Indiana University Athletics
NOTES: Indiana Baseball Opens Season at No. 11 LSU
2/13/2020 9:00:00 AM | Baseball
• Indiana opens the 2020 season with a six-game road trip that begins in Baton Rouge with a three-game series against the No. 11-ranked LSU Tigers.
• The Hoosiers are 1-1-3 all-time against the Tigers, with the last meeting coming back in the 2008 season when IU also opened the campaign with a three-game set in Baton Rouge. LSU took the first two games, with Indiana winning the third, 7-6.
• Jeff Mercer enters his second season at the helm of the Indiana baseball program after leading the Hoosiers to a Big Ten regular season title in 2019, earning him Big Ten Coach of the Year honors.
LEADING OFF
• Indiana won the program's seventh Big Ten regular season championship in 2019, posting an overall record of 37-23 and a conference mark of 17-7.
• For his efforts, 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.
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in wins (421) and conference wins (178). The Hoosiers have made seven NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
• For the sixth time in seven years, Indiana was selected to the 2019 NCAA Baseball Tournament field. The Hoosiers played in the Louisville Regional, earning a No. 2 seed for the second-consecutive season.
• A school-record 10 Hoosiers were selected in the 2019 MLB Draft, led by outfield Matt Gorski, who was selected in the second round (57th overall). Gorski was the highest-drafted Hoosier since Kyle Schwarber in 2014 (1st round, fourth overall).
• Last year, pitcher Andrew Saalfrank was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Big Ten First Team along with utility player Matt Lloyd. Scotty Bradley, Cole Barr and Matt Gorski each made the second team, while Elijah Dunham earned third team laurels. Grant Richardson picked up All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors, while Drew Ashley was named the Sportsmanship Award winner.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
• The LSU Tigers begin the season ranked No. 11 in the nation by both Collegiate Baseball and D1 Baseball. They are ranked 12th by USA Today, 13th by NCBWA, 14th by Baseball America and 20th by Perfect Game.
• Last season, the Tigers finished 40-27, reaching a Super Regional before falling to Florida State.
• In a preseason poll conducted of the SEC's coaches, LSU was tabbed to finish in a tie for third in the Western Division with Auburn.
SERIES HISTORY
• The Hoosiers are 1-1-3 all-time against the Tigers, with all five games being played in Baton Rouge.
• Indiana opened the 2008 season against LSU, with the Tigers taking two of three. The Hoosiers won the third game, 7-6.
• The previous two meetings came in 1926, with IU coming away with a 3-3 tie after a 17-6 setback.
BIG TEN PRESEASON ACCOLADES
• Junior Cole Barr, junior Elijah Dunham and junior LHP Tommy Sommer were named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List.
• Also, in a preseason poll conducted of the league's coaches, IU was picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten behind Michigan, Ohio State, Minnesota and Nebraska.
PERFECT GAME PRESEASON HONORS
• Junior Cole Barr and classmate Elijah Dunham were named Preseason All-Big Ten by Perfect Game.
• Barr earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2019 after sharing the team-lead with 17 homers to go with 51 RBI.
• Dunham was a Third-Team All-Big Ten selection despite missing 17 games. He led the team with a .310 batting average to go with 12 doubles, eight homers and 29 RBI.
IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
• In the preseason polls, Indiana is receiving votes in the Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA and USA Today rankings.
BEST IN THE BIG TEN
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in total wins (421) and conference wins (178).
• The Hoosiers have made seven NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
STRONG SCHEDULE
• Indiana will have a challenging schedule in 2020, featuring 29 home games at Bart Kaufman Field.
• The 2020 schedule for the Hoosiers features 19 games against nine teams who earned berths to the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
• The slate also features 23 contests against 12 teams who finished in the top-100 of the NCAA RPI rankings last season.
• The Hoosiers are 1-1-3 all-time against the Tigers, with the last meeting coming back in the 2008 season when IU also opened the campaign with a three-game set in Baton Rouge. LSU took the first two games, with Indiana winning the third, 7-6.
• Jeff Mercer enters his second season at the helm of the Indiana baseball program after leading the Hoosiers to a Big Ten regular season title in 2019, earning him Big Ten Coach of the Year honors.
LEADING OFF
• Indiana won the program's seventh Big Ten regular season championship in 2019, posting an overall record of 37-23 and a conference mark of 17-7.
• For his efforts, 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.
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in wins (421) and conference wins (178). The Hoosiers have made seven NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
• For the sixth time in seven years, Indiana was selected to the 2019 NCAA Baseball Tournament field. The Hoosiers played in the Louisville Regional, earning a No. 2 seed for the second-consecutive season.
• A school-record 10 Hoosiers were selected in the 2019 MLB Draft, led by outfield Matt Gorski, who was selected in the second round (57th overall). Gorski was the highest-drafted Hoosier since Kyle Schwarber in 2014 (1st round, fourth overall).
• Last year, pitcher Andrew Saalfrank was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Big Ten First Team along with utility player Matt Lloyd. Scotty Bradley, Cole Barr and Matt Gorski each made the second team, while Elijah Dunham earned third team laurels. Grant Richardson picked up All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors, while Drew Ashley was named the Sportsmanship Award winner.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
• The LSU Tigers begin the season ranked No. 11 in the nation by both Collegiate Baseball and D1 Baseball. They are ranked 12th by USA Today, 13th by NCBWA, 14th by Baseball America and 20th by Perfect Game.
• Last season, the Tigers finished 40-27, reaching a Super Regional before falling to Florida State.
• In a preseason poll conducted of the SEC's coaches, LSU was tabbed to finish in a tie for third in the Western Division with Auburn.
SERIES HISTORY
• The Hoosiers are 1-1-3 all-time against the Tigers, with all five games being played in Baton Rouge.
• Indiana opened the 2008 season against LSU, with the Tigers taking two of three. The Hoosiers won the third game, 7-6.
• The previous two meetings came in 1926, with IU coming away with a 3-3 tie after a 17-6 setback.
BIG TEN PRESEASON ACCOLADES
• Junior Cole Barr, junior Elijah Dunham and junior LHP Tommy Sommer were named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List.
• Also, in a preseason poll conducted of the league's coaches, IU was picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten behind Michigan, Ohio State, Minnesota and Nebraska.
PERFECT GAME PRESEASON HONORS
• Junior Cole Barr and classmate Elijah Dunham were named Preseason All-Big Ten by Perfect Game.
• Barr earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2019 after sharing the team-lead with 17 homers to go with 51 RBI.
• Dunham was a Third-Team All-Big Ten selection despite missing 17 games. He led the team with a .310 batting average to go with 12 doubles, eight homers and 29 RBI.
IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
• In the preseason polls, Indiana is receiving votes in the Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA and USA Today rankings.
BEST IN THE BIG TEN
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in total wins (421) and conference wins (178).
• The Hoosiers have made seven NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
STRONG SCHEDULE
• Indiana will have a challenging schedule in 2020, featuring 29 home games at Bart Kaufman Field.
• The 2020 schedule for the Hoosiers features 19 games against nine teams who earned berths to the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
• The slate also features 23 contests against 12 teams who finished in the top-100 of the NCAA RPI rankings last season.
Players Mentioned
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