Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Host Ball State on Tuesday Night
4/15/2019 4:09:00 PM | Baseball
• Tuesday will be the 60th ever meeting between IU and Ball State. The two squads last met in Bloomington on April 18, 2018, with the Hoosiers earning a 9-8 victory.
• Indiana leads the all-time series between the two schools, 33-26.
• Indiana Head Coach Jeff Mercer is in his first season with the Hoosiers and his 10th overall year in coaching collegiately. He has posted an 101-60 career record after leading Wright State to winning seasons in each of his two years with the Raiders, including a 2018 Horizon League title and NCAA Regional appearance.
• Ball State head coach Rich Maloney is in his second stint and 14th season overall as head coach with the Cardinals. He led Ball State to its sixth-straight 30-win season in 2018 and has won four MAC regular season titles with the program.
• Indiana is coming off a successful weekend in which it earned a four-game series sweep over the Evansville Purple Aces.
• The Hoosiers entered this week first in the Big Ten and second nationally with 61 home runs, trailing New Mexico State by one.
• Aditionally, Indiana is first in the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.472, 16th) and runs (247, 35th nationally), second in hit by pitch (46) and third in doubles (68).
• The IU pitching staff came into the week second in hits allowed per nine innings (7.39, 19th nationally) and WHIP (1.24, 19th), third in ERA (3.36, 22nd nationally), shutouts (3, 34th), strikeouts per nine innings (9.2), and walks per nine innings (3.78), and fourth in strikeout to walk ratio (2.42, 50th).
• Senior utility player Matt Lloyd enters the week first in the Big Ten in home runs (12, 12th nationally) slugging percentage (.680, 31st) and RBI (37), is second in total bases (87, 43rd), and third in sacrifice flies (4).
• Lloyd is tied for second in school history in saves (20) and saves in Big Ten games (11).
• Sophomore Cole Barr paces the Big Ten in home runs (12, 12th nationally), is fourth in slugging percentage (.614), and is fifth in total bases (78).
• Junior Matt Gorski is second in the Big Ten in stolen bses (13) and fourth in runs (33).
• Senior Pauly Milto is second in the Big Ten in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.89, 20th nationally), second in WHIP (0.88, 26th) and walks allowed per nine innings (1.27, 28th), and is third in strikeouts (62) and wins (5).
• Junior Andrew Saalfrank struck out 14 hitters in Saturday's win over Evansville, marking his fourth double-digit strikeout start in his last five starts. He has now struck out 54 batters over his last 29.2 innings.
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in wins (409) and conference wins (169). The Hoosiers have made six NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
