In 19 contests at Bart Kaufman Field, Indiana baseball has lost just once — the 15-straight home wins to start this season marked the second-longest streak in program history.
Following the team's sixth consecutive series victory at Illinois April 14-15 to improve to 9-3 in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers return home to face No. 12 University of Louisville Tuesday afternoon. The Cardinals are 18-2 in games against non-conference foes, such as wins over No. 15 Texas A&M University and No. 10 Texas Christian University, in early March.
Left-handed senior Evan Webster will start Tuesday's contest for the Cardinals. Webster appeared in Louisville's latest non-conference loss to Lipscomb University on April 4, allowing a season-high six earned runs in less than two innings pitched. Since, Webster has combined for 2⅓ shutout innings in victories over No. 9 Boston College and Bellarmine University.
Louisville swept No. 9 Boston College two weekends ago, April 6-8. Most recently, the Cardinals lost their home series to No. 2 Wake Forest University April 14-16. Louisville is the highest-ranked team Indiana will play since the team's 17-4 road loss to No. 9 Eastern Carolina University in the first week of March. Indiana leads the all-time series 28-26.
On Monday afternoon, Indiana climbed to No. 20 in Perfect Game's top-25 poll. The Hoosiers were also slotted No. 23 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Yet, Indiana was absent from the widely-accepted D1Baseball poll, and Baseball America and Coaches polls. Louisville landed in the top-15 on all those lists, so a win would greatly boost Indiana's resume.
Right-handed junior Seti Manase will start Tuesday for the Hoosiers. Manase has typically started on Sundays this season but was shifted to pitch Friday, April 14 at Illinois. Indiana's coaching staff pulled the right-hander after two scoreless innings, having thrown just 26 pitches. That left Manase with enough time to rest for Tuesday’
University of Mississippi transfer Wes Burton has tossed just under 10 innings this season, though two of the graduate's latest three outings have featured high-leverage situations.
Burton protected the three-run lead in Indiana's series-evening victory over Penn State on April 2 to earn his first save. In the series-clinching win over Iowa on April 9, Burton hurled two scoreless innings while Indiana trailed by one run and subsequently tied the game. The right-handed reliever threw just 18 pitches in one scoreless inning against Illinois April 14.
Burton is well-rested enough that one can expect the graduate to pitch two, perhaps even a season-high three innings — should Manase endure another laborious start or premature exit — in order to recover and start any game of the weekend series against Ohio University.
Louisville's lineup boasts five hitters with .300-plus batting averages, led by junior Jack Payton, who has hit eight home runs this season. Indiana freshman Devin Taylor likewise has tallied a team-leading eight home runs, hitting three this past weekend at Illinois. On Monday, Taylor collected Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for the third time this season.
As come-from-behind series victories have become standard for Indiana these last three weekends of conference play, the Hoosiers now possess the opportunity to avenge last year's 7-2 loss at No. 7 Louisville. Tuesday's game will air on ESPNU; the first pitch is set for 6 p.m.
