Indiana University Athletics
No. 19 Indiana Opens Big Ten Tournament Action on Wednesday
5/22/2018 3:54:00 PM | Baseball
• Nineteenth-ranked Indiana (37-15, 14-9) opens Big Ten Tournament action on Wednesday as the No. 5 seed at 10 p.m. ET against the fourth-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini.
• Wednesday will be the 196th ever meeting between IU and Illinois. The two squads last met in Bloomington earlier this season, with the Hoosiers winning the series 2-1 in Bloomington.
• Illinois leads the all-time series between the two schools, 113-81-1.
• Indiana Head Coach Chris Lemonis is in his fourth season leading the Hoosier baseball program
and his 24th overall year in coaching. He has posted a 138-87-2 record and has led the program to two regional at-large bids in his first three full seasons.
• Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb is in his 13th season as head coach at Illinois and 28th season on the Illini coaching staff in 2018. Hartleb ranks among the winningest coaches in school history, as he has 409 career victories.
• Indiana is 27-222 (.565) all-time in the Big Ten Tournament and has won the title four times (1996, 2009, 2013, 2014). IU's winning percentage in the tournament ranks fifth all-time in the Big Ten.
• Indiana will compete in the Big Ten Tournament for the 15th time, which ranks as the sixth-most appearances in the conference.
• Indiana owns two of the last five Big Ten Tournament championships. The Hoosiers have won 12
of their last 19 Big Ten Tournament games, including a four-game sweep of the 2014 postseason to win the title.
• IU picked up eight All-Big Ten honors. The Hoosiers had three first team honorees, sophomore Matt Gorski, junior Matt Lloyd, and junior Jonathan Stiever, the most since 2014.
• Junior Pauly Milto earned second team All-Conference honors while sophomore Scotty Bradley earned a spot on the second team as well. Senior Logan Sowers and junior Luke Miller picked
up third team recognition, while Drew Ashley earned a spot on the all-freshman team.
• The seven combined first, second and third team selections is tied for the conference lead with Minnesota.
• The Hoosiers are ranked 19th nationally by Perfect Game this week.
• Of the 15 losses this season for Indiana, 12 have been three runs or less and seven have been by one run.
• The IU pitching staff leads the Big Ten in ERA (2.85, 5th nationally), shutouts (7, 4th), and strikeout to walk ratio (2.52, 42nd), is second in walks per nine innings (3.17, 28th) and WHIP (1.26, 23rd), and is third in hits allowed per nine innings (8.1, 49th).
• Offensively, Indiana is first in the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.454, 25th nationally) and home runs (60, 28th), second in hits (515), and is third in on base percentage (.384, 47th).
• The Hoosiers are also second in the Big Ten with a .976 fielding percentage. After posting a school record fielding percentage of .975 in 2016, Lemonis' squad followed that up with another school record mark of .979 in 2017. In Lemonis' first three full seasons as head coach at Indiana, the Hoosiers own three of the top four fielding percentages in program history.
• Entering this weekend, Indiana's three starting pitchers, Pauly Milto (2.00, 3rd, 27th nationally), Tim Herrin (2.84, 8th) and Jonathan Stiever (3.08, 11th) are in the top 11 in the Big Ten in ERA. IU is the only team in the conference to have three pitchers in the top 11.
• Stiever, Indiana's Friday night starter, leads the Big Ten in in striekouts (94), strikeouts looking (36), and innings (90.2).
• Milto, who has been handling the Saturday duties for the Hoosiers, is third in the conference in wins (7) and is sixth in WHIP (1.15).
• Herrin, in his last six starts has tossed 39.1 innings allowing 25 hits and 10 earned runs. During that span, Herrin has held opponents to a .179 average.
• Junior catcher Ryan Fineman, a Johnny Bench Award Watch Lister for the third-straight season, is second in the Big Ten lead with 18 runners caught stealing.
• Fineman has strung together a strong defensive effort along with the pitching staff, as Hoosier pitchers have just 28 wild pitches this season, easily the fewest in the Big Ten (next fewest is 37 by Iowa).
• Sophomore left fielder Matt Gorski is sith in the Big Ten in batting average (.370) and hits (71), is seventh in stolen bases (19), and is 10th in slugging percentage (.578).
• Senior right fielder Logan Sowers has reached base safely in a career-high 21 consecutive games and ranks third in the Big Ten in walks (36).
• Junior utility player Matt Lloyd is sixth in the conference with six saves.
• Junior center fielder Logan Kaletha paces the Big Ten in hit by pitches (20, 12th nationally) and is second in runs (56) and walks (37).
• Indiana's 28-6 start was its best 34-game start since 1987, when that squad also started 28-6 and was 31-6 through its first 37 games.
• In 27 games this season, an IU starter has gone at least five innings whille giving up two earned runs or less. Only four times has a starting pitcher given up more than three earned runs in a game.
• The Hoosiers have reached the double-digit mark in runs nine times this season. IU hit the double-digit mark in 10 games last season.
• Dating back to the 2017 season, Indiana had a streak of winning its last 12 series that have consisted of at least three games against one team, snapped against Ohio State (April 20-22). This season, the Hoosiers have won series at No. 13 San Diego, and against Pacific, Northern Illinois, Butler, Purdue, Northwestern, Illinois, Nebraska and Maryland.
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in wins (381) and conference wins (161). The Hoosiers have made five NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
• Wednesday will be the 196th ever meeting between IU and Illinois. The two squads last met in Bloomington earlier this season, with the Hoosiers winning the series 2-1 in Bloomington.
• Illinois leads the all-time series between the two schools, 113-81-1.
• Indiana Head Coach Chris Lemonis is in his fourth season leading the Hoosier baseball program
and his 24th overall year in coaching. He has posted a 138-87-2 record and has led the program to two regional at-large bids in his first three full seasons.
• Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb is in his 13th season as head coach at Illinois and 28th season on the Illini coaching staff in 2018. Hartleb ranks among the winningest coaches in school history, as he has 409 career victories.
• Indiana is 27-222 (.565) all-time in the Big Ten Tournament and has won the title four times (1996, 2009, 2013, 2014). IU's winning percentage in the tournament ranks fifth all-time in the Big Ten.
• Indiana will compete in the Big Ten Tournament for the 15th time, which ranks as the sixth-most appearances in the conference.
• Indiana owns two of the last five Big Ten Tournament championships. The Hoosiers have won 12
of their last 19 Big Ten Tournament games, including a four-game sweep of the 2014 postseason to win the title.
• IU picked up eight All-Big Ten honors. The Hoosiers had three first team honorees, sophomore Matt Gorski, junior Matt Lloyd, and junior Jonathan Stiever, the most since 2014.
• Junior Pauly Milto earned second team All-Conference honors while sophomore Scotty Bradley earned a spot on the second team as well. Senior Logan Sowers and junior Luke Miller picked
up third team recognition, while Drew Ashley earned a spot on the all-freshman team.
• The seven combined first, second and third team selections is tied for the conference lead with Minnesota.
• The Hoosiers are ranked 19th nationally by Perfect Game this week.
• Of the 15 losses this season for Indiana, 12 have been three runs or less and seven have been by one run.
• The IU pitching staff leads the Big Ten in ERA (2.85, 5th nationally), shutouts (7, 4th), and strikeout to walk ratio (2.52, 42nd), is second in walks per nine innings (3.17, 28th) and WHIP (1.26, 23rd), and is third in hits allowed per nine innings (8.1, 49th).
• Offensively, Indiana is first in the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.454, 25th nationally) and home runs (60, 28th), second in hits (515), and is third in on base percentage (.384, 47th).
• The Hoosiers are also second in the Big Ten with a .976 fielding percentage. After posting a school record fielding percentage of .975 in 2016, Lemonis' squad followed that up with another school record mark of .979 in 2017. In Lemonis' first three full seasons as head coach at Indiana, the Hoosiers own three of the top four fielding percentages in program history.
• Entering this weekend, Indiana's three starting pitchers, Pauly Milto (2.00, 3rd, 27th nationally), Tim Herrin (2.84, 8th) and Jonathan Stiever (3.08, 11th) are in the top 11 in the Big Ten in ERA. IU is the only team in the conference to have three pitchers in the top 11.
• Stiever, Indiana's Friday night starter, leads the Big Ten in in striekouts (94), strikeouts looking (36), and innings (90.2).
• Milto, who has been handling the Saturday duties for the Hoosiers, is third in the conference in wins (7) and is sixth in WHIP (1.15).
• Herrin, in his last six starts has tossed 39.1 innings allowing 25 hits and 10 earned runs. During that span, Herrin has held opponents to a .179 average.
• Junior catcher Ryan Fineman, a Johnny Bench Award Watch Lister for the third-straight season, is second in the Big Ten lead with 18 runners caught stealing.
• Fineman has strung together a strong defensive effort along with the pitching staff, as Hoosier pitchers have just 28 wild pitches this season, easily the fewest in the Big Ten (next fewest is 37 by Iowa).
• Sophomore left fielder Matt Gorski is sith in the Big Ten in batting average (.370) and hits (71), is seventh in stolen bases (19), and is 10th in slugging percentage (.578).
• Senior right fielder Logan Sowers has reached base safely in a career-high 21 consecutive games and ranks third in the Big Ten in walks (36).
• Junior utility player Matt Lloyd is sixth in the conference with six saves.
• Junior center fielder Logan Kaletha paces the Big Ten in hit by pitches (20, 12th nationally) and is second in runs (56) and walks (37).
• Indiana's 28-6 start was its best 34-game start since 1987, when that squad also started 28-6 and was 31-6 through its first 37 games.
• In 27 games this season, an IU starter has gone at least five innings whille giving up two earned runs or less. Only four times has a starting pitcher given up more than three earned runs in a game.
• The Hoosiers have reached the double-digit mark in runs nine times this season. IU hit the double-digit mark in 10 games last season.
• Dating back to the 2017 season, Indiana had a streak of winning its last 12 series that have consisted of at least three games against one team, snapped against Ohio State (April 20-22). This season, the Hoosiers have won series at No. 13 San Diego, and against Pacific, Northern Illinois, Butler, Purdue, Northwestern, Illinois, Nebraska and Maryland.
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in wins (381) and conference wins (161). The Hoosiers have made five NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
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