Hoosiers Open NCAA Regional Play with Texas A&M on Friday
5/31/2018 5:12:00 PM | Baseball
• For the fifth time in six years, Indiana was selected to the 2018 NCAA Baseball Tournament field. The No. 2-seeded Hoosiers will play in the Austin Regional, facing off with No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies on Friday at 5 p.m. ET. on ESPN2.
• This will be Indiana's eighth NCAA tournament appearance (1949, 1996, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018). Head coach Chris Lemonis is the first coach in program history to make three regionals in his first four seasons as IU's skipper.
• The three NCAA appearances for Lemonis puts him in a tie with Tracy Smith (2009, 2013, 2014) for the most postseason appearances by an IU head coach.
• IU is 11-13 all-time in NCAA Tournament games. Dating back to 2013, the Hoosiers are 10-8 in their last 18 NCAA postseason games.
• This is Indiana's third ever at large big in the NCAA Tournament (1949, 1996, 2009, 2013 and 2014 were automatic bids), with all three of those at large bids coming in the Lemonis era.
• Lemonis is in his fourth season leading the Hoosier baseball program and his 24th overall year in coaching. He has posted a 139-89-2 record.
• Friday will be the first ever meeting between IU and Texas A&M.
• 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.
• Of the 17 losses this season for Indiana, 13 have been three runs or less and eight have been by one run.
• The IU pitching staff leads the Big Ten in ERA (2.95, 5th nationally), shutouts (7, 6th), and strikeout to walk ratio (2.45, 46th), is second in walks per nine innings (3.20, 33rd) and WHIP (1.27, 25th), and is third in hits allowed per nine innings (8.2).
• Offensively, Indiana is first in the Big Ten in home runs (63, 29th nationally) and slugging percentage (.448, 30th), and is third in hits (534), batting average (.284) and runs (340).
• 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 (2.29, 3rd, 43rd nationally), Jonathan Stiever (2.89, 9th) and Tim Herrin (3.23, 12th) all are in the top 12 in the Big Ten in ERA, joining Michigan as the only two teams in the conference to have three pitchers in the top 12.
• Stiever, Indiana's Friday night starter, leads the Big Ten in in striekouts (96), strikeouts looking (36), and is second in innings (96.2).
• Milto, who has been handling the Saturday duties for the Hoosiers, is fourth in the conference in wins (7).
• Junior catcher Ryan Fineman, a Johnny Bench Award Watch Lister for the third-straight season, is second in the Big Ten lead with 19 runners caught stealing.
• Fineman has strung together a strong defensive effort along with the pitching staff, as Hoosier pitchers have just 33 wild pitches this season, the fewest in the Big Ten.
• Sophomore left fielder Matt Gorski is fourth in the Big Ten in triples (3), fifth in hits (74), sixth in total bases (117) and seventh in stolen bases (19).
• Senior right fielder Logan Sowers has reached base safely in a career-high 24 consecutive games and ranks fourth in the Big Ten in walks (36) and sixth in home runs (10).
• 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, 13th nationally) and is second in runs (58) and walks (40).
• 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 28 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 (382) and conference wins (161). The Hoosiers have made six NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
• Entering 2018, Indiana returned 100 percent of its starts, 94 percent of its wins, and 91 percent of its innings pitched and strikeouts. The Hoosiers also brought back 62 percent of its runs and hits, 61 percent of its RBIs, and 59 percent of its extra-base hits.
• Lemonis and his coaching staff (Associate head coach Kyle Bunn, assistant coach Kyle Cheesebrough, assistant coach Zach Lucas, director of operations Roger Rodeheaver) brings a wealth of postseason experience to the program. Overall, IU's staff as players and coaches have combined for nine College World Series appearances, 16 Super Regional appearances, and 47 Regional appearances.
• This will be Indiana's eighth NCAA tournament appearance (1949, 1996, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018). Head coach Chris Lemonis is the first coach in program history to make three regionals in his first four seasons as IU's skipper.
• The three NCAA appearances for Lemonis puts him in a tie with Tracy Smith (2009, 2013, 2014) for the most postseason appearances by an IU head coach.
• IU is 11-13 all-time in NCAA Tournament games. Dating back to 2013, the Hoosiers are 10-8 in their last 18 NCAA postseason games.
• This is Indiana's third ever at large big in the NCAA Tournament (1949, 1996, 2009, 2013 and 2014 were automatic bids), with all three of those at large bids coming in the Lemonis era.
• Lemonis is in his fourth season leading the Hoosier baseball program and his 24th overall year in coaching. He has posted a 139-89-2 record.
• Friday will be the first ever meeting between IU and Texas A&M.
• 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.
• Of the 17 losses this season for Indiana, 13 have been three runs or less and eight have been by one run.
• The IU pitching staff leads the Big Ten in ERA (2.95, 5th nationally), shutouts (7, 6th), and strikeout to walk ratio (2.45, 46th), is second in walks per nine innings (3.20, 33rd) and WHIP (1.27, 25th), and is third in hits allowed per nine innings (8.2).
• Offensively, Indiana is first in the Big Ten in home runs (63, 29th nationally) and slugging percentage (.448, 30th), and is third in hits (534), batting average (.284) and runs (340).
• 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 (2.29, 3rd, 43rd nationally), Jonathan Stiever (2.89, 9th) and Tim Herrin (3.23, 12th) all are in the top 12 in the Big Ten in ERA, joining Michigan as the only two teams in the conference to have three pitchers in the top 12.
• Stiever, Indiana's Friday night starter, leads the Big Ten in in striekouts (96), strikeouts looking (36), and is second in innings (96.2).
• Milto, who has been handling the Saturday duties for the Hoosiers, is fourth in the conference in wins (7).
• Junior catcher Ryan Fineman, a Johnny Bench Award Watch Lister for the third-straight season, is second in the Big Ten lead with 19 runners caught stealing.
• Fineman has strung together a strong defensive effort along with the pitching staff, as Hoosier pitchers have just 33 wild pitches this season, the fewest in the Big Ten.
• Sophomore left fielder Matt Gorski is fourth in the Big Ten in triples (3), fifth in hits (74), sixth in total bases (117) and seventh in stolen bases (19).
• Senior right fielder Logan Sowers has reached base safely in a career-high 24 consecutive games and ranks fourth in the Big Ten in walks (36) and sixth in home runs (10).
• 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, 13th nationally) and is second in runs (58) and walks (40).
• 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 28 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 (382) and conference wins (161). The Hoosiers have made six NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
• Entering 2018, Indiana returned 100 percent of its starts, 94 percent of its wins, and 91 percent of its innings pitched and strikeouts. The Hoosiers also brought back 62 percent of its runs and hits, 61 percent of its RBIs, and 59 percent of its extra-base hits.
• Lemonis and his coaching staff (Associate head coach Kyle Bunn, assistant coach Kyle Cheesebrough, assistant coach Zach Lucas, director of operations Roger Rodeheaver) brings a wealth of postseason experience to the program. Overall, IU's staff as players and coaches have combined for nine College World Series appearances, 16 Super Regional appearances, and 47 Regional appearances.
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