Indiana University Athletics
‘Watch Out’ – Mathison Powers to Home Run Record
5/10/2022 2:01:00 PM | Baseball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- It was never about the home run record. Carter Mathison makes that clear.
"It was not a big goal of mine," he says.
Even as Mathison launches balls deep into the day and night at a pace unmatched in Indiana freshman history, some with exit velocities reaching 108 miles per hour, the Hoosiers' first-year left fielder makes it clear records aren't the point.
"It's not a huge deal to me."
Winning is, and you'd better believe IU is doing just that after taking two of three at Michigan for its third straight series victory.
Still, when you consider Indiana has had a baseball team in some form since 1865, when that includes such renowned power hitters as Kyle Schwarber in recent years and Ted Kluszewski for those with memories stretching back to World War II, hitting 15 home runs with two weeks left in the regular season is a big deal.
Only four Hoosier freshmen have ever hit 10 or more homers in a season. Mathison hit two homers in three games at Michigan to break Alex Dickerson's 2009 school record.
"He's one of the best freshmen in the country," coach Jeff Mercer says. "That's what you're seeing on full display."
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Mathison's homers come with impressive distance. Five have surpassed 400 feet, with a long of 433.
Only catcher Matthew Ellis, whose 15 home runs include a 485-foot blast, has hit a ball farther for the Hoosiers.
Mathison's long-ball philosophy is simple:
"My approach is staying through the middle of the field and reacting to the pitch."
This has worked since his sophomore year at Homestead High School in Fort Wayne when he discovered home-run power through strength training.
"I went heavy in the gym. That's when I gained my power. I gained weight and strength.
"It's been huge for me. It's given me a lot more power, hitting and throwing."
By the time Mathison was a senior, his 16 home runs led the state, as did his 64 runs scored. He was second in the state in runs batted in (53) and hit .515.
Mathison also did his best Shohei Ohtani pitching impression (see the California Angels for insight) with a 3-0 record, 1.43 earned run average and 17 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings.
That earned him Indiana Mr. Baseball honors and the state's No. 7 prospect rating by Perfect Game, plus an Indiana scholarship.
It did not, however, earn him guarantees once arriving on campus.
In fact, he got rocked early.
Flash back to the fall. IU played a series of exhibitions and Mathison became an unwanted swing-and-miss machine. Mercer says Mathison might have struck out 13 times in his first 15 at-bats.
This was a jolt for a guy who was a high school superman.
"It was a big step going from northern Indiana high school baseball to Power 5 college baseball," Mathison says.
A big step, yes, but not an insurmountable one for one willing to work and learn.
Mathison was very willing.
"The velocity of the game was abrasive to him in the fall," Mercer says. "I remember talking to him. I pulled him off to the side and asked, 'Does the game seem a little fast?' He said, 'Yes. The ball seems like it's by me before I can move.' I said, 'Let's get to work and tighten that swing.'"
Mathison's long swing worked in high school, when the pitchers lacked the velocity and movement to rattle him. A shorter swing would enable him to better handle college pitchers who consistently throw 90-plus mph.
Mathison began working with assistant coach Zach Weatherford. His struggles slowly evolved into successes.
"He worked with Coach Weatherford on a difficult drill set," Mercer says. "You're seeing the power come because he does have a large engine and his ceiling is so high.
"As he tightens his swing up, he has a better feel for the speed of the game. There's not as much drift in the body."
Adds Mathison: "Getting more comfortable with the speed of the game has helped me become more successful.
"The drills helped a lot. It was about trusting myself and building confidence."
Confidence can be elusive when you struggle, especially when you're not used to struggling.
Mathison persevered.
"When you're going through a stretch like that," he says, "it's easy to get down on yourself and not believe in yourself. It's about staying confident and knowing that one hit is going to come, eventually."
It did. Still, Mathison was a sub-.200 hitter early in the season, and critics emerged.
"People were like, 'Why are you playing him every day?'" Mercer says. "Because I believe in that kid. I believe in his ability and his work ethic. I believe he will figure it out, and when he does, watch out."
The watch is on full force now. Mathison is hitting .277 with those 15 home runs and 45 runs batted in. He leads all Big Ten freshmen in home runs and shares the team lead with Ellis. That's tied for second in the Big Ten.
"Early in the year," Mercer says, "you could beat him in and beat him up. You'd go hard in, hard up and away, and he'd get beat on both.
"Now that he's a lot tighter, there's no hole. Guys are trying to go in and up, he's like, 'That's my sweet spot.' They'll be like, 'We'll spin him,' and he goes, 'I have great eyes. I don't want to expand the zone.'
"It's hard to get to him."
Mathison's 14th homer came in Friday's series opener at Michigan, a loss. He added three hits, scored three runs and drove in a run in Saturday's second game, a win.
During Sunday's 10-8 series clinching victory, Mathison homered, drove in three runs and scored twice while hitting fourth.
Mercer and his staff saw these attributes during the recruiting process, but you never really know what you're getting until players arrive on campus.
Mercer knows now, and can't wait to see what's next.
"He's a physical kid, but a kid who can have an at bat. He gets deep in the count. He'll get himself a leverage count.
"He doesn't expand. He doesn't chase. He gets into good counts. He's very gifted and talented.
"When you're a talented player who hits the ball hard, have a good eye and get into a good count consistently, it gives you confidence to put him in the middle of the order."
Now that Mathison is on a hot streak, was there ever a eureka moment?
"Not that I can remember," he says. "I just continue to trust myself."
That trust is contagious. IU is 22-25 overall and 8-10 in the Big Ten after winning nine of its last 12 games, including its last two.
The Hoosiers have surged to seventh in the conference standings. The top eight teams make the upcoming Big Ten tourney.
Indiana plays at top-10 Louisville (33-13) on Tuesday before hosting Minnesota (4-13 in the Big Ten) for three games this weekend. It ends the regular season with three games at Iowa (12-6 in the conference) May 19-21.
As for the Hoosiers' ability to bounce back from a slow start to the season and deficits during games, Mathison says. "A series is three games. So, if one game doesn't go your way, you can't let that affect you. Every day is a new day."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- It was never about the home run record. Carter Mathison makes that clear.
"It was not a big goal of mine," he says.
Even as Mathison launches balls deep into the day and night at a pace unmatched in Indiana freshman history, some with exit velocities reaching 108 miles per hour, the Hoosiers' first-year left fielder makes it clear records aren't the point.
"It's not a huge deal to me."
Winning is, and you'd better believe IU is doing just that after taking two of three at Michigan for its third straight series victory.
Still, when you consider Indiana has had a baseball team in some form since 1865, when that includes such renowned power hitters as Kyle Schwarber in recent years and Ted Kluszewski for those with memories stretching back to World War II, hitting 15 home runs with two weeks left in the regular season is a big deal.
Only four Hoosier freshmen have ever hit 10 or more homers in a season. Mathison hit two homers in three games at Michigan to break Alex Dickerson's 2009 school record.
"He's one of the best freshmen in the country," coach Jeff Mercer says. "That's what you're seeing on full display."
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Mathison's homers come with impressive distance. Five have surpassed 400 feet, with a long of 433.
Only catcher Matthew Ellis, whose 15 home runs include a 485-foot blast, has hit a ball farther for the Hoosiers.
Mathison's long-ball philosophy is simple:
"My approach is staying through the middle of the field and reacting to the pitch."
This has worked since his sophomore year at Homestead High School in Fort Wayne when he discovered home-run power through strength training.
"I went heavy in the gym. That's when I gained my power. I gained weight and strength.
"It's been huge for me. It's given me a lot more power, hitting and throwing."
By the time Mathison was a senior, his 16 home runs led the state, as did his 64 runs scored. He was second in the state in runs batted in (53) and hit .515.
Mathison also did his best Shohei Ohtani pitching impression (see the California Angels for insight) with a 3-0 record, 1.43 earned run average and 17 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings.
That earned him Indiana Mr. Baseball honors and the state's No. 7 prospect rating by Perfect Game, plus an Indiana scholarship.
It did not, however, earn him guarantees once arriving on campus.
In fact, he got rocked early.
Flash back to the fall. IU played a series of exhibitions and Mathison became an unwanted swing-and-miss machine. Mercer says Mathison might have struck out 13 times in his first 15 at-bats.
This was a jolt for a guy who was a high school superman.
"It was a big step going from northern Indiana high school baseball to Power 5 college baseball," Mathison says.
A big step, yes, but not an insurmountable one for one willing to work and learn.
Mathison was very willing.
"The velocity of the game was abrasive to him in the fall," Mercer says. "I remember talking to him. I pulled him off to the side and asked, 'Does the game seem a little fast?' He said, 'Yes. The ball seems like it's by me before I can move.' I said, 'Let's get to work and tighten that swing.'"
Mathison's long swing worked in high school, when the pitchers lacked the velocity and movement to rattle him. A shorter swing would enable him to better handle college pitchers who consistently throw 90-plus mph.
Mathison began working with assistant coach Zach Weatherford. His struggles slowly evolved into successes.
"He worked with Coach Weatherford on a difficult drill set," Mercer says. "You're seeing the power come because he does have a large engine and his ceiling is so high.
"As he tightens his swing up, he has a better feel for the speed of the game. There's not as much drift in the body."
Adds Mathison: "Getting more comfortable with the speed of the game has helped me become more successful.
"The drills helped a lot. It was about trusting myself and building confidence."
Confidence can be elusive when you struggle, especially when you're not used to struggling.
Mathison persevered.
"When you're going through a stretch like that," he says, "it's easy to get down on yourself and not believe in yourself. It's about staying confident and knowing that one hit is going to come, eventually."
It did. Still, Mathison was a sub-.200 hitter early in the season, and critics emerged.
"People were like, 'Why are you playing him every day?'" Mercer says. "Because I believe in that kid. I believe in his ability and his work ethic. I believe he will figure it out, and when he does, watch out."
The watch is on full force now. Mathison is hitting .277 with those 15 home runs and 45 runs batted in. He leads all Big Ten freshmen in home runs and shares the team lead with Ellis. That's tied for second in the Big Ten.
"Early in the year," Mercer says, "you could beat him in and beat him up. You'd go hard in, hard up and away, and he'd get beat on both.
"Now that he's a lot tighter, there's no hole. Guys are trying to go in and up, he's like, 'That's my sweet spot.' They'll be like, 'We'll spin him,' and he goes, 'I have great eyes. I don't want to expand the zone.'
"It's hard to get to him."
Mathison's 14th homer came in Friday's series opener at Michigan, a loss. He added three hits, scored three runs and drove in a run in Saturday's second game, a win.
During Sunday's 10-8 series clinching victory, Mathison homered, drove in three runs and scored twice while hitting fourth.
Mercer and his staff saw these attributes during the recruiting process, but you never really know what you're getting until players arrive on campus.
Mercer knows now, and can't wait to see what's next.
"He's a physical kid, but a kid who can have an at bat. He gets deep in the count. He'll get himself a leverage count.
"He doesn't expand. He doesn't chase. He gets into good counts. He's very gifted and talented.
"When you're a talented player who hits the ball hard, have a good eye and get into a good count consistently, it gives you confidence to put him in the middle of the order."
Now that Mathison is on a hot streak, was there ever a eureka moment?
"Not that I can remember," he says. "I just continue to trust myself."
That trust is contagious. IU is 22-25 overall and 8-10 in the Big Ten after winning nine of its last 12 games, including its last two.
The Hoosiers have surged to seventh in the conference standings. The top eight teams make the upcoming Big Ten tourney.
Indiana plays at top-10 Louisville (33-13) on Tuesday before hosting Minnesota (4-13 in the Big Ten) for three games this weekend. It ends the regular season with three games at Iowa (12-6 in the conference) May 19-21.
As for the Hoosiers' ability to bounce back from a slow start to the season and deficits during games, Mathison says. "A series is three games. So, if one game doesn't go your way, you can't let that affect you. Every day is a new day."
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