Omaha Report: Hoosiers look to rebound, swing bats better
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
Hoosiers closer Ryan Halstead blew an eighth-inning lead, and two batters later, lefty reliever Brian Korte allowed a game-winning, two-run single as Indiana fell 5-4 Monday night in its second game of the College World Series. The Hoosiers’ storybook season is on the line Wednesday against Oregon State. Josie Janavicius, who is covering the team in Omaha, Neb. for IU Student Television, checks in again to answer our Five Questions on the state of the Big Ten champions.
1. How did the Hoosiers react after Monday’s heartbreaker, and what did they talk about as causes for the loss?
It was a very somber mood in the locker room after the loss to Mississippi State. IU knew they were not out of it, but these guys hate to lose no matter what. The main thing they addressed were the strikeouts thrown by the MSU pitching staff; guys who are normally the key hitters for the Hoosiers were swinging at pitches they should not have. The errors also hurt them – mistakes were also a problem for MSU – but the Hoosiers still gave the base runners more rope than they should have and that caused a lot of the runs that came late.
2. Are the big dimensions of TD Ameritrade Park a serious factor that harms Indiana’s offense?
I really don’t think the ballpark should be blamed. It is possible to hit home runs in TD Ameritrade. Mason Katz of LSU had one against UCLA, and North Carolina got a two-run shot in the Tuesday morning elimination game. IU was also able to hit homers in Target Field, which is also a big ballpark, during the Big Ten tournament. The two eighth-inning balls hit by Kyle Schwarber and Sam Travis on Monday would have been out in most standard collegiate ballparks, but there were also other areas of IU’s offense against MSU that could have gotten them back in that game.
3. Which batter in Indiana’s suddenly struggling lineup most needs to step up?
The Hoosiers need to see more out of Schwarber. He has been struck out more times these past two games than I have seen all season. He knows this, too. After practice he talked about how he has not played his best baseball and wants to step up so that the team will have another chance. Another hitter who needs to get his groove back is Dustin DeMuth. DeMuth’s average has been declining since the beginning of the NCAA tournament. He must start getting the hits so that IU once again has that threat in the middle of the lineup.
4. How do the Hoosiers match up with Oregon State?
Oregon State is a similar matchup to Mississippi State – strong pitchers and bullpen. I really think MSU got lucky beating the Beavers in the opening game, so IU will have to play their best baseball if they want to pull off the upset of the national seed OSU. Aaron Slegers starts at pitcher. He will have to get strikes immediately. Against Florida State, he was walking a lot of guys, which cannot happen in this coming game.
5. Tracy Smith’s relievers showed some weaknesses against Mississippi State. Can he trust them on Wednesday, and what should his pitching plan be for that do-or-die game?
It was not the bullpen’s greatest outing, but they also could have used some help from the guys behind them in the field. Like I mentioned earlier, Slegers will be on the mound for IU and even with his postseason struggles, he is the guy you want there in an elimination situation. It is even possible that we will see Kyle Hart in a relief situation. Tracy Smith said he told Hart before that he would be important in the NCAA tournament, so if there is any threat of elimination, do not be surprised to see him.
