Indiana University Athletics
IU Finds A Way To Keep Winning
5/10/2016 9:22:00 PM | Baseball
By: Sam Beishuizen | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Strictly on paper, Indiana's 3-2 walk-off win over Kentucky didn't secure the Hoosiers' NCAA dreams. In all likelihood, IU is going to need to win the Big Ten Tournament to secure a bid to compete for a national championship.
But don't begin to think it didn't matter.
"I love beating Kentucky," junior infielder Austin Cangelosi said, smiling.
Sophomore outfielder Laren Eustace was the hero, lining a walk-off pinch hit single to an empty centerfield gap off Wildcat pitcher Zach Strecker to plate Eustace.
By the time Eustace reached second base, the rest of the Indiana bench was there to greet him in celebration.
"Honestly, I just wanted to see a fastball and hit it as hard as I could somewhere," Eustace said. "It worked out the right way. That's all you can ask for."
The walk-off win was a microcosm for what head coach Chris Lemonis has liked about his Hoosiers (29-17, 13-5) as they've stormed into first place in the Big Ten standings. IU trailed twice but used a pair of two-out runs to climb back even with the Wildcats both times before securing the win in the bottom half of the final frame.
Earlier in the season, Indiana lost games similar to Tuesday's, tangible proof of the growth the ball club has had.
"It's been a long road, it just feels like every game's like that," Lemonis said. "Every game we've played is like this. It just doesn't faze them anymore. They just run out there and play again. We feel like in that type of game, it's our game."
The win over the Kentucky was perhaps the best non-conference win of the season for Indiana considering the Wildcats were coming off a series win over No. 9 South Carolina just last weekend. It'll gives the Hoosiers momentum going into the final home series of the year this weekend against Illinois as they look to maintain their place atop the Big Ten standings.
As the final weeks of the regular season wind down, Lemonis said he's expecting more and more games to go the way Tuesday's did. Good teams, and he's been adamant in saying his ball club is becoming one, are able to separate themselves and find ways to win like IU did against Kentucky.
Now the trick is keeping it going.
"We're kind of just playing with nothing to lose right now," Eustace said. "That's what you get right there. That's the product."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Strictly on paper, Indiana's 3-2 walk-off win over Kentucky didn't secure the Hoosiers' NCAA dreams. In all likelihood, IU is going to need to win the Big Ten Tournament to secure a bid to compete for a national championship.
But don't begin to think it didn't matter.
"I love beating Kentucky," junior infielder Austin Cangelosi said, smiling.
Sophomore outfielder Laren Eustace was the hero, lining a walk-off pinch hit single to an empty centerfield gap off Wildcat pitcher Zach Strecker to plate Eustace.
By the time Eustace reached second base, the rest of the Indiana bench was there to greet him in celebration.
"Honestly, I just wanted to see a fastball and hit it as hard as I could somewhere," Eustace said. "It worked out the right way. That's all you can ask for."
The walk-off win was a microcosm for what head coach Chris Lemonis has liked about his Hoosiers (29-17, 13-5) as they've stormed into first place in the Big Ten standings. IU trailed twice but used a pair of two-out runs to climb back even with the Wildcats both times before securing the win in the bottom half of the final frame.
Earlier in the season, Indiana lost games similar to Tuesday's, tangible proof of the growth the ball club has had.
"It's been a long road, it just feels like every game's like that," Lemonis said. "Every game we've played is like this. It just doesn't faze them anymore. They just run out there and play again. We feel like in that type of game, it's our game."
The win over the Kentucky was perhaps the best non-conference win of the season for Indiana considering the Wildcats were coming off a series win over No. 9 South Carolina just last weekend. It'll gives the Hoosiers momentum going into the final home series of the year this weekend against Illinois as they look to maintain their place atop the Big Ten standings.
As the final weeks of the regular season wind down, Lemonis said he's expecting more and more games to go the way Tuesday's did. Good teams, and he's been adamant in saying his ball club is becoming one, are able to separate themselves and find ways to win like IU did against Kentucky.
Now the trick is keeping it going.
"We're kind of just playing with nothing to lose right now," Eustace said. "That's what you get right there. That's the product."
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