Riding the high of a recent power surge in the midweek, Indiana kept that offensive momentum up with a 12-3 demolition of Abilene Christian to open the weekend.
After hitting eight home runs in their two wins this week, the Hoosiers added three more Friday night. Hogan Denny led the charge in his first game back in action since April 11, mashing two long balls in as many at bats.
Despite his absence, Denny’s confidence never disappeared. Head coach Jeff Mercer called him “supremely confident” as he continues to improve throughout his young career. The sophomore’s adaptability makes him easy to coach, and his willingness to adjust has led to excellent results. His eighth and ninth homers of the year moved him into second on the team.
That combination of open-mindedness with talent puts him in a category of his own.
“It’s really easy to talk to him about the style of play, the adaptations…he’s a really special player,” Mercer said.
Brayden Ricketts added one of his own to kick off a six-run outburst in the third inning, a short fly ball straight down the left field line and into the Hoosier bullpen.
Indiana pushed runs across in more ways than just the power game, too. All nine hitters recorded a hit and seven had an RBI, with four players notching multiple. Cole Decker’s three on four hits led all Hoosiers.
On the mound, Tony Neubeck gave Indiana a stellar start. He didn’t provide a lot of length, lasting 4.1 innings, and struggled with keeping the bases clear early, but was able to settle in nicely and keep the Wildcat offense to just two runs.
He’s been Mr. Reliable for Mercer’s squad this season.
“Tony’s carried us,” Mercer said. “(He’s) tough, competitive…he’s the best Friday guy we’ve had in several years.”
When the strikeouts come for Neubeck, so do the wins. With six on the night, he’s picked up at least five punchouts in all of his wins this season.
The offense kept hitting for him, too. Indiana scored 11 runs in the first four innings and moved into run-rule territory in the fifth with Decker’s third RBI hit of the evening.
Out of the bullpen, freshman Kellen English was the highlight. He was able to mix strong command with all three of his pitches to keep Abilene Christian at bay. The strikeout numbers were impressive, fanning four of the seven batters he faced.
The only stain on the freshman’s outing—a solo home run in the sixth inning—surprisingly was a good thing in Mercer’s eyes.
“I love that he got homered because he got hit in the mouth,” Mercer said. “That’s the kind of toughness you have to overcome.”
The homer initially extended the game, but a wild pitch in the seventh scored Caleb Koskie to seal it.
Indiana is in a groove right now, winners of their last three consecutive, and seven of their last ten. They’ll look to continue that momentum into Saturday, with a chance to clinch the series. More wins, in-conference or not, will go a long way towards securing a place in the Big Ten Tournament.
First pitch is currently scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.
