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The Indiana Daily Student

sports baseball

IU Baseball: 2019 position breakdown

Men's baseball vs. Taylor University

Pitching

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Then-junior pitcher Jonathan Stiever makes a solid beginning of the first game against Illinois during the 2018 season. Stiever was drafted in the fifth round by the Chicago White Sox last season.  Anna Tiplick


Pitching was the strength of the IU baseball team in 2018.

The Hoosiers ranked seventh in the nation for team earned run average while producing eight shutouts on the season.

A great pitching staff comes with great potential in the MLB, however. In the 2018 draft, IU lost its ace and Friday night starter Jonathan Stiever.

Stiever, who was drafted in the fifth round by the Chicago White Sox, led the team in strikeouts while producing a 3.41 ERA. Joining Stiever in the MLB system was left-handed starter Tim Herrin, who was drafted in the 29th round. Now as the 2019 season is less than a month away, it's uncertain who will fill those voids. Read more here.


Outfield

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Then-sophomore Matt Gorski, now a junior, runs back to the dugout during the IU game against Indiana State University in 2018. Gorski led the baseball team last season with 79 hits and 123 total bases. IDS file photo


IU baseball coach Jeff Mercer, who still has a handful of question marks throughout the roster, can perhaps find stability in his outfield group. The outfield, despite losing one of its most productive four-year players in program history in Logan Sowers, still figures to anchor the center of IU’s lineup.

The Hoosiers return starters in junior left fielder Matt Gorski and senior center fielder Logan Kaletha — two players who appeared in all 59 games for IU last season. Read more here.


Infield

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Then-sophomore infielder Matt Lloyd, now-senior, runs to third base after his teammate, Tony Butler, hits a grounder toward left field during the 2017 season. IDS file photo


IU baseball’s infield could be its deepest position in the 2019 season.

Despite losing third baseman Luke Miller in the MLB Draft, the Hoosiers return all their starters with most players possessing the ability to play anywhere on the diamond. Read more here.


This page has been updated.

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