Indiana baseball returns to Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington on Thursday for its final regular-season series against Illinois. The Cream and Crimson will look for their first series win against the Fighting Illini since 2023.
Indiana enters the series 21-30 overall and 7-20 in conference play after losing five consecutive games. The Hoosiers are tied for last place in the Big Ten standings with Maryland and Northwestern — despite being picked to finish No. 5 in the conference in the Big Ten’s preseason poll — after suffering a sweep at Purdue last weekend.
Sophomore catcher/outfielder Hogan Denny, sophomore left-handed pitcher/outfielder Caleb Koskie and sophomore infielder Jake Hanley lead Indiana’s offensive attack. Sophomore outfielder Cole Decker will carry a team-best seven game-hit streak into the series.
Denny is batting .344 with a 1.071 OPS and team-high .625 slugging percentage in 192 at-bats. He has hit 13 home runs and driven in 38 runs this season. The Mooresville, Indiana, native recorded only one hit in 13 at-bats against Purdue.
Koskie is hitting a team-best .371 with a 1.028 OPS in 140 at-bats this year. He missed four games leading up to the Purdue series but played in all three games against the Boilermakers, where he went 4 for 10 with three RBIs.
Hanley has started all 51 games at first base and is batting .338 with a 1.041 OPS. He has slugged 13 home runs — tied with Denny for the team lead — and 45 RBIs.
In its last series, Indiana’s bullpen allowed 20 earned runs across three games. The Hoosiers’ starting pitchers surrendered seven earned runs in that span.
Heading into Thursday’s affair, Illinois is 27-23 and 13-14 in the Big Ten. The Fighting Illini have won five straight contests and currently occupy the No. 8 spot in the Big Ten standings.
Illinois offense is headlined by freshman infielder AJ Putty and senior outfielder Nick Groves.
Putty has started all 50 games for the Fighting Illini this season. He is batting .318 with a .914 OPS and has a team-best 50 RBIs.
Groves is hitting .328 with a .901 OPS in 49 games played. The 5-foot-11 outfielder has recorded 61 hits and 46 singles in 186 at-bats. He has stolen 11 bases in 15 attempts this year.
The Fighting Illini’s pitching staff allows an average of 5.62 earned runs per game. Illinois starting pitching is anchored by freshman left-handed pitcher Aidan Flinn and junior left-handed pitcher Regan Hall.
Flinn, who was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week Monday, has a 2.57 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 49 innings pitched. He has started 11 games and appeared in 13 with a 1-2 record. The 6-foot-6 southpaw has held opponents to a .186 batting average this season.
Hall is 7-5 in 13 starts this season. The Albuquerque, New Mexico, native has a 5.30 ERA and 1.43 WHIP along with two shutouts in 71.1 innings pitched.
The relief pitching for Illinois has been a key facet of its success. Three Fighting Illini relievers own ERAs below 3.70 with at least 10 appearances this season.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Sam Mommer has appeared in 16 contests and started four. He is 4-1 with a 1.91 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 37.2 innings pitched.
Senior left-handed pitcher Sam Reed is 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 17 outings and one start this year. The Carmel, Indiana, native has recorded one shutout in 28.1 innings pitched.
Junior right-handed pitcher Kyle Remington has a 3.67 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 10 appearances. The junior is 4-2 this season and holds opponents to a .224 batting average.
Graduate left-handed pitcher Tony Neubeck will get the start Thursday for Indiana. He is 6-4 with a 3.92 ERA this season.
The starter Friday is to be determined for the Hoosiers. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Brayton Thomas is expected to be the opening pitcher Saturday. Thomas is 1-5 with a 5.51 ERA in 13 starts.
The first pitch Thursday is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Bloomington, and 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.
