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May 18, 2002

Hoosiers Clinch Berth in Big Ten Tourney with Doubleheader Split

Evanston, Ill. -- After the preseason rankings had his team finishing dead last in the Big Ten Conference, Indiana Baseball Head Coach Bob Morgan defied the critics on Saturday after the Hoosiers captured a berth in the 2002 Big Ten Baseball Tournament. Indiana was victorious, 3-0, in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader behind a masterful performance by senior Zach Otte, but were unable to complete the sweep as Northwestern took game two, 4-1 at Rocky Miller Park in Evanston, Ill

In his eighth Big Ten start of the season, which ties the school record set by Bob Scafa in 1991, Otte threw a complete game, four-hit shutout to earn his seventh victory of the season. The complete game was his fifth of the year and the shutout was his second and the third he has been a part of.

“Zach threw a great game today,” said Head Coach Bob Morgan. “He proved that he is a strong pitcher and he just threw a gem. It was a great performance.”

Indiana started the scoring early with a single run in the top of the first inning. Senior Eric Blakeley stepped to the plate with two outs and promptly deposited a 2-1 pitch over the left center field wall for his ninth home run of the season to stake IU to a 1-0 advantage

IU posted another run in the third when Blakeley hit a sacrifice fly that brought junior Kenny Marrs plateward to give IU a commanding 2-0 lead. The Hoosiers added an insurance run in the top of the fourth when freshman Jay Brant hit a lazy grounder to the first baseman who promptly turned and fired to the plate, but after junior Ryan Donley had crossed with IU’s third run. The lead was now 3-0 and that was all Otte needed.

Otte got into a bit of a jam in the second after he surrendered two hits and loaded the bases with two outs. With a 1-2 curve ball on the inside corner, Otte struck out the Wildcats’ number nine batter to get out of the jam. Northwestern picked up another hit in the fourth, but a diving catch and throw to double up the runner on first by junior center fielder Kennard Jones brought that possible rally to a quick end.

Northwestern managed one more hit in the sixth, but Otte closed it down an earned his fourth conference victory this season.

Indiana managed just two hits in game one which is the lowest output by the Hoosier offense this season. Blakeley and sophomore Josh Romero had the only hits for the Hoosiers, but Blakeley’s home run was the killer.

The second game could only be described as a game Northwestern dominated. The Hoosiers were unable to get things going early, but Northwestern was able to post a pair of runs in the bottom of the third and a pair in the bottom of the fifth to secure a 4-0 lead.

IU mounted a rally in the top of the sixth, but were only able to cross the plate one time on junior Vasili Spanos’ RBI single that scored freshman Jay Brant after he doubled. Northwestern was able to control the game from the start and went on to a 4-1 victory.

Junior righthander Nick Vitielliss was given the nod as the starter and he was going for his school-record setting sixth conference victory, but was unable to get it. He gave up just two runs in four innings, but picked up the loss and fell to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the Big Ten.

Along with Spanos and Brant, senior Eric Blakeley, junior Kennard Jones, sophomore Mark Calkins and senior Gibran Hamdan collected one hit each to give the Hoosiers a total of six and eight for the twinbill

“Our offense had trouble today,” said Morgan. “We just couldn’t get started, but thanks to some strong pitching in the first game we got a split. We just got handled in the second game and you have to give credit to Ribs because he pitched a strong game.”

With the split, the Hoosiers are now 34-16 overall and 15-13 in the Big Ten and have clinched a spot in the top six in the conference and will move on to the Big Ten Tournament. The final games of the conference season will determine seeding for the tourney.

IU sits in fourth and can only move up. Michigan State took over third with a pair of dominating victories over Penn State and with a Spartan loss and a Hoosier win on Sunday, IU can take over the third spot in the conference.

IU will be making their first trip to the conference tournament since 1996. The Hoosiers were victorious that year with their first Big Ten Tournament championship.