IU Baseball vs Penn St - 3/12 - 3/14/21

[Class of '66 Old Fart 85,957]

Home opener weekend hosting Penn St. for a 4-game series and at least right now, looks like the weatherman will cooperate on Fri. and Sat; Sun. might be iffy.  Penn St. is 2-2 having split its 4-games with Northwestern last weekend in Minneapolis.

• Friday's game at 1:00 - televised on BTN+
• Saturday at noon- televised on BTN+
• Saturday at 3:00 - no television
• Sunday at 1:00 - televised on BTN+

Live Stats Link

 

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 85,957]

Posted by Aaron in another thread discussing the swap of Sommer for Bierman to open the series.

Mercer just announced he is flipping the rotation with Sommer the 1 and Bierman the 2.

One of Mercer's biggest strength's and why he has succeeded is adaptability. His first year he played power ball, despite that not really being his thing since that is what team was built for and won Big Ten and nearly led country in HR's. Again, adaptability here. Bierman was bad last weekend, while Sommer and others were terrific so Bierman loses his lead rotation spot. 

A Friday pitcher has to be nearly perfect and if you want to pitch in the lead spot you need to be outstanding and if you are not you will be replaced. Hopefully, this motivates Bierman to not lose command of his pitches and pitch like he is capable and sends message to team if you don't perform you are replacable.

Can you imagine if Archie was adaptable like Mercer? Archie's rigidness to stick to his system is what has team in so much trouble.   

[Class of '66 Old Fart 85,957]

[Class of '66 Old Fart 85,957]

Today's first game of the doubleheader has been moved to a 2:00 start.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 85,957]

Today's doubleheader has now been postponed.

Indiana University head baseball coach Jeff Mercer tested positive for COVID-19 through an antigen test on the morning of Friday, Mar. 12. His result was then confirmed with a PCR test.

"This morning I tested positive for COVID-19," Mercer said. "I'm experiencing minor symptoms and will now enter my 10-day isolation period. I look forward to communicating with the team during my absence and rejoining the team when it's safe to do so."
 
The rest of the team and coaching staff will undergo further testing. The remainder of the schedule for the weekend will be determined at a later point.

[Chris007 46,365]

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

Today's doubleheader has now been postponed.

Indiana University head baseball coach Jeff Mercer tested positive for COVID-19 through an antigen test on the morning of Friday, Mar. 12. His result was then confirmed with a PCR test.

"This morning I tested positive for COVID-19," Mercer said. "I'm experiencing minor symptoms and will now enter my 10-day isolation period. I look forward to communicating with the team during my absence and rejoining the team when it's safe to do so."
 
The rest of the team and coaching staff will undergo further testing. The remainder of the schedule for the weekend will be determined at a later point.

Dolson has his hands full today with everything going on. 

[Aaron 4,314]

I am starting to wonder if college athletes and team personnel are getting careless and letting their guard down with COVID?

Numbers are way down for COVID overall in US and suddenly you are having multiple positive tests and postponing a range of games across the college sports spectrum after you had less several weeks ago when numbers were higher.

Whether it be (and this is just a small sampling) several Big Ten volleyball teams, PSU soccer team, three men's basketball teams and now Mercer you are seeing more positive tests among college sports teams despite overall numbers way down. 

It may have to do with students as a whole being back, but Big Ten and NCAA in general need to look into if teams are getting careless with COVID protocols (and if so reign it in) as their is no reason for this spike across college athletic teams when numbers in society are way down.     

[Aaron 4,314]

9 minutes ago, Chris007 said:

Dolson has his hands full today with everything going on. 

This feels like a minor deal overall. It might cancel today and this weekend but positive COVID tests are a part of life right now. 

When this happens you quarantine Mercer, test the team and isolate those close to him. There is a protocol in place that has happened all year that I think Dolson has little involvement with.   

This is to bad, but unless someone gets seriously ill (and this is highly doubtful) I doubt this adds much to Dolson's plate.

[TheWatShot 14,335]

At some point, this nonsense needs to stop. Let the kids play. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 85,957]

Games on!

The Indiana University baseball team's four-game series against Penn State will get underway on Saturday, Mar. 13 at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington, Ind.
 
The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1:00 p.m. ET and a doubleheader on Sunday, Mar. 14 starting at 12:00 p.m. ET. Both days are scheduled to feature a seven-inning first game and a nine-inning second game.

[TheWatShot 14,335]

Please don't test anyone else in the next 13 hours. 

 

Hopefully the weather cooperates and we get all 4 games in. We need to play as many games as possible. The Big Ten is already at a disadvantage in college baseball because of the unreliability of the weather, and our conference's terrible leadership put us at even more of a disadvantage by making everyone wait 2 weeks to start  playing and then limiting us to conference games only. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 85,957]

Overcast today but dry.  Sunday afternoon a little iffy but rain probabilities are relatively low and it will be several degrees cooler.

[Aaron 4,314]

Lets try this again. All tests negative (outside Mercer) and ready to go.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 85,957]

Game #1

[Class of '66 Old Fart 85,957]

Hoosiers get 3 in the bottom of the 2nd and lead 3-0.  3 IU singles and a Penn St. passed ball.

[Aaron 4,314]

Took us an inning to solve this pitcher, but IU up 3-0 using some good small ball and PSU pitcher turning into McCade Brown of last year and completing losing strike zone.

Walk by Toetz, groundball single to LF through third by Murrison, groundball RBI single to RF by Jessee, line drive RBI single to CF by Southern past a diving second baseman, RBI groundout to first by Houston after two wild pitches. 

To the third inning.

[Aaron 4,314]

Unacceptable by Sommer. Staked to a lead and just like PSU pitcher completely loses zone which if you are going to be lead pitcher and want to win Big Ten cannot do. Time to try McCade Brown I think in lead role. Has best stuff anyways when in zone.

PSU got two back and really beat Sommer up with a ground rule double and a double down the LF line. Only reason it was not worse is Nittany Lions ran themselves out of the inning with an attempted double steal or game would of been at least tied if not worse. 

For second straight week ace or lead pitcher has to be better. 3-2 to bottom 3. 

[Aaron 4,314]

PSU hands IU a run on the bases. IU had runners at 1st and 2nd and a failed pickoff is overthrown near the visiting bullpen down the LF line to plate a run. This game is exhibit A of why messing up with baserunners can be a huge difference. Two PSU mistakes with base running are difference between at least a 3-3 tie and a 4-2 lead IU has. 

4-2 IU to 5th inning. Game 1 is only 7 innings. Game 2 is 9.   

[Aaron 4,314]

Huge spot. Sommer is pulled with 2 outs in 5th and bases loaded. Stahl into pitch. Sommer was not good today but Hoosiers trying to make lead hold up. 

[Aaron 4,314]

What a job by Stahl to get a four pitch strikeout on PSU's best hitter! Last pitch was absolutely nasty curveball that dropped over plate from high above at last second.

IU holds the 4-2 lead to Bottom 5.