Rain Expected as Huskies, Hoosiers Open Big Ten Series

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Interstat) — The Washington Huskies and Indiana Hoosiers will open a three-game Big Ten baseball series on Friday at Bart Kaufman Field, with rain in the forecast and both teams seeking momentum early in the conference slate.

First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. EDT under cloudy skies and a temperature near 60 degrees, with precipitation expected throughout.

Washington (3-9) arrives after splitting a four-game set with San Diego State, highlighted by a 4-1 win on Monday. The Huskies will look to right-hander Hayden Lewis to set the tone in the series opener. Lewis was brilliant in his last outing, throwing seven strong innings with nine strikeouts in that victory over the Aztecs. However, his three relief appearances prior were struggles, yielding seven earned runs over 1 2/3 combined innings.

Indiana (5-7) is coming off a series win at Western Kentucky, powered by a 7-3 victory Sunday. Designated hitter Brayden Ricketts was the catalyst, going 3 for 3 with two home runs and five RBIs in that game. He leads a Hoosiers lineup that will test Lewis and a Washington pitching staff that has a 6.12 team ERA.

The Huskies’ offense, averaging 4.8 runs per game, will rely on shortstop Sam DeCarlo, who homered in Monday’s win. Indiana counters with a team batting average of .278, compared to Washington’s .242.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, the projected final score is Indiana 5, Washington 2.

The series continues Saturday and Sunday in Bloomington before both teams embark on non-conference midweek games.