Indiana baseball enters Tuesday’s road matchup at Ball State University riding momentum after winning four of its five games last week. The Cream and Crimson are 18-22 and 6-12 in Big Ten play.
It’s the second meeting between both teams this season. In the last affair April 7, Ball State jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but the Hoosiers scored six unanswered runs to secure a 6-4 victory.
Sophomore left-handed pitcher/outfielder Caleb Koskie hit a two-run double in the first inning to kick off Indiana’s comeback April 7. He went 1 for 4 with one run scored during that contest.
Over the last 21 games, Koskie has recorded at least one hit in each game — tying Alex Dickerson in 2010 and Chris Hervey in 2008 for the longest hitting streak in program history. The Excelsior, Minnesota, native will attempt to break the program record Tuesday with a hit.
Koskie’s .387 batting average is third among qualified hitters in the Big Ten. He holds a 1.089 OPS in 119 at-bats.
The other defining factor in Indiana’s come-from-behind win April 7 was the bullpen. After starting graduate student left-handed pitcher Conner Linn departed the contest with two outs in the first inning, the Hoosiers’ relief pitching covered the final 8.1 innings. Linn allowed six hits and four earned runs while facing eight batters.
Freshman right-handers Ivan Mastalski and Kellen English were key in relief. Mastalski worked 3.1 innings while English picked up his first win after Indiana scored two runs in the seventh inning.
Graduate student right-handed pitchers Kaden Jacobi and Michael Sarhatt combined to allow just one hit. Jacobi pitched two innings and struck out two batters. Sarhatt received his first save of the year after he struck out four hitters over the final 1.2 innings.
While Indiana’s bullpen sealed the win, Ball State’s offense showed early firepower.
Ball State fell to 15-16 after the loss. Over their last eight games, the Cardinals have gone 4-4. They hold a 19-20 record and are 13-8 in the Mid-American Conference. Ball State lost its last two games at Kent State University over the weekend.
In the 6-4 loss to Indiana, sophomore infielder Brayden Huebner hit a leadoff home run in the first inning. The Evansville, Indiana, native is batting .361 with 1.133 OPS in 122 at-bats this season. He’s slugged nine home runs and 30 RBIs.
Graduate student Ryan Muizelaar also contributed despite the loss April 7 with a 2 for 5 performance with a double and a single. He holds a .353 average and .990 OPS through 37 games played.
Ball State’s starting pitcher, redshirt junior right-hander Jeremy Jones, allowed four earned runs in 0.2 innings pitched against the Hoosiers. After he departed, the Ball State bullpen was effective in shutting down Indiana’s bats until the seventh inning.
Junior right-handed pitcher Zach Kwasny threw two scoreless innings, collecting three strikeouts. He holds a 5.79 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in 32.2 innings pitched heading into Tuesday’s affair.
Graduate left-handed pitcher Alex Burden was the long reliever for the Cardinals in Bloomington. He pitched 3.1 innings and surrendered one unearned run after a throwing error. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native has a 10.66 ERA and 2.29 WHIP in 12 appearances.
Indiana will look to complete the season sweep and extend its recent momentum Tuesday.
Mastalski is Indiana’s starting pitcher for Tuesday’s affair. He is 1-0 with a 4.78 ERA in 32 innings pitched. The 6-foot-4 freshman has held opponents to a .277 batting average.
First pitch will be at 3 p.m. at Shebek Stadium in Muncie, Indiana, with the game being 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.
