Examining The Series
The Indiana Hoosiers put up a master class performance this week against a strong Louisville Cardinals team, winning 10-6 on the road in Louisville. The Hoosiers got out to an 8-0 lead and, despite a late push by the Cardinals, were able to close out the win. To read more on this important victory, check out Campbell Manahan’s detailed recap of the game here.
Now, the Hoosiers head to Evanston to take on the Northwestern Wildcats in a three-game weekend series. Every Big Ten game moving forward is pivotal for the 14th-place Hoosiers. With only the top 12 Big Ten teams qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament, the Hoosiers need to get hot in-conference and start winning some games. This series against a poor Northwestern side presents a fantastic opportunity to rise in the standings and increase the chances of qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament. The Hoosiers can’t play around, though. I believe they need to sweep this series against the Wildcats.
Now, let’s check out where each team falls in the nationwide rankings.
Indiana: The Hoosiers now rank 103rd in the country by RPI and 96th in the country by ELO, a more analytical ranking system. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have a strength of schedule ranking of 54th in the country. They sit on the outside looking in with regards to Big Ten Tournament qualification, ranking 14th in the Big Ten with a record of 6-15.
Northwestern: The Wildcats rank 129th in the country by RPI and 173rd in the country by ELO. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a strength of schedule ranking of 79th in the country. They also sit on the outside looking in with regards to Big Ten Tournament qualification, ranking tied for last in the Big Ten (17th) with a record of 5-16.
Indiana Stats and Figures
4 GB: The Hoosiers are roughly 4 games back from the 12th-place team in the Big Ten, the Michigan State Spartans. This is an approximate figure, as teams have varying amounts of games played in the Big Ten right now, but it still gives a good picture of what the Hoosiers have to work with. They need to sweep the Wildcats to make up ground. 9 games are remaining in the year (all Big Ten games). The Hoosiers probably need to win 7 of them to make the Big Ten Tournament.
0 Runs: Graduate Student pitcher Conner Linn showed out against the Cardinals. Over 5 innings pitched, he allowed 0 runs and just 4 hits. The Hoosiers needed Linn to find something in the tank and pitch well in an important game against strong competition, and he did just that. Major props to the lefty.
Prediction and Next Series
I’m on a cold streak right now with my predictions. I predicted the Hoosiers would win 2 out of 3 against the Hawkeyes (the Hoosiers got swept), and then I predicted the Hoosiers would lose to Louisville (Indiana won). However, this is the time where my cold streak ends. The Hoosiers need to sweep the Wildcats. They know they need to sweep the Wildcats. And, honestly, I think they will. Let’s go on a win streak, Hoosiers!
After traveling to Evanston, the Hoosiers then face Purdue for a weekend series in West Lafayette and then come back home to match up against Illinois for a weekend series to end the season. Be on the lookout for a preview and recap of those series next week and the week after!
Stay locked in with Hoosier Huddle for recaps of IU baseball games and series, along with previews examining each one ahead of time. Go Hoosiers!
All ranking metrics courtesy of warrennolan.com. All other metrics courtesy of baseball-reference.com