On Wednesday evening, sheltering from the heat inside the third-base suite at Bart Kaufman Field, Indiana baseball's head coach Jeff Mercer revealed he holds private one-on-one meetings with veteran players to survey the team's mentality and diligence.
Mercer said the response amongst players is identical: "'No one cares where we're ranked. No one cares about the standings. We just want to go win. We just want to compete.'"
In the past five weeks, the Hoosiers have won five straight series — the latest three over conference foes — to ascend, and remain, in first place in the Big Ten standings at 7-2.
Mercer hesitated in stating whether players feel must-win urgency to evade being chased. Rather, Mercer explained the team is concentrating on not relinquishing their rapid success, which was absent last season. This time last year, Indiana was just 2-7 in the Big Ten.
"You do get a sense of we're not going back," Mercer said. "Until you've ever experienced losing, which for the first half of last year was the first time I've ever experienced losing, you don't know how bad it stinks. It is far worse than even your worst nightmare."
After Indiana's series-clinching victory over Iowa this past weekend at home — the team's most substantial series win on their resume thus far — an animated Mercer roared at players in the raucous locker room. The team's five-series win streak will now be tested on the road.
For the first time since 2019, Indiana will travel to play at Illinois in a three-game series from Friday to Saturday. The Illini are currently 3-6 in the conference, recently dropping their three-game series on the road this past weekend to Northwestern, whose record is 5-22.
Illinois has endured an inconsistent season. From taking two of three games at former top-25 University of Southern Mississippi in February to splitting two games at top-25 Coastal Carolina University in March, the Illini have lost all three conference series going into April.
"They're physically talented," Mercer said. "For whatever reason, the last two or three weeks they haven't been as successful in being able to apply talent into winning baseball. Hopefully, they can wait one more week because they're going to roll at some point."
Indiana right-handed junior Seti Manase, who typically starts on Sundays, has been shifted to pitch Friday night's series opener. Manase labored in his most recent start this past Sunday, throwing 36 pitches and walking three batters — unable to finish the second inning.
Manase has allowed four earned runs through 23⅔ innings. Mercer substitutes relievers as Manase's velocity declines in the fourth or fifth innings. If Friday night's score is close by Manase's exit, Mercer will likely and decisively expend sophomore left-hander Ryan Kraft.
Kraft commonly emerges in close-game situations. The sophomore's stamina is invaluable in protecting thin leads, or keeping deficits within reach. Kraft has thrown 26 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run, tossing four-plus innings in his latest three outings.
Right-hander Riley Gowens will start Friday for Illinois. Gowens allowed just one earned run through five innings in the junior's third career outing against Indiana in last year's Big Ten Tournament in May — the latest meeting between the two programs, which Indiana won 8-1.
Indiana and Illinois were scheduled to play three games from Friday to Sunday this weekend. Due to forecasted inclement weather, Sunday's game will be merged into a Saturday doubleheader. Indiana ace and sophomore right-hander Luke Sinnard was initially set to pitch the lone game Saturday and can now be expected to start Saturday's first game.
This past weekend against Iowa's potent lineup, Sinnard threw six shutout innings, striking out 12 batters. Ryan Moerman, Cam McDonald, and Camden Janik spearhead the Illini lineup this season with .300-plus batting averages. They have hit 17 home runs combined.
While Indiana didn't announce Sunday's starting pitcher, Illinois right-hander Jack Wenninger, who owns a 4.17 earned run average, was slated to pitch Sunday. Wenninger can now be expected to start Saturday's second game — also the series finale. In the junior's most recent start at Northwestern, Wenninger allowed five earned runs through 7⅓ innings.
Following Indiana batting just 4-for-30 with runners in scoring positon against Iowa’s pitching staff — which boasts the lowest team-earned run average in the conference — the Hoosiers surged for 16 runs in the team's Tuesday victory against Ball State.
Illinois posts the second-highest team-earned run average (5.94) in the Big Ten.
"They're probably a little bit more dependent upon swing and miss and some chase," Mercer said. "Once they're able to land that stuff in the zone, I think they'll be really good again, so we'll have to be able to do damage to fastballs in the strike zone."
Indiana's five-series win streak is at stake. Friday's series opener will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern time. The first pitch of Saturday's doubleheader will start at 1:30 p.m. The series finale will be broadcast at 6 p.m. on the Big Ten Network later that evening.
