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(06/01/22 6:35pm)
It felt like just yesterday when Indiana baseball began its season down south against Clemson.
Believe it or not, that was back in mid-February. Four months later, the 2022 campaign came to a close after a loss in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals to Rutgers.
Indiana finished 2022 with an overall record of 27-32 and 10-14 in Big Ten play, eighth out of 13 teams in the conference.
It was never going to be easy in 2022 for the Hoosiers, given they lost their top three starters and star CF Grant Richardson to the MLB Draft, all whom were part of a team that finished fourth in the conference-only 2021 schedule, narrowly missing out on an NCAA Tournament berth.
Head coach Jeff Mercer was busy in the offseason, acquiring several players from the transfer portal to revitalize the team, hence why he called the team a “land of misfits.”
What happened: The search for consistency and a third starter
Indiana got off to a slow 2-6 start, but won the next four, including the first two at Bart Kaufman Field to open up the home slate and get back to .500 for the first time all season.
The non-conference inconsistencies continued, as the team ended March with a record of 10-13, but an impressive 7-4 record at home right before Big Ten play began.
It was always going to take some time for the new-look team to gel, so finishing the first month and a half under .500 wasn’t a huge surprise to many, but it seemed as if the team was getting better at the right time as conference play commenced.
The beginning of conference play in April was much like the first few weeks in February: More losses than wins. After beating Northwestern 6-5 on April 1 to start 1-0, Indiana went on to lose seven of its next eight games in the Big Ten, putting the team much closer to the bottom than the top, and creating a difficult second half of the conference schedule to turn it around and find a way to clinch a berth in the eight-team Big Ten Tournament, giving themselves an outside shot earning an NCAA Tournament berth via the automatic berth.
Indiana finally got a conference series win over Little 500 weekend, taking two of three at home against the defending Big Ten champs, Nebraska, in a battle of 2021 Big Ten behemoths that had thoroughly underperformed in 2022. Despite the series win, the Hoosiers were beaten badly in the finale 19-7, a common theme throughout the season.
The biggest issue through the first two months was the lack of pitching. This didn’t come as a surprise to many given all the talent they lost, but it was the clear downfall of a team that could hit the cover off the baseball at the snap of a finger and power its way to double-digit run totals in an instant.
The biggest hurdle was the lack of a third starter. Jack Perkins and Bradley Brehmer quickly proved to the team that they were the top two starters for Indiana, but the third starter by committee plan for Indiana failed miserably. In the first four conference series finales, Indiana pitching gave up double-digit runs in every game, averaging 14.5 runs per game allowed. Although in some of those games the Indiana offense kept it close, there was a clear weakness the team had that needed to be sorted out if the team had any shot of playing postseason baseball in any capacity.
The Hoosiers were able to figure it out, as they won the next three series in conference play to put them inside the Big Ten Tournament picture for the first time all season. The biggest reason for that was the fact that guys in the bullpen were able to come in and give the team length, something that Indiana pitching desperately struggled with. Reese Sharp was one of two key pitchers alongside Ty Bothwell who pitched their best in May. Sharp was the winning pitcher in the rubber matches against both Illinois and Michigan, two teams that were way ahead of Indiana in the Big Ten standings. Bothwell earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after pitching seven shutout innings against bottom-feeder Minnesota to clinch the fourth straight series win.
The Hoosiers controlled their own destiny, as one win against Iowa in the regular season series finale would be enough to clinch a spot in the tournament. It appeared they would do so in the first game as they slugged their way to a 13-2 lead in the third inning, but yet again, the pitching let them down as they capitulated, losing 30-16 (!) in one of the highest scoring games all year across the country.
I just wrote four articles on the Big Ten Tournament games Indiana participated in, so I won’t bore you with those recaps. If you missed any of them, or anything else I wrote this year, click here.
Overall takeaways
Indiana ended up missing the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.
Sure, there were highs and lows this season, but I’m a very optimistic person, so here are my takeaways from this season:
The baseball team was much like the men’s basketball team this winter, in my opinion. There weren't a whole lot of players who had prior experience playing in the Hoosier uniform. There was not a ton of depth off the bench. The team played much better at home compared to when it was on the road. They didn’t win a whole lot of close games. But, they won the games they needed to so they could play in the postseason.
This team never gave up. Sure, there were days when it was almost unbearable to watch this team play — trust me, I was there for almost every Sunday home game. But, no matter the score, the team found ways to put good at-bats together in the last few innings and scratch some runs across. This was a constant throughout the season, no matter the team’s record or the opponent. Looking ahead to next year, the offense is once again going to be the strength of the team.
That’s because of all the young talent the team has returning on the offensive side of the ball. Indiana had — Lebron James voice — not one, not two, not three, but FOUR freshmen earn All-Big Ten Freshman Team Honors for the first time since 2012, when Kyle Schwarber was a first-year player. Evan Goforth, Carter Mathison, Josh Pyne and Brock Tibbitts were the four honorees.
Mathison was the best Indiana hitter throughout the season, and let’s not forget that the Fort Wayne native had an awful start to the season, finding himself out of the lineup occasionally. Mathison turned it around and made history in the process, clubbing 19 home runs to break the freshman record by an Indiana player, previously held by Alex Dickerson, who oh by the way, is on the Atlanta Braves roster. Pyne and Tibbitts were everyday starters at the corners, and Goforth made the most of his limited playing time when Phillip Glasser went down with an injury, finishing with an OBP of .404.
A year under the belt everyone who played in their first year in the Hoosier uniform will make the boys of spring that much better next season — expect big things in Bloomington on the baseball diamond in 2023.
(05/30/22 1:40am)
They gave it all they had.
Indiana baseball bowed out of the Big Ten Tournament in blowout fashion, losing 14-2 to the two-seed, Rutgers, in the semifinals. The game was completed after just seven innings due to the run-rule.
It was always going to be an uphill battle for Indiana, who had to play two games in 12 hours, win both, and then win another two Sunday afternoon to win the Big Ten Tournament. On the flip side, Rutgers came into this game 2-0, licking its chops and ready to pounce on a tired team and advance to the championship, which is exactly what they did.
After making history by defeating Maryland, Indiana had the quickest turnaround any team had in the tournament. First pitch in this game wasn’t until 11:53 p.m. local time -- 12:53 a.m. ET.
The Hoosiers opted to start John Biagio-Modugno in this one. The junior pitched four scoreless innings against the Scarlet Knights in the regular season, so it was a slam-dunk decision to start the New Jersey native given the rest of the rotation was all but worn out.
Modugno gave up six runs and couldn’t get an out in the second inning, taking the loss in a game many expected to be high-scoring.
Ryan Kraft, Luke Hayden and Nathan Stahl got the rest of the outs in the shortened game. Kraft gave up three runs in three innings of work, Hayden pitched a scoreless frame, and Stahl allowed the final five runs while recording six outs
Freshman standout Carter Mathison was the only source of offense, slugging a two-run home run to the opposite field in the sixth inning, his 19th of the season to extend the record he broke earlier this season. Mathison had two home runs in Omaha and was the only Hoosier to go yard in the tournament.
The game saw 16 runs scored, but it was a one-sided affair. Rutgers scored nine runs in the first three innings and the cherry on top was a five-spot in the seventh, allowing the game to end early. Speaking of early, once the final out was recorded, it was 3:10 a.m. local time at Charles Schwab Field. There was even a lightning delay midway through, delaying the game another 30 minutes.
The tournament was a complete mess from the jump. With rain forcing no games to be played Wednesday, the Big Ten was behind the eight ball to get the tournament in on time. Major changes to the schedule were made, severely handicapping teams like Indiana that lost its opening-round game. If Indiana had won this game, IU would have had to play twice again on Sunday to win the tournament, meaning they would have won five games in three days, a near-impossible task against some of the country’s best teams.
Rutgers advances to the championship game to face the winner of Michigan and Iowa. The winner of the tournament must be decided by 11:59 p.m. ET, when the deadline for the automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament is. The Hoosiers won’t be a part of that tournament in all likelihood.
Despite the season ending in a harsh way, Indiana can’t be disappointed with its performance in Omaha. The Hoosiers snuck into the tournament by the skin of their teeth, but made the most of their time in Nebraska by winning twice, eliminating both Illinois and Maryland, while playing the Terrapins close on Thursday as well.
Indiana finishes the season with a record of 27-32, 10-14 in Big Ten play.
(05/29/22 12:59am)
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Less than 48 hours after losing a devastating game to Maryland in 11 innings in the opening round, Indiana came out on top in the second marathon game between the two teams in three days. The Hoosiers won 6-4 in 11 innings to keep its hopes alive of winning the conference tournament and receiving the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
It’s the first time in Big Ten Tournament history that an eight-seed has eliminated the one-seed.
Indiana was three outs away from defeat in the top of the ninth and one strike away in the bottom half from bowing out of the tournament and having its season end in heartbreaking fashion. But, the “never give up, never surrender” mentality reappeared in Omaha.
Indiana took the lead early, scoring a run in both the second and third innings. Tyler Doanes hit a sac fly and Bobby Whalen scored via an error -- a common theme throughout the Indiana games -- on a ball hit by Hunter Jessee. It’s the third straight game that Indiana has scored an unearned run. Maryland made three errors Saturday, one less than Illinois made Friday.
Maryland scored in the fourth and fifth innings to tie the game at two.
Jack Perkins, who took the loss in Thursday night’s game against the Terps, got a chance to redeem himself by starting on Saturday afternoon. Perkins turned in a good start, allowing two runs in five innings of work, recording five punchouts in the process.
After Ryan Kraft hit a batter and walked the next one, it turned into the Braydon Tucker show. Tucker, who came into the game with an ERA north of six, pitched six innings in relief to earn the win and keep the Hoosiers hopes alive.
As good as Tucker was, it seemed that he -- literally -- threw the season away in the bottom of the sixth, his first inning of work out of the bullpen. After Indiana went back up by a run in the top half courtesy of a Matthew Ellis RBI double, Tucker allowed the first two Terps to reach before chaos ensued. The Maryland batter, Maxwell Costes, showed bunt on a 2-0 pitch, but did the last thing he wanted to do: Popped it up. Turns out, the ball was placed perfectly over the mound on the third base side. Tucker was hesitant to get off the mound for a ball he should have caught in the air, and then it got worse. Tucker rushed to the ball, picked it up, and then fired an errant throw past the second baseman Doanes, who was covering first base. The ball trickled into right field, allowing two runs to score as the Terps had their first lead of the game, 4-3.
Tucker settled down and retired the next three hitters in succession, limiting the damage to just a self-inflicted wound. Both runs were unearned because of his error, but it appeared the mistake would cost Indiana the game, and ultimately its season.
But, in the top of the ninth, down by one, Indiana tied the game with the top of the order at the dish. Phillip Glasser hit the first pitch of the inning down the right field line for a leadoff double, and advanced to third through a Bobby Whalen single the next at-bat. Evan Goforth came off the bench, and despite grounding into a double play, got the job done as Glasser scored to tie the game at four.
In the bottom of the ninth, Maryland was one pitch away from walking it off again against the Hoosiers. The Terps had the bases loaded, one out, and a full count against Tucker. With the infield in, Nick Lorusso chopped a ball to the third-base side. Josh Pyne went back a step and fired the ball home off his back foot, in time to Peter Serruto for the fielder’s choice. Tucker got the next hitter to ground out to first, allowing Indiana fans to breathe a deep sigh of relief.
For the second time in three days, Indiana and Maryland were tied at four after regulation, meaning extra innings were required.
Neither team got close to scoring in the 10th, but in the 11th, Pyne got the hit the Hoosiers were looking for, and it turned out to be the game-winner. With two outs and the bases loaded, the freshman singled up to middle to score Whalen and Ethan Vecrumba, giving Indiana the 6-4 lead.
Tucker got the Big Ten Player of Year Chris Alleyne to strike out for the final out, eliminating the nationally seeded Terps and pushing Indiana over the finish line after a grueling four-hour, 20-minute battle.
Say what you want about the Indiana pitching all year, but credit Jeff Mercer and his staff going all the way back to the offseason. Mercer brought in a lot of pitching after losing the top three starters to graduation last season. Many of them came out of the bullpen this year, including Tucker, despite having experience starting in years past. With the conference losing a day in the tournament because of rain, the rotations were going to be taxed. With Indiana entering the losers' side of the bracket right off the jump, that meant the pitching wasn’t going to be allowed much time to relax between games.
Thursday night it was Sharp. Friday night it was Brehmer. On Saturday afternoon, it was Tucker that ate up the majority of the innings to save the pitching staff.
Indiana fans, get your caffeine ready, and cancel any Sunday morning plans. The Hoosiers are set to take the field again late Saturday night at approximately 11 p.m. ET, this time against the two-seed, Rutgers, in another must-win game. Pending any schedule changes, the Hoosiers have the rare opportunity to win two games in 24 hours.
Rutgers is one of just two teams alongside Michigan that is 2-0 in the tournament thus far. The Hoosiers got swept in New Jersey by the Scarlet Knights in the regular season, despite leading in the eighth inning in all three games.
(05/28/22 2:23pm)
What a difference a day makes.
Twenty-four hours after a backbreaking extra inning loss to top-seeded Maryland, Indiana baseball turned in one of its best performances all year to keep its season alive on Friday Night at Charles Schwab Field.
The Hoosiers knocked out the 4-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini 8-1 behind a complete game from Bradley Brehmer on the bump to secure Indiana’s first win in the Big Ten Tournament, as IU advanced in the losers bracket. Illinois joins Purdue as the first teams eliminated after losing twice in as many days. Always nice to finish ahead of those Boilermakers, right?
Brehmer needed 112 pitches to record all 27 outs, conceding just four hits while striking out six in the masterful performance, his fifth win on the season and just his second career complete game. Brehmer had everything in his arsenal working, and dominated the Illini offense. It was the first time in nine years that a Hoosier starting pitcher went the distance in the Big Ten Tournament -- the last time being Will Coursen-Carr's complete game against Nebraska to give the Hoosiers the tournament title in 2013.
As great as Brehmer was, the Illinois starter Riley Gowens was just as good through five innings, giving up just one earned run while striking out five Indiana batters.
Both starters pitched much better against the opposition compared to the regular season meetings between the two state schools April 30 and May 1. Brehmer took the loss in an 18-10 game, giving up six earned runs in just over five innings, while Gowens gave up seven runs in the 11-7 Indiana victory, although he avoided taking the loss in that game.
It was looking like it was turning into a pitcher’s duel in Omaha, as Indiana had a 2-1 lead after six innings. Phillip Glasser got the scoring started in the bottom of the third with an RBI single to score Tyler Doanes. A Brendan Comia RBI groundout in the Illini half of the sixth tied the game at one before Indiana responded with one of their own in the next half inning.
For the second straight day, Indiana took advantage of mistakes by the opposition.
Bobby Whalen began the bottom of the sixth reaching on an E4 to knock Gowens out of the game. Three batters later, Carter Mathison hit a sac fly to score Whalen in an inning where Indiana didn’t record a hit.
The Hoosiers got more than enough insurance, putting up a six spot in the bottom of the eighth to extend the lead to 8-1 and allow Brehmer to finish the game. Josh Pyne and Mathison both had RBI hits to give the Hoosiers breathing room. It seemed as if that was all Indiana was going to get as Doanes appeared to hit a tailor-made inning-ending double play, but the ball was bobbled by the shortstop, allowing Pyne to score and the parade to continue. Peter Serruto walked with bases loaded, and then Glasser hit an RBI single to score Ethan Vecrumba, and Doanes scored on an error from the right fielder. All in all, Indiana plated six with just four hits and courtesy of two key Illini errors. Illinois made four errors in total on the night.
Brehmer sat for a long time, but made the ninth uninteresting, finishing off a career night and becoming the first Hoosier to throw a complete game on the season, even more impressive given their backs were against the wall.
The "win or go home" motto applies again tomorrow, when Indiana will play Maryland again for the second time in three days at around 2 p.m. ET in the second game of the day. The Terps were upset by Michigan and now join Indiana in the losers bracket.
(05/27/22 10:39am)
So close and yet so far.
Indiana baseball dropped the opening game of the Big Ten Tournament in brutal fashion to the top-seeded Maryland Terrapins late Thursday night. A game-winning hit by pitch in the bottom of the eleventh sealed the deal in the palpitating four-hour plus marathon game in Omaha.
The entire conference had to wait an extra day to get started as rain pushed the first games a day back, but the third game of the day was worth the wait.
After trailing 4-0 early, Indiana clawed its way back into the game thanks to a couple Maryland miscues and was able to tie the game in the seventh inning. The score stayed that way until extra innings.
Recent Big Ten Pitcher of the Week Ty Bothwell got the start for Indiana, just his second of the season. The southpaw fell one out short of four innings of work, giving up four runs while striking out six. Five of the seven hits the Terps hit off the Bothwell were doubles, and if a couple of those were a few feet farther, they would have been round-trippers.
Head coach Jeff Mercer handed the ball to Reese Sharp, who silenced the Maryland bats for the rest of regulation. The Indiana offense picked up Sharp after being shut down for the first five innings. After Tyler Doanes and Peter Serruto singled to lead off the sixth, Phillip Glasser did the job to plate the first Indiana run, as the Maryland left fielder made an error allowing Doanes to score.
Indiana scored another three in the next inning to knot the score at four. Carter Mathison led off with his 18th home run of the season to cut the Hoosiers' deficit to 4-2. Indiana once again took advantage of Maryland miscues, as a passed ball and a balk allowed Matthew Ellis to score before Glasser hit a game-tying single to score Doanes.
To extra innings it went. Indiana used small ball to take its first lead in the 10th. The first two baserunners reached for the Hoosiers before a sacrifice bunt from Bobby Whalen moved both Evan Goforth and Glasser into scoring position. Hunter Jessee came through with a hard hit ball to first base, and Goforth — who came into the game to pinch hit for Serruto — was running on contact and scored on the throw home to give Indiana the 5-4 lead. Josh Pyne grounded into an inning-ending double play, but the Hoosiers were three outs away from an upset victory.
The bottom of the order in the Terps lineup was able to tie the game, as the seven hitter Bobby Zmarzlak led off the bottom half of the 10th with a double. Jack Perkins came into relief for Sharp and allowed Zmarzlak to score, as the DH Ian Petrutz delivered the game-tying hit, a single to right field.
In the 11th inning, the Hoosiers were set up to retake the lead as they had first and second with nobody out. Doanes lined a single to right field, but Ellis was gunned down at home. Perkins — yes the pitcher Jack Perkins, had to hit because Indiana lost the DH earlier in the game — grounded out in his first at-bat since high school to end the top half of the frame.
Perkins was unable to send the game to the 12th. After loading the bases with nobody out, Perkins got Zmarzlak to strike out, but hit Petrutz with a pitch to end the 4-hour, 19-minute marathon.
As I mentioned in my preview just a few days ago, I had three keys to Indiana’s success in this game. The first was the long ball. Indiana was able to outslug Maryland in this game, as Mathison’s home run was the only one of the ballgame. The second was the success of Ty Bothwell and Reese Sharp, who allowed just four earned runs through nine innings. The third was the ability for the team to fight back from any deficit. Despite checking all three of those boxes, Indiana still came up short to the top team in the conference and the 15th best team in the country in the national poll.
Mercer made it clear that as the eight seed, he wasn’t looking ahead and was trying to win the game at hand, which was evident by the fact he threw his three best pitchers Thursday night.
Indiana will see it as a missed opportunity to steal a win, but was outhit 15-9 and needed a few errors from Maryland to get back into the game. Additionally, Maryland left 16 men on base as they were constantly on the basepaths and forcing Indiana pitchers to escape jams. Still, a very respectable showing from Indiana, as IU proved why it belongs in this tournament.
The Hoosiers have little to no time to dwell on the loss, as now they must win out to keep their season alive in the double-elimination tournament. They will play again tomorrow at around the same starting time of 6:40 p.m. ET against the No. 4 seed Illinois on Friday. Believe it or not, there is some good news. Indiana beat the Illini earlier this season.
(05/24/22 5:33pm)
After a four-month grind, the stage is set for postseason play to begin for eight Big Ten teams the Big Ten Tournament, which is set for May 25-29 in Omaha, Nebraska, the home of the College World Series.
For Indiana, a strong second half in Big Ten play propelled the Hoosiers to finish with a record of 25-30 overall, 10-14 in conference play, earning a berth to the double-elimination tournament. The Hoosiers won key series against Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota that turned their season around. Indiana had a chance to clinch a spot in the Big Ten Tournament last weekend in Iowa City, but got swept by the Hawkeyes in the final regular season series, including a 30-16 loss in a game where they led 13-2. I thought the football season started in September…
Regardless, the Hoosiers got help elsewhere around the league that allowed them to sneak into the tournament.
Indiana will begin its quest for its eighth Big Ten Championship as the eight seed on Wednesday, taking on the top-seeded Terrapins from Maryland, who won their first-ever Big Ten regular-season baseball title. The Terps went 44-10 and 18-5 in the Big Ten, are currently riding a seven game winning streak, and are currently ranked No. 15 in the national rankings. The two teams will meet for the first time this season at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday in the first round.
Winning the first game in a double-elimination tournament is crucial and of course would be ideal for Indiana to pull off the upset. But, no matter what Indiana does against Maryland, its second opponent will be a team IU beat earlier this season in a weekend series. That team will either be the No. 4 seed Illinois or the No. 5 seed Michigan on Thursday at either 2 p.m. or 10 p.m.
Baseball is a game that is played in series, not single games. Given that the Big Ten Tournament is played in single-game rounds, it can become unpredictable. Any of the eight teams can come away with the championship. Here is how Indiana can shock the conference and earn the automatic NCAA bid:
1) Hitting the long ball
Indiana ranked fourth in the conference with 71 home runs on the year, and nearly half of them were hit by catcher Matthew Ellis (18) and outfielder Carter Mathison (17, a record for an IU freshman). Maryland pitchers gave up the fourth-most home runs in the conference, so if the Hoosiers can take the Terps deep, they give themselves at least a shot at upsetting the favorites to win the tournament. Sure, playing half the schedule at Bart Kaufman Field certainly helps, but this team can turn other ballparks into Home Run Derby sites as well with the power that’s constant throughout the Hoosier lineup.
2) Ty Bothwell and Reese Sharp being on their games
Yes, believe it or not, a couple of Indiana relievers can be the X-factor in this tournament. Even though Indiana has lost plenty of games because of the bullpen — all three games against Rutgers, the final game versus Minnesota just to name a few — one reliever has stood out the last few weeks. Bothwell has turned into the shutdown reliever Indiana has been desperately looking for since fellow southpaw Grant Holderfield started to struggle in mid-March. Bothwell sports a team-best 4.03 ERA and earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after throwing a career-high seven innings and 111 pitches against Minnesota, not allowing a single run.
Sharp has lived up to his last name and has allowed just two earned runs in the past month while taking the reins as the Indiana closer, racking up four saves, tied for the team lead in that category. If these two can be as good as they’ve been, it takes a ton of pressure off the shaky Indiana rotation.
3) Continuing to be the comeback kids
Say what you want about the Hoosiers this season and how they’ve been a mild disappointment, but one thing hasn’t changed all year: This team won’t go down quietly. Scoring six runs in the bottom of the ninth against Northwestern back in early April when down 7-0 was the first sign that this team never gives up. Sure, they fell one run short of a remarkable comeback, but it was a sign in what felt like a lost season that they were going to fight until the last out was recorded.
The turning point of the season was the win against Indiana State in Terre Haute back on April 12. Down to its final strike, Indiana scored four runs on back-to-back home runs against the Sycamores to win 6-5. Mathison hit a pinch-hit, game-tying, three-run bomb and then Tyler Doanes followed up with a solo shot of his own to cap off arguably the best Indiana win on the season. Since that game, Indiana has won four of six series, all against fellow Big Ten schools.
So I’m saying, there’s a chance. It would take a remarkable five-day, full-team effort to pull off the impossible, but as this sport has taught us in years prior, don’t count anyone out. This team is coming in with plenty of confidence and the “why not us” mentality. The Hoosiers won the last Big Ten Tournament held in 2019, and there is an outside chance they hoist the trophy again on Sunday.
(04/30/22 6:10am)
After seeing its lead evaporate, Indiana baseball hit its first walk-off of the season courtesy of Big Ten Freshman of the Week Josh Pyne to fend off the Illinois Fighting Illini 7-6 in a game where IU led 4-0.
Early was the key word in this game. Indiana got out of two bases loaded jams in the first two innings, and followed them both up with two runs in each of the first two innings to lead 4-0. The game was originally scheduled for 7 p.m., but with inclement weather on the horizon, first pitch was pushed up to noon ET.
Hunter Jessee knocked in Bobby Whalen in each of the first two innings. Whalen would come around again to score his third and the winning run in the ninth as Pyne delivered his first career walk-off hit — a single down the left field line — to send the crowd home happy.
(04/25/22 12:13pm)
Indiana picked up its third series win of the season, and its first in Big Ten play, taking the first two games of a home series against the reigning conference champion Nebraska Cornhuskers.
In a battle of two teams that have thoroughly underperformed this season, the Hoosier bats came alive on Friday and Saturday, winning 8-7 and 8-1. The weekend was all about the first running of the Little 500 with fans in three years, but Indiana quietly put together two much-needed performances at home. Maybe there should be a bike race every weekend in Bloomington.
Indiana got off to a quick start Friday night, jumping out to a 7-0 lead after four innings, highlighted by a Josh Pyne three-run home run to left. Jack Perkins pitched six scoreless innings before giving up four runs in the seventh, finishing with 6 1/3 innings pitched and eight punchouts. Nebraska wouldn’t go away quietly, scoring two on Grant Holderfield in the ninth before Braydon Tucker had to shut the door for his fourth save of the season. Perkins got the win on the mound to improve to 3-2 and begin the weekend on the right foot.
“You just don’t know which one it’s going to be,” head coach Jeff Mercer said to his ballclub after the game, referring to the seventh inning, when Indiana stretched the lead to 7-4 via a Tyler Doanes RBI single after Carter Mathison beat the shift with a drag bunt single with two outs. That turned out to be the game-winning run.
Indiana was able to win the series on Saturday behind another solid pitching performance, this time from Bradley Brehmer. He tossed a quality start, six innings of one-run ball to pick up his fourth win of the season. Offensively, Indiana scored eight unanswered runs after falling behind 1-0 early. The Hoosiers took advantage of an error in the second inning and made the Huskers pay by plating five, as Bobby Whalen had a 2-RBI single and Josh Pyne cleared the bases with a double, both to right-center field. A Carter Mathison solo shot in the third and a Bobby Whalen triple in the eighth accounted for the other runs.
“When we get a quality start we are a really good team,” Mercer said.
Pitching has been the glaring weakness for a team, and given the way they play defensively and can hit the ball, a quality start gives this Indiana team a chance to beat anyone in the country, and Mercer reflects the same attitude. The problem is the depth in the rotation, and the length, especially on Sundays, and that problem popped up once again in this series.
The Sunday struggles continued for the Hoosiers as they lost a shootout 19-7 Sunday, finishing the weekend with a 16-23 record, 4-8 in conference play. Nebraska went 20-44 (.455) at the plate, clubbing four home runs, 20 hits, and sent 63 batters to the dish to win by a dozen. Max Johnson collected the first two RBIs of his career with a double down the left field line in the fourth to cap off a four-run inning, Indiana scored in only two other innings and all five Indiana pitchers had earned runs charged to their name.
“You can’t take a positive situation and turn it into a negative because today didn’t go our way,” Mercer said, referring to the fact that his goal this weekend was to win the series and defend their home-field advantage.
Indiana gains much-needed momentum by winning the series, but losing again on getaway day has been an issue all season long, and certainly puts a dent in any of the confidence created in games one and two.
Indiana has another busy week ahead, with five games next week, beginning with a trip to Indianapolis to play Butler at Victory Field on Tuesday.
(04/18/22 1:40pm)
“Do everything to the best of your ability, no matter what.”
Growing up in Kentucky, Matthew Ellis was raised into a family where hard work was the name of the game, and his father's words reflected that. His father, Mike, left the house every day at six in the morning to go to work, and Matthew says Mike “is the hardest worker I’ve ever met in my entire life. I couldn’t have asked for a better dad.”
Matthew quickly adapted to his father’s way of life, even if that meant living with a competitive father who wouldn’t take it easy on his son.
“He would always make it hard on me when we were competing. Whether it was basketball, ping pong, he would never let me win, and I would get so mad,” Ellis said. “But I think that fueled me as I got older, especially when you’re competing against someone else.”
(04/04/22 11:45pm)
Everything was finally looking like it was going in the right direction for Indiana entering Saturday’s game against Northwestern. After starting 0-8 in games decided by less than three runs, Indiana won three straight games, all being decided by a single run.
After taking the series against in-state foe Evansville with a doubleheader sweep, Indiana began Big Ten play 1-0 with a tight 5-4 win over Northwestern on Friday night. But that proved to be the sole win of the weekend for IU, as the Hoosier offense was inconsistent and the bullpen struggled once again.
In Friday’s win, Jack Perkins tossed a quality start with six innings with just two earned runs, but was outmatched by Wildcats starter Sean Sullivan, who tossed six shutout innings with 11 strikeouts. Entering the seventh inning stretch, Indiana trailed 2-0.
However, Indiana pounced on the Wildcats ‘pen, batting around in the seventh to plate five. Hunter Jessee got it all started with a pinch-hit single, and RBI hits from Phillip Glasser, Bobby Whalen and Josh Pyne gave the Hoosiers a lead they nearly relinquished in the next half inning but held onto in the end for a nail-biting win, with the save coming from Braydon Tucker.
Head coach Jeff Mercer said it was a “relief” when Sullivan exited the game, and credited the southpaw for his outing.
“I hope we never see him again,” Mercer said with a wide smile and a chuckle. “But seriously, he was outstanding tonight. He’s got such an interesting fastball that keeps hitters off-balance.”
Glasser said his approach at the plate didn’t change when the reliever came into the game, which led to him slapping a double down the left field line to tie the game at two.
Scoring in only one inning was the case again for the Hoosiers on Saturday, this time ending in a 7-6 loss. After trailing 7-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth, Indiana found a second wind, scoring six runs in the final half but ultimately falling short. Carter Mathison and Tucker Schank each had two-RBI hits but the top two Hoosiers in the lineup struck out to end the game. Too little too late, but better late than never.
Heading into the rubber match, Indiana had only scored in two of the 17 innings the offense had come to the plate. They scored in five of the nine innings on Sunday, but only scored multiple runs in a frame once, losing 13-6. The ‘Cats scored 11 of their 13 runs with two outs as Indiana couldn’t get out of innings before the damage was done. The Hoosiers used five pitchers, and only the starter Nathan Stahl faced fewer than 10 batters. Stahl got just four outs and took the loss, giving up three earned runs.
Once again, Indiana doesn’t have a strong Sunday starter, and bullpen games aren’t going to win this team many matchups given the way relievers have handled the ball on the mound. Unless they can consistently outslug teams, Indiana is going to have trouble winning on getaway day with this current system. There simply just isn’t enough talent and depth to win games, given that bullpen arms are seeing three or four innings of work a weekend, and they usually get dinged up in the tail end of their appearances.
Mercer addressed this question after the game Sunday, explaining that they have the talent to get through bullpen games, but need to do better keeping opposing offenses in check, which is exactly what Northwestern did to them.
Indiana will attempt to win the season series when the team travels to Evansville on Tuesday for a single game on the road before a trip to West Lafayette looms over the weekend.
(03/31/22 11:31pm)
With the calendar turning to April, it’s officially baseball season. For Indiana, that means the focus shifts towards Big Ten Play, which begins at 5 p.m. Friday with a three-game series at home against Northwestern.
We have learned a lot about this team 23 games into this season, filled with ups and downs en route to a 10-13 record thus far.
Coming off of a 26-18 2021 campaign where an NCAA bid slipped through their fingertips, the Hoosiers lost A LOT of production to graduation, including their top three starting pitchers. Despite the losses, the team was quite busy in the transfer portal, and to this point several of them have made key impacts, while others are trying to see more time on the diamond.
Here’s what we know a month and a half into the 2022 season:
1) This team can hit the cover off the ball. In the month of March alone, Indiana reached double digits in runs eight times in just 17 games played. The main reason: Catcher Matthew Ellis, who has smacked 11 homers, tied for sixth in the country and the best among backstops in the NCAA. The Hoosiers’ hit-to-run ratio is quite low, but they are very patient, draw a plethora of base on balls and are aggressive on the basepaths. When they get on base, most of the time they end up coming around to score.
2) The bugaboo has been the bullpen. A big reason why this team is 2-8 in games decided by three runs or less is because of the pen. They’ve scored first in a lot of their games but have been unable to keep opponents off the scoreboard in the late innings. They are forced to use the same bullpen arms multiple times a week and teams who scout well can jump on the fatigued arms.
3) IU has a home-field advantage. Indiana is 7-4 at The Bart this season and has exploded for an average of over 10 runs offensively and for the most part has struck early and often. It’s a much different story away from home, as IU only averages five runs a game and has only scored 10+ runs once.
In summary, this team seemingly can’t find a way to win on the road, doesn’t win too many close games, and doesn’t have a very deep bench. A really smooth transition from basketball season, right?
Regardless of this rollercoaster ride, Indiana is 0-0 in Big Ten play with the hopes of having a winning record in conference play when Sunday evening rolls around against a Northwestern team that didn’t finish in the top half of the standings in the last decade. The Wildcats are 9-11 this season.
(03/09/22 5:54pm)
Five runs, no hits, three pitchers, and a half inning that lasted over half an hour? Strange, huh.
That was the box score for Indiana baseball in the bottom of the first inning, as the team’s patience proved pivotal in their second home game of the season, defeating the Cincinnati Bearcats 7-0 on Tuesday night.
“We’re not expanding the strike zone and then we can hit fastballs,” head coach Jeff Mercer said. “If you can get a guy in the strike zone and hit a fastball, there’s not really anywhere to go for a pitcher.”
The first four Hoosier hitters all reached without needing to swing the bat, as three reached via the base on balls and another was hit by a pitch. Another walk with the bases loaded was enough for Cincinnati to go to the bullpen, as Indiana had already reached base five times without even putting a ball in the field of play. Two walks later, the score was 4-0, and another call to the bullpen was made.
In total, three Cincy pitchers took the bump in what was one of the longer first innings The Bart had seen in a while, as the merry-go-round continued until finally Tyler Doanes, the leadoff hitter, grounded out in his second at bat to end the first inning.
Josh Pyne said that the approach going in wasn’t to look for walks, but volunteer assistant coach Zach Weatherford, who does the scouting before every game, said to be patient.
For comparison, the first inning lasted over half an hour while the rest of the game took a combined two hours and 10 minutes.
It was smooth sailing from there, as steady pitching from freshman Luke Hayden and junior Nathan Stahl silenced the smoking-hot Cincy bats with three scoreless innings each. The Bearcats were held to just two total hits while striking out 14 times. Hayden improves to 2-0 on the season.
The only other inning that saw scoring was the bottom of the fifth, when the Hoosiers hit back-to-back home runs. Brock Tibbitts and Pyne took two pitches into the home bullpen in left field to excite an anxious crowd for a change. It was Pyne’s first career HR for the Hoosiers.
“It was a surreal moment, something I’ve dreamed of ever since I committed to play baseball here at Indiana University, and I’m really really happy that it was here at The Bart,” Pyne said.
Mercer said after the game that the team doesn’t always have to hit its way to a win, and that was certainly the case on Tuesday.
Biggest takeaways
In a relatively uninteresting affair, the Indiana offense once again got out to a hot start, putting pressure on the opposing team right from the get-go and giving the younger pitching staff room for error. The team got out to big leads over the weekend as well, winning two out of three as a result.
The ability to control breaking balls on the mound makes Indiana a scary team to face down the line. One of the biggest problems in the first few games was the ability to keep runners off the basepaths because the Hoosiers couldn’t control their secondary pitches. Being able to throw breaking balls in fastball counts keeps hitters guessing and gives Indiana the advantage on defense.
Indiana continues its momentum after a weekend series win against Missouri State. The Hoosiers are back at The Bart at 4 p.m. Wednesday for a matchup against Purdue-Fort Wayne before traveling to Troy this weekend.
(03/02/22 4:39am)
It’s the offensive outburst we were all waiting for.
Indiana baseball romped the RedHawks of Miami (OH) 15-2 in the Hoosier home opener at Bart Kaufman Field. It was the first time tickets were sold since March 11, 2020, and an opening-day record 1,984 fans packed into The Bart to watch their team take care of business.
When asked about the attendance, head coach Jeff Mercer said he was pleasantly surprised.
“I was a little bit surprised just with the four o’clock start and given the weather this time of the year, but it’s a terrific fanbase and we’re incredibly proud to represent the state of Indiana,” Mercer said.
Indiana hit four home runs in the non-conference matchup on a sun-splashed Tuesday afternoon in Bloomington. It may only be March 1, but it was certainly baseball weather as temperatures reached the mid-60s.
A six-run bottom of the second paced Indiana. Brock Tibbetts and Kip Fougerousse each hit three-run home runs to spark an Indiana offense that had been eerily quiet in the first six games. Matthew Ellis hit one out in the fourth, and Tibbetts cracked his second of the game way out of the ballpark in the fifth.
That’s all the offense the pitching staff needed, as five Hoosiers combined for an excellent performance, giving up just four hits while striking out 16. Freshman and Bloomington native Luke Hayden got the ball to start and threw two solid shutout innings to earn his first win.
The nerves definitely played a factor, as Hayden struggled with his command, walking three guys and making an error on a routine bouncing ball back to him. A mound meeting settled the debutant down, leading to strikeouts and an inning-ending double play to strand the RedHawk runners.
“We (the pitching coach and I) talked about our visuals with my slider,” Hayden said. “We had Tibbetts set up a little bit in so it would stay in the zone a little bit longer.”
(02/28/22 7:34pm)
Indiana baseball had the chance to erase the series last week against Clemson when the team competed in the Karbach Round Rock Classic this past weekend in Texas.
Despite losing two out of the three games they played, the boys of spring finally got in the win column after four straight Ls to begin the 2022 campaign.
Indiana began the tournament with a tilt against the No. 2 team in the country, the Arkansas Razorbacks. Despite the clear mismatch on paper, Indiana was very competitive in this one, but ended up on the wrong side of the 5-2 final score.
Starter John-Biagio Modugno tossed a career-high five innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits while also striking out three. The Razorbacks put up a three-spot in the top of the fourth to extend the lead 4-0 after scoring one run in the first inning. The junior took the loss and dropped to 0-2 on the season, which seems a bit harsh given the competition he’s faced.
The bullpen was once again lights-out in the first game of the series, pitching four innings of one-run ball, and that run was unearned. Freshman Grant Holderfield and senior Bradley Brehmer each pitched two innings in relief. There’s a growing sense that the bullpen is going to be very strong this season for the Hoosiers given how much trust there is in a lot of the guys to throw multiple innings in relief. Given the number of new faces on this team, head coach Jeff Mercer is figuring out the way his pitching staff is going to look via trial-and-error, as we’ve seen plenty of pitchers who are usually starters come out of the ‘pen.
“I was really proud of our pitchers,” Mercer said after the game. “We took care of the ball for the most part, had a few miscues defensively that cost us a few runs, but on the mound it was much more of what we would have anticipated coming into the season.”
The pitchers did not get much help behind them, as some defensive mishaps led to extended innings and eventually a deficit that was too much to overcome. Mercer also mentioned how the cold weather may have played a factor, as Indiana had some trouble finding the strike zone and the sub 30-degree weather didn’t make it easy for the fielders to keep the blood flowing.
While there wasn’t a whole lot offensively for Indiana, freshman Josh Pyne had two hits and the only Hoosier RBI. Bobby Whalen reached base three times as well. The Arkansas starter, Connor Noland, threw six quality innings of one-run ball to quiet an Indiana offense that has struggled mightily so far.
Still, no Indiana fan should complain about this result. Competing with the second-best ranked team in the country after an abysmal first series is a sign that things are moving in the right direction.
The offensive onslaught we were all waiting for came on Saturday, when Indiana won its first game in blowout fashion, 12-4 versus the Louisiana Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns. A seven-run third inning highlighted by far Indiana’s best all-around performance of the young season.
“We were able to finish a ballgame for the first time,” Mercer said.
It’s worth noting that Indiana had the lead in the mid-to-late innings of the second and third games against Clemson, but saw those leads evaporate quickly.
After jumping out to a 2-0 in the top of the second courtesy of a Matthew Ellis solo home run and a Carter Mathison RBI double, Indiana batted around in the third, scoring seven off of two hits and four walks. Three ULL errors allowed the Hoosiers to open the floodgates. The best part about this inning? Two-out hits leading to runs. Tyler Doanes, Phillip Glasser and Whalen all drove in two-out RBIs to cap the scoring in the inning.
Indiana added four more in the later innings, and Morgan Colopy hit a solo shot to deep center in the sixth to put Indiana in double digits. All nine starters reached base safely off of nine hits, seven walks and one hit batter. Whalen led the Hoosiers with three RBIs.
As good as the offense was, the pitching was just as good. Redshirt junior Jack Perkins threw five innings, allowing two runs and two hits to earn his first victory as a Hoosier. The right-hander struck out seven Ragin’ Cajuns. After a brutal first four games to begin the season, it was a great way to earn victory number one on the season.
The finale of the tournament saw Indiana on the other side of a blowout, at the hands of the Stanford Cardinal. After scoring a dozen the day before, Indiana gave up a baker’s dozen while getting shut out for the second time in six games, as the game ended after just six and a half innings due to a mercy rule.
Starting pitcher Reese Sharp allowed five runs and six hits while getting only 10 outs in his first career start for the Cream and Crimson. The Cardinal scored in four of the six innings they came to the plate, and Indiana’s struggles to keep runners off the basepaths continued.
Ellis and Colopy each collected two hits, while Glasser picked up his fifth hit on the year. Still, Cardinal starter Drew Dowd was dominant, striking out eight over four scoreless innings to pick up his second win. Joey Dixon followed him with three scoreless frames, getting credit for the save despite the lopsided score.
Indiana goes 1-2 on the weekend while learning a lot more about themselves. There’s a lot to take away from the Texas tournament, given the competition and climate. Arkansas and Stanford are considered two of the best teams in their respective conferences, and temperatures below 30 are rare if you’ve never been to Texas.
Biggest takeaways
The inconsistent offense is back from last season, as is the need for the Hoosiers to find a third starter. Let’s not forget that last season, Indiana went 2-7 in its final nine games as its NCAA bid slipped right through its fingers, while averaging less than three runs a game. This inconsistency has reappeared in the early stages of 2022, something that is very worrisome for the Hoosier faithful.
On the pitching side, it seems like Modugno and Perkins are set as the top two arms in the rotation, but the third starter is still unknown. Last week against Clemson it was Nathan Stahl who got the ball, and this series it was Reese Sharp who got the pill. Neither were overly impressive, but someone who was much more impressive out of the ‘pen was Brehmer. Many thought he would be the Sunday starter at the beginning of the season. Regardless, sooner rather than later, finding the third arm would be optimal, and there’s another weekend series on the horizon at Missouri State. Indiana has quite the gauntlet beginning in just a few weeks, and while most of those matchups are at home, the need to find the third starter is crucial moving forward.
Mercer has made it clear that he wants his guys to incrementally improve every game and every series. The Indiana head coach said he’s confident that he saw that this past weekend, and his ballclub will have four games this week to get even better, beginning with their home opener Tuesday against the Miami (OH) RedHawks. It will be the first time the Hoosiers will welcome a full capacity into Bart Kaufman Field since March 11, 2020 as they open their March 2022 slate. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.
(02/21/22 6:55pm)
Indiana baseball returned to the diamond this weekend to open up the 2022 season down in sunny South Carolina to face the Clemson Tigers in a three-game series.
Head coach Jeff Mercer said he was excited to see this team learn and be asked questions for the first time. After getting swept and being outscored 33-8 over the course of the weekend, it was evident there is a steep learning curve for a team still searching for its first win. Prior to the series, Mercer referred to this team as the “land of misfits,” given how many new faces are on this team, and some of the newcomers have embraced that mentality, now that they have a home with a team that wants them.
Game No. 1 on Friday afternoon was never close, as Clemson scored three runs off of five hits in the bottom of the first and never looked back, winning 9-0. The Hoosiers could only muster up three hits, with the first one coming in the sixth, as Tigers starter Mack Anglin fired five no-hit innings, striking out eight while walking two.
The Indiana starter on the other hand, John-Biagio Modugno, surrendered six runs (five earned) in three innings of work, striking out four. The lone bright spot for Indiana on Friday was the bullpen, led by Reese Sharp and Ryan Kraft. The two tossed five sparkling innings, giving up just two earned runs while striking out 13. Sharp struck out a career-high seven batters in three innings of work, while Kraft sat down six in his Indiana debut.
The three hits from Indiana came from Morgan Colopy, Matthew Ellis, and Bobby Whalen. Freshman Carter Mathison walked twice, joining Colopy and Ellis as the only Hoosiers to reach base multiple times.
Indiana’s scoreless streak didn’t last long at all after the 9-0 loss. Tyler Doanes hit the very first pitch of the game for a home run, and just two batters later Matthew Ellis hit one out of the yard to give Indiana a 2-0 lead after just half an inning.
The Hoosiers tacked on another two in the top of the second. Carter Mathison and Brock Tibbitts slapped back-to-back doubles to open up the frame, and Doanes collected his second RBI with a two-out single.
From there, it was a complete trainwreck. Clemson scored 19 unanswered runs and steamrolled the Hoosiers by 15, highlighted by a seven spot in the sixth inning. Having a lead for three innings must have been nice, right?
Jack Perkins began the long line of Indiana arms with two career highs: 3 2/3 innings pitched and eight Ks. The redshirt junior gave up three earned runs on four hits, and needed 82 pitches to get just 11 outs. From there, Ty Bothwell, Bradley Brehmer and Joe Moran took on the rest of the load in what turned out to be a game they would want to soon forget.
Indiana was much more competitive in the series finale, but dropped a back-and-forth affair 5-4 in 10 innings — a brutal way to end what was supposed to be an exciting weekend back out on the field. Indiana got another first-inning home run, this time from Phillip Glasser, before IU starter Nathan Stahl even threw a pitch. Stahl was announced as the game three starter after Saturday’s blowout loss, and he couldn’t keep the lead, as a Caden Grice sacrifice fly tied the game at one after one.
Clemson nearly took the lead in the bottom of the second, but Bobby Whalen robbed a home run in deep left-center field to keep the game tied. Whalen then led off the third with a single, eventually coming around to score on a Tibbitts pinch-hit single. Clemson once again responded in the bottom half of the frame, taking the lead 3-2, courtesy of a long two-run home run by Grice. Grice finished the game with two hits and three RBIs, and ended up with the win as well on the mound.
Stahl pitched four innings, allowing just two hits but giving up three runs. Indiana went with just four pitchers the entire game, and for the second time in the series, the bullpen pitched very, very well — a good sign considering how few positives there really were from this series.
Indiana re-took the lead in the sixth with a rally of its own. All with two outs, five straight Hoosiers reached base, capped off by an Ethan Vecrumba walk with the bases juiced to give the Hoosiers a 4-3 lead.
Clemson tied the game at four in the seventh, and threatened in the eighth and ninth, but to no avail. Grant Holderfield and Brayden Tucker worked five combined innings, before the ball was handed over to freshman Luke Hayden, who despite recording two outs in the 10th, ended up giving up the walk-off to Bryar Hawkins courtesy of the sac fly.
A theme throughout the weekend: Guys playing for the first time in an Indiana uniform. It’ll take some getting used to before this team littered with new faces starts to gel. But just how long is the early worry for Hoosier fans, given how tough their conference schedule is down the stretch. Indiana will have to throw this series out the window as they don’t have time to dwell upon these three losses
The Hoosiers have a chance to earn their first victory on Tuesday when they take on the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks at 3 p.m.
