IU welcomes struggling Buckeyes

When the IU baseball team opens up its series against Ohio State, it will face a team that has played similar baseball over the last couple of weeks, as both teams have won their mid-week match ups heading into this weekend, and both teams have split their last 10 games.\nIU is 5-5 in its last 10 games but has won four of its last six after a split with Purdue last weekend and two victories in its last two mid-week games.\nOhio State is also 5-5 in its last 10 games but has lost four of its last five after being swept by Michigan last weekend and dropping to 6-6 in Big Ten play.\n"Last week we won the first two games, then didn't play good baseball," junior second baseman Keith Haas said. "We've got the momentum; hopefully we can get them while they're down."\nThe Hoosiers (13-20, 4-8 Big Ten) have leaned on their offense in the last four wins, averaging eight runs per win and only five runs in losses.\nHaas is hitting .406 in Big Ten play and now leads the team with a .355 batting average. Freshman Cameron Satterwhite leads the team in batting average during conference play, batting .424.\nOhio State (21-11, 6-6 Big Ten) will counter with three left-handed starters, something IU has not seen much of so far this season.\n"Righty or lefty, it doesn't make a lot difference," IU coach Tracy Smith said. "It still has to cross over the plate."\nThe only lineup adjustment that the Hoosiers might make is at the designated hitter spot, where left-handed senior Zach Boswell may see less playing time for a right hander, Smith said.\nAfter losing the final two games last weekend to Purdue, IU bounced back with a win against Indiana State on Tuesday. The Hoosier offense pounded out 15 hits and stole 12 bases in the game after struggling offensively in the final two games of the Purdue series.\n"Offensively everything hit at the same time," senior center fielder Reggie Watson said. "We're going to have to be hitting the ball; they have a good pitching staff."\nThe Ohio State pitchers have a 3.79 ERA as a staff, led by freshman left-hander J.B. Shuck, who is 5-1 with a 1.50 ERA.\nShuck will start game four of the series against IU freshman left-hander Joe Vicini (3-1, 2.55 ERA). Senior Clint Crosier (2-2, 4.33) will start game one for the Hoosiers, followed by senior Josh Lewis (3-5, 5.59) in game two and sophomore Chris McCombs (1-1, 3.57) in game three.\nIU pitchers will face a Buckeye offense that is batting .333 as a team and is averaging just over seven runs per game. Sophomore catcher Eric Fryer leads the team with a .390 batting average, 37 RBIs and is tied for the team lead with three home runs.\nJunior third baseman Ronnie Borquin is the other major run producer in the Buckeye batting order, driving in 36 runs on the year and batting .386.\nFirst pitch is set for 3:05 p.m. today at Sembower Field. Games two and three will be played as a double header beginning at 1:05 p.m. Saturday, and game four will begin at 1:05 p.m. Sunday.