Indiana baseball will travel to West Lafayette this weekend for its final Big Ten road series of the season, continuing its long-standing in-state rivalry with Purdue at Alexander Field.
The Hoosiers (21-27, 7-17 Big Ten) enter the weekend looking to make up ground in the conference standings with just six regular season games remaining. Purdue (32-15, 15-9 Big Ten), meanwhile, sits comfortably in the top half of the league at sixth and has positioned itself as one of the conference’s more consistent teams.
Despite the gap in the standings, Indiana has had success in the rivalry in recent years.
The Hoosiers have won three straight series against Purdue and hold an 8-2 record over the last 10 meetings.
This time, however, the challenge comes on the road.
Indiana has yet to win a Big Ten road series this season and will need to reverse that trend against a Purdue team that has been steady on both sides of the ball.
The Hoosiers are coming off a series loss to Northwestern, when early leads slipped and turned into missed opportunities for the Hoosiers. Despite winning the first game of the series at Wrigley Field, Indiana was ultimately unable to carry momentum through the weekend.
With consistent production from the top of the order for Indiana, the Hoosiers will continue to look for sparks from bottom-of-the-lineup hitters to give the offensive support they need.
Sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny has emerged as one of the most productive hitters in the Big Ten. He enters the weekend hitting .363 and has combined power, speed and plate discipline in a way few players in the conference have matched.
Denny is among the Big Ten leaders in multiple categories, ranking 5th in the conference in runs scored and OPS.
Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley has provided that same level of consistency.
Hanley has started every game of his collegiate career and continues to produce at a steady rate. He has already built a strong resume, combining contact and power with his pull side approach. Together, Hanley and Denny give Indiana a reliable core in the middle of the lineup, with Denny leading the team in OPS and Hanley right behind him.
On the mound, Indiana will look to graduate left-hander Tony Neubeck to set the tone.
Neubeck is coming off one of his best outings of the season, throwing six scoreless innings in his last start on May 1. He has been one of Indiana’s most consistent arms in conference play and will open the weekend series Friday night.
His ability to limit early scoring chances will be key against a Purdue lineup that has shown the ability to produce consistently, scoring 7.9 runs per game.
Sophomore left-hander Brayton Thomas is expected to take the ball Saturday, while Sunday’s starter remains to be determined.
Purdue presents a balanced challenge.
On the mound, Purdue has relied on a consistent rotation led by junior right-hander Cole Van Assen. He has handled a significant workload, with the ninth-most innings pitched in the Big Ten and a solid 4.48 ERA to show for it. The Boilermakers’ pitching staff has complemented their offense, limited mistakes and kept games under control.
The Hoosiers will need to build on the offensive production they have shown at times this season while avoiding the early deficits that have defined recent losses. Establishing control early and sustaining it through the middle innings will be critical entering the final sprint.
With only six games remaining in the regular season, Indiana controls its fate.
The series begins 6 p.m. Friday at Alexander Field, with games scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. All three games will be streamed on B1G+.
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.
