Dragash: Observations from the NCAA baseball Bloomington regional
By CRAIG DRAGASH
ISL Correspondent
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — There was a walkoff home run, a Sportscenter-worthy catch, even an entertaining ball boy. These are just a few of the things I witnessed as I watched the Indiana Hoosiers win the Bloomington regional this past weekend. To encapsulate everything that happened over the weekend, here are some of my observations from the action that resulted in the Hoosiers moving on to play in the Super Regional against Florida State on Saturday:
1. The Hoosiers are that good
IU always had the reputation for being a strong team offensively, but the Hoosiers’ pitching was the key to them taking the championship. Aaron Slegers was the starter in Friday’s opener vs. Valparaiso, and had the only subpar outing over the weekend, but long reliever Scott Effross came in and pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing only two unearned runs to allow his team to come back and defeat the Crusaders in dramatic fashion with a walkoff home run by second baseman Chad Clark. Joey Denato was strong in his victory over Austin Peay on Saturday, allowing 4 runs in the first 2 innings before settling down and throwing four straight shutout innings after that. And Will Coursen-Carr allowed only 1 run in 5 1/3 innings in the championship game on Sunday.
First baseman Sam Travis, who was named the regional MVP, was 5 for 10 in the three games with a home run, 3 RBI, and 6 walks. Designated hitter Scott Donley was 4 for 8 with 4 RBI. Third baseman Dustin DeMuth had 4 hits, 3 of which were doubles. And catcher Kyle Schwarber had 4 hits, including a solo home run. Add shortstop Michael Basil’s 4 hits and you have a combined 21 for 55 for the regional from Indiana’s 2-6 hitters in their lineup.
2. Kaufman Field was a worthy regional site
The all-turf surface at Kaufman Field allowed for all but the very first game of the regional to be played on schedule. Heavy rain on Friday caused an hour and 20 minute delay, but because that game was scheduled to start at 1:00, and the nightcap wasn’t until 7:00, the second game was not affected. Almost 9,000 fans witnessed the 3 games that Indiana played in.
3. Mother Nature was kind to Bloomington
With the exception of the above-mentioned delay, there was no severe threat of rain despite forecasts suggesting otherwise, and several dark clouds hovering in the air. There was at least some rain each day, but again the playing surface and the fact that the rain was light didn’t affect the series, although the rain on Friday did cause 3 over-slides of second base in the first three innings in the game between Florida and Austin Peay.
4. Tracy Smith is worthy of respect
I found Coach Smith to be very honest and engaging in his post-game press conferences. He was forthcoming in his comments, and his sense of humor made for a very pleasant atmosphere. His message to his team throughout this season and in seasons before has been “progress”. Winning the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles, along with hosting and winning a regional have certainly accomplished that mission.
5. The Hoosiers aren’t satisfied
Smith made a point in the press conference following the championship game that his team didn’t “dogpile”, because his team feels that they have a lot of baseball left to play. To fulfill that prophecy, they will have to take two out of three from Florida State this weekend and advance to Omaha to play in the College World Series.
6. Indiana’s ballboy is very entertaining
On foul balls hit back to the screen, Indiana’s ballboy would sprint out of the dugout, slide on the turf while picking up the baseball, and sprint back to the dugout; all with a buildup from the crowd on the way to the ball, and a loud cheer once the ball has been retrieved. Especially in Saturday’s 15-6 drubbing of Austin Peay where the Governor pitchers gave up 12 walks, he provided some needed entertainment.
Bloomington regional all-tourney team:
Pitcher-Cole Webb, Valparaiso
Pitcher-Jonathan Crawford, Florida
Catcher-Kyle Schwarber, Indiana
1st Base-Sam Travis, Indiana (Tournament MVP)
2nd Base-Chad Clark, Indiana
3rd Base-Jordan Hawkins, Austin Peay
Shortstop-Spencer Mahoney, Valparaiso
Outfield-Justin Cureton, Indiana
Outfield-Cody Hudson, Austin Peay
Outfield-Justin Shafer, Florida
Outfield-Casey Smith, Indiana
Designated Hitter-Scott Donley, Indiana.
