Indiana baseball found its rhythm at the plate this weekend against Rutgers, and Hogan Denny was right in the middle of it.
The sophomore outfielder has been the anchor at the top of Indiana’s lineup all season, and his strong weekend only added to his dominance, as he helped power the Hoosiers to their second consecutive Big Ten series win at Bart Kaufman Field.
Indiana took two of three games from Rutgers this weekend, opening the series with an 11-0 win in seven innings Friday before falling 9-6 on Saturday. The Hoosiers responded in the Sunday finale with an 8-2 victory to secure the series.
Indiana set the tone in the opener by building its offense inning by inning.
After a quiet first two frames, Denny sparked Indiana’s breakthrough in the third inning to start the scoring. Denny worked a very good at-bat for a two-out walk, setting the table for sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley, who launched a two-run home run to give Indiana a 2-0 lead.
The Hoosiers continued the scoring with their top of the order power in the fourth inning even after recording the first two outs of the inning. After building the workings of a rally with two runners on, sophomore infielder Will Moore delivered a three-run home run to extend the lead, and Denny followed with a double to left field before scoring on a Hanley RBI single, pushing the Hoosiers’ advantage to 6-0.
Denny’s impact carried into the sixth inning.
After Moore reached base, the Mooresville, Indiana, native delivered again, this time driving a two-run home run to left field to extend the lead to 8-0. Indiana added three more runs later in the inning, capping an 11-run performance and securing the run-rule victory.
Denny finished the opener 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored, reaching base consistently and setting the tone for the series.
He then carried that approach into the second game of the series Saturday.
Denny reached base three times, going 2-for-4 with a walk and scoring three runs as Indiana again built its offense across multiple innings. His presence at the top of the order scoring in the first, third and fifth, as the Hoosiers produced 6 runs.
But unlike the opener, Indiana could not hold the lead.
Rutgers responded late, capitalizing on scoring opportunities to take a 9-6 win and force a rubber match Sunday.
That made the finale a series-defining game. The offense was slow to get going Sunday, and so was Denny.
Indiana was held scoreless through the first three innings before breaking through in the fourth on a solo home run from redshirt freshman catcher Brayden Ricketts. The Hoosiers added two more runs in the fifth after Denny reached base on a bunt single, stole second and scored on a Jake Hanley double, showing off his baserunning as well as his batting. Hanley later came home on a groundout, extending the lead to 3-0.
Denny’s stolen base, his sixth of the season and the second-most by any Hoosier, further highlighted his versatility, extending his impact beyond his ability to play multiple positions and serve as a key bat and baserunner.
“Being able to be multifaceted… a lot of really smart, complimentary baseball there… I was really pleased with the way that we responded,” Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer said in a postgame press conference Sunday.
Denny’s impact continued to build in the sixth inning, as Indiana loaded the bases before Moore drove in a run with a single. Moments later, Denny lined a single up the middle, driving in two runs and pushing the lead to 6-0. Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie followed with a sacrifice fly to cap a four-run inning that gave Indiana full control.
Indiana added a run while allowing two more to close out the series with an 8-2 victory.
Denny now sits at a .344 average with 42 hits, 25 RBIs and six home runs. His dominance in Fridays’ game echoes the early season slugfest Denny put on against Bradley in a home matchup Feb. 17. In that game, Indiana also won early in a 10-run mercy rule while Denny’s bat carried the offense, tacking on two hits, both leaving the yard for homeruns for a total of four runs batted in.
Indiana will look to keep its momentum rolling Tuesday night against Ball State University. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington. The Hoosiers enter the midweek matchup with a 12–19 record 5–10 in Big Ten play but have found more success at home with a 7–5 mark.
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.
