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Minnesota remains at the top of the conference after taking a series from Iowa last weekend. Indiana swept Michigan, while Nebraska had a somewhat lousy weekend against non-conference competition. Ohio State swept Penn State.
Those four teams have separated themselves at the top and things will be getting more interesting as this week Indiana heads to Haymarket Park in Lincoln to take on the Huskers.
Ohio State heads to Evanston to take on Northwestern and Minnesota goes to State College for a series against Penn State. It's not that difficult to suggest that Minnesota won't be relinquishing the conference lead any time soon.
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Big Ten |
Overall |
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Team |
Record |
Pct. |
Record |
Pct. |
|
Minnesota |
9-3 |
.750 |
26-14 |
.650 |
|
Indiana |
11-4 |
.733 |
34-8 |
.810 |
|
Nebraska |
11-4 |
.733 |
20-23 |
.465 |
|
Ohio State |
12-6 |
.667 |
28-13 |
.683 |
|
Michigan State |
7-5 |
.583 |
24-13 |
.649 |
|
Illinois |
8-7 |
.533 |
26-13 |
.667 |
|
Michigan |
8-7 |
.533 |
22-20 |
.524 |
|
Northwestern |
7-11 |
.389 |
18-17 |
.514 |
|
Purdue |
5-13 |
.278 |
13-27 |
.325 |
|
Iowa |
4-11 |
.267 |
16-22 |
.421 |
|
Penn State |
2-13 |
.133 |
11-28 |
.282 |
The weekly review is late AND light, for which I apologize, but while it's getting deep into the season and things are more interesting, my project schedule has gotten a little nutty lately.
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Illinois |
2-1 |
vs Eastern Illinois, canceled Northwestern 4, Illinois 3 (13 innings) Illinois 12, Northwestern 3 Illinois 5, Northwestern 3 |
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Justin Parr continues his hitting streak through the weekend. The streak is at 27 games, having set a school record at 26, and continues to be the longest active streak in the nation. He continues to bash it for the Illini: G1: 1-for-6, 1R G2: 2-for-4, 2R, 3RBI G3: 2-for-3, 1R, 1RBI Game one - 13 innings is the longest game for Illinois under head coach Dan Hartleb and they lose it by giving up a solo home run in the 13th. Game two - The Illini scored three in the second, five in the fourth and four in the eighth while pitcher John Kravetz went seven innings, giving up 10 hits and three runs. Game three: Northwestern lead until the seventh, when Wildcat Zach Morton gave up four runs, otherwise spoiling a decent outing for him as he went 7.2 innings, giving up eight hits and five runs. |
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Indiana |
5-0 |
Indiana 5, Eastern Kentucky 3 Indiana 8, Indiana State 1 Indiana 9, Michigan 1 Indiana 9, Michigan 3 Indiana 3, Michigan 2 (10 innings) |
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Another undefeated week for the Hoosiers. Game one - 7 runs in the first inning. Game two - 9 runs in the second and third inning Game three - Pitcher's duel won by Hoosiers as they had to score 2 runs in the 10th to win it. You want to beat Indiana? Don't let them get you down right away. Michigan only came close in the third game. Pitching - Game one: Joe DeNato - 7 IP, 6H, 1R, 5 BB, 7 SO Game two: Kyle Hart - 5.1 IP, 4H, 3R Game three: Aaron Slegers - 7 IP, 5H, 1R, 3SO |
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Iowa |
2-2 |
vs Creighton, canceled Iowa 3, Northern Illinois 2 Iowa 10, Minnesota 9 (10 innings) Minnesota 10, Iowa 2 Minnesota 9, Iowa 5 |
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Hey, at least they won a game against Minnesota. |
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Michigan |
0-4 |
Eastern Michigan 15, Michigan 10 Indiana 9, Michigan 1 Indiana 9, Michigan 3 Indiana 3, Michigan 2 (10 innings) |
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See Indiana section. Bottom line is what I said above - Indiana batting killed Michigan pitching early. Starters: Game one: Trent Szkutnik - .2 IP, 6H, 7R Game two: Evan Hill - 2.1 IP, 5H, 7R, 4BB Game three: Logan McAnallen - 6.1 IP, 4H, 1R So... again, you want to win the conference? If you can't start fast, don't let Indiana crush you early. |
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Michigan State |
2-2 |
vs Ball State, canceled Notre Dame 7, Michigan State 3 Michigan State 8, Purdue 1 Purdue 11, Michigan State 5 Michigan State 8, Purdue 1 |
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Game one: Andrew Waszak earned B1G Pitcher Of The Week honors for his complete game, seven hit, one run game to open the Purdue series. Game two: Purdue came away with 15 hits, the most allowed by Sparty this year. Michigan State had 12 hits of their own, but stranded 11. Game three: MSU pitcher Anthony Misiewicz got his first career start and made the most of it, with 6 IP, 4H and 1R (zero earned). |
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Minnesota |
3-1 |
Minnesota 5, North Dakota State 3 Iowa 10, Minnesota 9 (10 innings) Minnesota 10, Iowa 2 Minnesota 9, Iowa 5 |
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Minnesota scored five runs in the second inning of game one, then lead again by five runs in the eighth until they let Iowa score four runs in the eighth and then one in the bottom of the tenth to take the loss. In game two, the Gopher scored seven runs in the second, put up 15 hits, eight of which were doubles while Minnesota pitcher Alec Crawford went seven innings, giving up six hits and two runs. In game three, the Gophers again put up 15 hits while the Hawkeyes committed five errors. Note that Minnesota's RPI is 90. The only way they make the NCAA tournament is by winning the Big Ten tournament and earning the automatic qualification. |
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Nebraska |
1-4 |
Kansas State 13, Nebraska 10 Creighton 5, Nebraska 3 Oklahoma State 5, Nebraska 3 (10 innings) Oklahoma State 4, Nebraska 0 Nebraska 3, Rutgers 1 |
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One week after sweeping Arkansas and Purdue, the Huskers have a lousy week against non-conference competition. At least it was good competition as Kansas State is currently third in the Big 12, while Oklahoma State is ranked and Creighton is a major Nebraska rival. The Huskers played in the TD Ameritrade Classic in Omaha and did not fair well, going 1-3. Game One: Husker Christian DeLeon had an average outing, 6.1 IP, 10H, 4R, but didn't get help from his offense as the Huskers managed 8H all evening. Game Two: Nebraska had a 3-2 lead into the 8th inning, and had the go-head run at third in the 9th inning, but gave up two runs in the top of the tenth. Game Three: OSU starter Tyler Nurdin threw a complete game shutout, giving up only four hits. Game Four: In the best news (BY FAR) of the weekend, Husker returned-to-starter Kyle Kubat went eight innings against Rutgers, giving up one run on four hits. Kubat won his third game in 13 days. Given the non-conference losses, Nebraska may have played its way out of an at-large bid to the NCAA tourney. The RPI is decent enough at 48, but the 20-23 record sucks despite the fact that Nebraska has played a very tough schedule. The Huskers get Indiana at home this weekend. Win the series, and you might make a name for yourself. Lose, and you must win the Big Ten tourney to get into the NCAA tourney. |
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Northwestern |
1-3 |
vs Northern Illinois, canceled Milwaukee 5, Northwestern 0 Northwestern 4, Illinois 3 (13 innings) Illinois 12, Northwestern 3 Illinois 5, Northwestern 3 |
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Luke Farrell threw eight innings in game one, giving up four hits and a run while striking out five. And then you can read about Justin Parr in the Illinois section. |
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Ohio State |
3-0 |
Ohio State 3, Penn State 1 Ohio State 10, Penn State 8 Ohio State 8, Penn State 3 |
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The Buckeyes were scheduled to play Northern Kentucky midweek, but moved the game to a double header on May 1st. Penn State got a good game out of T.J. Jann, who went seven innings giving up five hits and two runs, and the Nittany Lions outhit the Buckeyes 8-6, but couldn't score as they fell in game one 3-1. Penn State starter Steven Hill couldn't go in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday, and his replacement Ryan Harper lasted only three innings, giving up eight hits and six runs (three earned). The Buckeyes scored seven runs in the fourth, and almost lost, giving up five runs in the ninth. In the final game, Buckeye pitcher Jaron Long went 7.1 innings, giving up 11 hits and three runs (two earned). How to beat Ohio State? Get into their bullpen. |
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Penn State |
1-3 |
Penn State 7, LaSalle 4 Vs Mount St. Mary's, canceled Ohio State 3, Penn State 1 Ohio State 10, Penn State 8 Ohio State 8, Penn State 3 |
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Another weekend, another series loss and this time they're swept against Ohio State. |
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Purdue |
2-2 |
Vs Illinois State, canceled Purdue 20, Illinois-Chicago 0 Michigan State 8, Purdue 1 Purdue 11, Michigan State 5 Michigan State 8, Purdue 1 |
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At least Purdue took one game against Michigan State. It just so happens that Jordan Minch threw that game, going 7.0 IP, 9H, and 2R. |
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Player of the Week
Blaise Salter, Michigan State
C/DH - So. - Bloomfield Hills, Mich. - Orchard Lake St. Mary's
Hit .583 (7-for-12) with four doubles, one home run, four runs scored and three RBI as Michigan State went 2-1 against Purdue last weekend
Went 3-for-4 efforts from the plate in Games 1 and 2, belting three doubles with two RBI and two runs scored in the series opener
Tallied a home run in the second game and a double in the series finale, finishing the series with a slugging percentage of 1.167
Went 2-for-3 with an RBI in a midweek tilt against Notre Dame
Earns his second career Player of the Week award
Last Michigan State Player of the Week: Blaise Salter (March 18, 2013)
Pitcher of the Week
Andrew Waszak, Michigan State
RHP - Sr. - Rochester, Mich. - Adams
Hurled his second-career complete game in an 8-1 victory over Purdue
Recorded nine strikeouts versus zero walks, allowing seven hits against the Boilermakers
Earns his third career Pitcher of the Week award and second this season
Last Michigan State Pitcher of the Week: Andrew Waszak (April 15, 2013)
Freshman of the Week
Connor Schaefbauer, Minnesota
2B - Sioux Fall, S.D. - O'Gorman
Hit .545 (6-for-11) with a double and three RBI as Minnesota went 2-1 against Iowa
Went 5-for-6 in the final two games of the series, including a 3-for-4 effort with one RBI and two runs scored in the rubber match
Had a 2-for-2 outing with two runs scored and a stolen base in Game 2
Earns his first career Big Ten honor
Last Minnesota Freshman of the Week: Tom Windle (April 25, 2011)