Reeling from yet another blowout loss, Indiana baseball looks to get back on track as it opens Big Ten play at home against the Illinois Fighting Illini. After utilizing usual Friday starter Brayden Risedorph on Tuesday, the Hoosiers turn to fellow sophomore righty Ethan Phillips to set the tone as league play begins.
Picked second in the conference preseason poll, Indiana got off to a turbulent start this season, treading water at just one game above .500 (11-10). Its pitching and defense have repeatedly broken down, manifesting in a team ERA of 7.35, just one point better than Michigan, which owns the conference’s worst ERA at 7.36. The Hoosiers hold a .957 team fielding percentage, their 32 errors by far the most in the conference.
Indiana is not worried. After spending a hefty portion of February and March away from home and out of rhythm, it has gotten back into its mojo and avoided taking things too seriously. The Hoosiers closed Thursday’s practice with a competitive scrimmage drill designed to help batters hit line drives over the infield. Friendly chirps filled the brisk afternoon air at Bart Kaufman Field.
“I think sometimes, we look at it like it’s life and death,” Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer said Thursday. “We can get a little bit uptight, and we just need to realize that the same enthusiasm and competitive fire and fun that you have when you’re playing that game is the same way you can go and play a baseball game.”
Mercer acknowledged Indiana’s recent slump but was quick to brush it off.
“The truth is, this is a silly game, and it can go the exact opposite direction,” Mercer said. “But it won’t go that way without competitive fire and enthusiasm.”
Phillips will start the series opener with Connor Foley, Indiana’s ace, slated to start Saturday’s game. Sunday starters for both teams are to be determined, and there is a high likelihood that both squads will pitch by committee.
Indiana’s offense has done its part lately, catalyzed by junior third baseman Josh Pyne and redshirt junior catcher Jake Stadler shaving their heads after the Hoosiers dropped the series opener versus Belmont University on March 15.
Tyler Cerny and Brock Tibbitts met with the media after today’s win over Belmont. More importantly they revealed who started the buzz cuts. #iubase pic.twitter.com/NAXPScZzwe
— iubase.com (@iubase17) March 16, 2024
Three-fourths of the team followed suit. In three games since the mass exodus of hair, Indiana has amassed 10 or more hits per game and averaged over 10 runs per game. If the pitching staff holds serve, Indiana could re-emerge as Big Ten title favorites.
“It’s a completely different season when you get into conference play,” Pyne said Thursday. “It’s just, bear down and go take care of it. Play for each other, and we’ll be where we want to be.”
Pyne enters conference play with an eight-game hitting streak, while junior outfielder Carter Mathison, sophomore outfielder Devin Taylor, redshirt senior outfielder Morgan Colopy and junior infielder Brock Tibbitts remain Indiana’s perennial power threats. Mathison leads all Indiana players with five home runs, while Taylor and Colopy both have four.
Indiana hit seven home runs in its series win at Illinois last season, including two by Taylor in the series opener. Junior outfielder Nick Mitchell has made his on-base presence known after an early-season hand injury, with his .486 on-base percentage leading all starters.
While Indiana’s offense has somewhat been able to counteract the damage inflicted on its pitching staff, Illinois has struggled on all fronts this season. Veteran head coach Dan Hartleb’s team holds a pedestrian 8-11 record, and the Fighting Illini have labored at the plate. Their .243 team batting average is tied with Michigan for the worst in the Big Ten, and Illinois' .345 on-base percentage sits alone at the bottom of the table.
Junior catcher Camden Janik is Illinois’ only player batting over .300. While slugging threats like redshirt junior infielder Drake Westcott and 2023 second-team All-Big Ten honoree Ryan Moerman have put up power numbers that rival Indiana’s best bats, Illinois simply does not amass enough baserunners to do any substantial damage with extra-base hits.
The Illini’s pitching staff has not fared much better so far this season, with one exception. Left-handed graduate student Cooper Omans has been lights-out in 18 ⅔ innings, posting a team-best 1.45 ERA in his first five appearances. He did what Indiana couldn’t against the high-flying Indiana State University Sycamores, turning in six innings of one-run ball, striking out ten batters. Omans is slated to start Saturday’s game versus Indiana.
Although he holds a 5.88 ERA in 26 innings this season, Friday starter Jack Crowder enters this weekend fresh off his best outing of the season last week versus the University of Southern Indiana. The senior right-hander spun seven strong innings against the Screaming Eagles, allowing one run on four hits.
After a grueling non-conference schedule against numerous ranked opponents and postseason contenders, Indiana is ready to compete among the best in the Big Ten.
“You’ve just got to go back to trying to win series,” Mercer said. “If you win each series, you’re going to look up in the last couple of weeks and have a chance to make a run and win the whole thing. Just like we did last year, and we’ve done in the past. We need to be able to trust that we are capable of doing that, and I’m sure that we will.”
Indiana looks to hold serve at home like it did a season ago, and its road to a Big Ten championship begins this weekend. Friday’s game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch, with matinees on the docket for 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. All three games will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Nick Rodecap (@nickrodecap) for updates throughout the Indiana baseball season.
