Indiana baseball opened Big Ten play with a sweep of the Ohio State Buckeyes last weekend, thanks in large part to big performances from freshman outfielder Devin Taylor and sophomore first baseman Brock Tibbitts.
Taylor was named Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second consecutive week and Tibbitts became the first Indiana player to be named Big Ten Player of the Week since Cole Barr in 2021.
Taylor hit safely in every game last week and has reached base safely in 13 consecutive games. He posted a .385 batting average and a team-leading eight runs batted in over his four starts.
Against Ohio State, he picked the eventual game-winning two-run double in the fourth inning of game one, scored two runs in game two and hit a home run in the third inning of the series finale. Taylor is tied with senior catcher Matthew Ellis for the team lead in home runs with four.
Tibbitts was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the first time in his career thanks to his .500 batting average and 1.339 on base plus slugging in four starts last week. He has reached base safely in seven consecutive games and had multi-hit performances in three out of four games last week. Tibbitts also picked up seven runs batted in over the course of the week.
The first baseman plated four runs in the series opener thanks to a solo shot, a pair of base hits and a sacrifice fly. Tibbitts also had a pair of hits and two RBIs in game two of the series against the Buckeyes.
Taylor and Tibbitts have established themselves as crucial pieces in the middle of Indiana’s lineup and are a critical part of why the Hoosiers hold an eight-game winning streak and a 14-0 record at Bart Kaufman Field. They will look to keep these streaks alive versus Kent State University on Tuesday before heading to Happy Valley to face off against Penn State this weekend.
