IU Baseball

[Class of '66 Old Fart 89,902]

In a season that seems to be going nowhere fast, Hoosiers (15-14) (6-6) host Michigan State (17-10) (4-5) for a weekend series.  All 3 games televised on B1G+.   All 3 days have rain in the forecast so the current weekend schedule will likely get changed.

Radio

Live Stats

• Friday at 6:00 
• Saturday at 2:00 
• Sunday at 1:00 

[Hardwood83 4,992]

On 3/5/2025 at 8:19 AM, Aaron said:

Remember this is northern baseball where the Big Ten and Big East are essentially the A10 or Mountain West of basketball and never getting to the pinnacle. 

You might be right on the national level, but that doesn't explain why IU struggles in conference. They should at least do well in the B1G among the other loser programs and consistently beat the Northwesterns and Iowas of the world. I'd be content with regularly being the tallest midget.  

[Certified Sunshine Pumper 11,399]

Just now, Hardwood83 said:

You might be right on the national level, but that doesn't explain why IU struggles in conference. They should at least do well in the B1G among the other loser programs and consistently beat the Northwesterns and Iowas of the world. I'd be content with regularly being the tallest midget.  

we are that... .easily. 

 

 

 

plus Merce won the conference his first season and was WELLLLLL on our way to repeating and covid hit. We were really good that year and had just beat ECU @ECU on a Friday night.... 

 

We can want more, but the reality is.... this sport is so geared against Northern schools it's almost unbelievable. Spend more money on baseball, please. 

 

We have had REALLY good crowds this year. 

 

[Hardwood83 4,992]

2 hours ago, Certified Sunshine Pumper said:

we are that... .easily. 

 

Looks more like we are the 3rd or 4th tallest midget :) 

[Certified Sunshine Pumper 11,399]

1 minute ago, Hardwood83 said:

Looks more like we are the 3rd or 4th tallest midget :) 

Nahhh... we've been the best program in the B1G the past 12 years. 

[Aaron 4,515]

3 hours ago, Hardwood83 said:

You might be right on the national level, but that doesn't explain why IU struggles in conference. They should at least do well in the B1G among the other loser programs and consistently beat the Northwesterns and Iowas of the world. I'd be content with regularly being the tallest midget.  

They have been among the best 'midgets' in the Big Ten in the Mercer era and finished 1st, 3rd, 8th, 2nd, 3rd. Outside of that atrocious 2022, they have been competing for the title at or near the top of the conference ever since Mercer has been here and been to the NCAA Tournament.

Iowa is a top competitor in the Big Ten each year like IU which has led to a great series every time they play and the Hoosiers have dominated Northwestern each yr who is indeed bad.

Don't conflate this year with the rest of the era which has been as amongst the very best in the Big Ten.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 89,902]

10 hours ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

In a season that seems to be going nowhere fast, Hoosiers (15-14) (6-6) host Michigan State (17-10) (4-5) for a weekend series.  All 3 games televised on B1G+.   All 3 days have rain in the forecast so the current weekend schedule will likely get changed.

Radio

Live Stats

• Friday at 6:00 
• Saturday at 2:00 
• Sunday at 1:00 

SCHEDULE UPDATE

There will be no game on Friday due to weather.  Tentative plans are to play Sat. - Mon. with times tbd.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 89,902]

SECOND SCHEDULE UPDATE

No game on Saturday

Sunday @ 1:00

Monday doubleheader starting at noon.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 89,902]

We open the weekend series with a 6-4 win.  Seebold started and went 5 innings giving up just 3 hits, 1 BB and 2 earned runs.  Kraft and Vogel each pitched 2 innings and overall, the 3 limited MSU to 9 hits and walked just 2.  We had 12 hits led by Taylor with 3 and Hanley, Malamazian and 2 each.   Doubleheader scheduled for Monday.

[Aaron 4,515]

The win today should surprise no one and is the most positive aspect of the Mercer era. IU faced easily the most elite pitcher in the Big Ten and arguably the best in the country and had the perfect plan and hit him hard with small ball in a way no one else has. Say what you want about Mercer, but a top pitcher should be scared to death to face his teams as he always comes up with a brilliant plan to make sure they have their roughest start of season.

The problem though is by the same token, Mercer offenses have a penchant to struggle at times against mediocre arms far worse than anyone else. This series with any other team would feature MSU's opponent winning two out of three, losing today against the ace and sweeping the doubleheader tomorrow against much more suspect arms. However, with a Mercer team they will still win two out of three. However, they will beat the ace up as no one else has and then almost certainly inexplicably struggle and lose one of the games tomorrow and look totally confused and be shut out by one of the lesser guys.

In the end this evens out and you will end up with a really solid offense that arrives at same spot as every other team in a different way. This is a somewhat acceptable but inexplicable quirk of a Mercer team that I have learned to live with since he has been here as it gets you to same point in end.

Its the lack of pitching depth and spin ball program that Dustin Glant has created that holds the team back and needs to change. Mercer's success or failure here will be his actions or inactions of Dustin Glant and his employment here.

There are some quirks to the Mercer system as described above. However, he is a hitting guy overall and gets this cooking always, albeit in unconventional ways to same results anyone else would. These offensive anomalies are very much livable to deal with if he has a good pitching coach as he did before this with Justin Parker. 

How Mercer does or does not deal with Glant in offseason regardless of how this season finishes, will ultimately determine if this era is a success or not. The rest of the strengths and weaknesses of his program even out and can easily be dealt with as a fan since it gets to same point in end as any other head man.   

[Class of '66 Old Fart 89,902]

Hoosiers have jumped off to a quick 6-0 lead in the first inning of today's first of 2 games.  Grable on the mound.

[Aaron 4,515]

3 minutes ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Hoosiers have jumped off to a quick 6-0 lead in the first inning of today's first of 2 games.  Grable on the mound.

Good to see them beat up on a mediocre pitcher early which has been struggle in Mercer era at times as I talked about above.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 89,902]

After that quick 6-0 lead, Hoosiers never looked back and won today's run shortened first game 14-2.  Grable started and pitched 3 innings giving up 1 run on 3 hits and 0 BB.  Gilley came on and pitched the last 4 innings allowing just 1 run on 2 hits and 0 BB.  We pounded out 15 hits with Dickerson, Hanley & Moore each getting 3.  Dickerson 4 RBI and Hanley and Brenczewski each with 3.  Game #2 scheduled for a 2:55 start and a chance for a series sweep.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 89,902]

Hoosier bats stay hot taking a 5-0 first inning lead in game #2.  A bases loaded walk to Cerny and a Koskie grand slam HR

[mamasa 15,929]

1 hour ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

After that quick 6-0 lead, Hoosiers never looked back and won today's run shortened first game 14-2.  Grable started and pitched 3 innings giving up 1 run on 3 hits and 0 BB.  Gilley came on and pitched the last 4 innings allowing just 1 run on 2 hits and 0 BB.  We pounded out 15 hits with Dickerson, Hanley & Moore each getting 3.  Dickerson 4 RBI and Hanley and Brenczewski each with 3.  Game #2 scheduled for a 2:55 start and a chance for a series sweep.

Gilley is a really good kid. He attended the same schools my kids did.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 89,902]

It's a clean sweep day in Bloomington today.  Softballers swept a series with MD and the men flexed their muscles big time against the Spartans winning today's run shortened second game 18-2.  So on the day, the Hoosiers scored 32 runs on 29 hits and our pitching staff only allowed 4 runs and 14 hits.  

Today's second game onslaught was led by Dickerson with 4 hits and 4 other players with 2 each.  In addition to Koskie's grand slam he also drove in 2 other runs for 6 RBI in the game.  Dickerson and Cerny each had 3 RBI,

Tuesday evening Ball State (23-10) will be in Bloomington for a 6:00 start.  Next weekend the Hoosiers are on the road in Champaign, IL.

[Aaron 4,515]

Glad I was wrong and IU actually beat up bad pitching today. Team has talent for big run now at postseason as performance on the mound starts to come together as it always does with Glant era in second half of season. 

Problem is it cannot take this talented of a team half a season to figure out Glant's pitching program as it always does. As I keep saying I expect them to go on another big run and potentially squeak into postseason as they always do. However, the status quo of this is not acceptable and cannot continue.