After being swept by No. 24 Nebraska over the weekend , Indiana baseball looks to snap a five-game losing streak Tuesday against the University of Evansville.
Indiana’s late-game struggles continued against the Cornhuskers, as the Hoosiers allowed 16 runs in the seventh inning across the last two games in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Hoosiers trailed by just one run entering the seventh frame in each matchup.
The Cream and Crimson enter Tuesday’s contest at 10-17 overall and 3-9 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have a 4-11 road record and an 0-6 mark in one-run games. Their current five-game losing streak dates back to March 22 against Minnesota.
Despite suffering a series sweep against Nebraska, there were some bright spots scattered throughout Indiana’s roster.
Sophomore left-handed pitcher/outfielder Caleb Koskie extended his team-best hitting streak to nine games. However, he exited Sunday’s contest early due to a lower-body injury.
A walk Sunday pushed sophomore outfielder Cole Decker’s on-base streak to 12 games. The Evansville native will return to his hometown for Indiana’s next game.
Nearly hitting for the cycle, freshman infielder Landen Fry went 3 for 4 with an RBI on Sunday. He hit his first career home run in the sixth inning against Nebraska and raised his batting average from .265 to .287 across 87 at-bats.
Freshman catcher Owen ten Oever also contributed to Indiana's power hitting, as he collected his first career home run Saturday. The Brooklyn, New York, native went 2 for 5 with four RBIs in the three-game series.
The Purple Aces are led by head coach Wes Carroll, a former Evansville player. He has managed the Purple Aces since 2009 and won the Missouri Valley Conference’s Dan Callahan Coach of the Year award twice, in 2014 and 2022.
Carroll led Evansville to its first-ever Regional Championship in 2024, after his team finished the season 27-8 in its final 35 games, before losing to the No. 1-seeded University of Tennessee.
Evansville holds a 7-18 record and a 2-1 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference this season. The Purple Aces started their season 1-8 with the lone victory coming in the second game of a doubleheader on Feb. 21 over then-No. 18 University of Kentucky.
Sophomore outfielder Ryan Seddon leads Evansville’s offense, which has only scored 10 or more runs twice in 25 contests this season.
Seddon is batting .250 in 36 at-bats with seven RBIs this season. The Joliet, Illinois, native’s best performance came against Illinois State University on March 27, where he went 2 for 4 and hit a three-run walk off home run in the ninth inning.
Freshman catcher Spike Magill and redshirt sophomore outfielder Charlie Longmeier have provided consistency to Evansville’s offense this season.
Magill has started 20 games but appeared in 22. He has reached base safely with either a hit, walk or hit-by-pitch in 19 games this season. The 5-foot-11 Magill is batting .288 with an .873 OPS and 19 walks in 59 at-bats.
Longmeier struggled to generate offense at the plate through the opening six games, hitting 2 for 25 (.080). Since that span, he has raised his batting average to .287 through 101 total at-bats this year. The Seymour, Indiana, native holds an .730 OPS.
Evansville’s pitching staff is led by freshman right-hander Tanner Graham, who has a 2.96 ERA through 27.1 innings pitched but a 1-2 record. He struck out eight batters in seven innings, not allowing an earned run in Evansville’s 4-0 win March 28 over Illinois State.
Junior left-handed pitcher Kevin Reed was tabbed as one of the higher-leverage arms for the Purple Aces coming into the year but he’s struggled through seven starts this season. The Martinsville, Indiana, native has an 8.13 ERA in 27.2 innings pitched.
The starting pitchers for both teams are to be determined. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. EDT Tuesday in German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Follow reporters Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) and Will Kwiatkowski (@WKwiatkowski_15 and wdkwiatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana baseball season.
