Indiana University Athletics
Northwestern Up Next on 11-Game Road Trip
4/6/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 6, 2006
The Northwestern Series (April 7-9)
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - On the road for its second straight series to open the Big Ten campaign, the Indiana baseball team heads to Northwestern on Friday-Sunday, April 7-9. The Hoosiers (8-15, 1-3 Big Ten) and Wildcats (6-16, 3-1 Big Ten) will play a four-game series at Rocky Miller Park.
Game one will take place on Friday at 3 p.m. (CDT), while the two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. The series finale will take place on Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
Pitching Matchups
Game 1 - Friday, April 7 (3 p.m. CST)
Indiana RHP #7 Josh Lewis (2-4, 6.15 ERA) vs. RHP #34 Andrew Smith (2-4, 5.87 ERA)
Game 2 - Saturday, April 8 (1 p.m.)
Indiana LHP #34 Clint Crosier (2-1, 2.41 ERA) vs. LHP #20 Dan Brauer (1-1, 4.15 ERA)
Game 3 - Saturday, April 8 (4 p.m.)
Indiana RHP #9 Chris McCombs (0-0, 3.65 ERA) vs. RHP #2 George Kontos (1-5, 5.57 ERA)
Game 4 - Sunday, April 9 (1 p.m.)
Indiana LHP #30 Adam Poole (0-0, 12.27 ERA) vs. RHP #29 Julio Siberio (1-0, 3.78 ERA)
Follow The Game
Gametracker: IUHOOSIERS.com
Inside The Series
-Indiana owns a 83-64-2 advantage in the all-time series against Northwestern.
-The teams have split the last two four-game sets played in Evanston.
-IU won games two and four the last time it traveled to NU on April 2-4, 2004.
-Hoosier skipper Tracy Smith is 1-1 against the Wildcats in his 10 seasons.
Scouting Northwestern
Northwestern took three out of four games at Michigan to open Big Ten play last weekend and heads into this weekend with a 6-16 mark overall. The Wildcats dropped the series opener (March 31) before taking the final three games of the set (April 1-2).
Sophomore outfielder Antonio Mule is the lone regular batting over .300, posting a .386 average in the three hole. Mule leads the Wildcats with two home runs, 12 RBI, three doubles, a .518 slugging percentage and .474 on-base percentage. Overall, the Cats are hitting .248 and averaging 3.7 runs per contest. On the mound, game two starter Dan Brauer owns the lowest ERA amongst the four Wildcat starters at 4.15. The junior southpaw is 1-1 on the season with 41 strikeouts in 39 innings. Northwestern's staff ERA sits at 5.87.
Road Swing Continues
After 14 games away from Bloomington to start the season, Indiana returned home for a brief stay. The Hoosiers took on Hartford in a three-game set (March 24-26) before embarking on an 11-game road trip. With six of the 11 games under its belt, IU continues its swing at Northwestern this weekend. The Hoosiers do not return to Sembower Field until they host Purdue in a four-game set on April 14-16. When all is said and done, Indiana will have played 25 of its first 28 contests outside of Bloomington.
Experience Leading The Way
It is no surprise to see seniors Jay Brant and Reggie Watson carrying the offense this season. Brant, a second team All-Mideast Region selection last season, and Watson, a third team All-Big Ten honoree the past two seasons, have proven they are two of the finest players in the Big Ten.
Brant has really turned it on over the last nine games, batting .515 (19-for-37) with a hit in eight of those contests and at least two hits on six occasions. The Indianapolis native sits in the top 10 of the league in eight categories. Most notably, Brant is seventh in the Big Ten with a .389 average, tied for third with three home runs and second with 14 steals.
Meanwhile, Watson ranks in the league's top 10 in five categories. He leads the conference in steals (20), ranks sixth in runs (23) and is ninth in hits (32). Watson had his 13-game hitting steak snapped in game two vs. Michigan State (April 1) before bouncing back with a 4-for-4 effort the next game. The Cincinnati product has a hit in 16 of his last 17 games and has batted .409 during the span.
Haas Getting A Handle Of It
In his first taste of Big Ten action, second baseman Keith Haas played like a veteran. The junior transfer from Lakeland (Ohio) CC batted .538 (7-for-13) in the four-game series at Michigan State (March 31-April 2) and stole four bags in five opportunities. Haas lifted his overall average to .313 after a 2-for-4 effort at Evansville (April 4) and continued to be an integral part in skipper Tracy Smith's offense.
Along with his four steals, Haas also recorded two sacrifice bunts to push his season total to seven, which is tied for second in the Big Ten. His 13 stolen bases (15 attempts) give him a share of third in the league.
Marathon Games
IU and Charlotte closed out its season-opening three-game set with one of the wildest games in Hoosier history. The 49ers pulled out the marathon with an 11-10 victory in 14 innings on Feb. 26. This marked Indiana's longest game since a 13-12, 14-inning loss to Northern Iowa on March 15, 1998, and the second-longest game in school history behind a 10-9, 15-inning defeat to Santa Clara on March 18, 1991.
The Charlotte contest took four hours and 45 minutes to complete, but IU amazingly topped that mark in its Big Ten opener at Michigan State (March 31). After a one-hour and six-minute rain delay in the bottom of the seventh, the teams finished the ballgame in an overall time of four hours and 47 minutes.
Running Wild
Four Hoosier speedsters have accounted for 56 of the team's 76 stolen bases. Center fielder Reggie Watson (20-for-23), left fielder Jay Brant (14-for-17), second baseman Keith Haas (13-for-15) and right fielder Andrew Means (9-for-9) are a combined 56-of-64 (88 percent) on the season.
Remarkably, the foursome has recorded 48 steals in 52 attempts over the last 15 contests, good for a 92-percent success rate.
In addition to Means' perfect mark, Watson has swiped 15 straight bags, and Brant has swiped 12 in his last 13 attempts.
Overall, the Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in stolen bases with Watson and Brant occupying the top-two spots in the league, while Haas shares third.
Run And Execute
As the offense picks up, Indiana head coach Tracy Smith has been able to install his brand of baseball. This has especially been the case the since the team's final game at Miami (Fla.) on March 5. Since that contest (17 games), Indiana has stolen 73 of its 76 overall bags, including a stretch of 29 straight steals without getting caught. IU has safely swiped 63 of its last 71 bags (89 percent).
Thus far in 2006, the Hoosiers have stolen 76 bases in 93 attempts (82 percent) and have played a little small ball, laying down 25 sacrifice bunts and delivering 11 sacrifice flies. Compare these numbers to the entire 2005 season, where Indiana stole a grand total of 82 bases in 110 attempts with 32 sacrifice bunts.
Additionally, Indiana's 76 steals rank 15th in school history. The 1985 Hoosiers own the IU record with 148 swipes in 198 attempts.
Close Calls
Despite their 8-15 record, the Hoosiers have been competitive against tougher opponents this season. Of the 14 defeats, IU has suffered seven one-run setbacks, one two-run defeat and three extra-inning losses.
Indiana opened its campaign at Charlotte and lost a heart-breaking 11-10, 14-inning affair in the series finale on Feb. 26. The following weekend, the Hoosiers owned a two-run lead in the sixth inning of the closing game of their three-game set at Miami (Fla.). However, the 14th-ranked Hurricanes (Collegiate Baseball News ranking) rallied with four in the sixth for a 6-4 victory. To open Big Ten play, two of the Hoosiers' three losses to Michigan State (March 31-April 1) were by one run with the second one coming in 10 innings.
For Starters
Clint Crosier entered the season with zero career starts before getting his first nod on the team's spring trip against Fairfield (March 15). Joining the Hoosiers last season, Crosier did not receive a start or a decision in 15 appearances. In three starts this year, the southpaw is 2-1 after downing the Stags and Hartford (March 25).
Crosier owns an impressive 2.16 ERA in his three starts, giving up just four earned runs in 16 2/3 innings pitched with 17 strikeouts. The Corydon, Ind., native fired a career-high six innings and netted a career-best nine strikeouts in IU's 15-2 win over Fairfield. Crosier has pitched into the sixth in all three starts and has not surrendered more than two earned runs.
The Gridiron To The Diamond
Freshman Andrew Means, a redshirt wide receiver for head coach Terry Hoeppner in the fall, is playing baseball and participating in spring football practice simultaneously.
His last time out against Hartford (March 24-26), Means arrived late for the second game of the series and left the third game early for football. Despite his hectic schedule, Means has been an integral part of the Hoosier offensive attack. Starting in right field, the Avon Lake, Ohio native is a perfect 9-for-9 in the stolen base department, good for third on the team, in addition to posting a .294 average with eight RBI and seven runs.
Dynamic Duo
In their first seasons on the mound for the Hoosiers, sophomore right-hander David Trager and freshman southpaw Joe Vicini have been pleasant surprises.
Vicini carries a 2.81 ERA in seven appearances with a 3-1 record and two saves in 25 2/3 innings pitched. The southpaw is sixth in the Big Ten in ERA and second in opposing batting average (.174). In back-to-back outings against Hartford (March 25-26), Vicini earned a save and victory, respectively.
Trager, a utilityman last season, has appeared in seven games and has a win and a save to his credit along with a 2.14 ERA in 21 innings.
Against Indiana State on March 7, the two showed how tough they could be as they guided the Hoosiers to their first victory of the season. Vicini tossed 4 2/3 shutout innings and held the Sycamores to two hits and one walk to go along with a pair of punchouts en route to picking up his first career victory, while Trager threw the final 1 1/3 to collect his first career save.
A Head Of The Competition
One of the biggest surprises this season has been the production of third baseman Steve Head at the plate. Entering the campaign with just 40 at-bats in two full seasons, Head leads the team with seven doubles and two triples, sits second with a .493 slugging percentage and is third with a .338 batting average and a .397 on-base percentage. The junior is tied for fifth in the Big Ten in triples and shares sixth in doubles.
In The Record Book
Senior outfielders Jay Brant and Reggie Watson along with senior right-hander 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
T13. Reggie Watson 9
20. Jay Brant 7
Stolen Bases
T5. Reggie Watson 70
9. Jay Brant 58
Runs
13. Jay Brant 152
Innings
9. Josh Lewis 243 2/3
Wins
T10. Josh Lewis 17
ERA
14. Matt Saba 2.98
Games Started
5. Josh Lewis 44
Strikeouts
16. Josh Lewis 167
