After being arguably Indiana’s best offensive freshman last season, Jasen Oliver quickly disappeared from the scene in his sophomore campaign.
It looked like Oliver would serve as the second baseman of the future for Indiana after batting .285 with 10 home runs, 33 runs scored and 37 RBIs in his freshman season. He started the first 14 games of the season at second. However, the success of freshman infielders Cooper Malamazian and Will Moore have forced Indiana manager Jeff Mercer to shift Tyler Cerny to second base, while starting Malamazian and Moore on the left side of the infield.
Oliver’s impressive freshman season didn’t quite carry over into this season as he’s batting just .164 with two home runs, seven runs scored and 15 RBIs. The sophomore slump in addition to Malamazian and Moore both batting north of .300 quickly pushed Oliver out of the everyday starting lineup.
Oliver’s best option to crack back into the lineup was to begin developing his skills at third base.
Mercer explained how he had a vision of Oliver playing at third.
“It was something that he and I have talked about in the past over the last couple of years,” Mercer said. “He wasn’t comfortable at third base early in the year and we’ve worked a lot at it in practice and behind the scenes.”
With Moore having a tough series at Illinois last weekend, going hitless across three games, Mercer decided Tuesday’s contest against Indiana State would serve as the right opportunity to swap out Moore for Oliver.
Making his first start since March 23, Oliver did not disappoint, barreling a two-run home run to left-center field in the second inning, putting Indiana on the board first.
In addition to the strong piece of hitting, Oliver made a couple very solid defensive plays at third base throughout the evening.
Oliver, a natural second baseman, has come a long way this season in gaining Mercer’s trust to begin playing at third base.
Mercer discussed what he’s seen defensively that has allowed Oliver to make the switch over to the new position.
“His ability lends itself to third base,” Mercer said about Oliver’s defensive strengths. “So you felt good enough to get him out there today, that he was going to be able to give you a good performance.”
While Oliver certainly stood out in Indiana’s 7-5 loss to Indiana State, he still has a ways to go in order to earn the spot at third.
The original plan of platooning Oliver with Moore in the infield quickly disappeared with Moore’s on-base percentage, .505, a team high.
Mercer described what Oliver can do to continue to get more chances on the field.
“He’s kind of working his way through it,” Mercer said. “But when we do live at-bats and we do different things and giving him an opportunity to go out and perform, he needs to go out and do that. Then, if there’s an opportunity to get him in, I’d be happy to do that.”
If Oliver can continue to bring an offensive surge to Indiana’s lineup while playing competitive defense, he could continue to sneak back into the mix.
