The Indiana Hoosiers are hosting an NCAA Regional for the second straight year after a 42-13 campaign while going 21-3 in Big Ten play. They will be joined by intrastate rival Indiana State (35-16, 14-7 in Missouri Valley), Stanford (30-23, 16-14 in Pac-12), and Youngstown State (16-36, 6-17 Horizon League).
Indiana Hoosiers (42-13 overall, 21-3 Big Ten)
The Indiana Hoosiers enter the NCAA Tournament as a regional host for the second straight season after last year winning the regional. They are currently on a six game winning streak after sweeping through the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha over the weekend to solidify an NCAA seed.
Leading the Indiana offense is All-American catcher candidate Kyle Schwarber who is hitting .340 with a team high 12 homers and 41 RBI on the year. Dustin DeMuth has the best batting average on the team at .381 with Sam Travis having a .342 average with ten homers and 53 RBI.
The pitching staff for the Hoosiers have a team ERA of 2.17. Joey DeNato is the number one pitcher going 12-1 with a 1.77 ERA over 101.2 innings pitched and 16 appearances (15 starts). After him, there is a slight drop off to Christian Morris with a 6-3 record and a 1.82 ERA. The backend of the bullpen is led by Scott Effross who is 4-2 with five saves and an ERA of 1.65.
Indiana State Sycamores (35-16, 14-7 MVC)
The Indiana State Sycamores come into the NCAA Regionals on a three game losing streak as they lost their first two games of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
The Sycamores offense is led by Mike Fitzgerald and Derek Hannahs who both have a .305 average. Fitzgerald has three homers and 26 RBI while Hannahs has driven in 34 runs.
Indiana State’s pitching has a staff ERA of 3.23 which is led by starting pitcher David Stagg. He is 7-4 with a 2.96 ERA in 91.1 innings pitched. Brad Lombard (6-3, 3.48 ERA) and Kurt Kudrecki (6-4, 4.14 ERA) round out the rotation. Ryan Keaffaber serves as the closer with 11 saves and a record of 3-1 and a 2.80 ERA in 54.2 innings.
Stanford Cardinal (30-23 overall, 16-14 Pac-12)
It looked like the Stanford Cardinal would miss the postseason this year but they came through in the clutch winning six out of their final seven games.
The Cardinal are hitting .269 as a team with Austin Slater leading the squad. He is hitting .349 with a homer and 36 RBI. Cape Cod League All-Star shortstop Alex Blandino is hitting .306 with eleven homers and 37 RBI.
Logan Hochstatter is the top pitcher for Stanford this year sporting a 10-1 record and a 2.62 ERA in 13 appearances (seven starts) while totaling 72 innings pitched. He has held opponents to a .202 average against. Behind him, Cal Quantrill has a 5-5 mark with a respectable ERA of 2.92 while Brett Hanewich is 3-4 with a 3.66 ERA. AJ Vanegas serves as the closer with seven saves and a 2-3 record including an ERA of 2.16.
Youngstown State Penguins (16-36 overall, 6-17 Horizon League)
The Youngstown State baseball squad had a rough season with only 16 wins and six conference wins but in the end they were able to win the Horizon League title by going a perfect 4-0 when the pressure was on to get the NCAA automatic bid.
They are led at the plate by Phil Lippari and Josh White. Lippari checks in with a .322 batting average while hitting five homers and driving in 25 runs. White on the other hand is the only other hitter over .300 with a .305 average including a homer and 18 RBI.
The Penguins pitching staff is an absolute disaster with a staff ERA of 7.23. Leading the pitching staff with 13 appearances (12 starts) is Patrick O’Brien who is 2-10 with a 7.23 ERA. Kevin Yarabinec leads the team with five saves with a 2-2 record and a 2.42 ERA.
