Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Improvement on Offense Continues with 27-Run Outburst
3/24/2016 1:26:00 PM | Baseball
By: Tori Ziege, IUHoosiers.com | Twitter
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana scored more runs Wednesday than the scoreboard could handle.
After already amassing a season-high 16 scores through six innings, the Hoosiers went off in the seventh for 11 trips around the bases. The most the scoreboard at Bart Kaufman Field can display per inning is nine.
The offensive explosion brought IU's total to 27 runs — a Bart Kaufman record and the most in a single game in 12 years — as the Hoosiers blasted the Butler Bulldogs, 27-1.
"We've been saving them up I think," head coach Chris Lemonis joked.
The last time Indiana and Butler faced off, the two teams were knotted 1-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth. It took walk-off fashion for the Hoosiers to earn the 2-1 decision in the Snowbird Classic.
That was two weeks ago.
Indiana has become a different team in that span, winning six of its last seven and eight of its last 10. This time around, the game was out of the Bulldogs' reach by the third inning, when the Hoosiers took a commanding 9-0 advantage that they would eventually triple.
The win puts IU (10-9) above .500 for the first time in over a month, when the Hoosiers were 1-0 after winning the first game of the season.
"It feels great, especially after the rough start we had," senior infielder Brian Wilhite said. "Hopefully we can keep it rolling."
Wilhite turnaround's parallels that of the Hoosiers, and has been a vital to their recent success. Through the first six games, the senior had just two hits. Since then, he's racked up 17, including four hits in five at bats against the Bulldogs.
His stat line on the night comprised a staggering six RBIs and two home runs. He now leads the team in both categories with 20 RBIs and four home runs and has already tripled his previous career total of knockouts through 19 games.
Throughout this season, Wilhite's bat has caught fire in the big moments. Wednesday was no exception. In the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded, he sent one flying out of the park for his first career grand slam.
The shot pushed his RBI total, 20, above his hit total, 19, and his hitting streak to seven.
"There's a lot of great swings in there, he just was carrying a lot of the bad swings in there too," Lemonis said. "He's cut those swings down, and we're seeing a lot more of his good swings, especially with runners in scoring position."
Lost in the onslaught was a promising first career start by freshman pitcher Jonathan Stiever, who tossed a one-hit, three-strikeout shutout through four innings.
Still in search of another midweek starter, Indiana had a convincing answer in Stiever on Wednesday, who delivered 38 crisp pitches which he said were targeted at pounding the zone with strikes and hard fastballs.
Pitchers Tim Herrin, Kent Williams and Luke Stephenson took over in relief for Stiever and carried the shutout through six frames before B.J. Sabol eventually gave up the lone Butler run on an RBI double to right field.
Brian Hobbie and Sullivan Stadler closed out the game and held the Bulldogs' total to one, an effort in relief that Lemonis said he was most pleased with on the night.
"I have to hand a lot to the pitching," Wilhite said. "They've dominated every game we've played."
The scoreboard-defying frame saw runs come in a variety of ways, including (but not limited to) two wild pitches, a sac fly, a balk, a three-run homer by junior infielder Austin Cangelosi and an RBI double by junior outfielder Craig Dedelow — Indiana's other offensive juggernauts for the game.
The Hoosiers know they won't often broadside opponents in the same manner in which they did on "Think Pink" night.
But against the Bulldogs, they looked to have all the makings of a complete team.
"It was one of those nights where everything fell in for us," Lemonis said.
"It means we're playing better."
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana scored more runs Wednesday than the scoreboard could handle.
After already amassing a season-high 16 scores through six innings, the Hoosiers went off in the seventh for 11 trips around the bases. The most the scoreboard at Bart Kaufman Field can display per inning is nine.
The offensive explosion brought IU's total to 27 runs — a Bart Kaufman record and the most in a single game in 12 years — as the Hoosiers blasted the Butler Bulldogs, 27-1.
"We've been saving them up I think," head coach Chris Lemonis joked.
The last time Indiana and Butler faced off, the two teams were knotted 1-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth. It took walk-off fashion for the Hoosiers to earn the 2-1 decision in the Snowbird Classic.
That was two weeks ago.
Indiana has become a different team in that span, winning six of its last seven and eight of its last 10. This time around, the game was out of the Bulldogs' reach by the third inning, when the Hoosiers took a commanding 9-0 advantage that they would eventually triple.
The win puts IU (10-9) above .500 for the first time in over a month, when the Hoosiers were 1-0 after winning the first game of the season.
"It feels great, especially after the rough start we had," senior infielder Brian Wilhite said. "Hopefully we can keep it rolling."
Wilhite turnaround's parallels that of the Hoosiers, and has been a vital to their recent success. Through the first six games, the senior had just two hits. Since then, he's racked up 17, including four hits in five at bats against the Bulldogs.
His stat line on the night comprised a staggering six RBIs and two home runs. He now leads the team in both categories with 20 RBIs and four home runs and has already tripled his previous career total of knockouts through 19 games.
Throughout this season, Wilhite's bat has caught fire in the big moments. Wednesday was no exception. In the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded, he sent one flying out of the park for his first career grand slam.
The shot pushed his RBI total, 20, above his hit total, 19, and his hitting streak to seven.
"There's a lot of great swings in there, he just was carrying a lot of the bad swings in there too," Lemonis said. "He's cut those swings down, and we're seeing a lot more of his good swings, especially with runners in scoring position."
Lost in the onslaught was a promising first career start by freshman pitcher Jonathan Stiever, who tossed a one-hit, three-strikeout shutout through four innings.
Still in search of another midweek starter, Indiana had a convincing answer in Stiever on Wednesday, who delivered 38 crisp pitches which he said were targeted at pounding the zone with strikes and hard fastballs.
Pitchers Tim Herrin, Kent Williams and Luke Stephenson took over in relief for Stiever and carried the shutout through six frames before B.J. Sabol eventually gave up the lone Butler run on an RBI double to right field.
Brian Hobbie and Sullivan Stadler closed out the game and held the Bulldogs' total to one, an effort in relief that Lemonis said he was most pleased with on the night.
"I have to hand a lot to the pitching," Wilhite said. "They've dominated every game we've played."
The scoreboard-defying frame saw runs come in a variety of ways, including (but not limited to) two wild pitches, a sac fly, a balk, a three-run homer by junior infielder Austin Cangelosi and an RBI double by junior outfielder Craig Dedelow — Indiana's other offensive juggernauts for the game.
The Hoosiers know they won't often broadside opponents in the same manner in which they did on "Think Pink" night.
But against the Bulldogs, they looked to have all the makings of a complete team.
"It was one of those nights where everything fell in for us," Lemonis said.
"It means we're playing better."
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