. “(The Valparaiso game) showed us we’re still a good hitting ball club, and if we pitch it, we can win every ball game.”The team has been able to combine offensive and defensive production in Big Ten play away from Sembower Field.IU is 2-1 against Illinois in the former’s only road series, and Squires said his team will win another if it can perform on the field and in the batter’s box.“We’ve been kind of slow with the bats in the last couple of games,” he said. “I think we’ll have more confidence going into the weekend because we know that if we score it and we pitch it, there are not a lot of people who can beat us in the Big Ten.”