Indiana University Athletics
Mayer Looking For That Dominant No. 1 Guy
9/8/2017 7:30:00 AM | Men's Golf
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana - Mike Mayer is pumped.
Why shouldn't he be?
Indiana's veteran men's golf coach has a team on the rise. He's got a young talent, veteran players and a new state-of-the-art golf course on the horizon.
"We're deeper than we've been," Mayer says. "We have nice depth down to seven to eight players. We haven't had that in the past couple of years. If we get that All-Big Ten performance from that one man, then this team will qualify for postseason play and (beyond)."
The Hoosiers can start putting performance behind those words in this weekend's season-opening 16-team Wolf Run Invitational in Zionsville. Teams will play 18 holes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
"We need the stud," Mayer says. "We need the Jeff Overton, the Jorge Campillo, the Chase Wright. We need the Brant Peaper. It's one man who can carry a team. That dominant No. 1 guy. We've missed that the last few years."
Missing might turn into connecting if players such as junior Jake Brown, freshman Ethan Shepherd and sophomore Brock Ochsenreiter shoot to their coach's expectations.
Brown has had a two-year run as the Hoosier to beat. He led the team in scoring average as a freshman at 74.29, and was second last year at 74.38. He's also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
Ochsenreiter, a two-time Tennessee high school state champ, had the Hoosiers' third-best scoring average last year at 74.75.
Shepherd has No. 1 man potential although he's No. 2 in this weekend's lineup behind Brown. He paced Center Grove to a team state title last spring while finishing fourth in the individual standings.
Any of those three, Mayer says, could emerge as the dominant player the program needs.
"Jake will be better. Ethan Shepherd has a chance to be that dominant player. Brock Ochsenreiter has a chance.
"We've got three guys in place. Any one of them can really compel this program back to the level we're accustomed to be. "
Mayer is accustomed to winning during his 20-year head coaching run at IU. That includes nine NCAA tourney appearances and seven All-Americans. Overton and Campillo are among those All-Americans. Wright and Peaper were All-Big Ten performers.
After a few struggling seasons, including last spring's 11th-place Big Ten finish, Mayer is convinced the Hoosiers are on the way back.
The rest of this weekend's starting lineup is senior Brendon Doyle and freshman Evan Yakubov. Three players will compete as individuals -- sophomore Evan Gaesser, junior Trevor Ranton and senior Christian Fairbanks.
Gaesser is a transfer from LaSalle.
Besides Indiana, the rest of the Wolf Run field consists of Arkansas State, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Florida, East Carolina, Fort Wayne, IUPUI, Kentucky, Miami, North Carolina State, North Texas, Southern Illinois, Toledo, Western Kentucky and Xavier.
The Hoosiers have placed fifth, 11th and sixth in their last three appearances in this event.
Fans are able to attend the event for free all weekend long or they can follow along with live hole-by-hole scoring at GolfStat.com.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana - Mike Mayer is pumped.
Why shouldn't he be?
Indiana's veteran men's golf coach has a team on the rise. He's got a young talent, veteran players and a new state-of-the-art golf course on the horizon.
"We're deeper than we've been," Mayer says. "We have nice depth down to seven to eight players. We haven't had that in the past couple of years. If we get that All-Big Ten performance from that one man, then this team will qualify for postseason play and (beyond)."
The Hoosiers can start putting performance behind those words in this weekend's season-opening 16-team Wolf Run Invitational in Zionsville. Teams will play 18 holes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
"We need the stud," Mayer says. "We need the Jeff Overton, the Jorge Campillo, the Chase Wright. We need the Brant Peaper. It's one man who can carry a team. That dominant No. 1 guy. We've missed that the last few years."
Missing might turn into connecting if players such as junior Jake Brown, freshman Ethan Shepherd and sophomore Brock Ochsenreiter shoot to their coach's expectations.
Brown has had a two-year run as the Hoosier to beat. He led the team in scoring average as a freshman at 74.29, and was second last year at 74.38. He's also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
Ochsenreiter, a two-time Tennessee high school state champ, had the Hoosiers' third-best scoring average last year at 74.75.
Shepherd has No. 1 man potential although he's No. 2 in this weekend's lineup behind Brown. He paced Center Grove to a team state title last spring while finishing fourth in the individual standings.
Any of those three, Mayer says, could emerge as the dominant player the program needs.
"Jake will be better. Ethan Shepherd has a chance to be that dominant player. Brock Ochsenreiter has a chance.
"We've got three guys in place. Any one of them can really compel this program back to the level we're accustomed to be. "
Mayer is accustomed to winning during his 20-year head coaching run at IU. That includes nine NCAA tourney appearances and seven All-Americans. Overton and Campillo are among those All-Americans. Wright and Peaper were All-Big Ten performers.
After a few struggling seasons, including last spring's 11th-place Big Ten finish, Mayer is convinced the Hoosiers are on the way back.
The rest of this weekend's starting lineup is senior Brendon Doyle and freshman Evan Yakubov. Three players will compete as individuals -- sophomore Evan Gaesser, junior Trevor Ranton and senior Christian Fairbanks.
Gaesser is a transfer from LaSalle.
Besides Indiana, the rest of the Wolf Run field consists of Arkansas State, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Florida, East Carolina, Fort Wayne, IUPUI, Kentucky, Miami, North Carolina State, North Texas, Southern Illinois, Toledo, Western Kentucky and Xavier.
The Hoosiers have placed fifth, 11th and sixth in their last three appearances in this event.
Fans are able to attend the event for free all weekend long or they can follow along with live hole-by-hole scoring at GolfStat.com.
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