Friday, February 16
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
11:00 AM
Indiana University
vs
#12 Duke
Baseball Central: Baseball at the Beach
2/15/2024 10:00:00 AM | Baseball
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The 130th season of Indiana baseball begins with a trip to Coastal Carolina for the "Baseball at the Beach" round-robin event in South Carolina.
One of the premier opening weekend destinations, the Chanticleers' annual event features four teams that made the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Duke, IU's opponent on Opening Day, went to the Super Regionals in 2023.
Head coach Jeff Mercer, entering his sixth season as the skipper in Bloomington, returns a talented and potent offensive lineup. Featuring stalwarts in juniors Josh Pyne, Brock Tibbitts and Carter Mathison, as well as unanimous preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Devin Taylor, the Hoosiers will field one of the best lineups in the entire country.
Without a pair of weekend arms in Luke Sinnard and Matthew Bohnert for the season, the Hoosiers will turn to the likes of sophomores Connor Foley and Brayden Risedorph, as well as junior Ryan Kraft, for big innings on the mound this year.
Duke and Coastal Carolina enter the season as consensus top-25 teams while George Mason, the reigning A-10 Champions, looks to continue building as one of the better mid-major programs in the country.
Gameday Info
vs. #12 Duke (Friday, February 16th)
Live Video: es.pn/3I05ZAc
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/488Fun4
at #18 Coastal Carolina (Saturday, February 17th)
Live Video: es.pn/42Be0Fw
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/488Fun4
vs. George Mason (Sunday, February 18th)
Live Video: es.pn/3SGkxdc
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/488Fun4
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Duke
• Brayden Risedorph (0-0, 0.00) vs. Jonathan Santucci (0-0, 0.00)
Indiana vs. Coastal Carolina
• TBD vs. Alexander Meckley (0-0, 0.00)
Indiana vs. George Mason
• TBD vs. TBD
Notable
Back at the Beach
• The Hoosiers are no stranger to opening the season with a trip to Coastal Carolina for a round-robin tournament. In both 2011 and 2018, IU came to the Baseball at the Beach event. Head coach Jeff Mercer also brought his group to Coastal on the third weekend of 2019. The two teams are meeting for the fourth time in 14 years and second time under Mercer.
Indiana vs. Coastal Carolina – Notes to Know
• The 2011 edition went 16 innings with IU winning 2-1 for its first win of the season.
• IU and Coastal Carolina split matchups in back-to-back years in 2018 and 2019.
• Three of the last four games between the two teams have been decided by one run each time.
The Hoosiers vs. The ACC
• For the second time in three years, IU and Jeff Mercer will open the season against an ACC foe. The Hoosiers were swept by Clemson to open the 2022 campaign in a three-game set but won their last matchup against an ACC foe by beating Louisville 7-3 in a midweek contest in 2023.
Veteran Group in the Field
• The Hoosiers will field an expected opening weekend lineup filled with five guys who are entering their third season as fulltime starters. Josh Pyne, Brock Tibbitts and Carter Mathison have been everyday starters for IU the last two years while Nick Mitchell (Western Illinois) and Brandon Burckel (Houston) have transferred in having started two seasons at their previous stops.
Hoosiers on Opening Weekend
• Last Opening Day Victory: 2019 at Memphis (W, 6-1)
• Last 2-0 Start to a Season: 2015 at Stanford
• Last Opening Weekend Sweep: 2003 vs. Findlay, Valpo and Boston College
Impact Freshman Class
• D1 Baseball ranked IU's incoming freshman class No. 20 in the nation with only players that signed and made it to campus considered for the list.
• Among the players mentioned by D1 Baseball included outfielder Andrew Wiggins (Indianapolis, Ind.), infielders Cal Sefcik (Palos Heights, Ill.) and Jasen Oliver (Almont, Mich.) and pitcher Ryan Rushing (Bradenton, Fla.).
Scouting the Opponent
Duke (39-24, 16-13 in 2023; NCAA Super Regional Appearance)
• A consensus top-15 preseason team, Duke enters the season with aspirations of a trip to Omaha for the College World Series for the first time since 1961. The Blue Devils won the Conway Regional last year and went three games in a Super Regional loss to Virginia.
• Armed with a collection of talent on the mound, including Preseason All-American selections Fran Oschell III, James Tallon and Jonathan Santucci, Duke will be a formidable opponent on Opening Day.
• Alex Stone, one of the best catchers in the nation, returns for Duke after hitting .315 with 17 home runs and 62 RBI's in 2023. The Blue Devils reshaped the entire infield with four transfers.
• Duke is ranked as high as No. 12 in the preseason polls and features among the initial top-25 by all major outlets.
Coastal Carolina (42-21, 23-7 in 2023; NCAA Regional Appearance)
• Coastal Carolina enters the final year of the legendary career of Gary Gilmore, who led the program to a national title in 2016 and has accumulated over 1,000 career wins.
• Catcher Caden Bodine anchors a strong lineup and is featured as one of the top draft prospects in the Sun Belt Conference. Graham Brown, Zack Beach and Derek Bender provide a plethora of power for the Chanticleers.
• The hosts of the tournament open up with George Mason on Friday afternoon before meeting the Hoosiers on Saturday. This will be the fifth meeting between the sides since 2011.
George Mason (36-27, 13-10 in 2023; NCAA Regional Appearance)
• Featuring Atlantic 10 Preseason Pitcher of the Year (PG) Chad Gartland, George Mason comes into the season with high expectations after making the regional final last season.
• Catcher Connor Dykstra and outfielder South Trimble provide the pop in the middle of the Patriots' lineup. The two teams will meet for a Sunday matinee after each playing Duke and Coastal Carolina to open the weekend.
Inside the Series
Indiana vs. Duke
• Duke leads a brief all-time series 2-0. Both matchups came on back-to-back days in 1951 with Duke winning the contests by a combined score of 35-1.
Indiana vs. Coastal Carolina
• Much acquainted with each other in recent years, IU leads the all-time series 3-1 but dropped the last meeting in 2019. Three of the four meetings have been settled by one run including a 16-inning marathon in 2011.
Indiana vs. George Mason
• These two programs meet for the first time ever.
One of the premier opening weekend destinations, the Chanticleers' annual event features four teams that made the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Duke, IU's opponent on Opening Day, went to the Super Regionals in 2023.
Head coach Jeff Mercer, entering his sixth season as the skipper in Bloomington, returns a talented and potent offensive lineup. Featuring stalwarts in juniors Josh Pyne, Brock Tibbitts and Carter Mathison, as well as unanimous preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Devin Taylor, the Hoosiers will field one of the best lineups in the entire country.
Without a pair of weekend arms in Luke Sinnard and Matthew Bohnert for the season, the Hoosiers will turn to the likes of sophomores Connor Foley and Brayden Risedorph, as well as junior Ryan Kraft, for big innings on the mound this year.
Duke and Coastal Carolina enter the season as consensus top-25 teams while George Mason, the reigning A-10 Champions, looks to continue building as one of the better mid-major programs in the country.
Gameday Info
vs. #12 Duke (Friday, February 16th)
Live Video: es.pn/3I05ZAc
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/488Fun4
at #18 Coastal Carolina (Saturday, February 17th)
Live Video: es.pn/42Be0Fw
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/488Fun4
vs. George Mason (Sunday, February 18th)
Live Video: es.pn/3SGkxdc
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/488Fun4
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Duke
• Brayden Risedorph (0-0, 0.00) vs. Jonathan Santucci (0-0, 0.00)
Indiana vs. Coastal Carolina
• TBD vs. Alexander Meckley (0-0, 0.00)
Indiana vs. George Mason
• TBD vs. TBD
Notable
Back at the Beach
• The Hoosiers are no stranger to opening the season with a trip to Coastal Carolina for a round-robin tournament. In both 2011 and 2018, IU came to the Baseball at the Beach event. Head coach Jeff Mercer also brought his group to Coastal on the third weekend of 2019. The two teams are meeting for the fourth time in 14 years and second time under Mercer.
Indiana vs. Coastal Carolina – Notes to Know
• The 2011 edition went 16 innings with IU winning 2-1 for its first win of the season.
• IU and Coastal Carolina split matchups in back-to-back years in 2018 and 2019.
• Three of the last four games between the two teams have been decided by one run each time.
The Hoosiers vs. The ACC
• For the second time in three years, IU and Jeff Mercer will open the season against an ACC foe. The Hoosiers were swept by Clemson to open the 2022 campaign in a three-game set but won their last matchup against an ACC foe by beating Louisville 7-3 in a midweek contest in 2023.
Veteran Group in the Field
• The Hoosiers will field an expected opening weekend lineup filled with five guys who are entering their third season as fulltime starters. Josh Pyne, Brock Tibbitts and Carter Mathison have been everyday starters for IU the last two years while Nick Mitchell (Western Illinois) and Brandon Burckel (Houston) have transferred in having started two seasons at their previous stops.
Hoosiers on Opening Weekend
• Last Opening Day Victory: 2019 at Memphis (W, 6-1)
• Last 2-0 Start to a Season: 2015 at Stanford
• Last Opening Weekend Sweep: 2003 vs. Findlay, Valpo and Boston College
Impact Freshman Class
• D1 Baseball ranked IU's incoming freshman class No. 20 in the nation with only players that signed and made it to campus considered for the list.
• Among the players mentioned by D1 Baseball included outfielder Andrew Wiggins (Indianapolis, Ind.), infielders Cal Sefcik (Palos Heights, Ill.) and Jasen Oliver (Almont, Mich.) and pitcher Ryan Rushing (Bradenton, Fla.).
Scouting the Opponent
Duke (39-24, 16-13 in 2023; NCAA Super Regional Appearance)
• A consensus top-15 preseason team, Duke enters the season with aspirations of a trip to Omaha for the College World Series for the first time since 1961. The Blue Devils won the Conway Regional last year and went three games in a Super Regional loss to Virginia.
• Armed with a collection of talent on the mound, including Preseason All-American selections Fran Oschell III, James Tallon and Jonathan Santucci, Duke will be a formidable opponent on Opening Day.
• Alex Stone, one of the best catchers in the nation, returns for Duke after hitting .315 with 17 home runs and 62 RBI's in 2023. The Blue Devils reshaped the entire infield with four transfers.
• Duke is ranked as high as No. 12 in the preseason polls and features among the initial top-25 by all major outlets.
Coastal Carolina (42-21, 23-7 in 2023; NCAA Regional Appearance)
• Coastal Carolina enters the final year of the legendary career of Gary Gilmore, who led the program to a national title in 2016 and has accumulated over 1,000 career wins.
• Catcher Caden Bodine anchors a strong lineup and is featured as one of the top draft prospects in the Sun Belt Conference. Graham Brown, Zack Beach and Derek Bender provide a plethora of power for the Chanticleers.
• The hosts of the tournament open up with George Mason on Friday afternoon before meeting the Hoosiers on Saturday. This will be the fifth meeting between the sides since 2011.
George Mason (36-27, 13-10 in 2023; NCAA Regional Appearance)
• Featuring Atlantic 10 Preseason Pitcher of the Year (PG) Chad Gartland, George Mason comes into the season with high expectations after making the regional final last season.
• Catcher Connor Dykstra and outfielder South Trimble provide the pop in the middle of the Patriots' lineup. The two teams will meet for a Sunday matinee after each playing Duke and Coastal Carolina to open the weekend.
Inside the Series
Indiana vs. Duke
• Duke leads a brief all-time series 2-0. Both matchups came on back-to-back days in 1951 with Duke winning the contests by a combined score of 35-1.
Indiana vs. Coastal Carolina
• Much acquainted with each other in recent years, IU leads the all-time series 3-1 but dropped the last meeting in 2019. Three of the four meetings have been settled by one run including a 16-inning marathon in 2011.
Indiana vs. George Mason
• These two programs meet for the first time ever.
Players Mentioned
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