I tried this last weekend, and while I was spot on in picking the Hoosiers to win 1 of 3 at San Diego, I wasn't close in terms of how I thought they would get that victory. Nevertheless, I am going to give it a go again in advance of this weekend's Big Ten/Big East Challenge.
BtH Prediction: IU drops game 1 against West Virginia but takes games 2 and 3 against Villanova and UConn to go 2-1 for the weekend.
Game 1 - West Virginia
Although I look for Leininger to put forth another solid outing, I think Summers will prove to be too much for IU's hitters, and the Mountaineers will get just enough off of IU's hurlers to take home the victory.
Game 2 - Villanova
On paper, Villanova is a team that IU should definitely beat, and I think they will do just that. I look for Stadler to give the Hoosiers several good innings on the mound, and I think IU's hitters will do some damage offensively on Helisek.
Game 3 - Connecticut
This game was the hardest one for me to predict given that IU's starter is still to be determined and UConn is expected to be one of the better teams in the Big East, but I ultimately gave the Hoosiers the edge because I feel like IU's offense will be able to out-slug UConn's.
I would think the Hoosiers would be very happy to return to Bloomington with a pair of victories for the weekend. I definitely don't think it is out of the question that IU could win all three games this weekend, but at the same time I could also see them losing more than one game as well. I will be very disappointed if they drop the Villanova game, though. Bottom-line, I've been wrong before, but I think 2 of 3 is a safe bet for the weekend. Go Hoosiers!
For additional reading pleasure on all things IU Hoosier baseball, check out this release from IU's Matt Brady. There is a ton of good info and coverage of the team in there, and this will definitely be a quality resource to check out throughout the season.
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I concur. WVU is a tough battle. You guys have a shot with Leininger, but he's got to log some innings.
ReplyDeleteYou also got a nice draw with UCONN and Villanova. UCONN should be a pretty tough win against a quality opponent. Villanova should be and hopefully is a breeze. Kind of upsetting that you guys only get that one televised.
A healthy Monar beats WVU. Let's hope Leininger is as good as he was back in his home state last weekend and can step into the Friday role and take the win.
ReplyDeleteI like the matchups. Maybe Hoosiers can take the fist one then see how the weekend unfolds...Go IU Baseball!
ReplyDeletemake that the "first" one...otherwise the weekend might not "unfold" too well...
ReplyDelete...not that there's anything wrong with that...
ReplyDeleteYeah, so what I said about UCONN. They just lost to Northwestern from a furious NU comeback. Maybe they aren't as tough as I expected. Perhaps it was a fluke. Either way, sounds more promising for IU there.
ReplyDelete