After Indiana baseball defeated Indiana State University 16-7 on Tuesday night, head coach Jeff Mercer said the Hoosiers looked loose and relaxed.
The results this season have mostly been underwhelming. Indiana (16-14) has dropped at least a handful of games it could have won, with bullpen meltdowns and long stretches of anemic offenses proving too much to overcome.
But now, Mercer thinks the Hoosiers have started to unlock a different gear. They head to College Park, Maryland, this weekend to take on the defending Big Ten Champion Terrapins (20-8) in a three-game set starting at 6 p.m. Friday.
Junior catcher and first baseman Brock Tibbitts left early in Tuesday’s game with an apparent leg injury, and Mercer didn’t provide a timetable for his return. While Tibbitts’ absence would hurt, Indiana boasts one of the Big Ten’s top offenses and is currently red hot.
At the plate
Freshman second baseman Jasen Oliver’s bat has been a revelation for an Indiana team ranked third in the conference with a .300 batting average. Oliver, who picked up Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors last week, now bats sixth in the order as he looks to extend his 12-game hitting streak.
While juniors Carter Mathison and Josh Pyne have taken steps back from last year — though the latter smacked a go-ahead homer to help beat Indiana State — sophomores Devin Taylor and Tyler Cerny have excelled.
Taylor, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2023, leads Indiana with a .377 batting average and ranks second on the team in home runs with six. Pitchers have strayed away from attacking the lefty power hitter, and he and Mathison are tied for sixth in the conference with 24 walks on the year.
Though Cerny’s glove has been a rollercoaster at shortstop — his 13 errors rank second in the Big Ten — his bat has been a crucial part of Indiana’s offense. Cerny’s 36 RBIs are tied for the top of the conference, and his six homers and team-leading 11 doubles have made him a lethal option in the two-hole of the order.
As for Maryland, the offense is spearheaded by a pair of brothers batting back-to-back in the lineup. Junior Eddie Hacopian paces the team with a .373 average and 41 hits.
His younger brother Chris Hacopian has shown a bit more power. The freshman leads the Terrapins with seven homers, a 1.078 OPS and a .607 slugging percentage.
While Maryland’s offense lacks explosiveness on paper, it is coming off a thrilling 13-12 victory over the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and has shown an ability to plate runs in bunches.
Probable pitchers
Game 1: 6 p.m. Friday — Indiana LHP Ty Bothwell vs. Maryland RHP Kenny Lippman
Bothwell: 3-1, 4.93 ERA, 34.2 IP, 33 SO, 9 BB, .243 BAA
The graduate southpaw is coming off perhaps his finest outing of the season against Butler University on March 29. Bothwell hurled eight innings of two-run, eight strikeout ball while not issuing a single walk.
Lippman: 1-2, 5.46 ERA, 29.2 IP, 27 SO, 18 BB, .283 BAA
In Lippman’s last time out, March 29 against Michigan, the graduate student was shelled in 3 1/3 innings of work. Lippman gave up seven hits and five runs while issuing a pair of walks, though Maryland emerged victorious 11-9.
Game 2: 2 p.m. Saturday — Indiana RHP Connor Foley vs. Maryland RHP Logan Koester
Foley: 3-1, 3.75 ERA, 36 IP, 54 SO, 23 BB, .152 BAA
Foley has been Indiana’s shutdown ace all season, and he was strong in his last start against Butler on March 30. In 5 2/3 innings, the sophomore surrendered three hits and three runs while striking out nine.
Koester: 4-2, 4.54 ERA, 19 SO, 13 BB, .240 BAA
Koester’s last start against the Wolverines on March 30 continued Maryland’s inconsistent weekend of pitching. The redshirt senior only lasted 1 1/3 innings, giving up six hits, eight runs and issuing two walks.
Game 3: 1 p.m. Sunday — Indiana TBD vs. Maryland RHP Joey McMannis
McMannis: 0-0, 3.76 ERA, 26.1 IP, 19 SO, 16 BB, .237 BAA
After rough starts from Lippman and Koester, the freshman McMannis had a solid outing against the Wolverines on March 31. In four innings, McMannis conceded seven hits but kept the damage to three runs while striking out five.
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Nick Rodecap (@nickrodecap) for updates throughout the Indiana baseball season.
