Tuesday, May 18
Bloomington, Ind.
3:00 PM
Indiana University
vs
Illinois
NOTES: Indiana Hosts Illinois in Midweek Contest
5/17/2021 11:21:00 AM | Baseball
SETTING THE SCENE
• The Indiana Hoosiers (24-12) will host the Illinois Fighting Illini (18-19) in a midweek contest on Tuesday at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington, Ind. The game is a makeup of the series finale between the two teams scheduled for April 11 that was postponed due to weather.
• In the series earlier this year, Indiana won both contests, each in dramatic fashion. On that Friday, C Collin Hopkins hit a walk-off, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to give IU a 6-4 win. Then on that Saturday, RHP McCade Brown and RHP Braydon Tucker combined to no-hit the Illini en route to an 8-0 win for the Hoosiers.
• Jeff Mercer is in his third season at the helm of the Indiana baseball program. He led the Hoosiers to a Big Ten regular season title in 2019, earning him Big Ten Coach of the Year honors.
INSIDE #IUBASE
• Offensively, the Hoosiers have been led by INF Cole Barr and OF Grant Richardson. Barr leads the team with a .336 batting average, 35 runs scored, eight home runs and 33 RBI. Richardson leads the with 44 hits and 10 stolen bases.
• The Indiana pitching staff continues to post some of the best numbers in the nation. The Hoosiers rank second in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings (6.74), fifth in ERA (3.15) and 12th in WHIP (1.21). IU leads the Big Ten in all three categories.
• Individually, RHP McCade Brown leads the Big Ten in both hits allowed per nine innings (4.92) and strikeouts per nine innings (14.26). He ranks sixth and seventh nationally in those categories. He also ranks fourth in the league in strikeouts with 84. RHP Gabe Bierman leads the Big Ten in ERA (2.57), ranks second in WHIP (1.00) and complete games (1) and third in hits allowed per nine innings (5.43).
• INF Paul Toetz leads the Big Ten in doubles (16) and ranks 10th in the country in doubles per game (0.44). His 16 two-baggers are already a school record for doubles in Big Ten games.
• Indiana is ranked No. 25 in the nation by Perfect Game.
• Indiana has posted three shutouts on the season, allowed one run or less six times and surrendered two runs or less 12 times. The Hoosier pitching staff also posted five games this year allowing two hits or less.
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in wins (453) and conference wins (201). The Hoosiers have made seven NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
• IU's starting pitching was terrific in the four-game pod against Rutgers and Nebraska on May 7-9. LHP Tommy Sommer, RHP McCade Brown, RHP John Modugno and RHP Gabe Bierman combined to 26.2 IP, posting an ERA of 1.37. Sommer, Brown and Bierman all notched quality starts on the weekend, with Bierman tossing a complete game in the 4-2 win over Rutgers on May 8.
• INF Cole Barr was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on May 4 after helping the Hoosiers to a series win over Iowa. The Yorktown, Ind. native batted 6-for-10 (.600) with a triple, two home runs, five RBI and six runs scored to help IU take two of three games from the Hawkeyes.
• RHP McCade Brown and RHP Braydon Tucker combined to throw a no-hitter against Illinois on April 10 - the first no-hitter for the Hoosiers in nearly 37 years. The no-hitter was the first for Indiana since April 25, 1984, when Mark Gramer and the Hoosiers blanked Rose-Hulman, 6-0.
• For his efforts, RHP Braydon Tucker was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on April 13. Out of the bullpen, Tucker pitched four scoreless innings of relief to earn the save, striking out one, while issuing one walk.
• RHP McCade Brown was named the D1Baseball/AstroTurf Player of the Week, the Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week, Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week and the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after a school-record performance against Penn State on Mar. 13.
• The sophomore hurler matched the Indiana school record with a career-high 16 strikeouts in seven, no-hit innings. He also broke the IU record for most strikeouts in a Big Ten game, eclipsing the previous record of 13.
• LHP Tommy Sommer was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on Mar. 9. Sommer was outstanding for the Hoosiers this past weekend, helping the team defeat Minnesota, 5-2, on Mar. 5. The Carmel, Ind. native tossed eight shutout innings to earn the win, allowing just two hits, while matching his career-high with 10 strikeouts.
• Indiana OF Grant Richardson was named a First-Team Preseason All-American by both Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball. He was also named Third-Team Preseason All-American by D1Baseball.
• Before the season, Indiana was tabbed to win the Big Ten in 2021 by Perfect Game. OF Grant Richardson was named the Player of the Year and to the Preseason All-Big Ten team. He was joined on the preseason All-Big Ten team by RHP Gabe Bierman and RHP Connor Manous.
• RHP Gabe Bierman, OF Grant Richardson and LHP Tommy Sommer were all named to the Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch List. IU was picked to finish second in the Big Ten behind Michigan in a preseason poll conducted of the league's coaches.
• After leading the Hoosiers to the 2019 Big Ten regular season championship, 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.
#GoIU
• The Indiana Hoosiers (24-12) will host the Illinois Fighting Illini (18-19) in a midweek contest on Tuesday at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington, Ind. The game is a makeup of the series finale between the two teams scheduled for April 11 that was postponed due to weather.
• In the series earlier this year, Indiana won both contests, each in dramatic fashion. On that Friday, C Collin Hopkins hit a walk-off, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to give IU a 6-4 win. Then on that Saturday, RHP McCade Brown and RHP Braydon Tucker combined to no-hit the Illini en route to an 8-0 win for the Hoosiers.
• Jeff Mercer is in his third season at the helm of the Indiana baseball program. He led the Hoosiers to a Big Ten regular season title in 2019, earning him Big Ten Coach of the Year honors.
INSIDE #IUBASE
• Offensively, the Hoosiers have been led by INF Cole Barr and OF Grant Richardson. Barr leads the team with a .336 batting average, 35 runs scored, eight home runs and 33 RBI. Richardson leads the with 44 hits and 10 stolen bases.
• The Indiana pitching staff continues to post some of the best numbers in the nation. The Hoosiers rank second in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings (6.74), fifth in ERA (3.15) and 12th in WHIP (1.21). IU leads the Big Ten in all three categories.
• Individually, RHP McCade Brown leads the Big Ten in both hits allowed per nine innings (4.92) and strikeouts per nine innings (14.26). He ranks sixth and seventh nationally in those categories. He also ranks fourth in the league in strikeouts with 84. RHP Gabe Bierman leads the Big Ten in ERA (2.57), ranks second in WHIP (1.00) and complete games (1) and third in hits allowed per nine innings (5.43).
• INF Paul Toetz leads the Big Ten in doubles (16) and ranks 10th in the country in doubles per game (0.44). His 16 two-baggers are already a school record for doubles in Big Ten games.
• Indiana is ranked No. 25 in the nation by Perfect Game.
• Indiana has posted three shutouts on the season, allowed one run or less six times and surrendered two runs or less 12 times. The Hoosier pitching staff also posted five games this year allowing two hits or less.
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in wins (453) and conference wins (201). The Hoosiers have made seven NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
• IU's starting pitching was terrific in the four-game pod against Rutgers and Nebraska on May 7-9. LHP Tommy Sommer, RHP McCade Brown, RHP John Modugno and RHP Gabe Bierman combined to 26.2 IP, posting an ERA of 1.37. Sommer, Brown and Bierman all notched quality starts on the weekend, with Bierman tossing a complete game in the 4-2 win over Rutgers on May 8.
• INF Cole Barr was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on May 4 after helping the Hoosiers to a series win over Iowa. The Yorktown, Ind. native batted 6-for-10 (.600) with a triple, two home runs, five RBI and six runs scored to help IU take two of three games from the Hawkeyes.
• RHP McCade Brown and RHP Braydon Tucker combined to throw a no-hitter against Illinois on April 10 - the first no-hitter for the Hoosiers in nearly 37 years. The no-hitter was the first for Indiana since April 25, 1984, when Mark Gramer and the Hoosiers blanked Rose-Hulman, 6-0.
• For his efforts, RHP Braydon Tucker was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on April 13. Out of the bullpen, Tucker pitched four scoreless innings of relief to earn the save, striking out one, while issuing one walk.
• RHP McCade Brown was named the D1Baseball/AstroTurf Player of the Week, the Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week, Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week and the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after a school-record performance against Penn State on Mar. 13.
• The sophomore hurler matched the Indiana school record with a career-high 16 strikeouts in seven, no-hit innings. He also broke the IU record for most strikeouts in a Big Ten game, eclipsing the previous record of 13.
• LHP Tommy Sommer was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on Mar. 9. Sommer was outstanding for the Hoosiers this past weekend, helping the team defeat Minnesota, 5-2, on Mar. 5. The Carmel, Ind. native tossed eight shutout innings to earn the win, allowing just two hits, while matching his career-high with 10 strikeouts.
• Indiana OF Grant Richardson was named a First-Team Preseason All-American by both Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball. He was also named Third-Team Preseason All-American by D1Baseball.
• Before the season, Indiana was tabbed to win the Big Ten in 2021 by Perfect Game. OF Grant Richardson was named the Player of the Year and to the Preseason All-Big Ten team. He was joined on the preseason All-Big Ten team by RHP Gabe Bierman and RHP Connor Manous.
• RHP Gabe Bierman, OF Grant Richardson and LHP Tommy Sommer were all named to the Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch List. IU was picked to finish second in the Big Ten behind Michigan in a preseason poll conducted of the league's coaches.
• After leading the Hoosiers to the 2019 Big Ten regular season championship, 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.
#GoIU
Players Mentioned
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