Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Open Big Ten Tournament with Iowa
5/21/2019 11:07:00 PM | Baseball
• Big Ten regular season champion and 20th-ranked Indiana (36-19, 17-7) takes on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday (6 p.m., BTN) to open up the Big Ten Tournament.
• Friday will be the 156th ever meeting between IU and Iowa, as the Hoosiers swept the three-game set earlier this season at Bart Kaufman Field.
• Iowa leads the all-time series between the two schools, 77-76
• Indiana Head Coach Jeff Mercer is in his first season with the Hoosiers and his 10th overall year in coaching collegiately. He has posted an 113-67 career record after leading Wright State to winning seasons in each of his two years with the Raiders, including a 2018 Horizon League title and NCAA Regional appearance.
• Iowa head coach Rick Heller is in his sixth season at the helm of the Hawkeyes baseball program. Entering this season, he has led the Hawkeyes to the best five-year stretch in program history.
• Indiana is coming off a Big Ten regular season title, where it swept the Rutgers series to clinch the title.
• IU is ranked 20th in this week's Baseball America Poll and is 21st in D1Baseball.com's Top 25 .
• Head coach Jeff Mercer and starting pitcher Andrew Saalfrank headlined IU's All-Big Ten award winners, it was announced on Tuesday afternoon. Mercer earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors, while Saalfrank was named the Pitcher of the Year.
•In addition to his Pitcher of the Year honors, Saalfrank earned a spot on the All-Big Ten First Team along with senior utility player Matt Lloyd. Junior Scotty Bradley, sophomore Cole Barr and junior Matt Gorski each made the second team, while sophomore Elijah Dunham earned third team laurels. Freshman Grant Richardson picked up All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors, while sophomore Drew Ashley was named the Sportsmanship Award winner.
•Indiana's pitching starff is first in stirkeouts (528), second in the Big Ten in ERA (3.58), and thid in popponenet aveage (.230),
• Mercer won seven of his eight Big Ten series in his first season as IU's head coach. Dating back to his two years at Wright State, he has lost just just two league series as a head coach (at Illinois in 2019, vs. UIC in 2017).
• The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.464), runs (389) and home runs (90).
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in wins (423) and conference wins (180). The Hoosiers have made six NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
• Friday will be the 156th ever meeting between IU and Iowa, as the Hoosiers swept the three-game set earlier this season at Bart Kaufman Field.
• Iowa leads the all-time series between the two schools, 77-76
• Indiana Head Coach Jeff Mercer is in his first season with the Hoosiers and his 10th overall year in coaching collegiately. He has posted an 113-67 career record after leading Wright State to winning seasons in each of his two years with the Raiders, including a 2018 Horizon League title and NCAA Regional appearance.
• Iowa head coach Rick Heller is in his sixth season at the helm of the Hawkeyes baseball program. Entering this season, he has led the Hawkeyes to the best five-year stretch in program history.
• Indiana is coming off a Big Ten regular season title, where it swept the Rutgers series to clinch the title.
• IU is ranked 20th in this week's Baseball America Poll and is 21st in D1Baseball.com's Top 25 .
• Head coach Jeff Mercer and starting pitcher Andrew Saalfrank headlined IU's All-Big Ten award winners, it was announced on Tuesday afternoon. Mercer earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors, while Saalfrank was named the Pitcher of the Year.
•In addition to his Pitcher of the Year honors, Saalfrank earned a spot on the All-Big Ten First Team along with senior utility player Matt Lloyd. Junior Scotty Bradley, sophomore Cole Barr and junior Matt Gorski each made the second team, while sophomore Elijah Dunham earned third team laurels. Freshman Grant Richardson picked up All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors, while sophomore Drew Ashley was named the Sportsmanship Award winner.
•Indiana's pitching starff is first in stirkeouts (528), second in the Big Ten in ERA (3.58), and thid in popponenet aveage (.230),
• Mercer won seven of his eight Big Ten series in his first season as IU's head coach. Dating back to his two years at Wright State, he has lost just just two league series as a head coach (at Illinois in 2019, vs. UIC in 2017).
• The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.464), runs (389) and home runs (90).
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in wins (423) and conference wins (180). The Hoosiers have made six NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
Players Mentioned
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