Indiana University Athletics
Wednesday, March 23
Bloomington, Ind.
6:05 P.M.
Indiana University
vs
Butler
Game Notes: Indiana Hosts Butler on Wednesday
3/22/2016 7:19:00 PM | Baseball
Setting the Scene
• Indiana closes out its five game homestand with its second matchup of 2016 with the Butler Bulldogs on Wednesday evening (6:05 p.m.) at Bart Kaufman Field.
• The Hoosiers walked off with a 2-1 victory over Butler in Port Charlotte, Fla. on March
• Entering Wednesday, the Hoosiers have won five of six games and seven of their nine. IU is back to .500 for the first time since Feb. 20 at Middle Tennesse.
• Indiana is 5-2 in home games this season at Bart Kaufman Field.
• Indiana has already played in five extra-inning contests through the first 18 games of this season.
• Entering this week, Indiana pitching ranks first in the Big Ten in fewest walks allowed (43), third in team ERA (2.42), third in opponent batting average (.231), third in batters struck out (151), third in fewest runs allowed (67), third in fewest earned runs allowed (46) and sixth in fewest hits allowed (145).
• Indiana's pitching staff enters this week ranked fourth nationally in walks allowed per nine innings, eighth in strikeout to walk ratio (3.5), 13th in team ERA (2.42), 15th in WHIP (1.12) and 46th in hits allowed per nine innings (7.8),
• Indiana's starting pitching has been strong through the first five weekends of action. In 15 combined starts from LHP Kyle Hart, RHP Evan Bell and LHP Caleb Baragar, the trio has posted a 1.78 ERA, allowing just 71 hits over 71.1 innings of work, striking out 76 batters while walking only 18. Teams are hitting a combined .205 off Hart, Bell and Baragar so far.
• Indiana is in a stretch of playing nine of 10 games in the friendly confines of Bart Kaufman Field, which enters its fourth season of baseball since opening during the 2013 campaign. Indiana has a 61-18 (.772) record at "The Bart".
• Since opening Bart Kaufman Field in 2013, the Hoosiers are a combined 22-3 in March home games in the new ballpark. Indiana's loss to Western Carolina on March 12 was its first loss in its home ballpark in the month of March since the 23rd day in 2014, a 4-3 loss to Michigan.
• The 2016 roster features a total of 19 returnees and 14 newcomers. Of the 14 newcomers, four are transfers and 10 are freshmen.
• The Hoosiers' 2016 schedule includes 27 home games, five NCAA Tournament teams from 2015, and a 2015 College World Series participant.
• Senior left-handed pitcher Kyle Hart, junior right-handed pitcher Jake Kelzer and senior infielder Brian Wilhite have been named team captains for the upcoming 2016 season.
• Indiana's 2016 opening day roster features 10 players that have either been part of a national championship or College World Series squad.
• A total of seven players that were part of the 2013 Hoosier squad that made the College World Series are part of the 2016 roster. RHP Evan Bell, INF Brian Wilhite, LHP Kyle Hart, LHP Sully Stadler, LHP Will Coursen-Carr, RHP Kent Williams, and RHP Thomas Belcher all were on the 2013 roster.
• Infielder Tony Butler, a transfer from Madison College, spent his freshman season in 2014 as a member of the Virginia Cavaliers baseball program.
• During his 2014 stint in Charlottesville, Butler and the Cavaliers earned a berth into the College World Series, reaching the National Championship series, eventually falling to Vanderbilt.
• Junior RHP Luke Stephenson is another transfer who joins the Hoosiers in 2016. Stephenson spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons with Vanderbilt.
• Stephenson was a member of the 2014 Commodore club that went on to with the College World Series.
• Junior OF Alex Krupa comes from Iowa Western Community College, where his squad went on to win the 2014 JuCo World Series. Krupa was named MVP of the World Series.
• Following his sophomore year at Iowa Western, Krupa was drafted in the 35th round by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2015 MLB Draft.
• In addition, head coach Chris Lemonis has been a part of three College World Series teams when he was an assistant coach at Louisville (2007, 2013 and 2014).
• Assistant coach Kyle Cheesebrough has made two College World Series appearances as well as an assistant coach (2013 and 2014 at Louisville).
• Indiana closes out its five game homestand with its second matchup of 2016 with the Butler Bulldogs on Wednesday evening (6:05 p.m.) at Bart Kaufman Field.
• The Hoosiers walked off with a 2-1 victory over Butler in Port Charlotte, Fla. on March
• Entering Wednesday, the Hoosiers have won five of six games and seven of their nine. IU is back to .500 for the first time since Feb. 20 at Middle Tennesse.
• Indiana is 5-2 in home games this season at Bart Kaufman Field.
• Indiana has already played in five extra-inning contests through the first 18 games of this season.
The Coaches
• Chris Lemonis is in his second season as Indiana's head coach, posting an overall record of 44-33 thus far. Lemonis took over an IU program in 2015 that had gone 93-31 the previous two seasons, including its first-ever College World Series appearance in 2013 and the No. 4 overall seed in the 2014 NCAA Baseball Championship. With a new look roster, his program immediately lived up to the expectations, posting a 35-24 overall record and earning a berth into a third-straight NCAA Regional in 2015.
• As an assistant coach, Lemonis' imprint in elevating the Louisville program to new heights was evident. The former Cardinals' recruiting coordinator aided Louisville to three College World Series appearances (2007, 2013, 2014) and a 359-159 (.693) record during the past eight seasons, including back-to-back 50-win seasons in 2013 and 2014.
• Steve Farley enters his 23rd season as head coach at Butler. Farley has accumulated 531 wins during his time with the Bulldog baseball program. He has been a head coach for 25 years total, winning 586 career games in all.
• Entering this week, Indiana pitching ranks first in the Big Ten in fewest walks allowed (43), third in team ERA (2.42), third in opponent batting average (.231), third in batters struck out (151), third in fewest runs allowed (67), third in fewest earned runs allowed (46) and sixth in fewest hits allowed (145).
• Indiana's pitching staff enters this week ranked fourth nationally in walks allowed per nine innings, eighth in strikeout to walk ratio (3.5), 13th in team ERA (2.42), 15th in WHIP (1.12) and 46th in hits allowed per nine innings (7.8),
• Indiana's starting pitching has been strong through the first five weekends of action. In 15 combined starts from LHP Kyle Hart, RHP Evan Bell and LHP Caleb Baragar, the trio has posted a 1.78 ERA, allowing just 71 hits over 71.1 innings of work, striking out 76 batters while walking only 18. Teams are hitting a combined .205 off Hart, Bell and Baragar so far.
• Indiana is in a stretch of playing nine of 10 games in the friendly confines of Bart Kaufman Field, which enters its fourth season of baseball since opening during the 2013 campaign. Indiana has a 61-18 (.772) record at "The Bart".
• Since opening Bart Kaufman Field in 2013, the Hoosiers are a combined 22-3 in March home games in the new ballpark. Indiana's loss to Western Carolina on March 12 was its first loss in its home ballpark in the month of March since the 23rd day in 2014, a 4-3 loss to Michigan.
• The 2016 roster features a total of 19 returnees and 14 newcomers. Of the 14 newcomers, four are transfers and 10 are freshmen.
• The Hoosiers' 2016 schedule includes 27 home games, five NCAA Tournament teams from 2015, and a 2015 College World Series participant.
• Senior left-handed pitcher Kyle Hart, junior right-handed pitcher Jake Kelzer and senior infielder Brian Wilhite have been named team captains for the upcoming 2016 season.
• Indiana's 2016 opening day roster features 10 players that have either been part of a national championship or College World Series squad.
• A total of seven players that were part of the 2013 Hoosier squad that made the College World Series are part of the 2016 roster. RHP Evan Bell, INF Brian Wilhite, LHP Kyle Hart, LHP Sully Stadler, LHP Will Coursen-Carr, RHP Kent Williams, and RHP Thomas Belcher all were on the 2013 roster.
• Infielder Tony Butler, a transfer from Madison College, spent his freshman season in 2014 as a member of the Virginia Cavaliers baseball program.
• During his 2014 stint in Charlottesville, Butler and the Cavaliers earned a berth into the College World Series, reaching the National Championship series, eventually falling to Vanderbilt.
• Junior RHP Luke Stephenson is another transfer who joins the Hoosiers in 2016. Stephenson spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons with Vanderbilt.
• Stephenson was a member of the 2014 Commodore club that went on to with the College World Series.
• Junior OF Alex Krupa comes from Iowa Western Community College, where his squad went on to win the 2014 JuCo World Series. Krupa was named MVP of the World Series.
• Following his sophomore year at Iowa Western, Krupa was drafted in the 35th round by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2015 MLB Draft.
• In addition, head coach Chris Lemonis has been a part of three College World Series teams when he was an assistant coach at Louisville (2007, 2013 and 2014).
• Assistant coach Kyle Cheesebrough has made two College World Series appearances as well as an assistant coach (2013 and 2014 at Louisville).
Players Mentioned
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