Preview: Indiana Hoosiers at Xavier Musketeers

CINCINNATI (Interstat) — Two teams seeking momentum will meet Wednesday when the Indiana Hoosiers visit the Xavier Musketeers in a nonconference baseball matchup.

Both clubs enter with identical 2-5 records. Indiana arrives after a difficult 9-8, 11-inning loss at Notre Dame on Sunday. Xavier is looking to rebound from an 11-0 defeat at Arkansas the same day.

A key player to watch for the Hoosiers is reliever Jacob Vogel. The right-hander has been a bright spot, tossing 3 2/3 perfect innings with five strikeouts against Notre Dame after a scoreless outing vs. LSU on Feb. 20.

The Musketeers will counter with reliever Joey Young, who has also been effective out of the bullpen. Young struck out three in 1 2/3 scoreless innings during the loss at Arkansas.

Indiana’s offense showed life in the Notre Dame loss, led by second baseman Landen Fry, who went 3-for-5 with two RBIs. The Hoosiers have shown power recently, including a 15-run outburst against Bradley on Feb. 17.

Xavier’s season has been marked by inconsistency, sandwiching a 9-3 win at East Carolina on Feb. 14 between lopsided losses.

According to Interstat, the game is projected to be close. Its simulator predicts a 4-3 Indiana victory, and its ELO rating system gives the Hoosiers a 54.2% probability to win.

Following this contest, Indiana begins a four-game series at Western Kentucky on Thursday. Xavier opens a three-game set at Cal State Fullerton the same day.

First pitch is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at Hayden Field.