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(09/01/03 5:27am)
East Hartford, Conn. -- Four years vs. 104.\nThat's how long the University of Connecticut has been playing Division I-A football compared to IU's tenure in the Big Ten. But on Saturday, it seemed the opposite as UConn manhandled the Hoosiers offensively and defensively to claim a 34-10 rout in the opening of Rentschler Field.\nThe much anticipated debut of junior quarterback Matt LoVecchio never got off the ground as two UConn offensive stars -- junior Dan Orlovsky and sophomore Terry Caulley -- stole the show. Orlovsky completed 26 of 42 passes for 307 yards while Caulley gained 170 yards on 22 carries.\nCoach Gerry DiNardo said he didn't expect the offense's inefficiency and IU's three fumbles that resulted in turnovers.\n"I knew it was going to be a tough game, but I thought we'd play better offensively," DiNardo said. "We turned it over three times. You know we fumbled eight times last year the entire season with only one being by a running back."\nIU didn't waste any time in coughing up the ball. On only the second offensive play of the season and IU trailing 3-0, senior Brian Lewis fumbled and UConn senior Ryan Bushey recovered to put UConn in business at the Hoosier 26.\nAfter a penalty, Orlovsky quickly put the Huskies into the end zone four plays later on a 16-yard scoring strike to junior O'Neil Wilson.\nWhile UConn moved quickly, IU labored methodically on its only scoring drive of the opening half. The Hoosiers moved 34 yards in nine plays with sophomore Chris Taylor being the workhorse carrying six times for 18 yards on the drive. The drive stalled, and junior Bryan Robertson split the uprights to put the Hoosiers on the board 10-3.\nIU played surprisingly conservative in the first half as the Hoosiers ran the ball 26 times compared to seven LoVecchio passes. DiNardo said the conservative play calling was his decision.\n"I didn't think that if we were wide open early in the game offensively that it would be beneficial to our defense," DiNardo said.\nIn the second quarter Orlovsky threw his second touchdown pass, this time to senior Shaun Feldeisen to take a 17-3 lead into the locker room.\nIn the first stanza, the Hoosiers had contained Caulley. But in the second half the sophomore sensation ran wild. UConn utilized a 38-yard Caulley rumble to set up another quick strike as Orlovsky found Wilson again for nine yards and a 24-3 lead on only a two-play drive.\n"(IU's defense) wore down a little bit," DiNardo said. "(Caulley) certainly got the best of us in the second half. The missed tackles there at the end. It really got sloppy."\nThe Huskies put three more points on the board their next possession, but IU countered with a 7-play, 76-yard drive capped by a fourth down 30-yard touchdown reception by senior Glenn Johnson, in which he made a great effort to cross the goal line in diving over and through defenders.\nThe Hoosiers appeared to have a chance to get back in the game after Orlovsky made his only mistake of the day on the ensuing possession. Junior Josh Moore intercepted Orlovsky and returned it 12 yards to the UConn 21. But Taylor fumbled two plays later and Caulley put the exclamation point on the victory with a 43-yard run to ice it 34-10.\nLoVecchio's debut was hampered by a pesky UConn defense that kept constant pressure on the Notre Dame transfer. The Huskies sacked LoVecchio five times and had numerous throw altering pressures.\nJohnson said the pressure was the big key as IU expected to capitalize on an inexperienced UConn secondary.\n"Up front they were pretty aggressive," Johnson said. "The secondary was average. We were expecting to go out and catch a lot of balls. It didn't work out that way because up front they had a lot of pressure. It affected the whole game plan. We were there, we were open."\nWhile the Hoosier offensive line is partly to blame, the entire offense didn't perform well. A myriad of dropped balls plagued IU, and the turnovers didn't help either.\n"At times it's my fault," LoVecchio said. "I have to get rid of the ball, avoid taking sacks and just be efficient with this offense. We just have to continue to improve."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(05/02/03 5:42am)
It wouldn't be surprising if IU coach Bob Morgan was found humming the classic oldies hit "Stuck In the Middle With You" this weekend as his Hoosiers, tied for fourth with Penn State, prepare to face the Nittany Lions in a four-game set in Happy Valley. \nIU (27-15, 10-10 Big Ten) trails Minnesota, Ohio State and Northwestern in the Big Ten race and looks to this weekend to change their latest streak -- IU has lost four of its last five games.\nBut for Morgan, it's not time to panic. In the Hoosiers' last two Big Ten series, they've faced the conference's top two teams in Minnesota and Ohio State, earned a split against the Buckeyes but lost three of four against the Gophers.\n"You've got to remember the type of people we've been playing the last couple of weeks were in the top of the conference," Morgan said. "It's not so much that we're struggling; it's that we're playing the best teams. Sometimes you have to do everything right to beat those teams, and that's where we've stubbed our toes a couple of times."\nPenn State came to Sembower Field last year and stubbed IU's toes three times by taking three of four from the Hoosiers. And this year the Nittany Lions return most of last year's ball club with 10 Lions who started last spring.\nAnd the players returning aren't slouches. Although the Nittany Lions (18-21, 10-10 Big Ten) don't boast a winning non-conference record, Morgan said Penn State plays some good baseball, having won their last three ball games.\n"They've got good starting pitching, and the one kid (sophomore pitcher) Clayton Hamilton is definitely a pro prospect," Morgan said. "They handle the bat real well. They've got a couple kids that run and they're going to squeeze, and they're going to bunt. They play the short game real well, and they're good defensively." \nFacing Hamilton in Friday's first game, slated for 3 p.m., is senior Jacob Cary. Cary burst out of the gate in 2003, going 7-0 and at one point threw five-straight complete games. But the 6-3, 175-pound pitcher has lost his last two outings and figures to face a tough go of it Friday against the probable starter in the 6-5 Hamilton.\nMuch like Morgan, Cary said he is taking the same approach in not panicking over the team's recent struggles.He said he's going to stick with his game plan. \n"This past weekend I pitched pretty well, with three earned runs in a seven-inning game," Cary said. "We should've been in that game. I just do the same thing every weekend -- go out there and try to have a good start again. Offense and defense will show up soon."\nThat offense was all but absent last weekend against Minnesota. The Hoosiers averaged two runs in the four games and put pressure on the pitching staff to deliver perfect performances.\nThis weekend Morgan said the Hoosiers must capitalize on opportunities with better situational hitting and might even take a card from Penn State's deck and play a little small ball in order to push runs across.\n"It just depends on the situation," Morgan said. "We'll try to move guys and score guys however we've got to do it. It depends on who's hitting and what they can do as far as what their assets are as far as scoring guys and moving guys."\nOne player who will play a key part in the offensive game plan is senior Mark Calkins. Calkins led off the team's rotation earlier in the year and, since the emergence of senior Kenny Marrs, has moved two spots down to the three-hole. \nWith Calkins being a senior, he said he knows the importance of this weekend's four-game set. Following Friday's opener, the two teams will square off in a doubleheader Saturday before Sunday's season finale.\nIf IU earns at least a split in the four games, the Hoosiers will be in good position as the next two Big Ten series are at the friendly confines of Sembower Field. Maybe then Morgan and the Hoosiers won't be in the middle anymore.\n"We have a good stretch coming, I feel, as far as our opponents," Calkins said. "We've got two home series and Penn State is just about even with us. I feel we're due to break out. I think if we at least get a split here and then take three out of four at home, the next two series we'll be sitting pretty"
(04/28/03 5:35am)
Hits and runs were few and far between this weekend for the IU baseball team as the Hoosiers dropped three of four to the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Sembower Field. In the four games, IU (27-15, 10-10 Big Ten) could only muster an average of two runs and seven hits throughout the contests against the Big Ten leading and No. 27 ranked Gophers.\nMinnesota used a similar formula for success as it has nearly dominated the rest of the Big Ten this year. The Gopher combo of solid pitching and heavy hitting from a senior laden lineup has lead Minnesota to a 15-3 record in conference. While Minnesota remains atop the conference, the Hoosiers are stuck in the middle with several other Big Ten foes.\nCoach Bob Morgan said the Gophers are a complete team in all facets of the game.\n"If you make a mistake or do anything they take advantage of it," Morgan said. "They've got good team speed. Defensively they don't make any errors and their pitching was solid. The big thing for why we struggled this weekend is offensively because we weren't quite good enough this weekend."\nThe struggle started in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday after Friday's series opener was rained out. Senior Jacob Cary got the start for IU and went the distance but suffered his second straight loss after opening the season 7-0. IU's offensive woes started with only one run on six hits as the Hoosiers fell 5-1.\nIn the second game of the double dip IU's offense awoke from its slumber but couldn't finish the job. IU outhit the Gophers 10-8 but stranded seven Hoosier runners on base.\nIt looked like IU would finally break on top in the series in the bottom of the sixth. The Hoosiers trailed 5-3 and had runners on second and third and nobody out. But the Gophers battled back and retired the next three Hoosier batters in order to retire the side and go on to win 5-3.\nThe Hoosiers' best hopes coming into Sunday's games were to at least salvage a split and remain in the Big Ten race. And Morgan looked to junior Chris Behrens to give his team that chance. Behrens came into the contest hot, having thrown a complete game victory in his last outing. \nBehrens continued his success, engaging in an ole fashion pitching duel with Gopher pitcher Jay Gagner. \nIU did break through for one run in the first on senior Vasili Spanos' RBI single. Both teams' bats went cold as the two clubs put up goose eggs for the next four innings until sophomore Corby Heckman hit his first home run of the season to extend IU's lead to 2-0 and set the stage for drama in the seventh.\nWith two on and two out, Behrens glared in against defending Big Ten MVP and the potential winning run in senior Luke Appert. And Appert, with the count full, hit a lined shot to right field that appeared to be fair but was ruled foul by the home plate umpire. Appert would have at least doubled on the play and it would have scored two runs.\nBehrens rebounded to strike Appert out swinging on his next pitch and preserve IU's win 2-0.\n"To be honest with you I was happy they called it foul," Behrens said. "It would have been a little different turn around than if it was fair."\nBehrens said his control and the Hoosier defense were big as IU didn't commit any errors. \n"Just going out there and throwing strikes really and knowing that my defense can help me out," Behrens said. "We were only up 2-0. They were behind me the whole game and no matter what I did they made plays. That was the key to the entire game right there."\nIt appeared as if IU had a chance at earning the split in the series finale until the sixth inning. With the game tied at two apiece, the Gophers exploded for seven runs in the sixth inning to put the game and IU's quest for a split out of reach in a 10-2 Gopher win. \nMinnesota scored off of five different Hoosier pitchers on its way to the ten runs and eleven hits and batted around in the sixth.\nSpanos said the reason for IU's troubles this weekend was simple, as Morgan's club has lost four of its last five games.\n"Hit," Spanos said. "We don't hit period. Until we figure out how to hit we won't win"
(04/23/03 5:36am)
Sometimes teams just don't match up. And that was the case Tuesday at Sembower Field as IU ran up, over and around Taylor University in an 18-0 win.\nIU (26-11, 9-7 Big Ten) took advantage of 10 Taylor errors and stole eight bases on its way to the blowout victory while only surrendering two hits.\nIU threw two young pitchers, and both performed admirably. Freshman Troy Ragle (1-1) pitched five innings of one-hit ball and earned the first victory of his young career. Sophomore Dan Pezley replaced Ragle and pitched four innings and also only surrendered one hit.\nRagle usually starts the mid-week nonconference games and has shown marked improvement from earlier in the season. Ragle showed excellent control in getting his breaking ball and his fastball over and struck out six Trojan batters.\nCoach Bob Morgan said Ragle has a lot of potential for the future.\n"I thought Ragle threw the ball real well," Morgan said. "He was able to throw the ball inside and he was effective with his curveball. And he was able to get some strikeouts which was good to see. He is going to be a very, very good player before he leaves Indiana."\nOffensively, Morgan's club played small ball, utilizing nine walks by Taylor pitchers to go along with the 10 errors and eight stolen bases. The Hoosiers did have twelve hits, and a pair of Hoosier youngsters also showed promise.\nOne Hoosier rookie that hit well was freshman Steven Head. Head didn't start the game, but replaced the usual starting shortstop junior Seth Bynum. And Head impressed as the 6-1, 175 pounder went 3-3 with two RBIs.\nFreshman Ryan Parker also continued his hot hitting against Taylor. Parker went 3-5 with a pair of doubles and a single and scored four runs Tuesday.\nParker said he's just been concentrating and taking one at-bat at a time.\n"I just put some good swings on the ball," Parker said. "That's what today was for. We wanted to get some momentum going into this weekend. We've got a big series with Minnesota this weekend and we're going to need everybody coming down the stretch in the Big Ten."\nBut before the Hoosiers think about Minnesota, they're going to have to deal with Miami of Ohio first. IU travels to Oxford, Ohio for a 3 p.m start today against the Redhawks.\nSophomore Austin Rhoads will get the start for IU. So far this season Rhoads has been very successful. After ten appearances, Rhoads boasts a 2-0 record with a 1.60 earned run average. Wednesday's start will be his second of the season.\nMiami is 21-16-1 on the season, and Morgan said his team better be prepared for a good ball club.\n"We're going to have a tough game tomorrow on the road against Miami," Morgan said. "So hopefully we'll go and play well, get some pitching, and hopefully get a win"
(04/15/03 5:24am)
The score was tied at four apiece in the seventh inning. Freshman pitcher Chris Hynes squinted into the late afternoon sun for the sign from senior Kevin O'Brien. Hynes wound up and threw a pitch in the dirt, and O'Brien slid to block with ease.\nWhile this event might seem routine, Hynes and O'Brien know a little something about both pitching and catching. Hynes was recruited as a catcher and started the season behind the plate. But because of injuries, he made the switch and has become one of coach Bob Morgan's top relievers. O'Brien spent his first two years at IU catching but made the transition to the mound for his junior and senior years and has shown consistency out of the bullpen in the late innings.\nO'Brien chuckled when he realized the comedy of the situation.\n"If we needed a few more innings if the game went extra innings, we'd have to switch off," O'Brien said of that April 12 contest.\nEasing both of their transitions has been Hoosier pitching coach Jeff Calcaterra. Calcaterra, in his seventh year as a full-time assistant, lettered at IU from 1989 to 1992 and was drafted by the New York Yankees as a catcher. \nCalcaterra played for the Gulf Coast Yankees and after his first year in the minors, made the transition that Hynes and O'Brien would make two decades later: a 60-foot, six-inch move from behind the plate to the pitching rubber.\nCalcaterra speaks for the three of them in saying the transition physically wasn't that difficult.\n"All three of us are pretty decent athletes," Calcaterra said, "and the one tool that I possessed as a ball player was my throwing arm. Both O'Brien and Hynes have very good arms. So making the transition physically from a catching throwing arm to a pitching arm was pretty easy."\nThe ease of the transition can be illustrated through both Hynes and O'Brien's excellent numbers. Hynes sports a 1-0 record with a 2.25 earned run average in 24 innings pitched, and O'Brien countering with a 2-0 record and a 3.93 ERA through 18.1 frames. \nMorgan counts on both hurlers to get his ball club out of tough jams. On April 5 against Iowa, junior starting pitcher Adam Pegg gave up two runs in five innings and was removed with the game tied. Hynes came on and delivered, pitching five innings of shut out ball, and IU won in the 10th inning.\nHynes said the development of his change up has been key.\n"I really didn't have a change up in high school," Hynes said. "They haven't been touching my change up while they've been killing my fastball. My change up has been the key to my success this year."\nWhile Hynes mainly works in long relief, O'Brien is a late inning reliever usually setting up for senior closer Ryan Smith. O'Brien, always pitching with his trade mark hat cocked to the side, is tied for third on the club with 17 strikeouts in as many innings. \nO'Brien's stocky frame of 6 feet and 225 pounds allows the Patterson, N.Y., native to bring good heat to the plate. O'Brien said the pressure of coming out of the bullpen is the same as starting except with little room for mistakes.\n"It is pressure because you can't control the game," O'Brien said. "But if you just do your job, you're trying to get the hitter out anyway. It's the same thing. There's just not as much margin for error."\nBoth converted catchers have benefited from the advantages of their former position. From pitch selection to knowing the defensive plays, Hynes and O'Brien know the ropes.\n"I've seen a lot of hitters in the Big Ten," O'Brien said. "Guys that were good their freshman year when I was a catcher and are still around. I've seen the way they hit and what pitches they like."\nCalcaterra has seen a lot of pitchers come through IU in his three years as a volunteer and seven as the pitching coach. And Calcaterra has helped both pitchers go back and forth mechanics-wise when spot catching duty arises.\nCalcaterra said the younger Hynes' maturity is catching up to the veteran O'Brien's, but if both of them keep throwing strikes, Hoosier hopes will be high.\n"Kevin has been pitching a couple of years now so he's a little more mature than Chris," Calcaterra said. "But Chris has showed some maturity on the mound. He's been able to throw strikes, and that's the most important thing for both of them"
(04/15/03 5:23am)
The stage was set. Coach Bob Morgan stuck one win away from 1,000 with only the Wright State Raiders standing in the way. But on that March 26 afternoon, Wright State surprised the Hoosiers, capitalizing on IU's pitching and defensive mistakes to up-end IU 7-6.\nToday at 6:30 p.m. in Dayton, Ohio, IU (22-9, 7-5 Big Ten) will seek revenge over the Raiders (10-20) for costing Morgan his thousandth and for beating the Hoosiers on their home field.\nJunior Cody Wargo was disappointed for his coach when they couldn't capture the milestone win. Wargo said today is a revenge game.\n"Yeah, I think so especially when we lost it was for coach's thousandth win," Wargo said. "We had the game won and then we blew it in the last couple of innings. It's kind of bitter in our mouth so we're definitely ready to get out and play them."\nMorgan said if his team wants to win it has to show marked improvement defensively since the last time they faced the Raiders. In the 7-6 loss, IU had two errors with one leading to two Wright State runs that provided the winning margin.\n"I just hope we can go over there and play well," Morgan said. "We're going to try and look at some other kids and start with our young kids pitching wise."\nOne of those young kids is freshman pitcher Troy Ragle. Ragle (0-1) has started the last three non-conference games for IU while compiling a respectable 2.70 earned run average. \nThe 6-foot-5-inches, 190-pound southpaw will again get the nod Tuesday for IU. Ragle has struggled at times in the 2003 campaign while showing flashes of great promise. His most recent start against Valparaiso was perhaps Ragle's best outing. The Newburgh, Ind., prospect pitched 3.2 innings of one-run ball while striking out a pair.\nKeeping the ball down is every pitcher's goal, and Ragle said location is his number one priority.\n"I need to keep it down and change speeds a lot," Ragle said. "And I need to work on my curveball because that's the pitch that keeps them off-balance. Keeping the ball down is my main thing to focus on."\nWhile focusing on Wright State, improvement for Big Ten play is this team's top priority. In the next two weekends IU faces second place Ohio State in Columbus and returns home to face league leading Minnesota. \nBut if IU looks ahead like they did on March 26, the Raiders could sweep the season series. And Ragle thinks the Raiders will see the difference. \n"I think our team is vastly improved since then," Ragle said. "So hopefully we'll come out and show them how our hitting has improved and our pitching also"
(04/11/03 5:28am)
The IU baseball team faces a crossroad. On one road the Hoosiers, tied for second in the Big Ten, can separate themselves from the rest of the pack this weekend against Michigan State at Sembower Field. But the other road leads IU toward the pack with mediocrity accompanying. \nWhile IU (20-7, 5-3 Big Ten) has a clear advantage over the cellar dwelling Spartans (7-18, 1-5 Big Ten) record wise alone, coach Bob Morgan's club has no room for complacency. \nMorgan said anytime you play a Big Ten opponent, you better be prepared.\n"I think (Michigan State is) a solid team," Morgan said. "Everybody in the Big Ten's solid so you have to play every weekend or you're going to get beat."\nThis weekend's four game set is IU's Big Ten home opener. And after two straight weekend series on the road, defending the home diamond is instrumental for the Hoosiers' chances in separating from the field.\nMorgan said while he wants to win every game, taking three of four from the Spartans would satisfy him.\n"We've been road warriors," Morgan said. "We've played eight conference games, and they've all been on the road so we'll finally be at home and hopefully we can take advantage of being at home and at least win maybe three out of four. If you win three out of four it kind of separates you a little bit."\nStarting that separation Friday will be senior pitcher Jacob Cary. Cary (6-0) will open the series looking to continue to climb the charts in the Big Ten while providing solid pitching for the Hoosiers. Cary sports a 2.30 earned run average and has pitched four straight complete games for IU while leading the rest of the Hoosiers far and away in innings pitched with 43. \nCary takes a simplistic approach to pitching: Throw strikes and let your defense help you out. Cary plans to use that same formula this weekend, he said.\n"This weekend I need to throw the ball over the plate and make them hit it," Cary said. "Defensively we're really working well together. And it seems like whenever I struggle the offense and defense step up."\nWhile Cary has been doing his part, he has had the added responsibility of leading a young pitching staff. Of the 13 pitchers who have pitched for IU this season, only five are either junior or seniors. \nCary said he has tried to lead by his actions because he's not a real rah-rah type of guy.\n"I try to lead by example mostly," Cary said. "I'm not one for speeches or anything like that. I don't try to take anything too seriously. That was one of my things going into this year, besides innings pitched and wins, was leading this staff because we do have a lot of young faces."\nThose young faces will have to step up this weekend if IU wants to remain near the top of the Big Ten standings. But an old face around the Hoosier clubhouse will be responsible for setting the table for IU's offense. Senior leadoff hitter Mark Calkins said it's his job to cause havoc on the basepaths.\n"I'm trying to work on hitting so I need to pick it up a lot," Calkins said. "Right now he's got me hitting lead off so my job is to get on base. I need to help my team out this weekend, get on base and use my speed to steal."\nAfter a 3 p.m. Friday start, the two teams return again Saturday for a doubleheader with the first game starting at 1 p.m. The series finale is set for 1 p.m. Sunday.\nMorgan said this is their time to shine. And with third place Ohio State and Big Ten-leading Minnesota staring IU in the face the next two weekends, establishing breathing room is key for the Hoosiers on the road to success.\n"We'd like to get off to that good start because remember we've got to go to Ohio State, and we've got Minnesota coming here," Morgan said. "But you know we've got to focus and concentrate on playing as well and as hard as we can this weekend against Michigan State"
(04/09/03 5:56am)
One game is OK. Two might start a little head scratching. But three straight non-conference losses in a row could cause major concern for the IU baseball team (19-7, 5-3 Big Ten) as it prepares to face that challenge today at 3 p.m. against Valparaiso at Sembower Field. \nCoach Bob Morgan's club has lost two straight non-conference nail biters, a 7-6 loss to Wright State on March 26 and an 11-9 loss to Indiana State on April 2. In order to remedy that situation against Valpo, Morgan said he needs quality pitching from the young pitchers.\n"We're trying to develop some depth on our staff by pitching some of our younger guys mid-week," Morgan said. "We need some pitchers to step up for us mid-week so we can develop some depth, and it's a chance and opportunity for them."\nThe youngsters are counted on in mid-week games because Morgan usually saves his more experienced pitchers for the weekend's Big Ten contests. Two freshman pitchers, Troy Ragle and Derek Hibbs, have been given the biggest chance to shine by Morgan. And while they've performed admirably at times, they've faltered at others.\nAgainst Wright State, Ragle started pitching four innings of one run ball. Hibbs entered in the seventh, but in the eighth ran into trouble giving up three runs and sacrificing a two-run lead. \nIn the Indiana State game, Ragle started again and gave up seven runs in 2.2 innings. In Ragle's defense, only two of those seven runs were earned as two Hoosier errors led to two ISU runs. Hibbs replaced Ragle and pitched 1.1 innings giving up two runs on three hits, including back-to-back homers.\nMorgan said he's going to stick with Ragle (0-1) to start a third straight non-conference game.\n"He's thrown two mid-week games, and we saw progress from the first to the second start," Morgan said. "And hopefully we'll see some progress tomorrow too."\nOne player who has seen his fair share of pitchers in his four years at IU is senior Vasili Spanos. And Spanos said while the young pitchers have had their struggles, it's not their entire fault.\n"We're definitely not throwing our best pitchers," Spanos said. "In the Indiana State game, we had a couple of errors. They did well, but we're not throwing our number one pitchers."\nWhile IU doesn't pitch its number ones, the non-conference opposition usually does. Indiana State pitched junior Brian Woods and Wright State pitched junior Casey Abrams in those two teams' wins. Valparaiso will almost surely pitch one of its best on Wednesday.\nSenior Nick Evans said the combination of IU's young pitchers versus the opposition's best pitchers is a tough challenge for the Hoosiers.\nEvans and Spanos are two seniors trying to resurrect a struggling offense ranked eighth in the Big Ten. But both are doing so in different ways. \nSpanos ranks second on the team and sixth in the Big Ten in hitting, batting .381 with 21 runs batted in while slugging an even .500. Spanos said the season started very well for him, then slacked, and he has recently picked back up by going eight for 12 with three RBIs in four games this past weekend against Iowa.\n"As far as my stats go they're OK," Spanos said. "I would have liked to be doing better. I feel pretty good right now, but I do know I haven't been swinging the bat as well as I should be."\nWhile Spanos leads out of the clean-up spot, Evans, usually batting in the sixth hole, keeps stepping up in key situations. Evans game winning single in the 10th inning of the second game of the Iowa series secured an IU win, and Evans followed up with another two-out, two-run single two games later. Evans said being patient for your pitch is the trick.\n"I think anytime you're in a key situation, you have to make sure you get a pitch to hit," Morgan said. "Both times the pitchers made a mistake, and I got the pitch I was looking for."\nHopefully for the Hoosiers they won't need Evans timely hitting against the 6-14-1 Crusaders. Spanos doesn't worry about this Hoosier team not taking everyone seriously.\n"I don't think we're taking anybody too lightly," Spanos said. "I think the good thing about this year's team is we just go out and play baseball"
(04/03/03 5:55am)
Strong winds and weak pitching proved to cause IU's demise as Indiana State University's five home runs outslugged the Hoosiers 11-9 Wednesday at Sembower Field. Sycamore seniors John Purdom and Ben Vannatter both homered twice to pace ISU's (18-5) offensive onslaught.\nA stiff breeze blew all day carrying would-be flyouts into home runs. Two Hoosiers joined in the hit parade as senior Vasili Spanos, and junior Ryan Donley homered. Donley's shot was a towering blast to left-center. And Spanos' hit was a high blast to straight-away center that barely cleared the wall with a lot of help from the Wrigley Field-like winds.\nDespite a strong offensive showing, IU's inconsistent defense and lackluster pitching led to the loss for Coach Bob Morgan's club. \n"The bottom line is we made too many errors and walked too many guys," Morgan said. "We just didn't play very well defensively, and we just didn't pitch very well enough to win the ball game."\nThe Hoosiers' errors and defensive miscues started early. Freshman starting pitcher Troy Ragle wasn't backed up by his defense as ISU scored five runs in the first inning on only two hits. Junior first baseman Kevin Mahar's overthrow on an attempted double play scored the first run. And Spanos' fumbled grounder scored ISU's second run. \nFollowing a Sycamore RBI-groundout, Vannatter's first homer, a two-run blast, extended ISU's lead to 5-0.\nMorgan said the first inning set the tone.\n"We should've helped Ragle out in the first inning," Morgan said. "We should've been out of the inning with no runs, and they end up getting five because we made some mistakes."\nIU turned the tables in the bottom of the second, evening the score at 5-5. Donley's three-run blast was the big blow with Mahar and senior Brad DeStefano's RBI single contributing to even the tally.\nThe Sycamores didn't waste any time regaining the advantage as a wild pitch by Ragle scored one before Vannatter struck again with an RBI-double to reclaim the lead 7-5. \nIn the bottom of the third, Spanos' solo homer cut the Sycamore's lead to 7-6. Spanos said he's been swinging the bat better of late, but the wind definitely helped him out today.\n"I was just out front and got the barrel on it," Spanos said. "It was a nice windy day and there's nothing better than a wind-blown home run. I'll take it and hopefully this will jump start me a little bit, but I'm still not where I need to be."\nISU kept itself where it needed to be, and that place was in the lead. Back-to-back homers on back-to-back pitches by Purdom and senior Chris Hall extended the Sycamore lead to 9-6. \nAfter IU drew closer to 9-7 heading into the sixth inning, Purdom extended the lead again to 10-7 with a solo shot. IU senior Nick Evans' timely two-out, two-RBI double closed the gap to 10-9. \nEvans said he got a pitch to hit.\n"There were two outs and we really needed a couple of runs to get us back in the game," Evans said. "The guy had been throwing a lot of fastballs to just about every hitter on the first pitch and I was lucky enough to get one to drop in just inside the line."\nEvan's double was all IU could muster offensively, and a Vannatter ninth-inning homer insured the Sycamore win,11-9. \nMorgan said he gave ISU credit.\n"They're a good ball club," Morgan said. "And when we got back in it, every pitcher we brought in they were able to extend the lead. It's a hitter's day. The wind was blowing out and give them credit, they were able to extend the lead"
(03/27/03 5:39am)
Coach Bob Morgan's bid for his 1,000 victory fell as fast as the setting sun as Wright State's two-run eighth inning rally propelled the Raiders to a 7-6 victory over IU. Sophomore Ty Brown's grounder to second took a bad hop on sophomore Jay Brant, and Raider runners senior Kofi Gyimah and freshman Justin Wilson came around to score to provide the winning margin.\nMorgan said he would have enjoyed winning at home, but he'll move on.\n"If I had my druthers, I'd much rather win at home," Morgan said. "Maybe my wife might make me a cake or something. It would have been more meaningful because you see all your friends around saying good luck. So I kind of feel like I let them down a little bit, but life goes on."\nTwo southpaws squared off as freshman Troy Ragle (0-0) got the nod for IU in his first start and junior Casey Abrams (0-3) started for Wright State. It was the Raiders who drew first blood. With the runners going on a full count, sophomore Adam Morton's slow roller found a hole on the left side to score freshman Pat Masters and secure a 1-0 lead.\nIU countered in the bottom of the third when senior Mark Calkins' single to center scored Brant to even the score. Moments later Raider freshman catcher Kirk Seddon's wild attempted pick off throw scored Calkins and senior Vasili Spanos to give IU the lead, 3-1.\nRaider revenge occurred in the top of the fifth when freshman Dan Pezley replaced Ragle. Masters' two-run double drew Wright State even, and Morton struck again with a single to right plating Masters and giving Wright State the lead 4-3.\nThe Hoosiers manufactured a run in the bottom of the fifth when senior Brad DeStefano scored on a Calkins groundout. An inning later IU took the lead when junior Ryan Donley stole home during a run-down between first and second with junior Cody Wargo making the score 5-4.\nDeStefano scored another run in the Hoosier seventh, but the Raiders refused to quit. Wilson's run scoring single scored Morton to bring Wright State within one before Brant's error provided the final margin.\nConsistency on defense was a problem all day for the Hoosiers (14-3). Calkins and DeStefano highlighted the days action with two breathtaking web gems. Calkins robbed Brown with a fully extended diving grab in left center that perhaps saved a run in the top of the second. And DeStefano refused to be beat with his own diving catch that seemed to come inches from the grass. \nCalkins said it was a fortunate catch.\n"It was pretty lucky I guess," Calkins said. "I got a good bead on it right off the bat, layed out and reached out my glove and I guess I had it. I didn't really think I had it, but I knew I had a chance off the bat."\nOn the other side of the coin the Hoosiers had some breakdowns. Brant was one Hoosier who had a tough day. Overall offensive and defensive execution needs improvement before IU travels to Champaign, Ill., this weekend to open the Big Ten season against Illinois. But junior Seth Bynum said the mental errors can be overcome.\n"I think our defense did pretty well," Bynum said. "We had a couple of mental mistakes. I think we played real good defense, but we've just got to execute more and take it to Illinois this weekend"
(03/25/03 4:36am)
With the Big Ten season opening this weekend, the IU baseball team will look to fine tune itself for conference play today against Saginaw Valley State (10-2) with a 3 p.m. start at Sembower Field. IU (13-2) returned from its spring break in Bradenton, Fla., winning five of six and carrying a three-game winning streak into today's contest.\nCoach Bob Morgan's club will look for increased consistency out of its offense. The Hoosiers, batting .288 as a team, showed flashes of brilliance with three double-digit hit games in Florida but also struggled in back-to-back games with only five hits against Yale and six hits in their only loss to Northeastern.\n"We've just got to continue to keep working offensively and try to cut down on our strike outs because we need to score a few more runs than we have been to extend leads," Morgan said. "Just consistency, being able to move runners, being able to score runners and having more quality at bats at the plate."\nOne Hoosier who has had no problem creating havoc at the plate is sophomore Corby Heckman. Offensively Heckman leads IU. The Spencer, Ind., native is batting .396, slugging an even .500 with an on-base percentage of .408.\nWhile Heckman has been producing usually out of the two or three spot in the lineup, another Hoosier beginning to come on in the middle of the lineup is junior Kevin Mahar. The 6-4, 195 pound 1st baseman is hitting .321 on the season, has started all 15 games and had arguably his best game of the season against Bradley when he went 4-4.\nMahar said increased concentration during every at-bat has improved his numbers.\n"I'm just trying to get more consistent with my swing right now," Mahar said. "I've had some off and on, up and down games."\nMorgan has had no problem finding consistency out of senior pitcher Jacob Cary. When senior and staff ace Nick Vitielliss went out for the season, Morgan said he was concerned about replacing his best pitcher. Cary has relieved some of those doubts. \nIn Florida, Cary was a workhorse, pitching complete games in his two starts. In IU victories over Army and Bradley, Cary (4-0) surrendered only one earned run in both contests while striking out seven and six respectively.\nCary said the number of innings and pitches didn't bother him.\n"I've thrown a lot of innings ever since high school," Cary said. "I think I threw over 100 innings senior year. That's the way I work, throwing a lot of pitches. Throwing 120, 140 doesn't bother me too much."\nLook for Morgan to give the nod today to one of two freshmen, Josh Lewis or Austin Rhoads. Lewis has four appearances with a 7.04 earned run average, while Rhoads counters with a 2-0 record and a .82 ERA.\nNo matter who's pitching or swinging the bat, Morgan said he wants to improve before traveling to Champaign, Ill., this weekend to take on Illinois in the Big Ten season opener. But IU shouldn't relax against Saginaw Valley. The Cardinals compiled a respectable 36-12 record last season while finishing second in the Great Lakes conference.\nIf the Hoosiers are successful, Morgan will move one win closer to 1,000 career wins and setting the stage for Wednesday's home game against Wright State.\n"We've pitched and played defense," Morgan said, "but we've just got to keep working offensively, and I think it'll come"
(03/14/03 5:30am)
It was a tale of three innings as the IU baseball team amassed 16 runs in three frames to defeat DePauw 17-1 on a cold Thursday afternoon at Sembower Field. The Hoosiers scored four, five, and seven runs in the second, fourth and sixth innings, respectively, to subdue the Tigers. \nCoach Bob Morgan said he was happy with his team's performance despite the weather.\n"We put a couple of innings together," Morgan said. "We were able to expand and stretch the lead. It's not a good day for hitting. It's cold."\nOffensively, sophomore Corby Heckman led IU. Heckman continued his hot start in the 2003 campaign batting 4-6, knocking in three and scoring one run. Heckman is batting .387 on the young season, and said his average has increased with his number of chances.\n"I think most of all I am just getting more opportunities," Heckman said. "I'm trying to look for good pitches to hit, because if I do that, I'll have a good chance at the plate."\nSophomore Kevin Inglis (1-0) picked up his first victory of the campaign. Inglis pitched the fifth and sixth innings, allowing one run on three hits. Inglis was one of five Hoosier pitchers on the day, with freshman starter Austin Rhoads with four innings of shutout ball followed by freshman Dan Pezley, senior Kevin O'Brien, and freshman Brian Lortz in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, respectively.\n"I felt pleased, number one, because we were able to play today," Morgan said. "We've had a lot of rain. Offensively, our guys hit some line drives and hit some balls good." \nThe Hoosiers will return to Bradenton, Fla. for the second time in three weeks during break. This time, IU will play eight games in eight days, starting with Saturday's contest against Bradley.\nA number one priority for IU will be developing depth to an injury depleted pitching staff. Morgan said after so many injuries, such as losing staff ace senior Nick Vitielliss for the season, pitching is a top priority. \nJunior pitcher Chris Behrens (1-0) has been impressive so far, surrendering zero earned runs in 10.1 innings pitched. Behrens said Vitielliss' will be missed, but he has confidence in the rest of the staff. \n"That's a big pair of shoes to fill with Nick (Vitielliss) being gone," Behrens said. "That was a really big loss. I think the freshmen can step up and fill that role because we need another starter. I think our pitching will still come through"
(03/13/03 5:08am)
The successful baseball formula of quality pitching and timely hitting added up to a 4-1 IU victory over Butler on a sunny Wednesday afternoon at Sembower Field. The Hoosiers' (7-1) bats started slowly, but three timely extra base hits combined with solid pitching provided the winning margin for Coach Bob Morgan's club.\nAfter two cancellations, IU was finally able to open its home season. And Morgan said he was happy with what he saw.\n"I thought it was a good ball game," Morgan said. "It was a good game to watch. We hit two home runs. There were no errors on either side, and there was some good defense being played. It was just a good college baseball game."\nFreshman Derek Hibbs (1-0) got the nod and the victory for IU in the first start of his career. Hibbs didn't take long to get into trouble as Butler loaded the bases with one out in the first inning. Hibbs showed grit and battled back by striking out Butler senior Rex Eaton and getting senior Tim Marks to fly out to left to end the Bulldog rally.\nThe game remained scoreless until the bottom of the third when IU struck paydirt with timely two-out hitting. With no one on and Bulldog senior Aaron Phillips on the mound, junior Seth Bynum lined a hard single to left and senior Chad Coder followed with a lined single to center. Sophomore Corby Heckman's bloop hit to center plated two with Coder beating a late throw to the plate to put IU on top 2-0.\nIU's two-run lead didn't last long as Marks homered deep to left-center in the top of the fourth to cut the score to 2-1.\nAlthough Phillips (0-2) was credited with the loss, he proved tough to handle all afternoon for Hoosier batters. Through his eight-inning complete game, Phillips scattered nine hits with a solid mix of fastballs and breaking balls. Morgan said he was impressed with Phillips.\n"Give their pitcher credit," Morgan said. "He threw a lot of strikes and didn't walk anybody. He threw a nice game."\nOnly two IU players were able to break through the remainder of the contest. In the bottom of the seventh, senior Vasili Spanos homered to right center for his second of the season to extend IU's lead to 3-1. Then, junior catcher Cody Wargo bounced one off the top of the scoreboard in right-center for his first homer of the season, ending the scoring at 4-1.\nWargo said he got a pitch to hit.\n"I fouled one off earlier that I thought was right on," Wargo said. "He threw a pitch I could handle and I hit it and it felt good. It was a slider that hung over the plate. I just went with it, and happened to hit it pretty good."\nThe pitchers Wargo was catching also performed well. After Hibbs was replaced in the top of the fourth, junior Adam Pegg pitched two innings of scoreless one-hit ball. Converted freshman catcher Chris Hynes pitched the final three innings of shutout ball to earn his first save of his career in only his second appearance. \nHynes said he had good stuff Wednesday.\n"My curveball was just working today and everything else was working," Hynes said. "I threw a fastball strike to get off to a good start with each batter. It's hard to get a base hit when you're behind in the count."\nMorgan said he hopes his club can carry over its performance to today's 3 p.m. game against DePauw.\n"I'm pleased we win a ball game 4-1," Morgan said. "We had nine hits and we hit two out of the yard. It was just a well played game, and I was happy with how we played"
(03/07/03 3:54pm)
For the second time in as many weeks, the IU baseball team canceled its scheduled series in favor of better weather this weekend. The Hoosiers were supposed to travel to Fairfax, Va. to take on George Mason, but instead will be heading further south to Asheville, N.C., to play two double headers on Saturday and Sunday against the Akron Zips. Both day's games will start at noon. \nCoach Bob Morgan's club encountered a similar situation last weekend when IU, instead of competing in the Governor's Cup in Evansville, traveled to Bradenton, Fla., where the Hoosiers (3-0) started the season by defeating three teams in four days.\nFor Morgan, it doesn't matter where IU plays as long as they are improving. The Hoosiers started sluggishly in their first game, a 6-5 squeaker over the University of Findlay. But IU finished the weekend on March 3 with a 5-3 victory over a talented Boston College squad. Morgan said he's looking for his team to play hard and show improvement this weekend.\n"I'll be happy if we play well each time out and if we can improve upon our performance from this past weekend," Morgan said. "Just playing hard, playing well, and looking for guys to get better. That's what we're looking for."\nOne area IU will definitely try to improve is making every at-bat count. IU was plagued over the weekend with lackluster at-bats, but strong pitching kept the Hoosiers competitive. IU's strongest offensive performance came on March 3 against Valparaiso when the Hoosiers compiled 12 runs on 15 hits.\nSenior outfielder Kenny Marrs said IU's concentration at the plate must improve to support the pitching staff.\n"Our pitching carried us a lot this weekend. And the offense did alright scoring some runs, but we had a lot of at-bats that weren't very good at-bats," Marrs said. "We've got to improve on that. To compete at the Big Ten level we're going to have to have quality at-bats and not waste seven or eight like this past weekend."\nA player who capitalized on many of his at-bats was senior third baseman Vasili Spanos. Spanos was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for Feb. 24 to March 3. During that period, Spanos hit .462, compiled a .846 slugging percentage, homered once and had three extra base hits.\nSpanos said he's glad his final season at IU started on the right foot.\n"It's nice being the first weekend and all," Spanos said. "I'm just glad I got off to a good start."\nMorgan said Spanos' offensive versatility makes him a tough hitter to get out.\n"He's a power guy. He's an RBI guy for us," Morgan said. "He hits for average, and usually you don't have power guys hit for average. People have to fear him, and other people are going to get pitches to hit. He's the key that makes us go."\nOne area hindering IU's young season is its strike out numbers. Through three games, IU has struck out 29 times out of 119 total at bats. Those two numbers translate into IU striking out approximately one out of every four at-bats, a statistic that surely doesn't bring a smile to Morgan's face.\n"Overall we didn't show a lot of discipline, and we didn't have very many good at-bats," Morgan said. \nSpanos agrees, but isn't too worried. The River Forest, Ill., native said it's a young season, and the club will look to eliminate some of those mistakes this weekend.\n"I think overall our goal is to play better and eliminate mistakes," Spanos said. "We had a few more strike outs than I would like, but it takes a little while to adjust."\nRegardless, Marrs said year's team is farther along than last year's 35-20 squad.\n"At this point I think we've got a little jump on last year's team," Marrs said. "We started out 3-0. The expectations are high, and I think it's a good way to start a season"
(02/28/03 6:12am)
As Mother Nature continues to reign supreme in the Midwest, the IU baseball team decided to seek sunnier skies following the cancellation of this weekend's Governor's Cup tournament in Evansville. Coach Bob Morgan's 20th Hoosier squad will finally start its season in Bradenton, Fla., playing four games in four days.\nIU planned to open its season with a three-game series at Morehead State on Feb. 21, and then open its home season on Tuesday against DePauw. But snowy conditions cancelled the Morehead State series and the DePauw game was postponed. Morgan said after the cancellations and postponements, it's critical for the Hoosiers to take the diamond.\n"We just need to play," Morgan said, "and we're able to go to Bradenton and get in four games down there."\n2003's first pitch will be at 6 p.m. tonight against the University of Findlay at Manatee Community College. Saturday morning the Hoosiers play Valparaiso at 10:30 a.m. at the IMG Academy, and return to Manatee at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon to face Holy Cross. IU concludes its weekend with Monday's 10:30 a.m. showdown against Boston College. \nThe Hoosiers have been practicing inside at Mellencamp Pavilion since starting workouts on Jan. 23. Mellencamp has artificial turf limiting the effectiveness of practice.\nMorgan said the indoor practices have hurt his team, but IU will finally be able to don its spikes and swing for the fences in Florida. \n"Usually by this time we've played a few games," Morgan said. "There's no question it has put a hamper on the team. We haven't had a groundball in the dirt yet."\nThe pitchers delivering those groundballs remain to be seen. One surely missing in this season's rotation is senior Nick Vitielliss. Vitielliss was IU's top returning hurler with an 8-1 record in 2002 and a 3.58 ERA, but the Waldorf, Md., native was lost for the season after being forced to undergo "Tommy John" surgery on his right elbow.\nAfter losing Vitielliss as well as junior college transfer John Matlick for the season, Morgan will look for his entire staff to step up this weekend.\n"We're gonna pitch a little bit of everybody," Morgan said. "We've lost some depth, but that just means that other guys have to step up." \nHoping to step up is senior pitcher Jacob Cary. The 6-3, 175-pound right hander compiled a 6-6 record in '02 with 74.1 innings pitched. Cary has worked over the off-season in hopes of improving those numbers this season.\n"I've been working on getting ahead in the count," Cary said, "and on pitches that will put guys away. I've also been working on getting my curveball over."\nLast season, IU was the nation's No. 12 hitting team batting .330, scoring 420 runs and hitting 49 home runs while finishing fourth in the Big Ten with a 35-20 record.\nThis season, senior designated hitter Nick Evans is one veteran who will be counted on in the middle of the lineup to try to improve on last season's totals. Evans batted .333 last season while knocking in 27. Evans said the veterans combined with the new guys have what it takes to make it happen. But it all starts with this weekend in The Sunshine State.\n"There's no question we're prepared in terms of baseball stuff," Evans said. "The big thing is getting outdoors with live pitching. Just getting in game mentality will be a challenge, but we're looking forward to it"
(12/10/02 4:44am)
The lighting dims as the classroom grows quiet. Two projections of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets appear on either side of the wall displaying statistics on the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks. \nAs a professor of Decision Sciences in the business school, Dr. Wayne Winston's job is to instruct his MBA students to use mathematical and analytical tools to solve business problems. \n"I think the phrase is if you show someone a fish today, they'll eat today," said Winston, who has been teaching at IU for 27 years. "But if you teach them how to fish, they'll eat for a lifetime. I want to teach them (students) how to solve business problems throughout their career."\nThe tools Winston teaches his students are the same ones he utilizes in his work for the Mavericks, Microsoft, Eli Lilly, Bristol Myers Squibb, Intel and Cisco.\nWinston simplifies information so well that these companies hire him regularly to teach them how to solve their respective business problems.\nDallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, an IU graduate, hired Winston and his longtime college friend Jeff Sagarin to use their mathematical, analytical and computer skills to improve the Mavericks by analyzing two important and practical basketball issues: referees and prospective lineups.\nEvaluations of each NBA official start and end on what calls they make the most and with what frequency. For instance, if one official who frequently calls offensive fouls is refereeing the Mavericks game, Winston alerts the Mavs to watch their aggressiveness when attacking the basket.\n"With the officials it gives us an advantage because we know which refs fall outside the norm for certain calls," Cuban said. "So if a guy doesn't call charges or does call three seconds we can adjust."\nWinston and Sagarin also evaluate the success of various lineups for the Mavericks. No matter the issue, the question for Winston always comes back to a math problem and how to solve it. The spreadsheets show him and his students the answer.\n"The last 10 years all I've done is try to learn how to solve business problems with spreadsheets," Winston said. "Most people in my field acknowledge that that's the best way to teach, and I was one of the first people to do it. In that sense I've got ahead."\nMicrosoft hires Winston every other month, and he teaches their employees how to use their own product, Microsoft Excel.\n"They can't get enough of learning how to solve real problems because most people are smart out there," Winston said, "but they don't know what they can do. They don't know what the capabilities are of a computer these days."\nWinston's math skills were not fully developed until he graduated with a degree in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1971. The 52-year-old Livingston, N.J., native and two-time Jeopardy champion earned his Ph.D. in operations research at Yale. For Winston, the decision to teach at a business school was an easy one.\n"It was the best job I got," Winston said. \nThe sandy-haired Winston had to make the difficult transition from highly theoretical disciplines to practical business problems. Professor Ashok Soni, a colleague of Winston's, said the transition wasn't easy.\n"His biggest obstacle at the professional level has been the transition from a very theoretical foundation to a practical foundation," Soni said. "I'm sure he has struggled with that."\nBut spreadsheets eased the transition. Winston first used Lotus, and in 1992, he switched to Microsoft Excel. Ever since, Winston has used the program to develop his spreadsheet skills and transfer a once theoretical curriculum into a practical discipline.\n"The first 10 years I was here I would say we mainly did theoretical stuff," Winston said. "But now the spreadsheets are available and that makes it real easy to do the projects. Now, I can get students to solve real problems that 15 years ago I could have never given them."\nHe has based his courses around real-world examples ever since. Winston teaches K510 -- "Decision Modeling for the Department of Operations and Decision Technology." His mission for the course is to teach students to solve business problems with spreadsheets and to show them "how a spreadsheet can model just about anything."\nOne business problem example discussed in Winston's class is how the U.S. Army misallocated its helicopter resources in 1980 during the attempted rescue of U.S. hostages in Iran. The army sent eight helicopters, but only needed six to work. The army said the helicopters had about a 60 percent chance of working, but if the army sent eight or more they might be spotted by radar. \nIt turns out that only five of the helicopters worked and the U.S. needed six. And America was unsuccessful in the rescue attempt because, as Winston and his class figures, they needed 14. The number results from the Monte Carlo simulation that allows the class to continually play out uncertain situations to find the proper solution.\n"There could have been a totally different history if they'd actually use the stuff that we teach in class," Winston said. "If you mathematically analyze it, they made a big mistake by not sending enough helicopters."\nWinston's challenge is to present the information so the average MBA student understands it. He presents each class with an example and a blank spreadsheet, and then solves it for his students step-by-step.\nWinston's simplicity is what separates him from other instructors, Soni said.\n"If you look at his stuff and the way he delivers it, he makes a very complicated topic understandable," Soni said. "And that really sets him apart from the other instructors."\nStill, the pace is more than a walk in the park, said Vasanth Shenai, one of Winston's students.\n"I think the best thing he does is walking us through the examples," Shenai said. "It's at a brisk pace, but as long as you get the steps you can figure it out on your own"
(12/09/02 3:37am)
Two masked warriors stand facing each other, 20 yards apart. They bow, step 15 feet closer and bow again. Then, on the judge's command, the two warriors raise their wooden swords to do battle. While the casual observer might think Star Wars has gone old-fashioned, the martial art of Kendo was developed from warriors possibly a little older than Skywalker, the samurai. \nGraduate student Melissa Kocias is the president of IU's Kendo Club, and on Saturday, the club hosted their fourth Semi-Annual In-House Tournament at the the HPER. The tournament divided the club's 25 members into two divisions: advanced and beginner. And men and women fought each other Saturday afternoon for their respective division's crown in the spirit of the samurai.\n"Kendo is a Japanese martial art developed from the practices, philosophies and techniques of the Samurai," Kocias said. "Obviously, it's greatly modified today from what it was back in the day."\nPart of this modification comes from the equipment that the club members use. Instead of a bladed sword, club members use a sword called a "shinai," which is made out of bamboo and held together by leather. Members also wear traditional robes, helmets called "men," gloves called "kote" and body armor named "do." \nAlthough most participants in martial arts wear robes, kendo separates itself from other martial arts through it's fighting.\n"I don't think you can compare (Kendo) to any of them because it is so unique," Kocias said. "We don't hit with our hands, and we don't kick. There's really not a lot of grappling involved. It's all hitting with the sword."\nKocias defines Kendo as "the way of the sword." And participants have three ways to strike their opponent: on the head, torso or the wrist. While the two opponents are sparring, three judges observe the action. If two out of the three think the hit was successful in the respected area, a point is awarded, and earning two points wins during the five minute regulation period. If the regulation period ends in a tie, a sudden-death overtime decides the match.\nBut Kendo requires more than just the physical aspect of fighting. In addition to a successful strike, a fighter must also display "zanshin," which Kocias defines as multiple character traits combined into one.\n"(It's) ferocity, pride, confidence, spirituality and energy all rolled up into one," Kocias said. "So if all of those are in alignment a point is awarded."\nTwo of these judges are Hajime Sugawara and Tomoji Kubo. Sugawara, 33, has been participating in Kendo since he was six-years-old, and the six-time Midwest Kendo Champ founded IU's Kendo Club in 1998. Since then, Sugawara has seen membership reach an all time high in 2002, doubling since last year.\nSugawara said the university setting is difficult because many of the people who start in September end up dropping by the end of the semester because of various reasons. But Sugawara credits Kubo, one of the club's instructors, for the club's increased and maintained membership. And Kubo said adjusting the logistics was the key.\n"I've made the practices more enjoyable, and increased the number of practice times," Kubo said. "We use to practice two times a week, and now we practice three times a week so people have more chances to come to practice."\nAll of their practice came together Saturday for the tournament. Junior Koki Hagiwara defeated Paul Marko for the championship of the Advanced Division. And in the beginners division, in which no one has been doing Kendo longer than September, second-year grad student Laura Kaspar won the division over senior Evan Crawford.\nKaspar said Crawford introduced her to Kendo, and she "fell in love with it." It brings out a whole new side of her, she said.\n"It's really exciting for me because it's really nice to see the assertive side of myself come out," Kaspar said, "and the warrior spirit also coming out of me. It's very nice, and I really, really like it"
(10/28/02 6:08am)
After three years of blood, sweat and tears, the IU field hockey seniors ended their home careers Saturday with a 2-0 win on Senior Day over the St. Louis Billikens. IU scraped out a win after being outplayed by No. 11 Iowa 3-1 Friday. Junior Jamie O'Pray scored all three Hoosier goals on the weekend for the squad (5-11, 1-4 Big Ten).\nTwo of these seniors, back Akila Jones and forward Lindsay Schafer, saw their last game on the turf at Mellencamp Pavilion end in a victory. But Big Ten save leader senior goalie Molly Pulkrabek will return for her fourth year of eligibility, and the team awaits forward Erica Nilsson's decision on whether she will accept her fourth year.\nDuring the program's three years of existence Jones said she has enjoyed seeing the team steadily improve from a 1-12 record in 2000 and a 1-16 record in 2001 to this year's 5-11 campaign. The biggest victory of the season came when the Hoosiers earned their first Big Ten win ever with a 3-2 victory over Ohio State Oct. 5. \n"I've just had an awesome experience being here from day one when the program started and watching it grow," Jones said. "Watching all the new girls come in and join the program and adding so much to it on and off the field."\nOn Friday, however, IU's positive experiences were few and far between against Iowa (9-5, 2-2 Big Ten). The Hawkeyes forced a controlled tempo and exploited offensive opportunities when they presented themselves. Iowa capitalized on one of those opportunities in the first half when junior Pattie Gillern saw a diving Pulkrabek on the ground and found sophomore Sarah Dawson to put the Hawkeyes on top 1-0.\nFollowing intermission, IU and Iowa battled to a stalemate, but with 14 minutes left junior Adria LaSovage scored on another assist from Gillern. Three minutes later, junior Lindsay Miller completed the Hawkeyes offensive output with a rebounded goal off of Pulkrabek's pads. Miller's goal capped a five minute rally in which IU failed to maintain their mental composure.\nSophomore Kayla Bashore attributes disorganization to the Hawkeyes success.\n"I think Iowa took advantage of the opportunities when we were disorganized," Bashore said. "There were like five or ten minute intervals where our defense was disorganized, and that's when they exploited us."\nCoach Amy Robertson agreed, and accounts for Iowa's success because of a lack of Hoosier discipline.\n"We let them go at us too quickly," Robertson said. "We didn't hurry back to recover. We got a little disorganized and frazzled. We just lacked discipline for a few minutes, and they got us."\nFollowing Iowa's outburst, Robertson called a timeout. IU renewed its motivation during the break and played an increasingly aggressive style that culminated when sophomore Kim Nash made a beautiful move and shot on goal that was stopped. But junior Jamie O'Pray tallied her first goal of the season when she finished it off and drew IU closer, 3-1.\n"We were just coming down the field, and Kimmie took a shot from the right," O'Pray said. "And Erica (Nilsson) got a piece of it, and I just finished it off and put it into the back of the net."\nIU was held scoreless the remainder of the contest and fell to the Hawkeyes for the third straight year.\nThe Hoosiers looked to avenge last year's 3-2 double overtime loss to St. Louis Saturday. \nRobertson said she saw positives in her team's resolve to find a way to win through their effort.\n"I think we found a way to win," Robertson said. "I thought our effort was really good today. Sometimes we rushed it, and I think that's something that we're learning. I think we settled down and found out a way, and we connected."\nO'Pray found a way for the second straight game when she put the Hoosiers on top 1-0 with a controversial goal. After numerous shots on Billiken goalie freshman Julie Moeckel, Moeckel appeared to bail SLU out with a save to end IU's rally. However, the official ruled that the ball crossed the line and Moeckel brought it back over, and O'Pray was credited with her second goal of the season.\n"The first goal I tapped it, and it went over the line. And the goalie brought it back over," O'Pray said. "It barely just crossed the line, but the ref was lucky enough to see it."\nIU carried its lead into the break. And after numerous missed opportunities, IU capitalized when O'Pray again scored on a scramble in front of the cage off of a penalty corner shot.\nO'Pray's second goal ended the games, scoring after IU outshot SLU 13-8 on the afternoon.\nA big key to the victory was the Hoosier defense's ability to keep IU in the game while the offense found its stride. Co-captain Jones said that communication was a big factor in IU's success.\n"Communication is a big thing with our team," Jones said. "Just being able to communicate with each other as a defense and knowing that if I miss a ball that somebody's behind me to back me up."\nIU will look to back up this win with another on their final road trip of the season when they battle Northwestern and Colgate on Friday and Saturday respectively. But Jones said she will always remember her final home contest.\n"Although it's not the last game it's the last game at home and playing at home is so special because you're playing at your house," Jones said. "But we were able to come up with a win which made it amazing"
(10/21/02 5:14am)
The IU field hockey team rebounded Sunday with a 3-0 victory over Division III Lindenwood after being shutout 5-0 by No. 2 and defending national champion Michigan Friday. The Hoosiers (4-10, 1-3 Big Ten) were able to outshoot 30-2 and out penalty corner 15-2 the Lions (10-2) after being dominated by the Wolverines' talented attack when IU was outshot 25-4. But coach Amy Robertson said her team can take some positives out of Friday's loss.\n"I'm proud of my team," Robertson said. "We didn't back down. We reached the goals that we set for ourselves in this game to never give up, to play with intensity for 70 minutes, to take risks, to step up, to move the ball around and to play relentless team defense."\nCapitalizing on penalty corner opportunities was not the Michigan Wolverines problem Friday as the Big Blue had four corners and buried three of them into the back of the net. Wolverine junior Kristi Gannon tallied three of her four goals in the first half by scoring on all of Michigan's corners.\nGannon's first came just 2:59 into the contest when she rebounded her own shot and beat senior goalie Molly Pulkrabek to put the Wolverines on top 1-0. Five minutes later, UM sophomores Katy Moyneur and Adrienne Hortillosa assisted Gannon's scoring blast to stretch the Wolverine lead to 2-0. Gannon ended her scoring domination with just over seven minutes left in the half by again receiving a Moyneur-Hortillosa combination to beat Pulkrabek and take UM into the break leading 3-0.\nIU prepared for Michigan's possible penalty corner onslaught, but Pulkrabek credited the Wolverines execution and strength for their success.\n"They executed really fast, and they just hit the ball really hard," Pulkrabek said. "Last year that's what they did. They scored almost all of their goals on corners. It was one of the team's goals for this game to minimize corners because that's what they mainly score on."\nRobertson said she agrees, and credits UM's experience as an additional factor.\n"They've got great technique, and they've had the same corner unit the past three years," she said. "They just step right up and hit it as hard as they can."\nWhile the Wolverines lit up the scoreboard on corners in the first stanza, they resorted to more conventional levels in the second when junior April Fronzoni passed around Pulkrabek to find junior Laura Woitkewitsch to put UM up 4-0. Gannon completed her offensive mastery a minute later when she tallied her fourth goal of the game and fifth of the season to culminate the Wolverine victory, 5-0. \nThe IU offense struggled to penetrate the Wolverine wall of defense. Senior Erica Nilsson had the Hoosiers' most promising chance when she had two shots at close range in the opening moments of the game, but she was not able to capitalize. \nFreshman forward Nikki Orciuch attributed talent and effort as key to Wolverine success.\n"They were very well balanced, and they passed very fast and on point," she said. "They moved the ball around us pretty well, and they hustled back on defense and shut us down."\nOn Sunday, IU cured the offensive demons by exploding for two goals and 18 shots in the first half. Nilsson tallied the first of her two first half goals on a beautiful penalty corner combination when sophomore Ryan Woolsey found sophomore Kayla Bashore at the top of the circle. Bashore then assisted Nilsson who was wide open at point blank range.\nWith ten minutes left in the half, Nilsson rebounded a shot that hit the goal post and beat Lindenwood junior goalie Leah Werry to stretch IU's lead to 2-0. The Hoosiers took that two-goal lead into the intermission.\nIU dominated the first half offensively with numerous chances to add more to the home side of the scoreboard. But, for the majority of the second half, IU was held in check until senior Lindsay Schafer scored her first career goal when she rebounded her own shot and powered it by Werry to insure the Hoosier victory, 3-0.\n"It was a really exciting moment," Schafer said. "I got it right off the goalie's pads and found the corner. It makes it all worthwhile to have a moment like that."\nThe Hoosiers continue their 4-game homestand when they battle Iowa at 3 p.m. Friday at Mellencamp Pavilion.
(10/14/02 3:49am)
A second half scoring frenzy propelled the No. 5 Michigan State Spartans to a 5-1 victory over the IU field hockey team (3-9, 1-2 Big Ten) Saturday. The Spartans (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) tallied all five of their goals in the second half, including three in the final nine minutes of regulation. Despite the final score, the Hoosiers stayed close for much of the game with the more experienced and talented Spartans.\nThe contest was scoreless after the first stanza, and the Hoosiers only trailed 2-1 with 10 minutes remaining before the Spartan onslaught began. \n"We held off a long time," coach Amy Robertson said in a statement. "We had a five minute lapse in the final seven minutes, but we turned it around and the last few minutes picked up our play and fought to the bitter end."\nFollowing the scoreless first half, Michigan State freshman Michelle Huynh-Ba put the Spartans on top 1-0 eight minutes into the second half. Nine minutes later, freshman Jessica Miller received a pass from sophomore Judi van Haeringen and buried it into the back of the net to put the Spartans up 2-0.\nIU quickly fought back and only a minute later freshman Nikki Orciuch lit up the Hoosier side of the scoreboard when she rebounded her own shot and beat MSU goalie Christina Kirkaldy to draw IU closer, 2-1.Orciuch's goal was her third on the season and second in two games, and her two shots on the game were IU's only attempts at Kirkaldy all day.\nIU continued to give the Spartans all they wanted, but with 8:18 remaining the sleeping giant finally awoke when van Haeringen found senior Cynthia Martin to stretch the Spartan lead to 3-1. Less than a minute later, van Haeringen distributed her third assist to sophomore Michelle Carstens to make the score 4-1. Freshman Megan Kunk sealed the Spartan win with her first goal of the season to end the day's scoring at 5-1.\nRobertson's plan going into Saturday was to disrupt the rhythm and spacing of the MSU attack. While the plan worked in the first half, Robertson believes her team's failure to adjust to the MSU attack in the second half did them in. \n"We were able to disrupt their play in the first half," Robertson said. "But we couldn't make the adjustment defensively in the second half against their attack."\nWhile the Hoosiers did lose to the Spartans, Robertson credited many of her defensive players for outstanding performances.\n"Kayla (Bashore) and Akila (Jones) played really well for us today," Robertson said. "Morgan Albini had nice one-on-one plays, and made great defensive saves. Molly (Pulkrabek) came out really aggressive and never backed down in the cage."\nIU's schedule does not get any easier as the Hoosiers welcome No. 1 ranked and defending national champion Michigan 6 p.m. Friday at Mellencamp Pavilion.