New Position, Same Expectations for Brock Tibbitts
2/15/2024 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Brock Tibbitts is back where he belongs -- behind the plate.
This matters, for Tibbitts the player and for Indiana as a team as it begins its quest for a Big Ten baseball championship, and perhaps more.
"It's awesome being back there," the junior says. "It's doing whatever it takes to help the team win."
Team takes center stage this weekend as IU opens its season at the Baseball at the Beach tourney in Myrtle Beach, S.C. It plays No. 12 Duke on Friday, No. 18 Coastal Carolina on Saturday and George Mason on Sunday.
Tibbitts will be the catcher providing direction for promising pitchers such as Brayden Risedorph, Connor Foley and Ryan Kraft.
"I'll be working with the pitching staff and help control the game," he says.
Coach Jeff Mercer recruited Tibbitts as a catcher -- Tibbitts was rated as the nation's No. 65 catcher coming out of Ohio's powerhouse New Albany High School program -- but team needs took precedent in the last two seasons. Tibbitts mostly played first base as a Hoosier, with a little bit of outfield and catcher thrown in.
While a return to catcher wasn't unexpected, it came down to this:
"Was he physically capable, and did he have the intelligence to learn and grow?" Mercer says. "Brock passed in flying colors."
Adds Tibbitts: "It was being ready whenever the time came. I wasn't sure if I would be back there every day or used sparring or frequently. It's being ready when my number is called."
Now, the catching job is his, and while the adjustment is on-going, the potential is obvious.
"He has a strong throwing arm," Mercer says, "but his accuracy at times has to get better. That's to be expected. It's a totally different motion (from first base)."
Catcher is a punishing position given all the squatting and pounding from in-the-dirt pitches that can't become passed balls. Tibbitts has proven he has the toughness to handle that. He's played through a broken nose and a lot more as a Hoosier.
"You have to block well, get lateral well and throw well," Mercer says. He's working hard at it. He'll get better."
Tibbitts spent the fall and winter pushing improvement in all aspects.
"I look at what I did last year and what I need to improve on -- being more consistent, fine tuning a few things and getting ready to go."
Tibbitts got a jump on the catcher transition last summer while playing for the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod League. In 37 games, he hit .289 with one home run and 12 runs batted in.
"That helped him get the initial jolt out of his system," Mercer says. "It's like, 'I'm back catching again. I will be a catcher.'
"Getting out there in summer ball gives you a lot of confidence. It gave him a two- to three-month head start."
Tibbitts made a huge offensive jump last season, hitting .357 with 10 home runs and 68 runs batted in. As a freshman, it was .266 with nine homers and 43 runs batted in.
This season, he projects as the nation's No. 18 catcher and one of the nation's top-100 juniors.
Tibbitts' impact extends well beyond the field, outfielder Devin Taylor says.
"He's a great example of what every human should be. He brings the game day in and day out. He works as hard as anyone. He never stops working. He eats right, sleeps right, does everything right. He's a great role model."
Tibbitts is one of five key returning offensive players, joining Taylor (.315, 16 homers, 59 RBI last year), outfielder Carter Mathison (.311, 10, 49), shortstop Tyler Cerny (.276, 10, 43), and third baseman Josh Pyne (.295, 6, 56), along with Western Illinois outfielder Nick Mitchell (.348, 38 stolen bases, 70 runs scored in two seasons) to highlight a potentially powerful lineup.
"We're in a good place," Mercer says. "The locker room is healthy. I feel good about the environment. You know when you have a group that is mature and capable."
Leadership will be huge, especially with the rugged early schedule that includes a three-game series at Baylor, trips to perennial national power Vanderbilt and Indiana State (a NCAA tourney participant last year), and a three-game home series with Troy, also a NCAA tourney participant last year.
"It's taking what (last year's leaders Bobby Whalen, Phillip Glasser and Hunter Jessee) instilled in us, instill it in the young players and apply it," Tibbitts says.
"It's important for everybody to be able to contribute at any time and have everyone on the same page."
IU seeks to build from a 43-20 season that included a NCAA tourney berth.
"It was cool to get to the postseason," Tibbitts says, "but we start 0-0. Nobody starts ahead of anybody else. It's being able to reset. We do have that experience. Knowing what it takes to get to the postseason, we have to instill that in a new group."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Brock Tibbitts is back where he belongs -- behind the plate.
This matters, for Tibbitts the player and for Indiana as a team as it begins its quest for a Big Ten baseball championship, and perhaps more.
"It's awesome being back there," the junior says. "It's doing whatever it takes to help the team win."
Team takes center stage this weekend as IU opens its season at the Baseball at the Beach tourney in Myrtle Beach, S.C. It plays No. 12 Duke on Friday, No. 18 Coastal Carolina on Saturday and George Mason on Sunday.
Tibbitts will be the catcher providing direction for promising pitchers such as Brayden Risedorph, Connor Foley and Ryan Kraft.
"I'll be working with the pitching staff and help control the game," he says.
Coach Jeff Mercer recruited Tibbitts as a catcher -- Tibbitts was rated as the nation's No. 65 catcher coming out of Ohio's powerhouse New Albany High School program -- but team needs took precedent in the last two seasons. Tibbitts mostly played first base as a Hoosier, with a little bit of outfield and catcher thrown in.
While a return to catcher wasn't unexpected, it came down to this:
"Was he physically capable, and did he have the intelligence to learn and grow?" Mercer says. "Brock passed in flying colors."
Adds Tibbitts: "It was being ready whenever the time came. I wasn't sure if I would be back there every day or used sparring or frequently. It's being ready when my number is called."
Now, the catching job is his, and while the adjustment is on-going, the potential is obvious.
"He has a strong throwing arm," Mercer says, "but his accuracy at times has to get better. That's to be expected. It's a totally different motion (from first base)."
Catcher is a punishing position given all the squatting and pounding from in-the-dirt pitches that can't become passed balls. Tibbitts has proven he has the toughness to handle that. He's played through a broken nose and a lot more as a Hoosier.
"You have to block well, get lateral well and throw well," Mercer says. He's working hard at it. He'll get better."
Tibbitts spent the fall and winter pushing improvement in all aspects.
"I look at what I did last year and what I need to improve on -- being more consistent, fine tuning a few things and getting ready to go."
Tibbitts got a jump on the catcher transition last summer while playing for the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod League. In 37 games, he hit .289 with one home run and 12 runs batted in.
"That helped him get the initial jolt out of his system," Mercer says. "It's like, 'I'm back catching again. I will be a catcher.'
"Getting out there in summer ball gives you a lot of confidence. It gave him a two- to three-month head start."
Tibbitts made a huge offensive jump last season, hitting .357 with 10 home runs and 68 runs batted in. As a freshman, it was .266 with nine homers and 43 runs batted in.
This season, he projects as the nation's No. 18 catcher and one of the nation's top-100 juniors.
Tibbitts' impact extends well beyond the field, outfielder Devin Taylor says.
"He's a great example of what every human should be. He brings the game day in and day out. He works as hard as anyone. He never stops working. He eats right, sleeps right, does everything right. He's a great role model."
Tibbitts is one of five key returning offensive players, joining Taylor (.315, 16 homers, 59 RBI last year), outfielder Carter Mathison (.311, 10, 49), shortstop Tyler Cerny (.276, 10, 43), and third baseman Josh Pyne (.295, 6, 56), along with Western Illinois outfielder Nick Mitchell (.348, 38 stolen bases, 70 runs scored in two seasons) to highlight a potentially powerful lineup.
"We're in a good place," Mercer says. "The locker room is healthy. I feel good about the environment. You know when you have a group that is mature and capable."
Leadership will be huge, especially with the rugged early schedule that includes a three-game series at Baylor, trips to perennial national power Vanderbilt and Indiana State (a NCAA tourney participant last year), and a three-game home series with Troy, also a NCAA tourney participant last year.
"It's taking what (last year's leaders Bobby Whalen, Phillip Glasser and Hunter Jessee) instilled in us, instill it in the young players and apply it," Tibbitts says.
"It's important for everybody to be able to contribute at any time and have everyone on the same page."
IU seeks to build from a 43-20 season that included a NCAA tourney berth.
"It was cool to get to the postseason," Tibbitts says, "but we start 0-0. Nobody starts ahead of anybody else. It's being able to reset. We do have that experience. Knowing what it takes to get to the postseason, we have to instill that in a new group."
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