Indiana’s Caleb Koskie stepped up to the plate. The score was 1-0 Rutgers in the bottom of the first inning Saturday, but Indiana had a runner on first base with two outs.
The sophomore left-handed pitcher/outfielder changed the score with one swing, sitting on a first pitch fastball and smoking it out to right-center field. Suddenly, Indiana had a 2-1 advantage.
The Excelsior, Minnesota, native added two more runs in the fifth inning Saturday night with a double down the left-field line. Though Rutgers rebounded to take the win 9-6, Koskie finished the contest with a career-high four hits in five at-bats, driving in four RBIs. He’s the fifth member of Indiana's sophomore class to record a four-hit game in the last two seasons.
The Cream and Crimson ultimately secured their second series win in Big Ten play this year, with victories on Friday and Sunday. Indiana still suffered the loss Saturday night despite Koskie’s career day. Indiana now sits at 12-19 overall and 5-10 in Big Ten play this season.
Koskie continued his success in the rubber game Sunday afternoon with a 1 for 3 day at the plate but tallied two RBIs.
He extended his team-best hitting streak to 12 consecutive games with a single in the bottom of the third inning. One RBI came on a groundout in the bottom of the fifth inning to extend Indiana’s lead, one it didn’t relinquish. The other run driven in was on a sacrifice fly in sixth, capping off a four-run inning.
This weekend, the 6-foot sophomore raised his batting average from .320 to .345 through 87 total plate appearances, jumping his season RBI total to 21 in the process. He batted (6 for 12) with a walk over the three-game stretch.
After the series, Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer praised Koskie for the strides he had made at the plate since the start of the year.
“He struggled early in the year. He was big and couldn’t reach the fastball,” Mercer said postgame Sunday. “He was frustrated, and I understood that frustration. But he kept working, made a few swing adjustments... he’s become an all-around tremendous hitter right in front of our eyes.”
Koskie was never supposed to be purely a hitter. He was expected to fit in as a key part of the weekend rotation, but an early season elbow injury — one that didn’t require surgery but still put him on the shelf pitching wise — forced him to step up as a hitter after getting only 45 at-bats last season.
“He came in as a pitcher; I thought he was going to be our Saturday starter,” Mercer said Sunday. “But he had the arm injury. He wanted to play; he didn’t get the surgery. Then he doesn’t start the way he wants to but works his way back. He’s got one elbow and one knee right now, yet he goes out and competes for his team.”
Mercer also said having a mentor in Koskie’s family “helped him adapt and adjust” when it came to focusing on hitting.
Koskie’s dad, Corey, played nine seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers in the MLB. He held a batting average of .275 batting average and .825 OPS in 3,399 career at-bats.
The sophomore’s defense continued to be solid over the weekend in left field as well. Koskie recorded four put outs in all four chances, extending his season fielding percentage to a perfect .1000.
But, for now, Koskie has slowly become one of the best hitters for the Hoosiers.
“Right now, he’s probably the most professional hitter that we have,” Mercer said Sunday. “His ability to recognize pitches, stay on the ball the other way; I really trust him with guys in scoring position.”
Koskie and the rest of Indiana’s lineup look to build on its series win as it hosts Ball State University back at home on Tuesday night. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. 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.
