IU Baseball

[Aaron 4,565]

7 hours ago, Certified Sunshine Pumper said:

Completely off the rails is finishing 6th in an 18 team league? With programs like USC, UCLA ahead of us? 

That's nuts. If that's off the rails, we gotta start actually caring about baseball from a university standpoint. 

Its about making the NCAA Tournament given talent of roster. Had no issues with performance in conference though this spring. 2016 team was third in league but missed tourney. 2017 they were sixth but made into a Regional.

My measurement is whether they make NCAA Tournament given talent they have (which in 2016 and 2022 they did not). Not their placement in the conference. This was first time they had a clear NCAA caliber squad since 2011 and blew making it which by any measurement is a failure. 

[Aaron 4,565]

Don't take my word for it being underachieving.

Here is a recap from Zach Horowitz who covers team for IUBase.com with many of the same points I made:

Underwhelming. A preseason buzz in the clubhouse that involved 'hosting a regional' flipped upon its head early in the season.

Opening with a great opportunity to jump high in the RPI ranks, Indiana fell to an 0-4 weekend in the arms of UNLV (twice), now a national seed in Oregon State, and Xavier. 

The season rolled into conference play, where Indiana sported a 16-14 record, losing four rubber matches which included a dramatic loss to USC, where they once led 12-3. 

The Hoosiers hadn't won a Big Ten road series until Michigan in the final weekend of the regular season.

The 2025 campaign ended in the first game of pool play to Rutgers, leaving 11 runners on base in the contest.

For what feels like a massive let down year, given that Indiana showcased the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in Jake Hanley and two Big Ten First-Team outfielders in Devin Taylor and Korbyn Dickerson, they failed to make the tournament for the first time since 2022. 

In what now seems to be an annual occurrence, the Hoosier pitching staff didn't have much of an identity. This season offered many jumbled roles and the reliance on transfer arms became an issue. 

Cole Gilley, Ryan Kraft, and Ben Grable seemed to be the only legitimate hurlers, while Gavin Seebold grew into his own towards the back-half of the season. The injuries to Drew Buhr and Jacob Vogel played a big part of the staff's problems. 

This offseason will be crucial. A new era in collegiate athletics could alter a program in just a few months.

There should be a good amount of roster turnover as Indiana loses many pitchers but hopefully keeps its young core who gained valuable experience in the lineup. 

I had wished for this season to involve more highs, with much positivity along the way, but the course of the season swayed away from it. 

Hoosier Nation, thank you for following along all season long. And, of course, a big thank you to @jovian34, @ChrisF3105, and the rest of the @SeeYouAtTheBart crew. I got the opportunity to create 15 articles and take part in 13 podcast episodes. Forever grateful for the opportunity and the future ahead.