Indiana baseball was picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten conference this year.
Fast forward a few months, and it is not even a guarantee that the Hoosiers will make this year’s conference tournament. In fact, those chances are hanging by a thread. Indiana entered Friday two games out of 12th place — the cutoff to qualify for the conference tournament.
Some would describe this season as disappointing. Others would simply call it a complete failure.
The frustration surrounding this season has not just been about the losses themselves, but how each one seems to resemble the last with little to no change.
No matter how you look at it, some outcomes are simply inexcusable. Others are just part of the game.
Blown leads happen in baseball. Sometimes things do not go your way, the opposing lineup catches fire, or your own mistakes come back to haunt you. That is baseball.
When it happens over and over again, however, it stops feeling random and starts becoming a trend tied directly to your ballclub. This season, blown leads and Indiana baseball have become almost synonymous.
From the opening weekend to the second-to-last series of the year, there are countless examples to back it up.
Start with game three of the year. The Hoosiers had a 3-1 lead heading into the ninth inning against North Carolina. Indiana was an out away from salvaging a game three, and proceeded to give up two runs on an error, and lost the game 4-3 in 11 innings.
Just eight days later, Indiana led Notre Dame 8-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. Then it gave up five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and also lost that contest in 11 innings.
Later in the year, the Hoosiers had two late-inning collapses against in-state foes and lost both games. The Indiana bullpen gave up three runs in the eighth inning against Indiana State, and three runs in the seventh at Evansville.
Indiana took two of three in a home series against Rutgers, but rather than sweeping the Scarlet Knights, Indiana dropped game two after giving up three runs in both the eighth and ninth inning, turning a 5-3 lead into a 9-6 loss.
Indiana’s next series was against the worst team in the conference at the time, Maryland. The cream and crimson took game one, dropped game two and had all eyes turn to the rubber match.
Indiana carried a 6-4 lead into the ninth inning in that game three.
If you are still reading this far, you probably have an idea what happened in that one.
A single and a pair of walks led to a walk-off grand slam for the Terrapins.
All of this has happened in just this season. Oh, and none of those were their worst instance of the year.
Friday night, Indiana traveled to face rival Purdue, a series that could help Indiana push towards the conference tournament. Things looked to be smooth sailing, the Hoosiers took a 9-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning at Alexander Field in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The combination of Jackson Yarberry and Gavin Seebold would then allow a combined seven hits and nine earned runs, while collecting just five outs. Purdue stormed back and won 11-9, capped off by a two-run go-ahead homer by third baseman Sam Flores.
Blowing a lead is one thing, having it happen against your rival is another. Having it come at this point in the year with your season on the line, in the fashion that it did, is inexcusable. When it happens six times in one season however, it becomes expected.
The six losses when leading after the sixth inning this year, is more than the last two seasons combined (four). The two losses when leading after the eighth inning, is also more than the last two seasons combined (two).
I’m not sure who the blame falls on for this season and these results.
Could you blame head coach Jeff Mercer? Sure, but he can’t go out there and pitch, hit and field for his team.
Can you blame the guys on the roster? Sure, but were they always put in the best position to succeed throughout the year?
Seasons are rarely defined by one game, but they can absolutely be defined by patterns. Indiana’s season became a cycle of missed opportunities, late inning collapses and unanswered questions.
A program that once looked capable of competing near the top of the Big Ten now finds itself fighting just to survive. For a team picked fifth in the conference, to now staring down a losing season, it is not just disappointing, it is a warning sign.
