Hoosiers set to battle Valparaiso

IU is ready to play Valparaiso today at Sembower Field at 3 p.m., barring rainy weather or a wet field. It's the Hoosiers' first game since their annual spring trip to Florida last week, where they went 7-0 by defeating Northern Illinois, Bucknell, Manhattan, Yale, Northern Iowa, Dartmouth and Fairleigh Dickinson. The victories pushed IU's record to 12-3.\n"We were able to get into a good rhythm," coach Bob Morgan said. "Our defense improved, and I was happy with our relief pitching."\nThe players enjoyed the warm, sunny weather. The temperature ranged from 85-93 degrees all week, which was a nice change from the Indiana weather that has caused six games to be cancelled or postponed the first two weeks of the season.\n"We played as a team last week," said junior center fielder Kennard Jones, who's batting .422 with eight stolen bases. "A lot of guys became closer together as a team last week. Our team is playing as one."\nMorgan was particularly impressed with the victories over Northern Iowa and Yale. \nIU defeated Northern Iowa 8-4 behind senior pitcher Matt Rice's six innings. Northern Iowa won the Missouri Valley Conference last year and advanced to the Regionals of the NCAA Tournament. \nIU had to come back from a 2-1 deficit in the 7th inning to defeat Yale 7-2. Senior Pat Boucher, sophomore Adam Pegg and junior Ryan Smith combined to limit the Bulldogs to just four hits. \nJunior Jacob Cary collected two wins in Florida without giving up an earned run. He had 12 strikeouts in 16 innings, holding the opposition to a .158 batting average. The IU pitching staff combined for a 1.71 ERA in Florida.\nJunior third baseman Vasili Spanos notched the 100th hit of his career against Northern Illinois. For the season, he is batting .462 with a team leading 24 RBI.\nSenior first baseman Gibran Hamdan also had a big week. He went 10 for 19 with five doubles and seven RBI. \n"We did what we needed to do to win," Hamdan said. "It seemed like everyday it was someone different stepping up with the big hit or great outing on the mound. Our pitchers really have come through so far this year." \nValparaiso has faced a tough schedule in route to its 0-6-1 start, including facing Big Ten contender Minnesota. But IU is not taking Valparaiso lightly.\n"Valpo will be a tough challenge," Hamdan said. "Our goals are to continue to play well and add another win going into the weekend"