Boom Brothers -- Mathison, Ellis Loving the Long Ball
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Let’s start with the home runs. Carter Mathison and Matthew Ellis are Indiana’s current kings of the long ball, the latest in a Hoosier power heritage that stretches back more than 70 years to the sleeveless days of big Ted Kluszewski and the Cincinnati Reds, and, now, Kyle Schwarber, the reigning National League HR champ for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Mathison, a sophomore outfielder, has the edge -- barely -- with 20 career IU homers to Ellis’ 19.
Last season, Mathison set a program freshman record with 19 home runs, plus added 58 runs batted in.
Ellis, in his first Hoosier season after transferring from junior college, countered with 18 homers and 65 runs batted in.
This season, Mathison has one home run -- a grand slam -- and five runs batted in. Ellis, a senior designated hitter/catcher, has a homer and three RBI.
Are they aware of each other’s numbers?
Absolutely.
Does it motivate them?
Darn straight.
Call it a friendly rivalry set to deliver season-long benefits.
“It was never really a competition,” Mathison says. “We’d joke around if it got close. If I hit one, I’d give him a nudge on the shoulder -- your turn. It was the same for him if he hit one and pulled away from me.”
Adds Ellis: “It’s fun. I wish nothing but the best for him. He’s a generational player. He comes from Indiana (Homestead High School near Fort Wayne). It’s a pleasure being in the same conversation with him.”
Ellis does remember the last spring moment when Mathison surpassed him with a mammoth homer against Rutgers in the Big Ten tourney.
“It was like 3:30 in the morning,” Ellis says. “It was one of the more impressive home runs he hit the entire year.”
The bond between the two is obvious. It reflects a togetherness that is this team’s foundation as perhaps it wasn’t last season.
“We’re all cheering and pulling for each other,” Ellis says. “We want to see each other succeed.
“I want to see Carter hit 25 home runs. He wants to see the same for me. That’s a unique thing. (Togetherness) hasn’t been where it needs to be, but now it’s here and it’s here to stay. That’s a really great thing.”
Ellis and Mathison’s successes are predicated on focusing on the routine, the process, the step-by-step work that fuels long-term productivity.
“We’re sticking to the same thing we did last year that got us to where we are,” Ellis says. “Carter and I have been working hard. We know what we need to work on, the small things we need. Both of us have taken a step forward offensively, but we’ve worked hard defensively. We’ve taken a step forward there, as well.”
Mathison pushes the same stay-the-course approach.
“I’m not changing a whole lot. Working on being more consistent (hitting the ball) through the middle of the field has been a big thing for me. Then, just focusing on the defensive side.”
IU’s title potential requires strong player leadership. Ellis says he’s picked up his take-charge pace, and sees it spread out among multiple players, veterans such as designated hitter Hunter Jessee, shortstop Phillip Glasser, third baseman Josh Pyne and centerfielder Bobby Whalen, and even freshmen such as A.J. Shepherd and Devin Taylor.
“A.J. will be a great leader,” Ellis says. “He’s already developing. Devin is another guy.
“I wouldn’t say we have one guy who leads the group. We have 10 to 12 guys. That’s a great thing to have.”
Coach Jeff Mercer brought in 23 newcomers -- 12 college transfers and 11 freshman -- to mix with the seven returning position starters and four pitchers from a 27-31 team.
IU aims to build on last season’s combination of power hitting (73 home runs) and power pitching (the 600 strikeouts ranked second in Big Ten history to Iowa’s 602, also from last season).
Ellis likes how a pitching staff anchored by Luke Sinnard, Ty Bothwell, Ben Seiler, Adrian Vega and Ryan Kraft works against a formidable Hoosier lineup that averaged 8.0 runs last season.
“They’ve been put through the ringer (in practice),” Ellis says. “Facing our offense is a very challenging task. One through 12 can really hit.”
IU’s rugged opening schedule has trips to college powers Auburn and Texas, plus the LeClair Classic in North Carolina against East Carolina, Georgetown and Long Beach State.
“The schedule is awesome,” Mathison says. “We want to play the best teams we can. Opening up with three big, competitive weekends sets us up better for the future. Giving us the most difficult teams we can face will make us better.”
Mercer schedules with the postseason in mind.
“We always schedule difficult teams,” he says. “The only way to win at a national level is to compete at a national level. You have to expose your guys to that environment.
“If you shield them from it, if you shy away from it, you’re not doing what you can to prepare them to be successful in the league, and ultimately in the postseason.
“What better way to do that start up against the best you can and learn a lot.”
IU opened 1-2 against Auburn, which was coming off its third College World Series in its last four complete seasons (Covid ruined the 2020 season).
The Hoosiers followed with Tuesday’s 13-5 victory over Miami of Ohio at Bart Kaufman Field.
Jessee leads the offensive way. He’s hitting .500 with two home runs, two doubles and seven runs batted in. He’s reached base in 23 straight games.
Pyne (.389), Glasser (.389) and Whalen (.333) also have gotten off to strong offensive starts.
Now comes a weekend trip to Texas, which is 1-3 with losses to Arkansas, Missouri and Vanderbilt in the 2023 College Baseball Showdown, and a 12-2 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Longhorns are a traditional powerhouse with six national title (the last in 2005) and 35 College World Series appearances.
It's all designed for a spring to remember.
“The goal is to win the Big Ten,” Ellis says. “That’s our main goal. There’s no other way about it.
“We’ve worked the way we should. We’re competitive from top to bottom. We have the talent to do it and the want to do it. There’s no other expectation but to win the Big Ten.”
That’s exactly what Mercer wants to hear.
“I would be disappointed if Matt didn’t say that. As a competitor, that’s what you want to do. I want to be the best team we can be in the last month of the season. Everything else is a process to get there.”
