Dunham Primed for 2020 Season
2/5/2020 10:00:00 AM | Baseball
By Jared Rigdon
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Elijah Dunham admits that everything kind of flew by at the beginning of last season.
He had hardly played as a freshman the year before, but when Jeff Mercer was hired as head coach before the 2019 season, Dunham became a regular in the lineup. After coming back from an early season injury, everything started to pick up.
There were times where he didn't even know what to expect.
"By the end of the season it started slowing down and coming to me easier," Dunham said. "I feel like I can take that into this season because now I know what to expect."
Dunham is now in his third season in Bloomington and has become one of IU's most powerful and reliable bats in the lineup. He's in a routine and feels comfortable in the system that Mercer has instituted around IU's program.
He spent the summer in the New England Collegiate Baseball League where he absolutely tore apart pitching. Dunham batted .360 with six homers and 27 RBI for the Ocean City Waves.
That was good enough for him to finish fourth overall in the league in batting average and tied for fifth in doubles. He played a majority of IU's season, but getting to be around baseball every day in the summer helped the mentality he brings to the upcoming college season.
"Just getting to play every day and bringing that to college baseball," Dunham said. "Getting that many at-bats in that many days, it made me mentally tougher. I learned how to deal with good days and bad days. I learned to treat each at-bat as its own thing and not carry it over to the next day."
All signs point to Dunham getting the chance to be one of the heaviest contributors in the heart of IU's batting order this season. He hit .310 in 43 games last year with eight homers and 29 RBI. He was named to the preseason All-Big Ten Team by Perfect Game.
His ability to hit for average and power fits perfectly into Mercer's offensive system. He's got a short, compact swing from the left-side of the plate which makes him one of IU's more effective players.
Now, he and other returning veterans like junior third baseman Cole Barr will have their shot at replacing the production in the middle of the order.
"They'll be relied on," Mercer said. "Last year, there were offensive players that played sparingly but went and produced. Year after year, you watch those younger guys grow and develop into upperclassmen and leaders. Now the expectation is for them to be the catalyst and drive the offense and I'm confident they will."
As one of the most veteran players inside a locker room full of freshmen and transfer players, Dunham and Barr are taking it upon themselves to help institute a culture for this new group of players.
Mercer doesn't feel the need to name captains. He believes that leadership will take care of itself over the course of the season.
"Eli was a guy that was vocal, especially down the stretch last year," Mercer said. "When you put an expectation on production, you rarely ever get production. You just put an expectation on how you go about your business, your mentality and your work. That's what I want a guy like Eli to do. Just teach young guys how to work. The outcome will take care of itself."
Freshman outfielder Ethan Vecrumba is one of IU's highest ranked recruits and figures to produce right away this season. Dunham has tried to do his part in giving him advice for how the college game works.
Dunham knows that for IU to have success this season, he, sophomore outfielder Grant Richardson and Vecrumba will play large roles in that.
"The game is a lot faster at the college level," Dunham said. "You've got to know what you're doing every single play. We know he's going to be a big part of our team this year, so we're just trying to help get him to where he needs to be."
IU will spend the opening weekend in Baton Rouge to take on LSU, one of the preseason favorites to win a national title, in a three-game series at Alex Box Stadium.
It's likely that Dunham will be right there in the middle of the lineup. This time around, things will slow down a little for the junior outfielder.
"We've got a bunch of guys that work really hard and I think our offense is going to be just as good if not better.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Elijah Dunham admits that everything kind of flew by at the beginning of last season.
He had hardly played as a freshman the year before, but when Jeff Mercer was hired as head coach before the 2019 season, Dunham became a regular in the lineup. After coming back from an early season injury, everything started to pick up.
There were times where he didn't even know what to expect.
"By the end of the season it started slowing down and coming to me easier," Dunham said. "I feel like I can take that into this season because now I know what to expect."
Dunham is now in his third season in Bloomington and has become one of IU's most powerful and reliable bats in the lineup. He's in a routine and feels comfortable in the system that Mercer has instituted around IU's program.
He spent the summer in the New England Collegiate Baseball League where he absolutely tore apart pitching. Dunham batted .360 with six homers and 27 RBI for the Ocean City Waves.
That was good enough for him to finish fourth overall in the league in batting average and tied for fifth in doubles. He played a majority of IU's season, but getting to be around baseball every day in the summer helped the mentality he brings to the upcoming college season.
"Just getting to play every day and bringing that to college baseball," Dunham said. "Getting that many at-bats in that many days, it made me mentally tougher. I learned how to deal with good days and bad days. I learned to treat each at-bat as its own thing and not carry it over to the next day."
All signs point to Dunham getting the chance to be one of the heaviest contributors in the heart of IU's batting order this season. He hit .310 in 43 games last year with eight homers and 29 RBI. He was named to the preseason All-Big Ten Team by Perfect Game.
His ability to hit for average and power fits perfectly into Mercer's offensive system. He's got a short, compact swing from the left-side of the plate which makes him one of IU's more effective players.
Now, he and other returning veterans like junior third baseman Cole Barr will have their shot at replacing the production in the middle of the order.
"They'll be relied on," Mercer said. "Last year, there were offensive players that played sparingly but went and produced. Year after year, you watch those younger guys grow and develop into upperclassmen and leaders. Now the expectation is for them to be the catalyst and drive the offense and I'm confident they will."
As one of the most veteran players inside a locker room full of freshmen and transfer players, Dunham and Barr are taking it upon themselves to help institute a culture for this new group of players.
Mercer doesn't feel the need to name captains. He believes that leadership will take care of itself over the course of the season.
"Eli was a guy that was vocal, especially down the stretch last year," Mercer said. "When you put an expectation on production, you rarely ever get production. You just put an expectation on how you go about your business, your mentality and your work. That's what I want a guy like Eli to do. Just teach young guys how to work. The outcome will take care of itself."
Freshman outfielder Ethan Vecrumba is one of IU's highest ranked recruits and figures to produce right away this season. Dunham has tried to do his part in giving him advice for how the college game works.
Dunham knows that for IU to have success this season, he, sophomore outfielder Grant Richardson and Vecrumba will play large roles in that.
"The game is a lot faster at the college level," Dunham said. "You've got to know what you're doing every single play. We know he's going to be a big part of our team this year, so we're just trying to help get him to where he needs to be."
IU will spend the opening weekend in Baton Rouge to take on LSU, one of the preseason favorites to win a national title, in a three-game series at Alex Box Stadium.
It's likely that Dunham will be right there in the middle of the lineup. This time around, things will slow down a little for the junior outfielder.
"We've got a bunch of guys that work really hard and I think our offense is going to be just as good if not better.
Players Mentioned
Big Ten Tournament Press Conference - vs. Rutgers
Wednesday, May 21
NCAA Postgame Press Conference - Southern Miss - 2
Sunday, June 02
NCAA Postgame Press Conference - Tennessee
Sunday, June 02
NCAA Postgame Press Conference - Southern Miss
Friday, May 31