Hoosiers end road swing with four against tough Toreros

Who

Indiana Hoosiers (6-1) at San Diego Toreros (7-2)

Where

Fowler Park and Cunningham Field, San Diego, CA

When

Friday, March 2, 9:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 3, 4:00 p.m. (Game 1 of Doubleheader)

Saturday, March 3, 8:00 p.m. (Game 2 of Doubleheader)

Sunday, March 4, 2:00 p.m.

Probable Starters

Friday: RHP Jonathon Stiever (0-1, 7.59 ERA) vs RHP Paul Richan (1-1, 0.61 ERA)

Saturday: RHP Pauly Milto (2-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP Chris Murphy (0-0, 9.00 ERA)

Sunday: LHP Tommy Sommer (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs Nick Sprengel (0-0, 6.75 ERA)

Monday: TBA vs TBA

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Preview

Indiana, sitting in the Top-25 in every college baseball poll, and riding a six-game winning streak, will have their work cut out for them this weekend as they head to California to take on the San Diego Toreros. The Torerors sit at 7-2 and are ranked as high as No. 13 in the Perfect Game Top-25 poll.

Friday night, the Hoosiers will face RHP Paul Richan, who has thrown 14.2 IP in two starts this season and has recorded 21 strikeouts, while allowing just one earned run. Indiana will a better effort from Jonathan Stiever, who entered the season as a popular choice to be the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, but has struggled through his first two outings.

Saturday, the clubs will play two. Pauly Milto, who has not yet given up a run, will look to get the day started off right before Chris Lemonis hands the ball to Tommy Sommer, a true freshman from Carmel, Indiana, who has appeared just once in his career, but went 3.0 IP and gave up just one hit in earning the save in Indiana’s win over Kansas State.

Sunday’s starters have not been announced.

All Hoosier pitchers will have their hands full with the Torero offense. San Diego is led by Tora Otsuka and Kevin Collard, who are hitting .444 and .368, respectively. Otsuka has 6 RBIs and has scored 6 runs, and adds a .500 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage. Along with Collard, Daniel Gardner, and Jay Schuyler, Otsuka leads a talented lineup with four hitters batting over .300.

What to Expect

Anything but a sweep. These are two talented teams and with the Hoosiers traveling three time zones, a four-game sweep would be asking a lot. And with a freshman making his first start, that Saturday nightcap may be the toughest of the weekend for Indiana to snag. But with an offense that keeps pounding out runs, clutch pitching from the rotation to the backend, and plenty of big-game experience on the roster, it wouldn’t surprise anyone for the Hoosiers to leave on Sunday evening with a series win in hand.

One other thing you may expect - a shortened game, or a tie, on Sunday. With the Sunday contest starting at 2:00 p.m. ET, the Hoosiers almost certainly are on a travel curfew. If the game becomes a high-scoring affair or is extended for any reason, a shortened game or a tie could be in the books so Indiana can make the flight home.