After using 11 different pitchers in a 7-7, 12-inning tie at Ball State University on Wednesday, Indiana baseball (22-18-1, 7-5 Big Ten) returns home to face Rutgers (24-16, 3-9 Big Ten) on a quick turnaround, needing quality outings from its pitchers as it searches for its fourth-consecutive series victory Friday through Sunday at Bart Kaufman Field.
The Hoosiers sit at No. 77 in the RPI as of Friday, much further outside postseason contention than Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights slot in at No. 45, the third-highest ranked team in the Big Ten behind Nebraska (No. 22) and Maryland (No. 43).
Southpaw Brandon Keyster (0-0, 4.97 ERA) will start Friday’s series opener for Indiana, while usual Friday starter Ty Bothwell (5-2, 5.37 ERA) is slated to start Saturday’s game after racking up a career-high 13 strikeouts in seven innings at Minnesota on April 20. Southpaw Justin Sinibaldi (4-1, 2.55 ERA) will start the series opener for Rutgers, whose Saturday and Sunday starters have not been announced.
Holding opponents to a .211 batting average and posting a 0.97 WHIP in 67 innings, Sinibaldi is Rutgers’ ace. His ERA is second-best among qualified Big Ten pitchers behind Nebraska’s Brett Sears (1.58), who Indiana will face May 10-12 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Sinibaldi looks to give the Scarlet Knights an edge over the Hoosiers, who are still without their ace and Saturday stalwart. Flamethrowing right-hander Connor Foley (4-1, 4.74 ERA) last pitched April 13 and did not travel to Minnesota on April 19-21, missing a start because of back tightness.
With no further update on Foley’s condition, he joins a laundry list of injured Indiana players that includes star infielder Brock Tibbitts, slugging catcher AJ Shepard and right-handed starting pitchers Luke Sinnard and Ben Grable.
Power-hitting freshman phenom Andrew Wiggins, who sustained a wrist injury pregame at Minnesota on April 20, entered the game at Ball State as a pinch runner but was pinch-hit for by Austin Bode when his lineup spot came up in the 11th inning. According to the Indiana radio broadcast, Wiggins showed discomfort when attempting to swing a bat outside the Indiana dugout.
With Indiana’s pitching staff now razor-thin, Rutgers is primed for yet another big weekend at the plate. Led by midseason Golden Spikes Award candidate Josh Kuroda-Grauer at shortstop, the Scarlet Knights sit atop the conference in batting average (.315) and stolen bases (70).
Kuroda-Grauer ranks fourth among Division-I players and at the top of the Big Ten in batting average (.440) and has stolen 20 bases on 22 attempts, good for second in the conference. Infielder Tony Santa Maria is one of eight Big Ten players with double-digit home runs, leading Rutgers with 10. Infielder Ty Doucette joins Kuroda-Grauer and Santa Maria in the four-digit OPS club, though the freshman leads the Scarlet Knights with five errors.
Like Indiana, many of Rutgers’ problems stem from a lack of bullpen depth. Four Rutgers pitchers with at least 10 appearances have an ERA above six, while five Indiana pitchers meet these criteria. Rutgers head coach Steve Owens has used just 14 arms to cover over 352.2 innings this season (Indiana has used 20 in 356.1 innings). Lefty Joey DeChiaro (15.1 IP, 2.35 ERA), right-hander Ben Gorski (22.2 IP, 3.57 ERA) and right-hander Jordan Falco (30 IP, 3.90 ERA) are bright spots in the otherwise-pedestrian Rutgers bullpen.
Key Indiana relievers who did not appear Wednesday at Ball State include Drew Buhr (22 IP, 4.50 ERA), Ty Rybarczyk (17.1 IP, 5.19 ERA) and Brayden Risedorph (32 IP, 8.16 ERA). Jacob Vogel (13.2 IP, 0.66 ERA), one of Indiana’s most dependable shutdown arms, threw 20 pitches in one scoreless inning against the Cardinals. Aydan Decker-Petty (17.2 IP, 7.64 ERA) was the only Indiana hurler to pitch more than one inning Wednesday, meaning all pitchers who threw against the Cardinals should be available at some point during the weekend series.
After a brief slump, second baseman Jasen Oliver broke Joey Brenzewski’s freshman RBI record with an eight-RBI day to help Indiana clinch the series at Minnesota on April 21 — Brenczewski’s seven RBI mark stood for just one week. Oliver turned in a 3-for-5 day that included a three-run homer and a three-run double in Indiana’s 18-8 victory in the series finale.
Although he stumbled to an 0-for-4 Wednesday, outfielder Nick Mitchell leads Indiana with a .351 batting average. Outfielder Devin Taylor, shortstop Tyler Cerny and Brenczewski all enter the weekend batting above .320, and all four hold an OPS over .900. Although he leads the Hoosiers with nine home runs, outfielder Carter Mathison had a day to forget Wednesday, going 0-for-6 with five strikeouts, three of them looking.
Mathison has struck out a team-worst 47 times this season, 15 more than second-place Josh Pyne. The Indiana leadoff man will look for better results against Rutgers, whose pitching staff has given up the second-fewest home runs in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights have allowed just 29 home runs this season, while Indiana pitchers have allowed 73 home runs, 14 more than second-place Illinois.
As the final four weeks of Big Ten play draw near, the conference title race remains wide open. Indiana is in sixth place with a 7-5 record, just three games back of first-place Illinois. Entering the weekend 3-9 in league play, Rutgers sits alone in 12th, needing a strong finish to avoid missing the eight-team conference tournament at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 21-26.
The series begins at 6 p.m. Friday, continues at 2 p.m. Saturday and finishes at 11 a.m. Sunday. Friday’s and Saturday’s games will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus, while Sunday marks Indiana’s first of three appearances on Big Ten Network.
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Nick Rodecap (@nickrodecap) for updates throughout the Indiana baseball season.
