IU Athletics
Red-Hot Hoosiers Head South for Midweek Test at No. 7 Louisville
A few short weeks ago, it appeared Indiana could be on the outside looking in to the Big Ten tournament. But after series wins over Nebraska, Illinois and Michigan in three consecutive weekends, the Hoosiers have sent a message that they're not done just yet.
Indiana will have a chance to prove its worth on Tuesday night in a road trip against one of the top teams in the country. First pitch between Indiana and No. 7 Louisville is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, but starting pitchers have not yet been announced.
The Hoosiers (22-25, 8-10) can also make it three straight midweek wins if they pull off the upset on Tuesday night. Indiana won at Cincinnati on April 20 and defeated Butler at Victory Field on April 26, but it appears to be a tall task to make it three in a row.
Louisville enters the game with a 33-13-1 record overall with a 15-8-1 in ACC play. The Cardinals most recent game against Wake Forest ended in a tie due to travel curfew. After 12 innings of play that took four hours and 25 minutes, a winner still hadn't been decided, and the game was called off.
But before the tie, the No. 7 Cardinals were on a tear of their own, winning seven of their last eight games. Louisville currently sits atop the ACC Coastal division, but trails Miami (FL) for the overall lead in the conference.
The Cardinals rank fifth in team batting average and 10th in team ERA among ACC teams. Although he has just two home runs on the season, sophomore Jack Payton is leading Louisville with a .369 batting average. And there is still plenty of snuggling throughout the Cardinal lineup – three players have 14 home runs and six hitters are slugging above .500.
Louisville's most recent midweek came gave the Cardinals a major résumé boost when they defeated No. 14 Vanderbilt 1-0 in Nashville, Tenn. All it took was a Ben Bianco solo home run in the fifth inning to break the pitchers' duel.
Carter Lohman started the game and didn't allow a hit in two innings of work with three strikeouts. It was a bullpen day for Louisville, but everyone pulled their weight as seven pitchers allowed just two combined hits with 14 strikeouts. Louisville hasn't kept its starter in the game for more than three innings since March 16 against Bellarmine, so it could be another all-hands-on-deck outing for the Louisville pitching staff on Tuesday.
And while Louisville has been one of the top teams in the country all year, Indiana is playing its best baseball of the season. The Hoosiers have won six of their last eight games, and it's been the young bats leading the way. Freshman third baseman Josh Pyne slugged his way to Big Ten Freshman of the Week and gave Indiana it's first walk-off win of the season in the same week, and fellow rookie Carter Mathison set the freshman home run record against Michigan in Indiana's series clinching win. Freshman Brock Tibbitts also drove in five runs in the series against Michigan.
With two teams playing some of their best baseball of the year, it's shaping up to be an intriguing midweek contest. First pitch from Jim Patterson Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday night.
Related stories to Indiana baseball:
- THIRD STRAIGHT SERIES VICTORY: After losing game one, the Indiana bats caught fire to combine for 19 runs in games two and three. The Hoosiers have won three straight series as they battle to qualify for the Big Ten tournament. CLICK HERE
- PERKINS' WARRIOR MINDSET: After overcoming Tommy John surgery and an up-and-down career at Louisville, Jack Perkins found a home at Indiana through his faith in God. He's now Indiana's Friday starter, leading the Hoosiers through confidence and toughness. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA TAKES SERIES OVER ILLINOIS: Indiana scored eight runs in the fifth inning of Sunday's rubber match against Illinois. Freshman Carter Mathison belted two home runs, and Reese Sharp tossed 4.1 scoreless innings in relief to claim a crucial series victory. CLICK HERE