Indiana University Athletics
Smith Era to Begin with Three-Game Set at Charlotte
2/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 22, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The wait is nearly over as Tracy Smith begins his reign as Indiana head baseball coach on Friday, Feb. 24 in the first of a three-game set at Charlotte. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. (EST) at Tom and Lib Phillips Field. The teams will play single games starting at noon on Saturday, Feb. 25 and Sunday, Feb. 26.
Fans can follow all three games live on Gametracker at IUHOOSIERS.com. Charlotte will broadcast live on Saturday and Sunday, but it is through a pay subscription with Yahoo! (Cost: $4.95). Visit www.charlotte49ers.com for more details.
Indiana and Charlotte, the preseason favorite in the Atlantic 10, have never met on the diamond. Smith has never faced the 49ers in his nine seasons as head coach at Miami (Ohio); however, he owns a 28-12-1 record against Atlantic 10 teams.
IU has won seven of its last 10 openers, including a 5-0 shutout victory over DePauw in Bloomington last season on Feb. 22.
Scouting Charlotte
Charlotte enters this weekend with six games under its belt. The 49ers are 4-2 after a 4-3, 10-inning setback at Wake Forest on Feb. 21. Prior to the Wake Forest game, Charlotte completed a three-game sweep of Canisius (Feb. 17-19) at home. The 49ers own a 4-1 mark at Tom and Lib Phillips Field.
The preseason Atlantic 10 favorite sits just outside the NCBWA Top 30 in the latest rankings (Feb. 20).
Charlotte has been swinging the bats well, posting a .315 batting average and averaging over 8 1/2 runs per contest. Sophomore catcher Chris Taylor leads the club with a .462 average (12-for-26) and owns a team-leading 9 RBI and three doubles. Speedy second baseman Cory Lane sets the table with a .400 average, nine runs, seven RBI and three stolen bases.
The 49ers offer a formidable rotation as well. Boasting a 3.31 team ERA, the Hoosiers will face Adam Mills (2.25) in the opener followed by Keith Moreland (1.80) and Derek McDaid (4.91). The trio holds an impressive 3-1 combined record with a sparkling 2.96 ERA.
Smith Opens Hoosier Career
After spending nine seasons at Miami (Ohio), where he amassed a 317-220-1 (.589) career record and a Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular-season mark of 152-95 (.615), skipper Tracy Smith opens his IU career with a three-game road series at Charlotte.
During Smith's stay in Oxford, Miami reached the MAC Tournament nine times, including six championship game appearances and the 2000 and 2005 championship titles. He led the RedHawks to eight straight 30-win seasons, marking only the second time in program history that Miami accomplished that feat, and he finished his career in Oxford third on the all-time wins list.
Smith led the RedHawks to a 45-18 (.714) mark in 2005, his second 40-win season (40 wins in 2000), and matched the school record for victories in a season as well as posting the 12th-best winning percentage in the nation. Miami captured the MAC regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, its second trip to the postseason under Smith's tutelage.
The Kentland, Ind., native is no stranger to Bloomington as he spent two seasons (1995 and 1996) as the pitching coach with Indiana. In Smith's final season, the Hoosiers boasted the lowest ERA in the Big Ten, won the Big Ten Tournament and advanced to the 1996 NCAA Midwest Regional. Three of Smith's pitchers were chosen in the major league draft in 1996.
Reida, Sager Join Team
Infielders Tad Reida and Brett Sager enrolled at Indiana following the fall semester and joined the baseball team in time for the beginning of spring practice. Reida arrived in Bloomington after spending the past two seasons at Wichita State, while Sager redshirted at LSU in 2005.
Joining the duo, Ben Greenspan, Andy Casper and Keith Haas transferred to IU and joined the team prior to fall practice. Greenspan spent the past two season at UConn, while Haas spent the last two year at Lakeland (Ohio) CC. Casper played at Monterey Peninsula (Calif.) CC in 2005.
Strength Of Schedule
One of the first things Tracy Smith wanted to improve when he became the Indiana head coach was the schedule, and he has done just that. In addition to opening the season against Charlotte, the preseason Atlantic 10 favorite, three teams - Miami (Fla.), Miami (Ohio) and Ohio State - that made trips to the NCAA Tournament last year appear on the slate.
After taking on the 49ers, the Hoosiers face off against four-time national champion Miami (Fla.) for the first time. Miami has made 33 NCAA appearances and 21 trips to the College World Series in their illustrious history.
Hoosiers Select Captains
Outfielders Jay Brant and Reggie Watson, infielder Ryan Parker and starting pitcher Josh Lewis have been named captains for the 2006 campaign.
"These four seniors have been a part of IU Baseball for four and five years," head coach Tracy Smith said. "We are proud of the way that they handled the transition into a new coaching staff. Part of being a "true" leader is not only embracing the "new" team philosophy, but also communicating and reinforcing that message to other members of the team. These four guys understand the importance of their role and have lived up to our expectations."
The Gridiron To The Diamond
As was the case in 2005, a member of the IU football team will hit the diamond for IU this season. Freshman Andrew Means, a redshirt wide receiver for head coach Terry Hoeppner, will get an opportunity to see extensive time in the outfield this season.
Hoosier back-up quarterback Graeme McFarland appeared in four games as a pitcher last season.
Means produced an impressive career at Avon Lake High School in Avon, Ohio, collecting first team all-conference, All-Lorain County and all-district honors his junior and senior seasons.
A New Look
Fourteen members of the 35-man roster are new to the Hoosiers this season. Nine freshman and five transfers join new head coach Tracy Smith and assistant coaches Ty Neal and Micah Nori this season.
Inside The Coaching Staff
Along with head coach Tracy Smith, assistants Ty Neal and Micah Nori enter their first season with the Hoosiers. Joining the trio, volunteer assistant coach Ted Tom returns for his second season at IU.
Neal will serve as the team's pitching coach. As Miami (Ohio) pitching coach in 2005, Neal guided Miami's staff to a 3.33 ERA, the 16th-best mark in the nation. The team's top three starters compiled a 26-3 mark, including a sparkling 2.77 ERA, with Keith Weiser earning a spot on the Mid-American Conference's (MAC) first team, while John Ely and Graham Taylor secured second team selections.
Nori is the team's hitting coach and will work with the catchers and infielders. A standout at IU from 1994-97, Nori was an integral part of the 1996 team that won the Big Ten Tournament. A mainstay in the middle infield, he closed his career with a .305 batting average, 20 home runs, 127 RBI, 116 runs, 35 doubles and 18 stolen bases. His name is still scattered throughout the IU record book, sitting among the top 20 in home runs, RBI, doubles, hits (180), slugging percentage (.483) and extra base hits (60).
Tom will work with the team's outfielders for the second straight season. Under Tom's watchful eye in 2005, Jay Brant (second team) and Reggie Watson (third team) each earned a spot on the All-Big Ten team. Brant also collected a place as a second team All-Mideast Region member.
In The Record Book
Senior outfielders Jay Brant and Reggie Watson along with senior starting pitcher Josh Lewis and junior right-hander Matt Saba can be found scattered throughout the Hoosier record book. Below is a look at where each player sits in IU lore in several career categories:
Triples
16. Reggie Watson - 8
20. Jay Brant - 7
Stolen Bases
9. Reggie Watson - 54
14. Jay Brant - 44
Innings
17. Josh Lewis - 210.0
ERA
14. Matt Saba - 3.24
Games Started
8. Josh Lewis - 38
Hoosiers In The Pros
A pair of Hoosiers moved on to professional ball following the 2005 season. Infielder Corby Heckman was selected on the second day of the 2005 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft in the 32nd round by the Seattle Mariners.
Outfielder Joe Kemp signed a contract with the Texas Rangers organization. The Rangers selected Kemp in the 42nd round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft in 2004.
The duo pushed the number of IU players in the pros to 10. Here is a look at Hoosiers currently playing at the next level: Doug DeVore (SF, MLB), Zach McClellan (Colorado, AAA), Kevin Orie (Washington, AAA), Kennard Jones (SD, AA), Vasili Spanos (Oakland, AA), Seth Bynum (Washington, A), Kevin Mahar (Texas, A) and Cody Wargo (Baltimore, A). Both Heckman and Kemp closed out 2005 in A-ball.
Parker Academic All-America
Ryan Parker was selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America University Division team. Parker was one of 11 players and four infielders named to the first team.
In 2004, Parker earned second team accolades. He is the only Hoosier to ever earn Academic All-America honors two times and is one of only two IU players to secure Academic All-America laurels (Joe Hillman, 1988).
Parker, a business management major, recorded the highest GPA on the Academic All-District V team earlier in 2005. It marked the second straight season he picked up All-District honors.
Brant All-Mideast Region
Last season, Jay Brant was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and Rawlings All-Mideast Region second team as announced by the ABCA.
Brant became the fifth Hoosier to earn All-Mideast honors along with Kennard Jones (2002), Vasili Spanos (2002, '03) and Seth Bynum (2004). The Indianapolis product led the team in batting average (.365), runs (71), hits (81), doubles (16), stolen bases (26) and on-base percentage (.441).
Brant was the lone Hoosier representative, one of 26 players selected to the All-Mideast first and second teams, and one of 12 Big Ten players represented.
Trio Earn All-Big Ten
Three Indiana players were selected to the 2005 All-Big Ten baseball team. Left fielder Jay Brant (second team), designated hitter Zach Boswell (third team) and center fielder Reggie Watson (third team) were recognized for their outstanding play in 2005. Additionally, first baseman Ryan Parker was the team's honoree for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Boswell and Brant made their first appearances on the Big Ten team, while Watson earned his second straight trip as a third team outfielder.
Nine Honored Academically
Nine Hoosiers earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2005, the most since nine players were recognized in 2001. Dan Pezley and Ryan Parker each were recognized for the third time, while Jay Brant and Bobby Segal claimed the award for the second straight year. Clint Crosier, Doug Fleenor, Graeme McFarland, Michael Nilles and Matt Saba each garnered a spot on the team for the first time.
