IU Baseball

[Aaron]

IU wins opener 8-6 in what was both one of the most positive and frustrating games of Mercer era at the same time.

Positives:

1. IU had second and third one out in sixth in a 6-6 tie and scored the game winning runs against an off speed specialist out of pen they have often struggled with. Decker worked a great at-bat for a walk to load bases and Carerra pinch hit and also had a great at-bat frustrating the Gopher's guy into a wild pitch for a run and a high chopper that added on. This was the situational awareness that has lacked so many times in the last few years and handled beautifully tonight.

2. Gavin Seebold has the best stuff out of the pen I have seen from an IU guy in a long time. Was flawless the final four innings (just as he has been all year) to hold on for the win and Gopher batters had zero chance against him. His fastball and wipeout slider in perfect locations were a thing of beauty. The fact Dustin Glant struggled with this guy shows how incompetent he was as a pitching coach and it took the new guy Matt Myers literally no time to fix him. Seebold is absolutely a pro who will be drafted on his stuff alone.

3. Somehow despite 8-11 record, RPI is in the 60's again after the two huge wins over Vandy and Minnesota. It shows like in the Lemonis era, schedule is tough enough that even something like eight games over .500 might be enough for at-large bid given strength of conference this year. Just not sure IU can even clear that low bar despite all the talent.

Negative:

1. Thank god Myers has finally given Mercer a couple guys he can turn to in a close game with confidence, especially when Mercer's own lack of logic caused the nailbiter in the first place. Losing Jackson Bergman for the year sucks but Myers has given Mercer two other competent starters finally which is one more than Glant usually did. Only Mercer could decide to do his bullpen game Friday and 'save' his starters for Saturday and Sunday. You beat up their ace which is one of the things Mercer thrives at, but because he did his bullpen game today, it was unnecessarily close and blew through your best arms. This is Tommy Sommer over Gabe Bierman on Friday night in 2022 all over again and it probably cost them a regional that year. Mercer's lack of understanding that Friday is the night you throw your best starter (Neubeck this year) like everyone else does has been one of the most frustrating parts of his tenure.

2. Pinch hitting Aiden Stewart with second and third one out in seventh when he has struggled all year, is bad management. Everyone thought Stewart was supposed to be great and his struggling with the bright lights at this level is not really Mercer's fault. However, pinch hitting him in a high leverage spot is the development for his future over best thing for team we have seen to often with Mercer.

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Pleasant surprise that our Hoosiers took game 2 of the weekend series 7-2 and will look for a sweep tomorrow at 1:00.  Neubeck started and pitched 6 innings giving up 6 hits, 2 BB and charged with 2 MN runs.  Vogel and Yarberry closed it out.  We scored 5 in the 5th.  Ricketts and Decker hit solo HR and Hanley hit a 3-run HR.  We had 9 hits total with Landen Fry the only Hoosier to log more than a single hit.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

We couldn't stand prosperity and graciously allowed Minnesota to take game 3 of the weekend by kicking our butts 14-2.  We used 8 different pitchers;  7 allowed at least 1 hit; 5 of them allowed at least 1 run to score.  14 hits, 6 walks and 6 HBP.  On the flip side, we managed just 6 hits; Hanley with 2 of them.

Tuesday night we host Indiana State at 6:00.  Next weekend we'll be in Lincoln, NE.

[Aaron]

One of those days where everything goes wrong. As I have been told by a very wise coach, everyone wins one third of their games, loses one third of their games, and its how you do in the other third that are tossups that matter.

Mercer and this team are not good enough in that tossup third it seems, but today was the third even the best teams lose. Brayton Thomas simply didn't have it today with location early with his pitches and it snowballed from there.

Move on and flush it after the best week of the season so far where you still took the series from Minnesota and beat an SEC team in Vandy on the road.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

ISU goes back to Terre Haute with a 5-4 victory.  The Sycamores had just 7 hits but theirs were timely.  We had 9 hits but ours weren't so timely leaving 9 on base.  Decker and Denny each 2 hits.  Hanley 2 RBI.

This coming weekend 3-games at Nebraska.

[Aaron]

Well we have exhibit A of Mercer era issues last night in one game. Its was not one big thing but a bunch of little ones that cause a loss.

1. 4 runs on a weekday pitching staff
2. Your own pitchers not executing late with walks and wild pitches
3. Errors

All small stuff that adds up. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Hoosiers (10-14) (3-6) are on the road at #24 Nebraska (19-6) (5-1) and undefeated at home.  All 3 games televised on B1G+.  Tuesday evening we'll be in Evansville, IN, and next weekend we host Rutger.

• Friday - 7:00 ET
• Saturday - 3:00 ET
• Sunday - 1:00 ET

Radio

Live Stats

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

We spotted Nebraska 5 runs and then tried to play catch up and it didn't work.  Nebraska a 6-5 winner in the weekend opener.  Rivera started and pitched into the 4th giving up 3 hits and 3 BB and 2 earned runs.  He balked in a run in the 3rd and then hit a batter with the bases loaded in the 4th and charged with the loss making him 0-3 on the season.  We had 7 hits in the game and left 8 on base.  We'll try again today at 3:00 ET.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Zach Horwitz - First time this season that I see some real shakeup with the lineup. Will Moore gets the start at 2B with Mateo Noto drawing in at 3B. Cal Gates gets the start in right field. Hoosiers lost their sixth one-run ballgame of the year last night. Tony Neubeck looks to even up the series as he takes the mound for Indiana this afternoon.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Another day another loss.  Nebraska takes game 2 of the weekend 12-7.  Neubeck started and made it into the 4th but the damage was already done with the Huskers having already scored 5 runs.  For good measure they added 7 more in the 7th.  4 IU pitchers gave up 12 hits, 8 BB and hit 5 batters.  We had 7 hits and Nebraska graciously walked 13 IU batters but we couldn't make our hits count and left 13 on base.  Try to salvage one tomorrow before heading home.  

[Aaron]

Well today is another "Dustin Glant you were horrible and sunk program day". IU facing Cooper Katskee as the Sunday starter who has been a really solid for a top-25 Nebraska team as a weekend rotation guy.

The issues are much deeper than Glant but he was at the very head of it and if he knew what he was doing Katskee could easily be the third weekend starter here IU now lacks with the Jackson Bergman injury. The fact you actually have two decent weekend starters now and a third who got hurt is 1-2 more than Glant could ever deliver.

Still major issues and Glant was held onto way to long, but the more you see guys thriving elsewhere the more you realize he was agent zero for the disfunction.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

You've heard of Sleepless in Seattle and now the sequel Winless in Lincoln.  Nebraska gets the weekend sweep winning today's game 12-4.  Batting practice for the Huskers with 16 hits; 7 of them for extra bases.  

Tuesday evening we'll play a single game at Evansville.  Next weekend Rutger will be Bloomington.

[Aaron]

While it wasn't Seebold's best day, its infuriating to finally have two starters and a third one who got hurt and a couple decent relievers only for your offense to nose dive to .260 team avg despite returning most of offense. This pitching with last years offense is a contender to win Big Ten and go to Regional.

I don't evaluate individual games like a lot of people, but the whack-a-mole issues post COVID is a six year problem with Mercer outside 2023 (and even that was held together by duct tape with pitching staff and a few good long relievers a couple innings at a time). If he cant get everything clicking at once, we can't continue down this path if athletic department cares about baseball.