Indiana Baseball: Hoosiers Look to Continue Hot Start Against San Diego
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana's baseball team has looked dangerous in the opening month of the season, picking up three wins against ranked teams while going 6-3 over the first three weekends.
The Hoosiers also looked good in their home opener on Wednesday, blowing out Purdue 17-2 on the backs of strong starting pitching and an explosive top of the lineup to get their seventh win..
Indiana’s focus now shifts to the University of San Diego as the team prepares for its first weekend series at Bart Kaufman Field.
The top of San Diego’s lineup has been hot to start the season, with three players hitting over .400 and each with at least 11 RBIs already. First baseman Caleb Ricketts is coming off a good week at the plate, going 9-for-16 (.563 avg) with five runs and seven RBIs for the Toreros.
San Diego has yet to release its probable starters for the weekend, but Indiana likely will face Jake Miller, who threw San Diego’s first no-hitter since 2008 on Feb. 28, beating Monmouth. It only took Miller 102 pitches to strike out 10 batters on his way to the no-hitter, and he will provide the Hoosiers’ batters a challenge on the mound.
Here are the particulars on this weekend’s matchup:
- Who: University of San Diego (9-3)
- When: Saturday, Mar. 7, doubleheader starting at 2:05 p.m. ET; Sunday, Mar. 8, 12:05 p.m. ET
- Where: Bart Kaufman Field, Bloomington, Ind.
- Probable Starters: Saturday – Game 1 (Gabe Bierman v. TBD), Saturday – Game 2 (Tommy Sommer v. TBD) and Sunday (Braydon Tucker v. TBD)
- Television: BTN+
- Radio: Indiana Radio Network
- Announcer: Austin Render
Here are three things I’m looking to see from Indiana:
1. Jordan Fucci Stays Hot
Jordan Fucci, the redshirt-senior transfer from Samford, has been a huge addition to the Hoosiers' lineup. Indiana wondered where some of the new production would come from after losing Matt Gorski and Matt Lloyd from last season’s team, and Fucci has been one of the answers.
Fucci has gotten on base in every game since opening night against LSU and leads the team with 13 RBIs. The power-hitting first baseman already has five extra-base hits in the early going and has elevated his batting average to .300.
The Lexington, Ky., native provided a lot of offense against in-state rival Purdue, driving in five runs on a 2-for-4 hitting afternoon.
As the Hoosiers’ offense produces at a high level, look for Fucci to continue his strong offensive production in the middle of the lineup.
2. Get Baserunners Early
Indiana has been able to overpower most teams offensively in the early part of the season by putting men on base early in innings and putting a lot of pressure on its opponent’s pitching staff.
But San Diego’s pitchers will probably be the best collection of arms the Hoosiers have faced this season.
As mentioned, Miller is coming off a no-hitter while freshman pitcher Carter Rustad pitched five innings last Sunday before giving up his first hit.
Indiana has been patient at the plate and taken advantage of mistakes, but the Toreros’ pitching staff hasn’t made a lot of them this season. This will be a good test to see if the Hoosiers’ hitting has just been early-season luck, or if it is here to stay.
3. Limit Early-Inning Runs
Coming into the season, the big unknown with Indiana was its pitching. Would Bierman, Sommer and Tucker all be viable weekend starters? Who would be the go-to bullpen arms?
While the starters have emerged and a few relievers have proven themselves, Indiana’s bullpen is still not a finished product. Freshman David Platt and junior Connor Manous have been the two most impressive arms coming out of the bullpen, but outside of those two, it has been stressful for head coach Jeff Mercer.
The Hoosiers are at their best when they can shrink the game by having the starter go six or seven innings and only using two relief pitchers. It has been when the starter can’t go deep into a game that Indiana has struggled the most this season while being forced to rely on a lot of young arms coming out of the bullpen.
Note: Indiana’s baseball game against Butler that was postponed last week has been rescheduled to 6:05 p.m. ET on Mar. 24 at Bart Kaufman Field.
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