Game Info
Who
Ball State Cardinals (11-16, 0-5 MAC) at Indiana Hoosiers (14-11-2, 3-2-1 Big Ten)
Where
Bart Kaufman Field, Bloomington, Indiana
When
Tuesday, April 4, 6:05 p.m. ET (BTN2Go)
Probable Stars
RHP John Baker (2-1, 2.61 ERA) at LHP Tim Herrin (3-2, 4.97 ERA)
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Preview
To say that both teams are looking for a rebound on Tuesday would be an understatement. Both Indiana and Ball State are each coming off of home weekend series in which both teams went winless in their respective three-game series.
Indiana is coming off of a tough weekend against conference front runner Nebraska which found the Hoosiers failing to convert with runners on base. Ball State is coming off of a conference opener against Ohio, which featured the Bobcats outscoring the Cardinals 23-8 across the series.
Although the Hoosiers came off of a weekend in which they left many runners on base, they still have one of the leading offenses in the Big Ten with 28 home runs (T-1st in the Big Ten), 249 hits (4th), and 140 RBI’s (4th).
Sophomore Matt Lloyd is looking to keep his offensive going after being named National Player of the Week on March 28th. Lloyd is currently ninth in the Big Ten in home runs.
Another notable Hoosier will be the Muncie native Luke Miller. Miller is currently 11th in batting average (.337) and tied for fourth in runs (22) in the Big Ten.
What To Expect
The Hoosiers are currently in a stretch that shouldn’t have been that difficult. This is their sixth game in a row at Bart Kaufman, and the Hoosiers have gone 1-3-1 leading up to this game. That being said, Indiana should still be able to handle this struggling Ball State team that is coming off of a 10-0 loss at home against Ohio on Sunday.
This game is also part of a 14-game stretch in which Indiana does not play outside of the Hoosier state. Indiana will need to capitalize playing close to and at home if they want to make the tournament. If they win this they will head into a weekend series against Purdue, which IU has a real possibility of getting a sweep and building momentum in the Big Ten.
Either way, IU is going do need to bounce back, and bounce back quickly.