Indiana baseball entered its game Sunday afternoon on a season-long three-game winning streak. It had just taken the first two games of a weekend series against Minnesota at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington.
But with a chance to sweep, the Hoosiers were blown out, losing 14-2 on Sunday in a contest that was never close.
Despite the series-ending loss, the Hoosiers still went 3-1 over the past week and look to carry that form into Tuesday’s matchup against Indiana State University.
Indiana is 20-15 all time against the Sycamores. The teams split two meetings last year, each winning on the road.
Indiana State enters Tuesday with a 10-13 record but holds a 2-5 record on the road. The Sycamores won two consecutive games against Bradley University last weekend.
Indiana State is led by head coach Tracy Archuleta, who was appointed as the 30th coach in program history in June 2024 and holds a 34-44 record (.436 winning percentage) at Indiana State. He previously led the University of Southern Indiana to two NCAA Division II championships during an 18-year tenure.
Junior outfielder Carter Beck, sophomore catcher Jeremy Martinez and senior right-handed pitcher/outfielder Emil Estrella lead the way offensively for the Sycamores.
Beck was selected to the First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference after starting and playing in all 56 games last year while hitting .338 with 56 RBIs and an .981 on-base plus slugging percentage. He also had a 17-hame hitting streak last season, a team high and season best. The 5-foot-11 outfielder is batting .319 in 94 at-bats this season. He has recorded four home runs and 19 RBIs.
Martinez was named MVC Co-Freshman of the Year last season after tallying 14 extra-base hits with 11 doubles and three home runs, becoming the third player in program history to win the award since it was introduced in 1994. The Caguas, Puerto Rico, native is hitting .255 with an .819 OPS in 55 at-bats this year.
Estrella is batting .283 in 99 at-bats this year. He has tallied six home runs and 27 RBIs alongside five stolen bases after recording none last season. The 6-foot-1 senior has also appeared as a relief pitcher in two games. He has pitched 0.1 innings, allowing three earned runs (81.00 ERA).
Indiana State’s offense has scored 10 or more runs in seven of its 23 games this season, averaging exactly seven runs per game.
On the other side of the ball, sophomore right-handed pitcher Ty Brooks and junior right-handed pitcher Grant Parson pave the way for Indiana State’s pitching staff.
Brooks has put up a 2.31 ERA in 39 innings pitched this season. In his last start, he went seven innings, holding Bradley to only one run and four hits, striking out five batters in an 8-3 win March 21.
Parson has struggled to open the year in his five starts but still holds the potential to break through. He has a 11.42 ERA in 17.1 innings pitched.
Indiana’s offensive attack is led by sophomore infielders Cooper Malamazian, Jake Hanley and Will Moore. Sophomore catcher/outfielder Hogan Denny has also chipped in offensively.
After slow starts to the year, Hanley and Malamazian have heated up lately.
Hanley is hitting 8 for 17 (.471) in the last four games along with a five-game hit streak. He’s raised his batting average to .359 after hitting only .172 through the first seven games of the season. The Mason, Ohio, native has five home runs and 22 RBIs through 92 at-bats.
Malamazian is batting .270 with 19 RBIs through 89 at-bats this season. After committing three errors in Indiana’s first four games, he’s committed only three over the last 19 games.
Moore, Indiana’s leadoff hitter, has gotten on base at least once in three of the last four games. He’s hitting .256 in 78 at-bats but has shined in the field at third base. The 5-foot-9 sophomore has committed only two errors and 15 putouts in 47 chances.
Denny is batting .318 in 88 at-bats this season. He’s started every game for the Hoosiers, either in the outfield or behind the plate. The Mooresville, Indiana, native has a base hit in each of the Hoosiers’ last five games. He’s hitting 8 for 19 (.421) with two home runs and six RBIs in that span.
Graduate student right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold anchors the relief pitching for the Hoosiers.
Seebold, who played for three years at Southern Indiana under Archuleta, has a 0.83 ERA in 21.2 innings pitched this year. He threw four scoreless innings against Minnesota on March 20, picking up his first save of the season.
Indiana (10-13) seeks to remain undefeated in midweek games Tuesday as it takes on Indiana State. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will be streamed on Big Ten+.
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.
