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Class of '66 Old Fart

IU Baseball vs Iowa - 4/30 - 5/2 all on BTN+

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Weekend rotation will be Sommer, Brown and Bierman.  Weather looks good for Friday and Saturday; possible pm showers on Sunday.

  • Friday: 5:00
  • Saturday:  2:00
  • Sunday:  Noon

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SETTING THE SCENE
• The Indiana Hoosiers will host the Iowa Hawkeyes for three games in matchup of two of the top-four teams in the Big Ten at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington, Ind.
 
• This past weekend, Indiana swept a three-game series against Minnesota at Bart Kaufman Field, out-scoring the Golden Gophers in the three contests, 39-5. IU won the finale in emphatic fashion on Sunday, 23-1.
 
• Jeff Mercer is in his third season at the helm of the Indiana baseball program. He led the Hoosiers to a Big Ten regular season title in 2019, earning him Big Ten Coach of the Year honors.
 
 
INSIDE #IUBASE
• Indiana's convincing sweep of Minnesota on April 23-25 was the first series sweep of the Golden Gophers since the 1962 season. In the 23-1 victory on April 25, Indiana scored a season-high 23 runs on a season-best 17 hits. The 23 runs were the most for the Hoosiers since scoring 27 against Butler on March 23, 2016 and the most in a Big Ten game since plating 26 against Michigan in a 26-6 win on April 4, 2010.
 
• Offensively, the Hoosiers have been led by OF Drew Ashley, who is hitting a team-best .330 on the year with four home runs, three doubles and 14 RBI. OF Grant Richardson is batting .323 on the year with four homers, eight doubles, 15 RBI and a team-best nine stolen bases. Both INF Cole Barr and OF Morgan Colopy each have four home runs and 17 RBI on the season.
 
• Indiana ranks second in the nation in ERA (.264) and hits allowed per nine innings (5.93) and fifth in the country in WHIP (1.13). The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in all three categories.
 
• Individually, RHP McCade Brown leads the Big Ten strikeouts per nine innings (15.19), ranks second in the league in both ERA (2.41) and hits allowed per nine innings (4.58) and is third in strikeouts (63).  RHP Gabe Bierman leads the Big Ten in ERA (2.21) and ranks third in hits allowed per nine innings (5.31).
 
• Indiana is ranked No. 20 in the nation by Perfect Game. The Hoosiers are also receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll and the NCBWA poll.
 
• Indiana has posted three shutouts on the season, allowed one run or less six times and surrendered two runs or less 11 times. The Hoosier pitching staff also posted five games this year allowing two hits or less.
 
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in wins (447) and conference wins (195). The Hoosiers have made seven NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
 
• RHP McCade Brown and RHP Braydon Tucker combined to throw a no-hitter against Illinois on April 10 - the first no-hitter for the Hoosiers in nearly 37 years. The no-hitter was the first for Indiana since April 25, 1984, when Mark Gramer and the Hoosiers blanked Rose-Hulman, 6-0.
 
• For his efforts, RHP Braydon Tucker was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on April 13. Out of the bullpen, Tucker pitched four scoreless innings of relief to earn the save, striking out one, while issuing one walk.
 
• RHP McCade Brown was named the D1Baseball/AstroTurf Player of the Week, the Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week, Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week and the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after a school-record performance against Penn State on Mar. 13.
 
• The sophomore hurler matched the Indiana school record with a career-high 16 strikeouts in seven, no-hit innings. He also broke the IU record for most strikeouts in a Big Ten game, eclipsing the previous record of 13.
 
• LHP Tommy Sommer was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on Mar. 9. Sommer was outstanding for the Hoosiers this past weekend, helping the team defeat Minnesota, 5-2, on Mar. 5. The Carmel, Ind. native tossed eight shutout innings to earn the win, allowing just two hits, while matching his career-high with 10 strikeouts.
 
• Indiana OF Grant Richardson was named a First-Team Preseason All-American by both Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball. He was also named Third-Team Preseason All-American by D1Baseball.
 
• Before the season, Indiana was tabbed to win the Big Ten in 2021 by Perfect Game. OF Grant Richardson was named the Player of the Year and to the Preseason All-Big Ten team. He was joined on the preseason All-Big Ten team by RHP Gabe Bierman and RHP Connor Manous.
 
• RHP Gabe Bierman, OF Grant Richardson and LHP Tommy Sommer were all named to the Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch List. IU was picked to finish second in the Big Ten behind Michigan in a preseason poll conducted of the league's coaches.
 
• After leading the Hoosiers to the 2019 Big Ten regular season championship, Jeff Mercer was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Mercer became the first Big Ten head coach since 1982 (John Anderson, Minnesota) to win a regular season conference title in his first season as the skipper.  He was just the second coach in IU history – in any sport, men's or women's – to win an outright Big Ten championship in his (or her) first year.

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Now it gets real. The thing that scares me to death against Iowa is they have two excellent lefty starters. Their third starter is a mediocre righty. To win this series we have to beat the righty on Saturday and then somehow find a way against one of the lefties on Friday or Sunday.

I am not worried about our pitching getting shellacked suddenly. What scares me is a bunch of 3-2 type losses like we took against Ohio State in the opening game there. It is imperative that Sommer, Brown and Bierman are at their best this weekend and we pull out low scoring games or we have no chance. Iowa's offense is decent but unspectacular, but this is the first time we have faced elite pitching and we already are not a great hitting team. 

Outside of Nebraska who has a terrific bullpen and offense but mediocre starters, every weekend we now face elite arms and it is imperative our starters are at their best as they have been all year or this season will go into a nosedive. 

We are about to see how good we really are and I hope the answer is positive.   

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Sommer needs to be near perfect today facing an elite lefty for Iowa with wind blowing in.

He was not that in first, but got out of it unscathed with a bomb knocked down by wind at wall and a double play on a 2-0 pitch. It ultimately worked out, but that is not the ideal way to wiggle yourself through an inning. 

0-0 to Bottom 1.

 

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On the other hand Iowa lefty Wallace completely in charge with two strikeouts and a pop out to go 1-2-3. That's why Sommer needs to be perfect today. Only way to win is like is a very low scoring game for us.

Top 2 we go. 

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Well we have two problems. One is Sommer is getting knocked around way to hard for a Friday guy and needs to removed from the role for Bierman once again. That inning only the wind prevented a HR again. Still Iowa scrapped out a run with a couple clean singles and a sac bunt for a hit. 

Barr probably should of picked it up faster instead of waiting for it to go foul, but bigger issue is amount of contact against Sommer is way to much to be in Friday role even when getting outs.  

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Best at bats I have seen this season of elite pitching, as Barr beats the shift for a line drive triple to the RF wall and then Colopy with a perfect chopper over first for a hit to to tie it at 1-1. Did not see that coming against an elite lefty, but that is how you have to do it against this level of pitching. Then Fougerousee with a clean hit on a line drive single to RF to get Colopy to third and a solid contact sac fly by Hopkins.

2-1 IU after 2. That may have honestly been our best inning of year, in terms of getting good contact and making most out of inning against an elite pitcher.  

 

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Sommer has to be removed from the Friday role.

No if and's and or butts about it if we are going to give ourselves best chance to win. Now an easy single and a HR off the scoreboard put Iowa back into a 3-2 lead. On another day IU could be down 5-2 as there have also been two solid flyouts to the wall that could of been out. 3 runs, 5 hits in 3 innings on Friday is not going to cut it. He has been OK in previous weekends, but far from great and the weakest of our three starters. ERA reflects that and you cannot have your weakest starter pitching on Friday. 

You reward Bierman for his terrific pitching and those two runs are probably enough. Mercer has certainly been uber flexible with lineup changes and removing Bierman from the role earlier in year when he struggled and now its time for another one or we won't win to many Friday games to end year.

3-2 to bottom 3. 

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Nothing doing in third but honestly doing as well as could hope against terrific lefty as we worked a walk and a single up middle and made some hard contact. We have also forced well over 50 pitches in three innings so he will not be able to finish it.

The problem is Sommer is once again failing us as a Friday Night ace as he has at times this year and it could happen again.

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Sommer has again loaded the bases in fourth with two walks and is already at 80 pitches with one out. This is just pathetic. Iowa has had good at bats but Sommer has taken his mediocre starts the past few weeks and been flat out bad.  

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Error on espalin to open 4th. Ball goes through His legs. 2nd error already for IU.

Sommer loads the bases with two walks. He’s getting behind the hitters. They are taking pitches. Being patient. Sommer not getting close pitches. Seems frustrated.








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Sommer somehow got out of it with no more damage and keep us in the game down 4-2. I sincerely hope that is the last we see of Sommer today and on Friday or we won't win a series opener again this year. Sommer has been by far our worst starter lately. He as found way through it but it has been far from easy for him which is an absolutely no-no for your Friday guy.  

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Just now, mjhoosier said:

Sommer gets out of it with strikeout / groundout. His pitch count has to be up there

IU down 4-2. Going to Bottom of 4th


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It's in the 90's. That is probably it for him hopefully.

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Wallace it has it together now and Iowa still leads 4-2 after 4. Only good thing is we got to him early and he probably cannot go more than 6 or 7. 

Only thing I have learned today is Sommer should not be a Friday starter again this year.

Braydon Tucker to mound. I don't blame Mercer today at all, as there have been signs he could struggle but nothing that made me say something had to change. After today I will take issue with Mercer, If Sommer is opening the series against Rutgers next Friday. 

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Van pelt .188. Fougerousse .214.
And Hopkins .200
All go down easily.

The bottom of the lineup is an Achilles heel. Not sure why he’s not tried anyone else in the DH. VanPelt struggling. Maybe try Fucci there. Espalin batting .200 or below as well. Mercer is going to need to maybe try something else.


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2 minutes ago, mjhoosier said:

Van pelt .188. Fougerousse .214.
And Hopkins .200
All go down easily.

The bottom of the lineup is an Achilles heel. Not sure why he’s not tried anyone else in the DH. VanPelt struggling. Maybe try Fucci there. Espalin batting .200 or below as well. Mercer is going to need to maybe try something else.


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Bottom of lineup has been a problem but not sure there is a good answer there as I don't see anyone who can be much better. The immediate change that needs to be made is switching Bierman back to Friday and Sommer all the way to Sunday. Our hitting has not been terrible given the elite lefty we are facing today. Blame needs to be put squarely on Sommer who has gotten worse as season has gone on. 

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