IU’s Fineman and Milto Embrace the ‘Awesome’ Baseball Times

BY PETE DIPRIMIO

IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- It starts with winning. Of course it does. It swiftly moves to relationships and chemistry and fun.

You'd better believe the Indiana Hoosiers are having fun these days.

So here are catcher Ryan Fineman and pitcher Pauly Milto, baseball seniors, teammates and roommates, basking in Big Ten championship accomplishment while focusing on the keep-it-going goal amid this Hoosier truth:

It's been a heck of a run, and it ain't over yet.

Specifically, there's this week's Big Ten tourney in Omaha, Neb., and then the NCAA Tournament.

This is why, Fineman says, he became a Hoosier.

"Winning over the years here has been awesome. Winning this Big Ten title is beyond awesome. It's something I've always wanted to do."

He pauses while thinking about his four Cream-and-Crimson seasons.

"It's the people you played with. It's the guys you become lifelong friends with. For a guy from California, you come to Indiana and you don't know what to expect. It's been better than I could have ever expected. It's the best four years of my life."

Or, as Milto puts it while reflecting on last year's transition from former coach Chris Lemonis to current coach Jeff Mercer, "I wouldn't have changed anything.
The coaching change was a little tough, but I learned important things from both coaching staffs. I've improved as player and a person because of both staffs. I wouldn't have changed anything of my time here."

They arrived in Bloomington -- Milto from the Indianapolis area, Fineman from California -- with big team expectations given the Hoosiers' rise to national prominence. That was highlighted by the 2013 College World Series and a 2014 Big Ten title.

While IU has remained nationally relevant -- qualifying for the NCAA regionals five times in the last six seasons -- a championship remained elusive until last weekend's Big Ten regular season thriller, when the No. 21 Hoosiers (36-19) swept Rutgers to overtake No. 19 Michigan on the final day of the regular season.

It did not, Milto adds, produce a deep-into-the night celebration.

"We were pretty pumped for the next few hours. Then night comes and you're exhausted. It was a hot day. We were sweating all day. With storming the field, everything is moving a million miles an hour. Then everything settles down and you just crash."

The crash is over. Preparations have begun. The team is already in Omaha with this possibility -- a conference tourney title would not only add to the season's success, it might be enough to earn IU the right to host an NCAA regional, although Fineman says the Hoosiers aren't thinking beyond Wednesday's Big Ten tourney opener against Iowa.

"You try to play your best game every day," he says. "If do that, you'll be really happy at the end."

IU's tourney-winning hopes come down to three things, Milto says.

"No. 1, execute pitches. No. 2, play good defense. No. 3, stick to the game plan offensively at the plate."

IU's home run prowess -- its 90 homers lead the nation and are a school single-season record -- will get tested at Omaha's AmeriTrade Park, which is not known as long-ball friendly.

No big deal, Fineman says.

"You don't go out there to hit home runs. You go out to hit the ball hard, line drives, and if it turns into a home run, it's a home run."

Milto says the park's reputation won't affect his pitching approach.

"I'm not afraid of home runs," he says. "I'm a sinker ball pitcher and more of a groundball pitcher.

"Home runs are usually the result of a mistake. If I make a mistake and they make me pay for it, you just tip your cap to them and move on to the next batter."

IU has thrived under Mercer, although the transition, Milto says, was a "culture shock."

"They have very different coaching methods. It was kind of a feeling-out process for the first two months of the fall. After that, we got together and said, at this point we have to buy in. (Mercer has) had success wherever he's been. He knows what he's talking about. We bought in completely. Everyone grasped that idea as soon as the season started."

Adds Fineman: "When a coach comes in, it can go one of two ways -- you can be (someone) who doesn't want to buy in, which never works, or you can say, 'OK, let's do it. This is our coach, our program. We want to win no matter what.' That's what we did.

"It was like screw it, we'll do exactly what he says, and see at the end of the year how it works out.

"We've put in so much time and effort. It's paying off."

IU's power surge reflects that. Matt Lloyd and Cole Barr share the Big Ten home run lead with 16 each.

"When Coach Mercer came in," says Fineman, whose seven homers match his career high, "he brought a new (batting) philosophy, a new mindset. We developed new swings."

And if the tradeoff comes in more strikeouts (IU's 591 strikeouts are 74 more than any other Big Ten team), so what? The Hoosiers' 389 runs are 22 more than any other conference squad.

"Strikeouts happen," Fineman says, "but we developed more torque in our swings. You get more power by using your body the right way, being in the right position. You see how much power you have when you use the right swing."

Home runs aren't the only reason for IU's success. It ranks in the top-25 nationally in team earned run average (3.58) and strikeouts (528). Eleven pitchers have ERAs under 4.00.

Leading the way is Milto, the staff ace. He's won eight games in each of the last two seasons while going against opposing team's best starters every week.

He's set career highs in strikeouts (94 this season, 252 for his career, second in program history to Joey DeNato's 297) and innings pitched (95.0). His IU record of 26-11 ranks among the program's best ever.

"It's an awesome accomplishment for me to work my way to being the Friday night starter. It was a goal I was able to achieve.

"I hope to continue having success. I trust all the guys behind me, the relievers and the other two starters (Tanner Gordon and Andrew Saalfrank). It's been
awesome."

As the catcher, Fineman knows how awesome Milto has been.

"It's awesome to catch one of you best friends. When he's on the mound, his demeanor is incredible. You have 100 percent confidence he'll give his all no matter if he has his (best) stuff or not. He's one of the best leaders I've ever played with. He gives us a good opportunity every Friday."

At IU, coaches call the pitches, which keeps the focus on execution.

"I try to keep a very simple outlook," Milto says. "Trust my stuff rather than over-think it or try to do too much.

"I pitch to the scouting report. Our coaches call the pitch and the spot, and I try to hit the spot."

Adds Fineman: "He'll execute whatever is called. If it gets hit, it gets hit; if it doesn't, it doesn't. Control what you can control."

As for the Big Ten tourney, its double-elimination format can be brutal on pitching staffs, especially for teams that end up in the loser's bracket. Milto says he's ready for anything.

"I'll do whatever the coaches want and the team needs. I won't say I'll only go six innings, or go five and come back later in the tournament. I'll go as long as I can as hard as I can. I'll give the team whatever I have in the tank."

Milto has been able to share his success with plenty of family and friends. He's from nearby Greenwood and had a standout high school career at Indianapolis Roncalli.

"It's great having my family so close," he says. "They come to every game. All my friends come to games. It's nice representing the home state."

Fineman -- a career .261 hitter with 19 total home runs -- doesn't have that luxury given he's from California.

How did he end up a Hoosier?

"They just recruited me," he says. "I came out here on a whim and loved it. I had no idea who they were."

He knows now.

"It's been awesome," he says.

IU’s Fineman and Milto Embrace the ‘Awesome’ Baseball Times

Players Mentioned

Cole Barr

Ryan Fineman

Tanner Gordon

Matt Lloyd

Pauly Milto

Andrew Saalfrank

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