Hoosiers to use midweek game to prepare for Big Ten

The baseball team tackled Division III Franklin College Tuesday in Bloomington and faces Wright State of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio. The midweek games against apparently meager teams should help the Hoosiers prepare for a four-game series against Northwestern this weekend, team members said.\nAfter losing four games to Michigan, a second-tier Big Ten team, and dropping 10 of their last 14 games, the Hoosiers need all the help they can get.\n"Playing the midweek games gives us a chance to try out maybe a different lineup, insert a few guys in the lineup and see how they're doing and if they can help us out," sophomore third baseman Nick Evans said. "At the same time, it allows us to sharpen up some things we need to work on. We'll definitely be looking to do that."\nThe Hoosiers also look to avoid another loss, especially one similar to the 7-5 upset by IU-Purdue University Indianapolis two weeks ago. In that game, the Hoosiers gave up five runs in the top of the ninth inning to allow the Jaguars (9-18) to overcome a 5-2 IU lead. Besides using midweek games to improve fundamentals, the Hoosiers hope to learn how to build up a lead and maintain it.\n"You can't take any team for granted," freshman outfielder Mark Calkins said. "I think the key to winning those ball games is putting teams away. You get ahead, keep building the lead and put them away -- don't give them a chance to get back into the game."\nThe Hoosiers defeated Wright State 13-8 March 7 in Bloomington. IU scored eight runs in the first inning, and eight Hoosiers had a hit in the game.\nChris Tuttle is batting .404 with 25 RBIs for the Raiders. Eric Oberding has made 15 appearances out of the bullpen and has a 2-1 record with a 1.64 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 22 innings. IU is 11-6 against Wright State and has won three consecutive games in the series.\nBut the Hoosiers have lost four of their last five games and hope to make a turnaround before travelling to Evanston, Ill., to take on the struggling Wildcats (12-20, 1-7 Big Ten). The Hoosiers have gone 2-9 in the Big Ten and have dropped series to Penn State, Minnesota and Michigan.\n"I just think we need to play a flawless game, get everyone into it," junior shortstop Eric Blakeley said. "I think that if we do that, we can get on a roll. We just need to start over and just forget what happened and go from there"