Indiana baseball to play No. 12 Louisville Tuesday, first ranked foe since March 4

In 19 contests at Bart Kaufman Area, Indiana baseball has misplaced simply as soon as — the 15-straight residence wins to start out this season marked the second-longest streak in program historical past.  

Following the staff’s sixth consecutive sequence victory at Illinois April 14-15 to enhance to 9-3 within the Huge Ten, the Hoosiers return residence to face No. 12 College of Louisville Tuesday afternoon. The Cardinals are 18-2 in video games towards non-conference foes, corresponding to wins over No. 15 Texas A&M College and No. 10 Texas Christian College, in early March.  

Left-handed senior Evan Webster will begin Tuesday’s contest for the Cardinals. Webster appeared in Louisville’s newest non-conference loss to Lipscomb College on April 4, permitting a season-high six earned runs in lower than two innings pitched. Since, Webster has mixed for 2⅓ shutout innings in victories over No. 9 Boston Faculty and Bellarmine College.  

Louisville swept No. 9 Boston Faculty two weekends in the past, April 6-8. Most not too long ago, the Cardinals misplaced their residence sequence to No. 2 Wake Forest College April 14-16. Louisville is the highest-ranked staff Indiana will play because the staff’s 17-4 highway loss to No. 9 Japanese Carolina College within the first week of March. Indiana leads the all-time sequence 28-26.  

On Monday afternoon, Indiana climbed to No. 20 in Good Sport’s top-25 ballot. The Hoosiers have been additionally slotted No. 23 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. But, Indiana was absent from the widely-accepted D1Baseball ballot, and Baseball America and Coaches polls. Louisville landed within the top-15 on all these lists, so a win would tremendously enhance Indiana’s resume.   

Proper-handed junior Seti Manase will begin Tuesday for the Hoosiers. Manase has sometimes began on Sundays this season however was shifted to pitch Friday, April 14 at Illinois. Indiana’s teaching workers pulled the right-hander after two scoreless innings, having thrown simply 26 pitches. That left Manase with sufficient time to relaxation for Tuesday’ 

College of Mississippi switch Wes Burton has tossed just below 10 innings this season, although two of the graduate’s newest three outings have featured high-leverage conditions.  

Burton protected the three-run lead in Indiana’s series-evening victory over Penn State on April 2 to earn his first save. Within the series-clinching win over Iowa on April 9, Burton hurled two scoreless innings whereas Indiana trailed by one run and subsequently tied the sport. The correct-handed reliever threw simply 18 pitches in a single scoreless inning towards Illinois April 14.  

Burton is well-rested sufficient that one can count on the graduate to pitch two, maybe even a season-high three innings — ought to Manase endure one other laborious begin or untimely exit — with a view to get well and begin any recreation of the weekend sequence towards Ohio College.  

Louisville’s lineup boasts 5 hitters with .300-plus batting averages, led by junior Jack Payton, who has hit eight residence runs this season. Indiana freshman Devin Taylor likewise has tallied a team-leading eight residence runs, hitting three this previous weekend at Illinois. On Monday, Taylor collected Huge Ten Freshman of the Week honors for the third time this season.  

As come-from-behind sequence victories have grow to be commonplace for Indiana these final three weekends of convention play, the Hoosiers now possess the chance to avenge final 12 months’s 7-2 loss at No. 7 Louisville. Tuesday’s recreation will air on ESPNU; the primary pitch is about for six p.m.