2013 Baseball World Series Bloomington Regional Breakdown
Indiana, Austin Peay, Florida, Valparaiso
It was a close call for Indiana, but the Hoosiers withstood a hard charge from Nebraska at the end to win the Big Ten Conference championship and the conference tournament. Indiana (43-14) makes its third trip to the NCAA tournament, the two previous trips coming in 1996 and 2009. Kyle Schwarber had a potent bat this season, hitting .374 with 16 home runs and 46 runs batted in. Sam Travis (.308-8-48) is also strong at the plate, and Dustin DeMuth’s .399 average carries the lineup. Indiana hit .305 as a team this season. Aaron Slegers (9-1, 1.93) and Joey DeNato (8-2, 2.52) are the team’s top pitchers. Indiana is 16-3 in games played at Bloomington, which is a good sign for the Hoosiers. Indiana may not have the toughest schedule, but it should hold up nicely.
Austin Peay (45-13), the runner-up in the Ohio Valley Conference, won the OVC tournament for the third year in a row, the first time since Middle Tennessee (1990-92) that a three-peat has taken place. The team’s 45 victories were the most in school history, breaking the old mark of 44 set in 1996. Craig Massoni (.388-16-68) and Jordan Hankins (.351-11-52) are strong homer hitters. Lee Ridenhour (7-1, 2.22) leads the pitching staff, which could be a problem because two of the three top starters have ERA’s close to 5.00. Florida (29-28) started strong but finished with a whimper, dropping to third in the SEC East. This is Florida’s 29th straight trip to the NCAA tournament and the sixth straight under Coach Kevin O’Sullivan. Its streak of three straight trips to the CWS could be in jeopardy. Valparaiso (31-26), the runner-up in the Horizon League, is in the NCAA for the second year in a row. Tanner Vavra (.333) leads the Valpo hitting lineup, which hit .277.
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