IU Baseball vs Michigan - May 16-18, 2024

[Class of '66 Old Fart 82,519]

Regular season finale hosting Michigan (28-24) for a Thursday-Saturday series.  Both teams have identical (13-8) conference records. Thursday night game will be televised on BTN; Friday and Saturday on BTN+.

Thursday - 5:00

Friday - 6:00

Saturday - 2:00

Radio

Live Stats

[Class of '66 Old Fart 82,519]

SCHEDULE CHANGES     Senior Day festivities will be moved to Saturday afternoon before the game!

[Certified Sunshine Pumper 8,746]

This helps our arms for next week, too. But yeah, major schedule change. 

[Aaron 4,235]

As I wrote in the IU Baseball thread, IU really needs a sweep this weekend to be in the at-large discussion without a really deep run in Omaha. With a sweep, you still have work to do but less so. The reality is with an RPI of 58, IU is some combination of five wins MINIMUM away to be in at-large discussion.

Best bet is to win the auto bid. Normally I hate the Omaha park. However, with IU's penchant for giving up home runs, there is no better place to go play right now when you need victories than that stadium where dingers are nearly impossible to come by. Typically you see no more than 5 combined in an entire tourney which is music to Hoosier fans ears as well as this pitching staff. 

The image of Schwarber and Travis flying out in Omaha on absolute bombs or Larusso last year for Maryland hitting a game winner even harder that hit the top of the wall and barely left the park will always ring in my mind of how unforgiving that place is when it comes to bombs.       

[Aaron 4,235]

IU with another costly close loss as the bats have died last few games. At this point its probably win Big Ten Tourney or bust (and good pitching and struggling offense is actually the recipe to do this in a park like Omaha).

A low scoring 3-2 loss that happened now with a total lack of clutch hitting. This is how every game at conference tourney will likely be and with a couple bounces you could easily win four of this type next week. It is pretty much that or bust at this point. 

I am not a blow this program up person at all and have excepted this season is not what was expected. Regardless of who comes back in offseason, they could be great in 2025. I have seen time and again when teams don't live up to what should have happened the year before and then come back with big season after.

They need to evaluate why the pitching takes so long to get going the last few seasons and maybe look at some inconsistencies on offense. However, program is very close to being what everyone expects even if major offseason attrition as expected. Winning in the Big Ten is possible every season with everyone on essentially a high mid-major level and evenly matched season to season. The Pac 12 squads may help some but none that are coming in had a very good season.

Winning in northern baseball is tough and IU has gotten that lesson the last few seasons despite some things that need to shored up around the edges.      

[Aaron 4,235]

Much better in game two with an 11-2 domination. Still think the numbers don't add up for at-large at this point regardless. However, by throwing Ty Bothwell and Connor Foley today they can now throw them in first two games in league tourney.

This is of utmost importance since winning the first two means a bye on Friday and only needing one of two victories on Saturday to advance to championship. If you lose one of the first two you will need either three or four wins from the losers bracket including two straight on Saturday. With IU's struggles with giving up home runs and Omaha rarely yielding any, as well as pitching staff improving, this is the best position the team has been in to win the whole thing since 2014 when they actually did it. 

[Certified Sunshine Pumper 8,746]

16 hours ago, Aaron said:

IU with another costly close loss as the bats have died last few games. At this point its probably win Big Ten Tourney or bust (and good pitching and struggling offense is actually the recipe to do this in a park like Omaha).

A low scoring 3-2 loss that happened now with a total lack of clutch hitting. This is how every game at conference tourney will likely be and with a couple bounces you could easily win four of this type next week. It is pretty much that or bust at this point. 

I am not a blow this program up person at all and have excepted this season is not what was expected. Regardless of who comes back in offseason, they could be great in 2025. I have seen time and again when teams don't live up to what should have happened the year before and then come back with big season after.

They need to evaluate why the pitching takes so long to get going the last few seasons and maybe look at some inconsistencies on offense. However, program is very close to being what everyone expects even if major offseason attrition as expected. Winning in the Big Ten is possible every season with everyone on essentially a high mid-major level and evenly matched season to season. The Pac 12 squads may help some but none that are coming in had a very good season.

Winning in northern baseball is tough and IU has gotten that lesson the last few seasons despite some things that need to shored up around the edges.      

There is nothing to blow up. And Oregon has had a very good season, they're currently ranked and hosted last year, I believe? 

Mercer turns 39 years old this summer, allow him to continue to grow, and build this thing. 

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Losing Sinnard, Grable, and Bohnert--- our best pitcher (Sinnard), 3rd/4th best (Grable), and another LHP out of the pen they really liked (Bohnert). Just too much to overcome when Risedorph, Whiteaker, and Kraft struggle. 

Sheppard missing all but 3 games, Tibbitts missed about 20 games, and Wiggins was out awhile when he had gotten it going at DH were all be losses, although--- Joey B and Stadler have performed well. 

But-- the bottom line-- Sheppard through the 3 games he played--- .300/.417/.900 2HR and 4 RBIs.. that's a huge loss. 

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Back to the pitching... If Sinnard and Grable are healthy--- you throw Sinnard on Fri, Foley Sat, Grable Sunday-- sprinkle in Bothwell, Buhr, Ayden Decker-Petty, Rybarczyk, and Risedorph. Everyone else throws the midweek, that's a squad.... Sinnard/Foley on Fri/Sat would have been the best or 2nd best 1+2 punch in the league.

Frustrating we didn't get to see that pan out. 

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 82,519]

SCHEDULE UPDATE

[Aaron 4,235]

4 hours ago, Certified Sunshine Pumper said:

There is nothing to blow up. And Oregon has had a very good season, they're currently ranked and hosted last year, I believe? 

Mercer turns 39 years old this summer, allow him to continue to grow, and build this thing. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Losing Sinnard, Grable, and Bohnert--- our best pitcher (Sinnard), 3rd/4th best (Grable), and another LHP out of the pen they really liked (Bohnert). Just too much to overcome when Risedorph, Whiteaker, and Kraft struggle. 

Sheppard missing all but 3 games, Tibbitts missed about 20 games, and Wiggins was out awhile when he had gotten it going at DH were all be losses, although--- Joey B and Stadler have performed well. 

But-- the bottom line-- Sheppard through the 3 games he played--- .300/.417/.900 2HR and 4 RBIs.. that's a huge loss. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back to the pitching... If Sinnard and Grable are healthy--- you throw Sinnard on Fri, Foley Sat, Grable Sunday-- sprinkle in Bothwell, Buhr, Ayden Decker-Petty, Rybarczyk, and Risedorph. Everyone else throws the midweek, that's a squad.... Sinnard/Foley on Fri/Sat would have been the best or 2nd best 1+2 punch in the league.

Frustrating we didn't get to see that pan out. 

 

I said I think the program is in fine shape and minimal change is needed.

The fact though that it takes so long for the pitching to get going each season since Glant has been here needs to be looked at. Also, why has Risedorph who was projected to be a Friday starter taken such a step back? Same with Kraft and Whitaker. Why has Luke Hayden thrived at Indiana State as expected after never getting going here. No one is getting fired and no one should. However, Mercer and Glant need to sit down after the season and figure these answers out and make slight adjustments to fix this.  

Everything you said is true but it has been made worse by the issues I described above. Just minor tweaks needed to correct this. Since Mercer sells himself as a developmental program, you cannot have pitchers taking step backwards instead of forwards when a new season begins and take so long to get the staff going if this is what you are selling. Like I said minor tweaks and discussion with Glant needs to be had to figure out how to correct all of this to keep moving forward as an upper echelon Big Ten program.  

Also it is Oregon State that is hosting. Oregon is a few spots higher than IU than 46 in RPI and on bubble. The other three coming into league are well out of the postseason picture and near or worse than 100 nationally.  

[Certified Sunshine Pumper 8,746]

1 minute ago, Aaron said:

I said I think the program is in fine shape and minimal change is needed.

The fact though that it takes so long for the pitching to get going each season since Glant has been here needs to be looked at. Also, why has Risedorph who was projected to be a Friday starter taken such a step back? Why has Luke Hayden thrived at Indiana State as expected after never getting going here. No one is getting fired and no one should. However, Mercer and Glant need to sit down after the season and figure these answers out and make slight adjustments to fix this. 

Everything you said is true but it has been made worse by the issues I described above. Just minor tweaks needed to correct this. 

Also it is Oregon State that is hosting. Oregon is a few spots higher than IU than 46 in RPI and on bubble. The other three are well out of the picture and near or worse than 100 nationally.  

I know. I was agreeing with you. to the bold... 

Oregon is RANKED currently/or has been ranked as of last week. 

Oregon hosted a Super regional last year because they went TO VANDY and won a regional, so that was my mistake. I didn't get them confused with Ore St, I knew they had hosted something recently. They were 41-22 last season. 

 

 

[Aaron 4,235]

IU with easy 8-4 win today to clinch the three seed in Omaha. Still RPI around 60 so likely need to win conference tourney for NCAA bid or at very least reach championship.