Hoosiers look to rebound

Coming off a tough three-game road trip where the Hoosiers dropped three games to Southeastern Louisiana, the IU baseball team will make its home debut Tuesday against the DePauw Tigers.\nWith the weather not cooperating lately, the team has had to practice inside during the entire preseason. \n"It will be great to get back outside and play again," IU coach Bob Morgan said. "We just need to get back out there and play some more after having been inside for so long."\nThe outside diamond will be a welcoming site for the Hoosiers, as will be the home crowd.\n"We are very anxious to play at home, after a tough couple of road games it will be good to play at home," Morgan said.\nThe players are also eager to get back on the diamond after a winter which did not permit them to play outside at all.\n"We just kind of got cabin fever practicing inside the whole time," senior outfielder Ryan Donley said. "But hopefully we will be outside from now on."\nDonley also stressed the importance of being at home.\n"The first home game is always a big one, we just want to go out there and get back on the right track after a couple of tough road games."\nThe Hoosiers' first home test will be against a team that is returning 19 of 24 lettermen from a squad that finished 25-19 and third in the Southeastern Collegiate Conference last season.\nMorgan is not necessarily worried about the opposition but rather about his team getting more experience. \n"You play against the game, not against the name of the team," Morgan said. "Baseball is a game you have to play a lot, and the big thing is to just get back out there and play some more."\nMorgan also emphasized the importance of the pitcher, saying the man on the mound can make the difference against any team.\nAfter two high scoring games against Southeastern Louisiana, the Hoosiers' pitching staff came home somewhat depleted. Morgan said he is probably going to pitch a number of guys in tomorrow's game, and isn't sure who the starter is going to be.\nOn the other side of the ball, the Hoosier players emphasized the importance of getting the bats going.\n"Hopefully against DePauw we can get our offense going a little more," senior outfielder Kevin Mahar said. "If we can get the bats going, hopefully that will carry over into the weekend games."\nWeather permitting, game time is set for 3 p.m. at Sembower Field. \n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.